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Written Off
With more people writing books than reading them, who’d be an author?
Four disparate, aspiring authors dream of getting their work published. As they strive for a breakthrough they are unaware that, in the world of traditional publishing, editors, agents and authors have enough problems of their own. The odds are stacked against success on both sides of the fence. The only person who seems to be doing well out of the writing game is the owner of The Write Stuff, a company selling ‘how to get published’ help to would-be authors.
Inevitably, all roads eventually lead to The Write Stuff’s annual weekend writing conference. As the wannabe wordsmiths attempt to scramble on the ‘up’ escalator to literary stardom, will they notice the tragic author of many years passing them in the other direction?
As the conference builds to an explosive climax, who’s going to start a new chapter in their life and who’s going to remain stuck on page one?
Written Off is a tale with a surprising payoff: in the midst of all the humour there are also more genuine tips on how to achieve literary success woven into the story than can be found in many text books and courses.
Wickedly funny, Written Off will particularly appeal to both aspiring and established authors who have been left jaded by their dealings with the publishing industry (not to mention the long-suffering partners who are forced to tend to ‘writer’s paranoia’ on a daily basis).
Four disparate, aspiring authors dream of getting their work published. As they strive for a breakthrough they are unaware that, in the world of traditional publishing, editors, agents and authors have enough problems of their own. The odds are stacked against success on both sides of the fence. The only person who seems to be doing well out of the writing game is the owner of The Write Stuff, a company selling ‘how to get published’ help to would-be authors.
Inevitably, all roads eventually lead to The Write Stuff’s annual weekend writing conference. As the wannabe wordsmiths attempt to scramble on the ‘up’ escalator to literary stardom, will they notice the tragic author of many years passing them in the other direction?
As the conference builds to an explosive climax, who’s going to start a new chapter in their life and who’s going to remain stuck on page one?
Written Off is a tale with a surprising payoff: in the midst of all the humour there are also more genuine tips on how to achieve literary success woven into the story than can be found in many text books and courses.
Wickedly funny, Written Off will particularly appeal to both aspiring and established authors who have been left jaded by their dealings with the publishing industry (not to mention the long-suffering partners who are forced to tend to ‘writer’s paranoia’ on a daily basis).
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2016
116 people want to read
About the author
Paul Carroll
6 books13 followersWriting that puts the ‘stab’ into establishment.
Paul’s novels consistently let fly at the latest social trends in an entertaining mix of cutting observation, human drama, dark humour and compassion.
Born and brought up in Leeds, Paul has a degree in English Language and English Literature from the University of Manchester, and worked in PR for many years before becoming a full-time author. Paul lives in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.
A marketing gamekeeper-turned-poacher, Paul is to be found peering behind the curtains of ‘the next big thing’ when he’s not writing.
Be Here Now (2025) is Paul Carroll’s sixth following Shaking Hands with Elvis (2024), Don’t Ask (2021), Trouble Brewing (2017), Written Off (2016) and A Matter of Life and Death (2012).
Paul’s novels consistently let fly at the latest social trends in an entertaining mix of cutting observation, human drama, dark humour and compassion.
Born and brought up in Leeds, Paul has a degree in English Language and English Literature from the University of Manchester, and worked in PR for many years before becoming a full-time author. Paul lives in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.
A marketing gamekeeper-turned-poacher, Paul is to be found peering behind the curtains of ‘the next big thing’ when he’s not writing.
Be Here Now (2025) is Paul Carroll’s sixth following Shaking Hands with Elvis (2024), Don’t Ask (2021), Trouble Brewing (2017), Written Off (2016) and A Matter of Life and Death (2012).
