Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
The author of more than 100 books, Dan Poynter believes that nearly everyone has the ingredients to be a successful published author, and he provides the recipe in this one-of-a-kind guide on the mechanics of writing nonfiction books. An "evangelist" on book writing, Poynter offers tips on breaking down and researching a topic, organizing findings, and evaluating publishing options. Readers will benefit from Poynter's individualized plan as well as his system of organization, which makes writing about any topic a feasible goal. This edition is completely revised to address reader responses and includes chapter topics ranging from "The New Book Model" and "Researching Your Topic and Checking for Competition" to "Finding an Agent." Readers will not only learn how to accelerate their own writing process, but they'll also gain valuable marketing skills using this clear, step-by-step plan to publishing a well-researched book.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Poor Editing and Production
Customer Rating:
The good point of this book is his "new book model" which advocates developing the cover and frontal and back matter while doing the initial research, before you start to write, to help you clarify your audience and the breadth of your book.
On page 114 he claims to employ "professional editors, proofreaders, ...", but there are more typos than there should be in a published book and several dangling references - for example on page 40 he writes, "See the ISBN discussion later in the book ...", but there is no discussion of ISBN; also I checked the index for "ISBN" and it referred me to page 37 rather than the correct page 40. While I was checking the index, I noticed references to HTML and XML, but could find no mention of either in the text. I suspect he revised the book and forgot to update the index.
The production, editorial, and other problems with this book have given me serious doubt as to whether his "Self-Publishing Manual" will be worth the time to read -- sure "The Self-Publishing Manual" has lots of good reviews - but so does this marginally useful book.
GREAT and to the point. Publish it your self and profit!!
Customer Rating:
This is a good book, and a short version of the THE SELF PUBLISHING MANUAL by the same author; both books are good, however I enjoyed best THE SELF P.M. which I will rate it 5 starts. Enjoy!!
A better book model
Customer Rating:
Dan Poynter presents a new model of book writing that makes it simple for authos to organize various sections of their book. Portions of the book, such as the introduction, preface, notes about the author and reference sections are outlined in easy format for authors. This organization allows the author to focus his attention on the heart of the story line or theme. This is a great model that is easily followed. I am going to use it for my current and future manuscripts.
Helped me Write and Publish my Book!!!
Customer Rating:
I ordered this book when I was working on my own book. I found it to be a good reference book and provided a lot of useful information! I often referred back to the book! Now, I have my own successful Non-fiction book!!!
Michelle L. Long, CPA, MBA Author of: Successful QuickBooks Consulting: The Comprehensive Guide to Starting and Growing a QuickBooks Consulting Business Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor Member of Intuit's Certified Trainer Network
Fully Explains The Process
Customer Rating:
This is a book full of useful information from someone who knows the subject. I had the opportunity to attend a seminar where Dan Poynter spoke on writing nonfiction. It is great to have this book to bring back everything from the presentation. If you want to write nonfiction, this book will guide you though the process. If you already write nonfiction, this book will make you much more efficient. Highly recommended!
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