What do you think?
Rate this book
Underqualified Advice
My name is Drew Hayes, and for the past six years I've made my living as a writer. In that time, I've published twenty books, written hundreds of thousands of words, and made countless mistakes--most of which I like to think I've learned from. Underqualified Advice (and Other Amusing Diversions) is my attempt to compile those lessons and share them with others, as well as have some fun along the way. Half of the book is dedicated to detailing specifics about writing, maneuvering the industry, and keeping fiscally afloat in largely unstable waters. The other half, however, is dedicated to pure fun: essays on extremely specific topics, flash fiction, and some bits that not even I know how to classify. Even if you don't particularly need the advice, we could all use an amusing diversion from time to time.
479 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2019
110 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
January 20, 2021
Notes:
Mix of: advice, Hayes' experiences, handful of short stories.
If you are thinking about writing or started on the road, I'd recommend giving this book a go. The audiobook was great. Kirby Heyborne did a fantastic job of narrating the whole & making a distinct difference between the advice/experience parts from the fictional shorts.
It's a good book to give you a bit of perspective and guidelines for the various part of being a writer, getting published, etc. No solid answers on any front, but good spots to start. I think it's a good book for a positive take on the trials of becoming a writer & making it as a writer. He has a practical way of looking at the overall process and noting that it's a culmination of the work involved.
Mix of: advice, Hayes' experiences, handful of short stories.
If you are thinking about writing or started on the road, I'd recommend giving this book a go. The audiobook was great. Kirby Heyborne did a fantastic job of narrating the whole & making a distinct difference between the advice/experience parts from the fictional shorts.
It's a good book to give you a bit of perspective and guidelines for the various part of being a writer, getting published, etc. No solid answers on any front, but good spots to start. I think it's a good book for a positive take on the trials of becoming a writer & making it as a writer. He has a practical way of looking at the overall process and noting that it's a culmination of the work involved.
March 8, 2020
**The audio version, narrated by Kirby Heyborne (the voice of Drew's Fred, The Vampire Accountant series), is quite possibly even more entertaining than the read version.
Leave a review, he says (begs). Grrrrr... I'm not a writer. I'm not a reviewer. I am a reader, nothing more, nothing less. But since Drew Hayes asked nicely and he's one of my favourite authors, here goes nothing...
There is a lot of information to take in, this isn't a book that can be read in one go. At least not for me. I read it over the course of a few weeks, interspersed with other stories and RL. It was interesting, the insight into writing and I loved the gossipy tidbits about Fred, The Vampire Accountant, NPC's and my favourite obsession, Super Powereds, Years 1-4. (Gawd, I love that series!)
The diversion chapters were...um, typical Drew Hayes? Hilarious, insightful, insane. I particularly enjoyed Grant and Carol Dempsy's interactions, though I'm sure I'm not alone in stating, we'd love to know more about The Flag Day Emu Incident of 2011.
So, there you have it: My qualified reader review. Along with a strong recommendation to read all of Drew Hayes' books. Promise, they're priceless and will leave you feeling so darn good long after you've finished reading them!
Leave a review, he says (begs). Grrrrr... I'm not a writer. I'm not a reviewer. I am a reader, nothing more, nothing less. But since Drew Hayes asked nicely and he's one of my favourite authors, here goes nothing...
There is a lot of information to take in, this isn't a book that can be read in one go. At least not for me. I read it over the course of a few weeks, interspersed with other stories and RL. It was interesting, the insight into writing and I loved the gossipy tidbits about Fred, The Vampire Accountant, NPC's and my favourite obsession, Super Powereds, Years 1-4. (Gawd, I love that series!)
The diversion chapters were...um, typical Drew Hayes? Hilarious, insightful, insane. I particularly enjoyed Grant and Carol Dempsy's interactions, though I'm sure I'm not alone in stating, we'd love to know more about The Flag Day Emu Incident of 2011.