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 18, 2016
Publishing has undergone major changes in the last few years and this witty, perceptive novel, takes a satirical look at the industry through the eyes of those involved – whether agent, publisher or would be authors. The characters encompass a previously successful author dropped by his cost cutting publisher, who is unwilling to embrace social media or creative writing courses, an editorial director who is pushed into looking for new talent without agents, a celebrated agent who dislikes the way the industry is changing, plus a group of wannabe authors who range from the fairly successful to a young and naïve young woman who has not yet even started putting pen to paper (or keyboard)…
At the heart of this novel is a conference for unpublished authors called, “The Write Stuff.” The organiser of this successful event is Chapman Hall and his besotted PA, Suzie Q. Hall is convinced that selling “fear” works – informing those interested that they will never be published if they do not attend and selling the chance to meet up with professionals from the publishing world. This is a humorous, but perceptive, novel which covers everything from writing your great work (then editing it and sending it out and receiving endless, soul destroying rejections) to the desire to be published ‘properly,’ compared to the perceived failure of self publishing. Although wickedly funny, this is often also moving and has a good cast of characters.
Will any of those attending the conference actually find a publishing deal? Desperation, unrequited love, ambition and delusion, humiliating advice, literary hopefuls and odd allegiances make this an entertaining and brilliant novel for book lovers – as well as showing the real meaning of success. I look forward to reading more by this extremely talented author and feel sure that every book lover will find this an enjoyable and amusing read.
At the heart of this novel is a conference for unpublished authors called, “The Write Stuff.” The organiser of this successful event is Chapman Hall and his besotted PA, Suzie Q. Hall is convinced that selling “fear” works – informing those interested that they will never be published if they do not attend and selling the chance to meet up with professionals from the publishing world. This is a humorous, but perceptive, novel which covers everything from writing your great work (then editing it and sending it out and receiving endless, soul destroying rejections) to the desire to be published ‘properly,’ compared to the perceived failure of self publishing. Although wickedly funny, this is often also moving and has a good cast of characters.
Will any of those attending the conference actually find a publishing deal? Desperation, unrequited love, ambition and delusion, humiliating advice, literary hopefuls and odd allegiances make this an entertaining and brilliant novel for book lovers – as well as showing the real meaning of success. I look forward to reading more by this extremely talented author and feel sure that every book lover will find this an enjoyable and amusing read.
January 31, 2016
We all have a book in us, or so a familiar cliche has it; in recent years conventional wisdom has held that technology, as it has done in so many other fields like music and TV, will liberate and empower individuals by tearing down the entry barriers of traditional publishing unleashing a wave of creativity as self-publishing turns established business models on their heads.
Alas for the budding writers out there living in hope of bypassing the seemingly impenetrable industry modus operandi of finding an agent and securing a Publisher, this is not as simple as it may seem as Paul Carroll illustrates in "Written Off" , a novel which, in announcing that there are more writers than readers out there, cynically and satirically examines the machinations of an age-old profession that remains as cutthroat as ever. The business of modern book publishing is laid bare to be revealed in all its tardiness, much as Paul did with the "business" of death in his previous novel "A matter of life and death", in what appears to be a theme runing through the author's work, obviously emanating from his PR background.
Paul assembles a cast of writers who are by turns vain, deviant, naive, pitiful, hateful and laughable, placing them as pawns on a chessboard populated by ruthless publishers and conniving agents. The delightful creation linking all these up is the exploitative opportunistic and predatory "how to get published" agency The Write Stuff", a deliciously perfidious invention whose exploits have the reader chuckling at its wickedness as a bystander would at the antics of a particularly naughty child embarassing her parents at a family gathering.
The novel's centerpiece is a weekend conference organized by The Write Stuff ostensibly to bring hopeful writers together with potential agents and publishers, but which in fact is a cover for financially exploiting all the pent-up hopes and frustrations of the budding authors as all the parties, The Write Stuff included, manouver to undermine and encroach on each others' territories.
The narrative, whilst occasionally wordy (witness "no doubt more opprobrium from sycophants attempting to curry favour with the oleaginous agent " which I sincerely hope is intended to be tongue-in-cheek !) metaphor-laden and laced with literary puns is neverthless briskly witty. The humour though is dark, with an underlying mood and tone that are deeply cynical and sarcastic as optimism, hope and belief are gradually substituted by disillusionment, fear, paranoia and anxiety. I for one won't be giving up the day job to concentrate on my writing and telling the boss to stick his job where the sun doesn't shine after reading this.
