What’s Your Book? by Brooke Warner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a writer and self-published author, I still enjoy reading how-to books and guides to learn how others “did it” or just to keep up with the industry standard. My first book was published in 2003 and the biggest change to the industry since then has been the Ebook boom and self-published, or “indie”, market. Brooke Warner’s focus is on keeping the writer motivated while also providing valuable information on what to do next.

The opinion and advice of someone in the industry is always valuable. While reading What’s Your Book, I dutifully took note on what I needed to do as a writer and what I could improve upon. Brooke spends lots of time discussing marketing techniques, especially in the way of an online presence in the way of Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. While I didn’t personally agree with some of her suggestions, I still found some good tips on how to improve upon my own e-presence. I even tweeted Brooke, as she suggested, when I linked my Twitter account directly to my cell phone.

My biggest problem with the book is how the author constantly mentions the three publishing venues: attracting an agent, approaching an editor or small press, or self-publishing, only to discuss each in great detail later on. The information became very repetitive for me and I found myself skimming the fuller chapters to get on to the next topic. Novice writers will hang on every word here, as they should. Those like me who are not so new to publishing will still learn from Brooke, but may find some of the information monotonous.

Being a self-published author, it was nice to read something fresh and exciting where the author is on your side. Brooke validates self-publishing in a positive light, and even self-published this book herself and firmly discusses why. That alone made me warm up to her advice and take it seriously. Overall, this is a great starter guide for those wanting to write a book, those who have written a book and don’t know what to do next, or those like me who are always looking for a way to take their writing career one step further.

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