Another helpful book for freelance writers

The other day at Barnes & Noble, a book on writing caught my eye: How to Write What You Want & Sell What You Write, by Skip Press. Now, despite the fact that I've reviewed a couple of how-to-write books on this blog, I am not really a big fan of them, meaning I am choosy about which ones I read. This particular book caught my attention because it does something most don't: it gives basic how-to information on a variety of writing markets, not just how-to-write-novels kind of stuff (a genre which should actually be called How to Make It as a Writer by Writing a Book About How to Make It as a Writer).

My sarcasm aside, Skip Press' book is different. He has a couple of chapters that apply to all would-be writers, and then he has several chapters that explain the expectations in different markets: fiction, nonfiction, plays, screenplays, business writing, advertising writing, etc. It's laid out in a way that you can read the chapters that are pertinent to your career goals, and skip the rest. It contains some good advice on writing, one piece of advice in particular that harkens back to my earlier posting: even if you dream of loftier markets, namely fiction, you need to start in markets that are easier to publish in, such as nonfiction.

All in all, I do highly recommend this book. It has plenty of solid advice...for all kinds of writers.