They say every author writes him or herself into their early works; if this is true then "Written Off" could be seen a cleverely clandestine attempt By Paul to penetrate the ramparts of the publishing citadel using his own backstory as the battering ram ..
Alas for the budding writers out there living in hope of bypassing the seemingly impenetrable industry modus operandi of finding an agent and securing a Publisher, this is not as simple as it may seem as Paul Carroll illustrates in "Written Off" , a novel which, in announcing that there are more writers than readers out there, cynically and satirically examines the machinations of an age-old profession that remains as cutthroat as ever. The business of modern book publishing is laid bare to be revealed in all its tardiness, much as Paul did with the "business" of death in his previous novel "A matter of life and death", in what appears to be a theme runing through the author's work, obviously emanating from his PR background.
Paul assembles a cast of writers who are by turns vain, deviant, naive, pitiful, hateful and laughable, placing them as pawns on a chessboard populated by ruthless publishers and conniving agents. The delightful creation linking all these up is the exploitative opportunistic and predatory "how to get published" agency The Write Stuff", a deliciously perfidious invention whose exploits have the reader chuckling at its wickedness as a bystander would at the antics of a particularly naughty child embarassing her parents at a family gathering.
The novel's centerpiece is a weekend conference organized by The Write Stuff ostensibly to bring hopeful writers together with potential agents and publishers, but which in fact is a cover for financially exploiting all the pent-up hopes and frustrations of the budding authors as all the parties, The Write Stuff included, manouver to undermine and encroach on each others' territories.
The narrative, whilst occasionally wordy (witness "no doubt more opprobrium from sycophants attempting to curry favour with the oleaginous agent " which I sincerely hope is intended to be tongue-in-cheek !) metaphor-laden and laced with literary puns is neverthless briskly witty. The humour though is dark, with an underlying mood and tone that are deeply cynical and sarcastic as optimism, hope and belief are gradually substituted by disillusionment, fear, paranoia and anxiety. I for one won't be giving up the day job to concentrate on my writing and telling the boss to stick his job where the sun doesn't shine after reading this.
They say every author writes him or herself into their early works; if this is true then "Written Off" could be seen a cleverely clandestine attempt By Paul to penetrate the ramparts of the publishing citadel using his own backstory as the battering ram ..
July 9, 2016
This is a hugely enjoyable satire on writers, their agents and publishers, people who want to be writers, writers who want to be published, and there are so many writers (et al) out there this novel is sure to find a ready audience. Anyone who has ever written a book - especially authors who have self-published; any author who has found themselves dropped by an agent or publisher; anyone who has ever attended a writer’s conference will find something to smile or wince about here. I enjoyed all the characters, they’re all well done. It is full of little in-jokes - I especially enjoyed curmudgeonly writer Reardon - but these can only sustain as a joke for a short time. I rattled through it in two days and while it it didn’t have me rolling in the aisles, I did smile a lot. but it. - it’s a familiar world to me; we all love to see our house on the telly. I do wonder how well it will fare with the non-writers (are there any left?). A fun, quick read; enjoyable fluff.
May 30, 2016
You want to be a writer? Read this book!!
June 12, 2021
Just brilliant - I really enjoyed this book as it was something a little different.
The book introduces us to four aspiring authors. The unfortunately named aging journalist Eric Blair, who maybe has a name to live up to before he's even written a word. Alyson who is already a writer of erotic fiction but wants to swap genres. Con who thinks he's the next great Irish writer and Bronte who is yet to write her opening chapter, but just knows she needs the Write Stuff conference to get her started.
What follows is a close up look at authors, agents and the publishing industry. Many times throughout the book I laughed out loud at the wry and acerbic humour. So many brilliant one liners. There are a few sub plots going on too. One is a real down to earth look at what might seem like harmless office fun until it's seen from a different view point.
