Writing Book Reviews
Page One of TwoDamn! Why Didn't I Write That? by Marc McClutcheon
Quill Driver Books, October, 2001Paperback, 261 pages
ISBN: 1884956173
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Although many writers are interested in writing fiction,
author Marc McCutcheon sternly informs readers that
of the 50,000-plus new book published each year
at least 46,000 are nonfiction. He also tells writers
they may already be
knowledgeable enough in a subject to write a
bestseller. McCutcheon, himself a high school
drop-out who has written bestsellers like The Compass
in Your Nose and Other Astonishing Facts About
Humans and Roget's Super Thesaurus, conveys the
idea that anyone come up with a great idea for a
bestseller. One of the most interesting sections in the
book is a list of bestselling
nonfiction books, which includes some unusually
simple subjects like The World's Dumbest Criminals
(80,000 copies sold), 35,000 Baby Names (100,000
copies sold), Really Important Stuff My Kids Have
Taught Me (172,000 copies sold), All I Need
to Know I Learned From My Cat (1,608,000 copies
sold) and The Beanie Baby Handbook (3,000,000 copies
sold). McCutcheon goes on to elaborate on some of
these nonfiction success stories, as well as inform readers
about how many books they will need to sell to make a living.
He also offers suggestions of niche nonfiction
markets and provides tips to help writers come up with
a subject to write about. In addition to helping writers select
ideas for their books, McCutcheon devotes several sections to
agents, query letters, book proposals, contract negotiations
and book promotion. Examples of queries, contracts
and book proposals are given. McCutcheon also includes
a special chapter full of tips and information
about other helpful resources for people interested
in getting a book published. This is a very different
kind of writing book that is extraordinarily fun to read.
Aspiring authors should take heed of McCutcheon's advice
about this genre which for most writers is far more
financially rewarding than trying to write and publish
the Great American Novel.
Hot Text: Web Writing That Works by Jonathan and Lisa Price
New Riders, January, 2002Trade Paperback, 507 pages
ISBN: 0735711518
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
The opportunities for online copywriting, business
writing and freelance writing have been hurt by
the recent recession. However, there are still plenty
of opportunities online. Companies will continue
to need an online presence and some of the Web-only
start-ups will succeed. Plus, there will always be
new company launches and new websites.
Over the past several years more
has been learned about effective online written
communication. Answers to questions
like how much text will
people read, what draws the reader's attention, how does
the formatting affect what people will read online
and many other questions are slowly being answered.
Hot Text provides answers to many of these
questions. The book also analyzes
samples of actual online correspondence and
writing to help readers understand what works and what
does not. For example, in one section the book's
authors discuss email correspondence from an Amazon.com
customer support employee. The book also contains scores
of ways to make your online text more effective, including
examples of the best ways to embed links in your text,
tips for making your text sound more positive instead of
negative to the reader and instruction and examples for
writing website headings and menus. In addition to writing
advice, a section covering careers in editing and writing with
advice and tips for writing a resume is also included.
Professional web writers and editors Jonathan and Lisa Price (who have worked with clients like America Online, Hewlett-Packard and Disney.com) help readers learn how to write for the Web with easy to follow instruction on writing a variety of content, including FAQs, help sections, email, marketing copy, press releases, resumes and web pages. Even the finer points of online writing are covered, such as writing attention-getting headlines and creating titles for navigation bars. The authors give plenty of helpful examples for readers, including useful before and after examples showing the incorrect or verbose text before it changed to the improved version. Hot Text is packed with instruction and tips for making online content do its job efficiently: to inform and to sell. A must-own book for everyone from web developers to copywriters to freelance editors. Highly Recommended.
Writing Book Reviews
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