Book Review: How to Write a Book (even if you never have)

Title: How to Write A Book (even if you never have)

Author : Bridget McNulty

Genre: How To / Non-Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

How to Write a Book (even if you never have) is the brainchild of Now Novel co-founder Bridget McNulty – a culmination of all the advice and tips she’s been sharing with the Now Novel writing community over the last year. It’s a fantastically helpful resource for anyone wanting to write their first book, a guide for all those who love writing and want to tackle the Mount Everest of writing projects (a novel) and a reference for writers at any stage of their careers who need reminding of the building blocks of novel-writing: ideas, mood, theme, plot, setting and characters. It’s also, quite simply, a great read.
Find out more about the Now Novel online novel-writing process at www.nownovel.com

How to Write a Book (even if you never have) is, like the title suggests, a book about writing books. It’s actually a very thorough book, focusing on different aspects of writing, finding various strategies to come up with ideas, to develop a plot, work on your characters, find a theme/genre for your book, making sure your book isn’t a cliché, and so on. For newbie writers, it’s an invaluable resource.

However – I’m not a newbie writer. I’ve written ten books and counting (although, admittingly, a few shorter children’s books), so the challenge was, for me, if this book would be interesting, or if it was aimed solely at newbies, as most books of this kind are. This book proved a pleasant surprise though. Even for an author who knows the drill, the book manages to inspire, offer some new ideas and fresh ways to come up with plots and characters. What I thought was particularly interesting was chapter seven, which focuses on motivation and discipline. That’s probably the most important chapter for me – I always find some way to convince myself I don’t have time to write. Staying motivated is tough, but the strategies in the book sound solid. I might have to try them out.

The book also offers self-publishing advice, which is awesome too. I especially liked the article about distributing self-published books, and on how to make money from your book. With so many new books out there every day, it’s tough to stand out from the crowd and this book offers some great pointers.

If you’re a newbie writer or a veteran, you’ll find something useful within the pages of this book, I guarantee it. The writing style is fluent and to the point, and it makes an engaging read.

Giveaway

You can win a .pdf copy of the book! Just comment below to participate, and one random commenter will win the book. Runs until March 16, 2015.