So, there you have it: My qualified reader review. Along with a strong recommendation to read all of Drew Hayes' books. Promise, they're priceless and will leave you feeling so darn good long after you've finished reading them!
October 18, 2025
I started this one not realizing it was about writing (the title sounded more like a memoir.) At first, the author didn't resonate with me and I almost set it aside. I'm glad I kept going.
The author's voice and style grew on me. He was entertaining and I appreciated his approach to writing, publishing, editing and building a full-time writing career. Tbh, this career sounded more like a labor of love and not so much as a lucrative option.
Once I got into this one, it was fun and worthwhile. So 4 stars.
The author's voice and style grew on me. He was entertaining and I appreciated his approach to writing, publishing, editing and building a full-time writing career. Tbh, this career sounded more like a labor of love and not so much as a lucrative option.
Once I got into this one, it was fun and worthwhile. So 4 stars.
October 25, 2019
Only Drew Hayes could have made this work. His advice about writing is clear, helpful, and no-nonsense. As a sometimes writer, I found it both entertaining and useful. I enjoyed the silly bits even more, of course. Few writers are as naturally funny as this one. I could have done without the swears, but I was warned and I was prepared. It's a shame, though, because I wanted to recommend it to the teen writers' group I was working with last night and I just couldn't. Still, if you're an adult and can overlook the language (and obsession with booze and coffee) it's both fun and enlightening. I want more Thunder Pear memos!
September 21, 2022
Saw this on a sale on Audible and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I wasn't really the target market this book is aiming for, so I didn't get much from it. The humour wasn't for me and the advice was aimed at people just starting out with writing.
The choice to intersplice flash fiction in between some genuinely useful advice was unusual but made more sense once I got a sense of the author's personality. The advice focused more on the business aspects, particularly on the indie side of things. If that's what you're looking for, this sounded like good, honest advice about the industry and what to expect if you go down the route of making a career in writing.
The choice to intersplice flash fiction in between some genuinely useful advice was unusual but made more sense once I got a sense of the author's personality. The advice focused more on the business aspects, particularly on the indie side of things. If that's what you're looking for, this sounded like good, honest advice about the industry and what to expect if you go down the route of making a career in writing.
July 4, 2020
A compilation of 50/50 advice for writers and amusing humorous stories.
A title right on the money. In summary this is a collection of Drew Hayes's blog posts and additional writings. With a mix of advice for writers and random and often hilarious observation, fictionalized versions of his own publishing company and an enthusiastic weirdness all of its own.
Overall this was an entertaining read for fans of mr. Hays as well as readers interested in the often nebulous writing/ publishing industry. With topics ranging from: how to find good editors, the different between traditional and non-traditional publishing and the effects of marketing, new and starting authors would find thins novel quite informative.
In all a good book to read, and doubly so for any fans of Drew Hayes and those familiar with his blogs in the past.
A title right on the money. In summary this is a collection of Drew Hayes's blog posts and additional writings. With a mix of advice for writers and random and often hilarious observation, fictionalized versions of his own publishing company and an enthusiastic weirdness all of its own.
Overall this was an entertaining read for fans of mr. Hays as well as readers interested in the often nebulous writing/ publishing industry. With topics ranging from: how to find good editors, the different between traditional and non-traditional publishing and the effects of marketing, new and starting authors would find thins novel quite informative.
In all a good book to read, and doubly so for any fans of Drew Hayes and those familiar with his blogs in the past.
October 29, 2022
I wanted to like this book.
Drew Hayes is one of my favorite authors. I eagerly await the remainder of his Spells Swords and Stealth series (starting with NPCs ) and I voraciously consumed his Super Powereds series ( Super Powereds: Year 1 ).
There are things to appreciate about this book. There's interesting bits of short fiction. There's advice in here for aspiring and early career authors. It's a grab bag of stuff and I ought to be able to find useful bits of it to carry away, to find myself mulling over days or weeks or months later.
And I expect I will, a little.
