The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book

Title: The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book
Author: Susan Page
Publisher: Broadway Books
ISBN: 0-553-061771
Rating - 5 out of 5

Susan Page outlines the twenty steps to getting published successfully, giving you “everything you need to know in the order you need to know it”. She not only gives you the steps but also useful exercises, tips, resources, marketing tools, the eight laws of writing and a sample proposal. The chart in chapter 5 is very beneficial in giving the pros and cons of self-publishing your book or selling it to a publisher.

An extra added bonus to all this wealth of information is the assistance Page offers in the section on tackling the monsters within, namely self-doubt, procrastination and envy.
Written in the first person, it is complete with personal situations that Page encountered. She pulls no punches when she tells you, there was both ecstasy and agony experienced throughout the entire writing process.

Part I takes you from “Understanding the Big Picture” in chapter 1 right through to “Participating in Your Book’s Publication in chapter 20. The twenty steps are broken down, even including the required time each one should need to be accomplished effectively.

Part II covers “Taming the Monsters” and “Reaping the Joy”. Also included in this section is a sample proposal and a plethora of resources, covering everything from writers conferences and organizations, legal information and services, and promotion and marketing.

Page writes in a very detailed way so as not to bore you or bog you down so that you lose interest. Without being overly lengthy, she covers every step in the process thoroughly. From just starting out with an idea for your book to writing your book, right through to marketing and preparing yourself for future books, she leaves no room for doubt. If by chance you have any such doubt or questions after all is said and done, Page offers her personal assistance via an invitation to contact her directly.

In essence, she “leads you away from the obstacles that often delay or frustrate writers and introduces them to the 20 essential steps to success.” While showing you how to proceed, she “anticipates how you might feel at various stages and deftly coaches you through the best and the worst of it all.”