A Book Is Born
24 Authors Tell All
by Nancy Cleary (Editor)
Forget this review. Dr. Laura should endorse A
Book Is Born: 24 Authors Tell All. That is the kind of publicity
it deserves.
Here is a book by twenty-five author-mothers who
stay home to care for their children (which Laura rather intractably
recommends). They manage to balance that monumental task with building
careers in publishing, something I enthusiastically recommend, regardless
of how a woman chooses to do it, mostly because my having neglected
a yearning to write in favor of motherhood very nearly ended in
disaster. But that is another story.
So whether Dr. L. is your cup of tea or not, every
woman writer will find some useful from-the-heart-advice in Born
. Nancy Cleary has brought together women writers, but not
in the traditional anthology approach. Chapters are divided into
important aspects of the publishing process like marketing (yes,
marketing!), and each writer weighs in using her own hard-won experience.
The participants are quite different in their perspectives,
which makes the advice all the more valuable. Iris Waichler shares
her struggle with infertility so that others can benefit from her
story. Christine Hohlbaum was compelled to tell how her stay-at-home
desire conflicts with her Ivy-league urge to excel. Samantha Gianulis
found her inspiration in wine, food and children. Put all together,
A Book is Born is as much about inspiration as it is about
practical advice. Mostly it is an affirmation that if you want it,
writing and publishing is in your future.
Once a writer knows that, this book will lead her
through the process. It is not about developing craft or finding
time. There are books enough for that. It is about the intricacies
of publishing and how to keep the joy in that process.
And a how-to book it certainly is. Basic. For beginners.
But also—oddly—quite advanced with fresh, instinctual takes on subjects
that will give those who have been writing awhile a joyous boot-in-the-butt.
P.S. My favorite creative tip, probably because
it has worked well for me: "Teach the Class, Start a Club,
Create an Imprint. |
The
Book |
Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, Inc |
2007 |
Paperback |
9781932279504 |
Nonfiction/How-To/ Writers |
More
at Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing |
Excerpt |
NOTE: Experience
Is the Best Teacher
Publisher Assembles Mom-Authors
to Tell Their Secrets |
The
Reviewer |
Carolyn Howard-Johnson |
Reviewed
2007 |
NOTE:
Carolyn
Howard-Johnson is an award-winning author of This Is the
Place and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered,
Tracing, a chapbook of poetry, and the How To Do
It Frugally s eries of books for writers |
|