Writing A Page-Turner: Five Editing Maxims to Make Your Book Irresistible

by Learn Self Publishing, Elizabeth Bailey

Want to write a book that readers won't be able to put down?This book brings you the qualities necessary to turn your writing into an addictive reading experience that your fans will love. From keeping your story simple to staying in the character's head, a highly experienced editor and a best-selling author will take you through the essential steps to creating propulsive and entertaining fiction. Also includes an additional 'Musings From the Writer's Desk'

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

42 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 18, 2017

Reviews

[Michael Slavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent small little book packed with great information.

I highly recommend this for the new writer and a quick short review for the experienced writer. You have to get something out of this.

It was even free when I posted this review.

Review by Mike Slavin author of award-winning Kill Crime (action-packed thriller on Amazon to buy or KU) www.mikeslavinauthor.com

[A.L. Buehrer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up as a freebie. It was fine, really. Just pretty basic info most people who have read enough on the subject would probably already know. A good intro to tight clean fiction writing.

[John Bainbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely helpful guide which lives up to its own advice - clear, succinct, well-structured and a very enjoyable read. Highly recommended for any author.

[D. Thrush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apparently, there’s a series of free booklets like this one designed to help you with different aspects of indie writing. At 40 pages, this is valuable information with no filler. I especially liked the advice to drip-feed information into the story. Great analogy and makes perfect sense to keep a story moving. Mark Dawson is a successful indie author with a blog called the Self-Publishing Formula where you can access lots of information, courses, and podcasts. So, I was a little confused at the end when “About the Author” didn’t mention him but the woman who co-wrote it. At any rate, this is well worth reading.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good advice from this very short book

[R.J. Lafleur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential tips

Full of essential tips to make a story come alive and keep the reader immersed in the story. Well worth it.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sensible and free book on writing.
It’s not huge, it explains (with examples) and it seems like a pretty good book to pick up if you’re new or need a reminder.
Don’t info dump.
Yeah… I’m reading another book set in New York. It doesn’t describe anything much, it certainly doesn’t tell me it’s NY, it mentions Bleecker street and that alone is enough to tell me exactly where she lives in NY. And I’m not even American.
Compare that to another book I marked ‘did not finish’ this month - the descriptions clashed and it threw me out of the story - and once that happened I started editing and noting more issues because I wasn’t interested in the story itself. The kitchen was spacious but cosy… did they use the wrong word? Cosy implies small. Did they mean comfortable, or welcoming? I don’t know and while I am thinking about that, I’m skimming the book. Or stopping altogether.
You really don’t want readers to stop reading.
Craft
I heard a podcast where a guy said he needed to study craft, and he did that for three months and then he published a book.
THREE months.
[Lord, give me the confidence of a mediocre white man.]

Sighs heavily…
I don’t know how much Mark Dawson had to do with this but I looked up Elizabeth Bailey and she writes Georgian romances. *adds one to the terrifying TBR pile*
4 stars

[Frank Carver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quite a short book, at a mere 40 pages, and available for free at Amazon as a “reader magnet” for Mark Dawson’s “Self Publishing Formula '' course. Despite the “Mark Dawson” name on the cover, it does not seem to have much if any contribution from the man himself, but instead has been written entirely by the co-author, Elizabeth Bailey (unless, of course, Elizabeth is a pseudonym for Mark). That said, it is definitely a good book in that it does what it sets out to do, and doesn’t pad itself out with irrelevant anecdotes or gratuitous répétition.

The advice in the book is actually pretty straight forward:

* Cut to the chase
* Stay in the character’s head
* Leave out the waffle
* Keep it simple
* Trust your reader

These points are each explored in turn, with examples from an imaginary (if somewhat cheesy) noir-style thriller, pointing how each, if not followed, can cause what the author refers to as “blips”, breaks in the immersion of the reader in the “fictive dream” which can throw a reader out of the story and offer opportunities to be distracted by other things and never return.

