Writing Successful Self-Help and How-To Books - (Wiley Books for Writers) by Jean Marie Stine (Paperback)

About the Book

Mastering the craft and understanding the mechanics of writing self-help and how-to books is the key to getting publishers to take notice of your work. Jean Stine offers an insider's view of this growing genre. Her easy-to-follow program takes readers step-by-step through the complete writing process.

Book Synopsis

If you follow only a third of Jean's advice, you'll have a successful book. --Jeremy Tarcher, Publisher Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.

""After Jean reworked my first draft, paperback rights sold for $137,000."" --Timmen Cermak, M.D., author of A Time to Heal: The Road to Recovery for Adult Children of Alcoholics

Mastering the craft and understanding the mechanics of writing self-help and how-to books is the key to getting publishers to take notice of your work. Now, in the first guide to writing self-help and how-to books, Jean Stine offers an insider's view of this growing genre. Her easy-to-follow program takes you step-by-step through the complete writing process. You'll learn the importance of:
* Structure and Style
* Clear, easy-to-understand exercises
* Creating catchy and compelling titles, subtitles, and chapter headings
* Using lists, charts, and graphs to maximum effect
* Checklists and other interactive elements
* Writing a proposal that sells
* Negotiating permissions for quotations, photos, and illustrations
* Preparing your manuscript for presentation to a publisher

From the Back Cover

""If you follow only a third of Jean's advice, you'll have a successful book."" --Jeremy Tarcher, Publisher Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.

""After Jean reworked my first draft, paperback rights sold for $137,000."" --Timmen Cermak, M.D., author of A Time to Heal: "The Road to Recovery for Adult Children of Alcoholics"

Mastering the craft and understanding the mechanics of writing self-help and how-to books is the key to getting publishers to take notice of your work. Now, in the first guide to writing self-help and how-to books, Jean Stine offers an insider's view of this growing genre. Her easy-to-follow program takes you step-by-step through the complete writing process. You'll learn the importance of: Structure and Style Clear, easy-to-understand exercises Creating catchy and compelling titles, subtitles, and chapter headings Using lists, charts, and graphs to maximum effect Checklists and other interactive elements Writing a proposal that sells Negotiating permissions for quotations, photos, and illustrations Preparing your manuscript for presentation to a publisher

About the Author

JEAN MARIE STINE has edited over 50 self-help titles, including such bestsellers as Women Who Love Too Much, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, and Chop Wood, Carry Water: A Guide to Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Everyday Life. She has held numerous editorial positions, most recently Editor in Chief at Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.