All the characters felt believable and so did the settings, especially so when HR got involved. Throw in the established author, his agent and publisher and the whirring admin wheels of the Write Stuff conference with it's host Chapman Hall, and you have a front row seat to a fabulous sight. I think Chapman was my favourite character. He's a real wheeler dealer always looking for the next big literary money making scheme.
The book culminates in the main characters all being at The Write Stuff conference in a sort of Agatha Christie Manor House setting. Who will get a book deal? Who will find a new upcoming author? Who will keep their job?
The book introduces us to four aspiring authors. The unfortunately named aging journalist Eric Blair, who maybe has a name to live up to before he's even written a word. Alyson who is already a writer of erotic fiction but wants to swap genres. Con who thinks he's the next great Irish writer and Bronte who is yet to write her opening chapter, but just knows she needs the Write Stuff conference to get her started.
What follows is a close up look at authors, agents and the publishing industry. Many times throughout the book I laughed out loud at the wry and acerbic humour. So many brilliant one liners. There are a few sub plots going on too. One is a real down to earth look at what might seem like harmless office fun until it's seen from a different view point.
All the characters felt believable and so did the settings, especially so when HR got involved. Throw in the established author, his agent and publisher and the whirring admin wheels of the Write Stuff conference with it's host Chapman Hall, and you have a front row seat to a fabulous sight. I think Chapman was my favourite character. He's a real wheeler dealer always looking for the next big literary money making scheme.
The book culminates in the main characters all being at The Write Stuff conference in a sort of Agatha Christie Manor House setting. Who will get a book deal? Who will find a new upcoming author? Who will keep their job?
July 4, 2018
Excellent satire on the British publish industry. Great characters, compelling plot and very funny.
April 24, 2016
I’ll start with how my three stars rating mostly reflects misinformation. I read this book because it was labelled ‘humour’, yet the number of times I giggled… well, they can be counted on one hand. For me, a book labelled as humour should have me giggling throughout. I know I have a twisted sense of humour, but I have laughed more in serious books than I have in this. Due to this, I failed to really get into the book. Had I been aware of the true nature of the book, I probably would have found it easier to get into. Alas, I spent all my time waiting for that all-important giggle.
If this book isn’t a laughter fest, what is it?
In all honesty, it’s a rather cynical book. But wait – I hear you call – shouldn’t that be right up your street? You’re a cynical kind of girl. You look at the negative before the positive, you see the worst in things, and all those other cynical ways of living. Yes, such can be said about me, and I do enjoy such books, yet this seemed a bit extensive.
For me, the message of this book seemed to read: ‘YOU WILL NEVE GET PUBLISHED’ (in those scary capital letters, with a bold oversized font).
Like most readers, I have never let go of my childhood dream of one day seeing my name in print. It is the greatest achievement us readers can reach – having our story enjoyed by others. I’m aware my childhood notion of being a writer is not true. It is not a way to become an instant millionaire. It is not a way to sit around all day doing nothing. It does require hard work. Not everyone will like what you write. All in all, it is nowhere near as exotic as it was to my childhood self. Still, a part of me still wishes to follow the dream. Not that it will ever happen. I have no self-esteem. I would never be able to submit anything. Therefore, it is just something to think about late at night when battling insomnia. Of course, there are countless people in the world who do not share my self-esteem and anxiety issues. There are many people who want to follow up on this dream. Those who do are liable to read this book and panic.
The book teaches us it is next to impossible to be published. This book teaches us that everyone in the industry is an a-hole.
I’ll accept the first, to a degree. It is hard to get published. However, it is not impossible. Nor does it mean you should instantly turn to self-publishing. All good things in life are hard – as are most of the bad things, if we’re completely honest with ourselves – yet this does not mean being published is out of reach. These things take time. Sometimes you are lucky. Even if you’re not lucky, it’s a learning curve.
The second point I find harder to accept. I know most people in the world are less than pleasant. Despite this, most people have some saving graces. The characters is this book… not so much. I couldn’t bring myself to connect with any of them. Either I wanted to punch them in the face for the way they were acting or I wanted to bang their head off a wall to knock some sense into their views. Overall, I found it impossible to connect with any of the characters.