The problem with this book is the over the top, continual dedication to the theme of binge drinking and alcoholism. I think maybe the author thought it was funny. It wasn't funny. It went so far past anything I could pretend was funny, straight through uncomfortable, and beyond uncomfortable well into whatever is after uncomfortable. The bits I take from this book aren't worth that.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews...
Drew Hayes is one of my favorite authors. I eagerly await the remainder of his Spells Swords and Stealth series (starting with NPCs ) and I voraciously consumed his Super Powereds series ( Super Powereds: Year 1 ).
There are things to appreciate about this book. There's interesting bits of short fiction. There's advice in here for aspiring and early career authors. It's a grab bag of stuff and I ought to be able to find useful bits of it to carry away, to find myself mulling over days or weeks or months later.
And I expect I will, a little.
The problem with this book is the over the top, continual dedication to the theme of binge drinking and alcoholism. I think maybe the author thought it was funny. It wasn't funny. It went so far past anything I could pretend was funny, straight through uncomfortable, and beyond uncomfortable well into whatever is after uncomfortable. The bits I take from this book aren't worth that.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews...
February 10, 2020
A mix of informative advice on being an author and fun diversions.
The advice part aims mostly at the pragmatic side of writing, maxing money and such. So If you're an author it's probably good advice. But for the likes of me who can't be bothered to actually write anything there are still a few good points.
The diversions can be a mixed bag, I got a few good laughs and entertainment, but I can see how some people would find the humour insufferable.
It's comes of as a very sincere and personal book, as such I think it's best recommended to fans rather than newcomers to the author. So if you like his books, why not pick it up. Or if you haven't heard of him before, I would recommend starting on another of his books.
The advice part aims mostly at the pragmatic side of writing, maxing money and such. So If you're an author it's probably good advice. But for the likes of me who can't be bothered to actually write anything there are still a few good points.
The diversions can be a mixed bag, I got a few good laughs and entertainment, but I can see how some people would find the humour insufferable.
It's comes of as a very sincere and personal book, as such I think it's best recommended to fans rather than newcomers to the author. So if you like his books, why not pick it up. Or if you haven't heard of him before, I would recommend starting on another of his books.
May 26, 2024
Why did you read this book?
I am a fan of this author’s works and I am an aspiring writer.
What format did you read this book in?
Listened to the audiobook on Audible.
Is this an educational book or a book for entertainment?
This book was an educational read.
What genres do you think this book belongs to?
Art, Business, Fantasy, Humor and Comedy, Nonfiction, Science Fiction, Self Help
What was your favorite part of the book?
My favorite piece of advice in this book for aspiring writers was “finishing.” I have serious trouble with this, and I am glad I am not alone. There is always something shinier around the corner to distract you.
My favorite part of the short stories he included in the book was the creepy “brain spiders.” I thought those stories were fun and spooky.
Who would you suggest this book to?
Anyone who likes this author's work, is an aspiring writer, or likes short story collections.
What is your general opinion/ rating of this book?
This was a fun read. I have mixed feelings about integrating nonfiction writing advice with his short stories. Sure, the short stories and advice play off each other, but they were sometimes distracting, especially in the audiobook version. He shows a truly realistic view of what it takes to be a writer in this market. I like how he is honest and doesn’t sugarcoat anything. It made me wonder whether I wanted to write as a hobby or professional. I was also under the misguided assumption that you either made it big as a writer or made nothing. I am happy to hear there is a middle ground between the two. I think, for an aspiring writer, there is a bunch of great advice in this book.
Now for the short stories mixed in. Overall, I wasn’t a huge fan. But then again, I am not a huge fan of short stories to begin with. I tend to like long books. (That’s why I was a fan of many of his series to begin with.) Some of the stories were fun, but several of them made me a bit uncomfortable—especially all the drinking. The message he conveyed was that alcoholism was a good thing, even though it was done in jest. I know he was clear that he no way believes this by the disclaimer in the beginning… I just didn’t care for that type of humor. However, writing comedy is insanely hard, so I’ll give him a thumbs up for the attempt. I wish he had written the writing advice and short stories separately. I felt like I was forced to read the short stories to get on to the next bit of writing advice since, on audiobooks, it’s hard to skip ahead if you're busy doing something. Overall, I liked this book, but because of the mix of short stories, I would have a hard time selling it to my writer friends.
