Its' really hard to categorize 'on writing' books. This one sits between a relatively straightforward and practical introduction to, at times, diving in depth on some topics. I would recommend this one as a very useful intro type book.

Even though its getting a little older most of the material is still perfectly relevant, maybe the self-publishing etc is out of date, the actual writing advice is on point still.

This is going to be slightly different from my normal book reviews as this is a non-fiction book and I wouldn't call myself an expert in non-fiction. I'm afraid it's going to be quite short because I loved this book!

Write a Blockbuster and Get it Published is a book that gives you great advice about both the writing and publishing process.

Blockbuster shocked me in how easy it was to read. Usually books like this are full of jargon and it makes you nervous, but not this book. It was so easy to understand, even if you don't know what all these literary terms mean, making it accessible to everyone.

It was crammed with great tips and I particularly liked the 10 things to Remember at the end of each chapter. It's a brilliant way to sum up and drive the points home. It's also a good reference point to read back on when you need some advice or you're stuck. I have a feeling I'm going to pick this book up over and over again just to read specific parts I might need help on.

Most importantly it reminded me that I don't know everything about writing. No one does. It's a craft you never stop learning.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and will pick it up again and again. I recommend it for anyone who's written anything.

I read this when I was a reader for the Cornerstones literary consultancy a few years ago, as one of the authors is the founder. At the time I found it a useful refresher....but, completely bizarrely, I didn't take on much of the advice myself even though I was trying to write a novel at the time!! Insane!! Of course, what I actually was writing was a memoir...but I didn't know that at the time.
Years later, in the midst of writing a new novel that actually IS fiction, I have found this book to be an amazing refresher in the basics of novel writing - little things like character development, pacing, narrative arc, etc. it's written in a friendly and conversational way, as if the authors are in the room with you, giving you advice. It's a novel writing class in a book. I highly, highly recommend it.

This book has a lot of the same information on writing fiction that other books like it have. But it is good info, nonetheless. The exercises throughout were nice I plan on trying some of them in the future. This book was published in 2006, so the second half of the book on agents and publishing seemed a bit out of date. I feel that e-books have changed the way publishing has worked substantially in the past 12 years. This book is still well worth your time as a writer who wishes to produce quality fiction.