Honestly, I think the negativity does steam from the lack of laughter. I can only really remember one thing that brought a snort from me – a comment about what happened to the Pokémon generation – and the other things that brought about some kind of positive response… they’re gone. One of them brought a slight smile, but I do not know why. The other couple of things were at the very end of the book, and by this point it was about half four in the morning and I was about nine hours into a less than pleasant journey back down to England to see my family for a week. In short, by this point I probably laughed at something less than funny – hence my inability to remember it.
Of course, this book may still be for you. It isn’t entirely unpleasant. It is well written. It does have some decent moments. It just wasn’t what I signed up for.
As a final note, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.
If this book isn’t a laughter fest, what is it?
In all honesty, it’s a rather cynical book. But wait – I hear you call – shouldn’t that be right up your street? You’re a cynical kind of girl. You look at the negative before the positive, you see the worst in things, and all those other cynical ways of living. Yes, such can be said about me, and I do enjoy such books, yet this seemed a bit extensive.
For me, the message of this book seemed to read: ‘YOU WILL NEVE GET PUBLISHED’ (in those scary capital letters, with a bold oversized font).
Like most readers, I have never let go of my childhood dream of one day seeing my name in print. It is the greatest achievement us readers can reach – having our story enjoyed by others. I’m aware my childhood notion of being a writer is not true. It is not a way to become an instant millionaire. It is not a way to sit around all day doing nothing. It does require hard work. Not everyone will like what you write. All in all, it is nowhere near as exotic as it was to my childhood self. Still, a part of me still wishes to follow the dream. Not that it will ever happen. I have no self-esteem. I would never be able to submit anything. Therefore, it is just something to think about late at night when battling insomnia. Of course, there are countless people in the world who do not share my self-esteem and anxiety issues. There are many people who want to follow up on this dream. Those who do are liable to read this book and panic.
The book teaches us it is next to impossible to be published. This book teaches us that everyone in the industry is an a-hole.
I’ll accept the first, to a degree. It is hard to get published. However, it is not impossible. Nor does it mean you should instantly turn to self-publishing. All good things in life are hard – as are most of the bad things, if we’re completely honest with ourselves – yet this does not mean being published is out of reach. These things take time. Sometimes you are lucky. Even if you’re not lucky, it’s a learning curve.
The second point I find harder to accept. I know most people in the world are less than pleasant. Despite this, most people have some saving graces. The characters is this book… not so much. I couldn’t bring myself to connect with any of them. Either I wanted to punch them in the face for the way they were acting or I wanted to bang their head off a wall to knock some sense into their views. Overall, I found it impossible to connect with any of the characters.
Honestly, I think the negativity does steam from the lack of laughter. I can only really remember one thing that brought a snort from me – a comment about what happened to the Pokémon generation – and the other things that brought about some kind of positive response… they’re gone. One of them brought a slight smile, but I do not know why. The other couple of things were at the very end of the book, and by this point it was about half four in the morning and I was about nine hours into a less than pleasant journey back down to England to see my family for a week. In short, by this point I probably laughed at something less than funny – hence my inability to remember it.
Of course, this book may still be for you. It isn’t entirely unpleasant. It is well written. It does have some decent moments. It just wasn’t what I signed up for.
As a final note, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.
March 1, 2016
This is a very entertaining, and occasionally biting, satire of the current state of the publishing industry, including in its scope writers, agents, publishing house editors and directors, as well as an assortment of extraneous others on the edges.
Everyone and everything rings true to life. The book is a slice of modern history that I can imagine will be fascinating for social historians to read decades from now. So, that was what it was like, they will say, in wonder, and with much pity, for those of us who are living through this period.
The plot centers around a writing conference. We know from the start that someone will likely die there. Then we meet the people who will attend the conference, and follow them along during the conference to the poetical ending.
The author includes the important warning to wannabe authors about many who are only "looking to make a fast buck out of your dreams". People are encouraged to write to please themselves first and foremost.
