I am a professional writer of nonfiction, and have been thinking about writing a book, so this book was part of my research. I have to admit that I had a bit of an arrogant attitude going in... I wasn't convinced that the author could tell me something that I didn't already know. Turns out, he could. There is a lot of very basic information that I think beginning writers would benefit from. But I found that his advice on organizing and planning a book -- such as writing a core outline first, so that you have a definite handle on what your book is about and how you're going to write it -- rang true with me. In criticism, I would say that the author repeats himself occasionally throughout the book. But, then, maybe a beginning writer would benefit from the repetition. Finally, I liked the way he encouraged non-writers to try their hand at the craft, with helpful tips on how to get started. The author definitely has a positive attitude!