I am a fan of this author’s works and I am an aspiring writer.
What format did you read this book in?
Listened to the audiobook on Audible.
Is this an educational book or a book for entertainment?
This book was an educational read.
What genres do you think this book belongs to?
Art, Business, Fantasy, Humor and Comedy, Nonfiction, Science Fiction, Self Help
What was your favorite part of the book?
My favorite piece of advice in this book for aspiring writers was “finishing.” I have serious trouble with this, and I am glad I am not alone. There is always something shinier around the corner to distract you.
My favorite part of the short stories he included in the book was the creepy “brain spiders.” I thought those stories were fun and spooky.
Who would you suggest this book to?
Anyone who likes this author's work, is an aspiring writer, or likes short story collections.
What is your general opinion/ rating of this book?
This was a fun read. I have mixed feelings about integrating nonfiction writing advice with his short stories. Sure, the short stories and advice play off each other, but they were sometimes distracting, especially in the audiobook version. He shows a truly realistic view of what it takes to be a writer in this market. I like how he is honest and doesn’t sugarcoat anything. It made me wonder whether I wanted to write as a hobby or professional. I was also under the misguided assumption that you either made it big as a writer or made nothing. I am happy to hear there is a middle ground between the two. I think, for an aspiring writer, there is a bunch of great advice in this book.
Now for the short stories mixed in. Overall, I wasn’t a huge fan. But then again, I am not a huge fan of short stories to begin with. I tend to like long books. (That’s why I was a fan of many of his series to begin with.) Some of the stories were fun, but several of them made me a bit uncomfortable—especially all the drinking. The message he conveyed was that alcoholism was a good thing, even though it was done in jest. I know he was clear that he no way believes this by the disclaimer in the beginning… I just didn’t care for that type of humor. However, writing comedy is insanely hard, so I’ll give him a thumbs up for the attempt. I wish he had written the writing advice and short stories separately. I felt like I was forced to read the short stories to get on to the next bit of writing advice since, on audiobooks, it’s hard to skip ahead if you're busy doing something. Overall, I liked this book, but because of the mix of short stories, I would have a hard time selling it to my writer friends.
April 18, 2021
I really appreciated that Hayes was upfront in the first chapter about how the book works and that much of this can be found on his website if you want to take the time to sift through his blog. He was also upfront that while he can tell you what works for him, there are no hard rules on how to be a good author and not everyone succeeds in the same way. Both respectable places to start and good to hear when there are a lot of authors shilling expensive programs on how to become a good author that sells.
If you just want advice, it was nice that it was easy to skip from topic to topic if you wanted to do that. If you enjoy Hayes writing style, the diversion chapters were also enjoyable. More than a few made me laugh.
As someone who lurks around the internet looking for reasonable advice, this was a good collection that covered most topics an author would probably want to know about. No advice on the growing number of book trailers that I've seen show up on the YouTubes, but I don't think I've seen one for any of Hayes's books as of this writing.
This is also an enjoyable book to listen to as the advice is light enough that you can pay attention while driving, doing housework, working on a puzzle, etc. Kirby Heyborne is an excellent narrator and works well for this book and its overall tone.
If you just want advice, it was nice that it was easy to skip from topic to topic if you wanted to do that. If you enjoy Hayes writing style, the diversion chapters were also enjoyable. More than a few made me laugh.
As someone who lurks around the internet looking for reasonable advice, this was a good collection that covered most topics an author would probably want to know about. No advice on the growing number of book trailers that I've seen show up on the YouTubes, but I don't think I've seen one for any of Hayes's books as of this writing.