The writing style is fluid and confident in the wonderful, classic 3rd person omniscient narrative style, which allows the author to indulge in entertaining dry humor and wry observational bits about the many quirks of human nature.
He manages to be both cynical and positive about an industry that is being remade in a very short time due to changes in technology and business practices, as well as by reader demands for certain sub-genres, healthy or otherwise. The only error I saw was when he suggested that there were books with certain subjects that Amazon would not sell. Amazon sells it all in reality.
British references, punctuation and language may confound some non-Brits, especially the single-quote switch for the double-quote. This satire has some brief sex scenes and sexual references, but nothing that would push the book into any sexual sub-genre, if there really are sexual sub-genres of satires. I enjoyed it very much. I received a review-copy. This is my honest review.
Everyone and everything rings true to life. The book is a slice of modern history that I can imagine will be fascinating for social historians to read decades from now. So, that was what it was like, they will say, in wonder, and with much pity, for those of us who are living through this period.
The plot centers around a writing conference. We know from the start that someone will likely die there. Then we meet the people who will attend the conference, and follow them along during the conference to the poetical ending.
The author includes the important warning to wannabe authors about many who are only "looking to make a fast buck out of your dreams". People are encouraged to write to please themselves first and foremost.
The writing style is fluid and confident in the wonderful, classic 3rd person omniscient narrative style, which allows the author to indulge in entertaining dry humor and wry observational bits about the many quirks of human nature.
He manages to be both cynical and positive about an industry that is being remade in a very short time due to changes in technology and business practices, as well as by reader demands for certain sub-genres, healthy or otherwise. The only error I saw was when he suggested that there were books with certain subjects that Amazon would not sell. Amazon sells it all in reality.
British references, punctuation and language may confound some non-Brits, especially the single-quote switch for the double-quote. This satire has some brief sex scenes and sexual references, but nothing that would push the book into any sexual sub-genre, if there really are sexual sub-genres of satires. I enjoyed it very much. I received a review-copy. This is my honest review.
March 13, 2016
Written Off by Paul Carroll was a Goodreads first read win
I wasn’t sure about this book. I usually choose by title, book cover and a glance at the blurb. Like the editor in the story that glances at title and covering letter – and often doesn’t get as far as the script! I couldn’t decide what the book cover was conveying – was someone being drowned with a weight (typewriter) attached to their feet? Was the written word suffocating the author, who is fighting to rise above it?
I started to read and got lost with the number of characters that were being introduced. I can quite see that the author was familiar with his creations, so wouldn’t have this problem. I solved it by starting again and jotting down who was who.
When I had my head round the characters, I got quite involved with their stories. All the authors were likable people and all very different. The people around them had to support and tolerate them. There are touches of humour as well as heart felt disappointment. They had one thing in common. They had poured their hearts and souls into their creations and were devastated to find no one was interested in their efforts, as often happens with other creative people e.g. artists and musicians.
In desperation, they turn to a conference that is tapping into this frustration, by promising the hope of being discovered. The conference ‘Write Stuff’ is cynically making a lot of money out of writers’ dreams. The discovery the authors make is that friendship and being true to yourself is more important than being published.
Like the artist van Gogh found too, it also helps to be dead!!
I wasn’t sure about this book. I usually choose by title, book cover and a glance at the blurb. Like the editor in the story that glances at title and covering letter – and often doesn’t get as far as the script! I couldn’t decide what the book cover was conveying – was someone being drowned with a weight (typewriter) attached to their feet? Was the written word suffocating the author, who is fighting to rise above it?
I started to read and got lost with the number of characters that were being introduced. I can quite see that the author was familiar with his creations, so wouldn’t have this problem. I solved it by starting again and jotting down who was who.
When I had my head round the characters, I got quite involved with their stories. All the authors were likable people and all very different. The people around them had to support and tolerate them. There are touches of humour as well as heart felt disappointment. They had one thing in common. They had poured their hearts and souls into their creations and were devastated to find no one was interested in their efforts, as often happens with other creative people e.g. artists and musicians.