At its heart this book is a description of how to keep a reader turning page after page of the book and therefore, we hope, having a positive and enjoyable experience. A nice little summary and a quick and refreshing read.

[Diarmuid O'Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and Basic but Useful

This guide is short and basic, but contains enough useful advice to make it a helpful companion to any would be or beginning author. I know several such authors that could definitely benefit from reading this, although most of them would think themselves above it, unfortunately.

The advice given is found in many other sources and is very commonly given to new authors. Don't expect anything unique or groundbreaking. However, here it is given in a clear and concise manner and is focused clearly on its particular area of writing. It is short enough to accentuate the points it make by not having much filler and structured in an orederly way for easy navigation.

I intend to have this handy to skim when I want to write something new, and I also believe it will be beneficial to skim when beginning revision of a draft. I would definitely recommend this book to other authors, especially newer or beginning authors.

[Denise Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is aimed at writers. I found it free on Kindle and at 36 pages an easy read.

Mark Dawson is a prolific writer who releases his books through Amazon. Whilst his name is splashed across the cover inside the only author mentioned is Elizabeth Bailey. I don't know how their collaboration worked but their advice is sound.

This book will not necessarily teach you how to write a bestseller but it will help. If you've managed to turn your idea into a draft manuscript and are thinking what next? then read this book. It provides a different perspective for looking at your work and it clarifies its advice with examples. It tackles the dreaded 'telling' and 'showing' dilemma and explains how to 'drip feed' information to your reader.

I probably won't be adding extra read dates to this review but I will definitely be rereading this book.

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short ebook discussing a few editing “philosophies” to help tighten up genre writing. It’s all common sense, but this presentation provides very good explanations as to why simple common sense maxims work.

The author (Elizabeth Bailey) is an experienced writer of romances, a genre in which authors must be careful to deliver on readers’ expectations within a formula. This knowledge of the craft can apply to all other genres with tweaks, and essentially comes down to remembering that the entertainment of reading is not always the same as the entertainment of writing: so don’t bore your reader, and don’t jolt them out of the story. Don’t be a clever dick. It’s basic, but gosh it sure shows where a lot of boring books I’ve read have gone wrong.

A good reference work, if very introductory.

[Angela Lambkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to create a book that's difficult to set down till or had read the book...

I found this information the best yet for those of us who are learning this trade/ craft. Thank you so much! You have helped me a lot in learning what and what not to write. I've been told by Jesus Christ, himself that I am to be a Childrens Author and illustrator. I have been learning from practicing and reading material to do just that. I recommend this for others who have needed to go my route in learning this craft. These are my reasons for granting this book as a five star book. Keep up the great work.

[Jonathan H. MONTES · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just the basic book that sells a low amount of content for a good price. The material is straight with you but it’s very basic in its form.

If you already have writing experience you know of this material within. But for beginners, this is a good starter kit of five holds you should master on writing fiction. I enjoyed the book, but not enough to warrant a 5 star rating.

I’ll be checking out more books by this author. I recommend if you need a recap of writing or are in need of something to read in 30 minutes.

[Rick Yagodich · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best thing I can say in this book's defence is that it's free. Also, it's refrehingly short; barely more than a couple of blog posts pretending to be more.

The information it contains is extremely basic; if you've read anything about writing craft, it's unlikely to provide any new insights.

It also appears to be misguiding. While Mark Dawson's name is pasted across the cover, the book itself suggests that Elizabeth bailey, who appears as little more than a footnote, is the real author. As if this is but a transcript of a talk Dawson has given.

[Helia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but packed with great advice. I'm not sure this is for begginers tho, as each of the 5 maximes takes one minute to learn and a lifetime to master. As experience writers to tend to forget how long it took us to understand and apply something as simple as "show, don't tell." So I'd say this short book is a great place to start if you need to become aware of how much you don't know so you can then go and read some more about it but, more importantly, write, write, write and write some more until it makes sense.

[Petrina Binney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. This is the book that all writers should read. Every single one.
It’s very tempting to go floral and lyrical in your writing, especially in the beginning, but it can be book-death for the new author. This is the guide that will keep the action moving, maintain the POV and keep the story engaging all the way through.
I found myself highlighting passages from start to finish. I practically coloured in the whole book. An absolute must for any author. Highly recommended.

[Flurry Gone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not for beginners but actual writers

I admit I am a sucker for writing reference books. Most are bad, banal, or just basic. NOT This one. There is actually meat on these bones. This is for real writers who wish to hone their craft chocked full of concepts that not only make sense but are convicting. The author also includes poor examples of writing and the tells you how to fix it. Great reference and solid content.

[Petra Sando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great piece of writing/editing advice!

This book is proof for me that you can still learn something new. One thing the author did here was providing ample examples and explanations of WHY and HOW you should use these five methods, plus some. Sweet, brief, and concise, as well. I'd recommend this book especially to new writers, and even to seasoned ones whose written works may not be selling as well as they should. This may just be the solution for you!

[Stephanie Bibb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for being free. Short, to the point. Good as a reminder of things to watch for in your manuscript, though it doesn’t necessarily go in depth with anything new for an experienced writer. Probably more helpful for newer writers or for writers trying to remember what to look for while revising/editing their manuscripts.

[Peter West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet

A useful reminder of some of the key things to keep in mind when writing a novel. This won't make you a master of the craft by any means but taken for what it is - a guide to turn turgid prose into page-turning delights, the book does what it says on the tin.
Worth a read for those who have saggy middles or slow starts.

[Starr Baumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very short guide with pretty good basic writing advice. I would recommend this to new authors, especially those who don't read much fiction (you should be reading fiction if you want to write it though). I see these issues so often while editing, and I know how they bring readers' enjoyment of stories to a grinding halt.

[John Marnien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeping the plot moving.

Concise review of how to maintain a readers interest. Explains the need to keep the action moving. Good info on the importance of point of view. Thankfully expresses the fact that many writers slow down the plot with overly describing a scene while the reader gets confused, falls asleep or worse just closes the book.

[Alicia Scarborough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Tips

The tips on dialogue helped me. I’ve always felt like I’ve put in too many said and other unnecessary transitions from one character to another.
This author has set me at ease and I will be employing her techniques in future stories.
All advice in this book are well worth the read.

[Timothy Bankes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very straightforward

Eli did a great job calling out the common mistakes of writing. She gave great examples of what was the wrong way to write a page turner and the right way to do it.

[Јордан Kocevski) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your starting writing it editing your first big piece this can help a lot.

By presenting the basic give premisses of editing in this book the authors are introducing you into good writing as well.

As I said at the beginning it's more helpful if you're starting, but if you are like me half way through (seen, heard, read a lot about) writing/ editing then it is less useful, but still great read.

[Steven Aitchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book. Short, to the point, no fluff and can be read in under an hour.

The book itself gives five maxims for writing better fiction like 'Cut to the chase' 'POV' 'Leave out the waffle' etc. For such a short book it packed a hefty punch and one to refer to often.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it very much

Very good solid advice for writers of all levels and genres. Definitely worth reading and her advice is definitely worth following. Stick with the five maxims and you won't go wrong.

[Reed Blitzerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

short and sweet

Great, applicable content. I will get the paperback as well and keep it next to me on my next edit. Mark communicates with clear easy to absorb language. It’s worth every penny.

[Lisa Crego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Quick Read!!

This is a wonderful reminder on how to make a story move pulling the reader in from page one. I highly recommend this book for the new reader and the seasoned readers alike as it’s full of quick useful advice for all.

[Dallas Gorham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent advice from a gifted author

Mark Dawson has written dozens of best-selling books. This book shares some important points that will make any story you write better. As a mystery/thriller writer myself, I go back and re-read this excellent book every year or so.