This is also an enjoyable book to listen to as the advice is light enough that you can pay attention while driving, doing housework, working on a puzzle, etc. Kirby Heyborne is an excellent narrator and works well for this book and its overall tone.
December 14, 2023
Wasn’t great, had some good pieces.
Recommended for Drew Hayes fans
Recommended for writers who want to learn how to self publish and make a living at it.
Before I started this book, I was unfamiliar with Drew Hayes and his many fantasy novels. I picked it up because I was thinking about writing a book myself and my best friend recommended it to me to learn how to do it.
As many reviewers have pointed out, the book is roughly half advice for aspiring authors and half amusing stories that you might find from a writer's blog. I wasn't here for the amusing stories so that part was lost on me. It's not that the stories were bad. It's just that I was not reading the book for that. That said, I could see that if you were a fan of Mr. Hayes, you might love it. It just wasn't for me.
Unfortunately, the writing advice didn't apply to me directly either. Hayes targets the new writer and offers advice on how to self publish. I didn't strictly qualify for either of those categories either. I'm not a new writer and I wasn't self publishing.
But, if you're a Drew Hayes fan and planning on self publishing, this book is for you.
Source
Drew Hayes, 2019. Underqualified Advice (and Other Amusing Diversions) [Book]. Goodreads. URL https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Recommended for Drew Hayes fans
Recommended for writers who want to learn how to self publish and make a living at it.
Before I started this book, I was unfamiliar with Drew Hayes and his many fantasy novels. I picked it up because I was thinking about writing a book myself and my best friend recommended it to me to learn how to do it.
As many reviewers have pointed out, the book is roughly half advice for aspiring authors and half amusing stories that you might find from a writer's blog. I wasn't here for the amusing stories so that part was lost on me. It's not that the stories were bad. It's just that I was not reading the book for that. That said, I could see that if you were a fan of Mr. Hayes, you might love it. It just wasn't for me.
Unfortunately, the writing advice didn't apply to me directly either. Hayes targets the new writer and offers advice on how to self publish. I didn't strictly qualify for either of those categories either. I'm not a new writer and I wasn't self publishing.
But, if you're a Drew Hayes fan and planning on self publishing, this book is for you.
Source
Drew Hayes, 2019. Underqualified Advice (and Other Amusing Diversions) [Book]. Goodreads. URL https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
March 25, 2022
While this is a departure from his usual fare, I felt I should at least leave a review, since this was something mentioned a couple of times: that reviews matter to the Indie author. I have read a great deal of his works, starting with a friend mentioning that the NPCs books were amazing and that I should read them. They were as amazing as advertised, if not more. I mentioned to my friend that the recommendation was "legit" and then she mentioned that I needed to then read "Super Powereds." So, I did, and the last one of those audiobooks dropped right when I finished the penultimate one. A great end to a great series...what more can I say? So then I just went on to read "Corpies" the logical follow-on spin-off novel. I found the Fred Books pretty awesome as well. So, when I saw this book, "Underqualified Advice," I knew that I was going to read it. It is chock full of just random bullshit (quite funny, no discounting that), and lots of advice on how to be an Indie author, in equal parts. Was a fun "read" (yes, I listened to it) and would recommend it to any fan, or anyone wanting to get some honest advice about being an Indie author. Cheers!
February 8, 2023
This is a delightful and unexpected gem of a book. The jokes on me though, all of Drew's books hit me that same poignant yet tickle you until you can't breathe kind of way and I should have seen it coming, even with this book on writing. Yet, he still slipped one past me once again. Some day we will have the giant robot battle we deserve and I'll do my damnedest to come out on top, but until that fateful (probably) Wednesday, I will continue to enjoy every word the man puts to paper and hope that someday he gets a special edition I can collect.
This book is full of not only insightful information and opinions from a published (both indie and traditional) author, but also a wonderful and fun smattering of his humorous stylings and general biographical information about him, all of which is presented in a somehow matter of fact and self effacing manner I find charming as hell. I am sure the author himself has been and will continue to be described as such, and if this review reaches just one person and inspires them to read anything (seriously though, read EVERYTHING) he puts out, I'm glad I took a few minutes to hammer it out.