In desperation, they turn to a conference that is tapping into this frustration, by promising the hope of being discovered. The conference ‘Write Stuff’ is cynically making a lot of money out of writers’ dreams. The discovery the authors make is that friendship and being true to yourself is more important than being published.
Like the artist van Gogh found too, it also helps to be dead!!
June 12, 2016
In some ways, this book shouldn't work. The writing feels less polished than a lot of published fare and some of the plot turns are amateurish.
But I hugely enjoyed it, and raced through. As a wannabe author myself, I was apprehensive at the start of the book. And there were one or two moments that felt too close to the bone. But mostly, I grinned and chuckled in solidarity with characters on both sides of the publishing fence (ie those that want to get published, and those with the power to publish them). The book is very funny, with plenty of cheeky turns of phrase, irreverent pokes at the publishing world, and caricatures of writers that really aren't that far from the truth, if the many anecdotes I've heard firsthand from agents at events are anything to go on. The irascible declining author character was an extra bonus, reminding me of Crispin Hershey from David Mitchell's "The Bone Clocks". The one character that didn't feel genuine was Julia the intern - when another character reads her manuscript and gushingly offers to show it to an actor friend of his, she turns him down, saying that she wants to sit on the book a little longer before working on it more. I can't think of any aspiring author who'd do that!
It's harder to say if this book will have wide appeal. I hope it does, but I question how interested anyone without a desire to be published will be. Then again, it seems like legions of people these days want to be published, so it might have an enormous readership.
But I hugely enjoyed it, and raced through. As a wannabe author myself, I was apprehensive at the start of the book. And there were one or two moments that felt too close to the bone. But mostly, I grinned and chuckled in solidarity with characters on both sides of the publishing fence (ie those that want to get published, and those with the power to publish them). The book is very funny, with plenty of cheeky turns of phrase, irreverent pokes at the publishing world, and caricatures of writers that really aren't that far from the truth, if the many anecdotes I've heard firsthand from agents at events are anything to go on. The irascible declining author character was an extra bonus, reminding me of Crispin Hershey from David Mitchell's "The Bone Clocks". The one character that didn't feel genuine was Julia the intern - when another character reads her manuscript and gushingly offers to show it to an actor friend of his, she turns him down, saying that she wants to sit on the book a little longer before working on it more. I can't think of any aspiring author who'd do that!
It's harder to say if this book will have wide appeal. I hope it does, but I question how interested anyone without a desire to be published will be. Then again, it seems like legions of people these days want to be published, so it might have an enormous readership.
April 23, 2017
As someone who has read a number of books by indie authors, I thought this one would offer a different and amusing angle.
Anyone who has battled with the idea of finding an agent, been rejected, then considered self-publishing will recognise the challenges the wannabe authors in this book face.
However, I think it’s the partners of those wannabes that might enjoy this book more. The book offers a fictional insight into the struggles of those writers and adds a lovely touch of humour and irony.
My only niggle is that the book carries a high number of errors. It actually became very annoying - not necessarily because of the errors themselves, but because it’s an excellent book and those errors take it down a notch or two. I wanted to heap praise on the author for creating a cast of characters that I could recognise. I don’t understand why a quality writer didn’t go the distance and polish the book before paying for it to be published.
So, three stars but it could have been four.
Anyone who has battled with the idea of finding an agent, been rejected, then considered self-publishing will recognise the challenges the wannabe authors in this book face.
However, I think it’s the partners of those wannabes that might enjoy this book more. The book offers a fictional insight into the struggles of those writers and adds a lovely touch of humour and irony.
My only niggle is that the book carries a high number of errors. It actually became very annoying - not necessarily because of the errors themselves, but because it’s an excellent book and those errors take it down a notch or two. I wanted to heap praise on the author for creating a cast of characters that I could recognise. I don’t understand why a quality writer didn’t go the distance and polish the book before paying for it to be published.
So, three stars but it could have been four.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews