Today, I am delighted to be hosting Val Penny on the latest leg of her blog tour to celebrate the launch of her fabulous guide for newbie writers, Let’s Get Published. My thanks to Kelly of Love Books Tours for inviting me to take part, and to the author for providing the ebook for review.
Here’s what I thought of the book:
Val Penny’s new book, Let’s Get Published, does exactly what it says on the tin. It takes a new author through all the stages needed to get a manuscript ready for submission to an agent or a publisher. It concentrates on aspiring novelists, although much of what is covered would apply equally to a non-fiction writer, too. Starting by defining the genre of the work; and the objectives of the author; it moves on to provide an overview of the various routes to publication, with pros and cons of each. And it emphasises that the manuscript should be completed to a reasonable standard before submissions begin. But it’s from Chapter Seven: Producing a Polished Manuscript that the book really comes into its own. There are detailed chapters on all aspects of editing including structure; point of view; characters; dialogue tags; and show, don’t tell. Finally, there is advice on preparing the submission package.
I said at the beginning this book is aimed at new authors. And for more experienced authors, there is nothing particularly new. However, it provides a well-thought out revision of everything we should do, but don’t always remember to. I found the chapter on planning and synopses particularly helpful.
Val Penny is the author of the acclaimed DI Hunter series of crime novels set in Edinburgh. And she is about to launch the fifth book in that series, so everything in Let’s Get Published comes from her own experience. She doesn’t pull any punches; pointing out up front that ‘writing a novel is hard work.’ But this book, written in an accessible, conversational style, goes a long way to easing the process.
Let’s Get Published is available as an ebook or a paperback. It is free to download for Kindle Unlimited members. You can find your copy by clicking here.
Meggy from Love Books Tours
Thank you very much for taking part in the blog tour!
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