Thank you Drew, for all you do.
This book is full of not only insightful information and opinions from a published (both indie and traditional) author, but also a wonderful and fun smattering of his humorous stylings and general biographical information about him, all of which is presented in a somehow matter of fact and self effacing manner I find charming as hell. I am sure the author himself has been and will continue to be described as such, and if this review reaches just one person and inspires them to read anything (seriously though, read EVERYTHING) he puts out, I'm glad I took a few minutes to hammer it out.
Thank you Drew, for all you do.
December 15, 2020
I’m sure everyone has, at some point in their lives, experienced a near existential-dread over making a decision on what to do with themselves. If you are feeling that way about becoming an author, then Underqualified Advice is the frank conversation you need to have with yourself about it. What this book does over it’s punchy, twisty chapters is create a map of what it is to be an author at the time of this book’s publishing. Frustratingly, there is no one destination, and no one way to get there. But you are warned of the potential dangers and obstacles, and are given some advice on how to prepare for the road ahead. It is an adventure you are not dared to take, but rather sincerely encouraged. Never before has a book on writing helped me so much in planning my next steps, or made me feel more confident about taking them. Thank you, Mr. Hayes- and thanks to my best friend Susie for gifting this book to me! You have steadfast fans in us both (but especially in SusieQ).
June 2, 2020
Stayed up late to finish
I crave sleep like a bear, so when I say I started up late to finish this book, it means something.
This is funny, raw, and entertaining in a way no other book on writing has ever been. He deals with the core things all writers have to deal with (deadlines, money, taxes, daily word counts) interspersing them with memos that read like the foul mouthed screwtape letters.
Amazing stuff, very good, both funny and a lot of useful information for aspiring writers.
If you read this Drew, know that brain gerbils are easily as bad as brain spiders. They aren't poisonous, but they tickle your nose with their whiskers and smudge your glasses in your sleep. Also, they crawl down your pajamas at 3 in the morning. Maybe we can do a demonic host exchange program sometime.
I crave sleep like a bear, so when I say I started up late to finish this book, it means something.
This is funny, raw, and entertaining in a way no other book on writing has ever been. He deals with the core things all writers have to deal with (deadlines, money, taxes, daily word counts) interspersing them with memos that read like the foul mouthed screwtape letters.
Amazing stuff, very good, both funny and a lot of useful information for aspiring writers.
If you read this Drew, know that brain gerbils are easily as bad as brain spiders. They aren't poisonous, but they tickle your nose with their whiskers and smudge your glasses in your sleep. Also, they crawl down your pajamas at 3 in the morning. Maybe we can do a demonic host exchange program sometime.
September 22, 2020
I don't know anything about Drew Hayes that isn't covered in this book. Would I read something by him after having finished Underqualified Advice?
Maybe...?
This was pretty fun, I even started enjoying the absurdist stories woven into the book (not usually my thing). There's a lot of random inserts about Dungeons and Dragons, but I guess those sounded reasonable as well. I enjoyed the insider look into the world of professional writers. It seemed really honest about the life of a writer smack in the middle of the realm of writers trying to make a living as writers. Has sort of made it, but not a megastar.
You'll like it if you are interested in writing, tolerate the weird well and like no-nonsense advice.
As a side note, I have now heard of the trash ending of HIMYM so many times that I might want to see the last few seasons as well.
Maybe...?
This was pretty fun, I even started enjoying the absurdist stories woven into the book (not usually my thing). There's a lot of random inserts about Dungeons and Dragons, but I guess those sounded reasonable as well. I enjoyed the insider look into the world of professional writers. It seemed really honest about the life of a writer smack in the middle of the realm of writers trying to make a living as writers. Has sort of made it, but not a megastar.
You'll like it if you are interested in writing, tolerate the weird well and like no-nonsense advice.
As a side note, I have now heard of the trash ending of HIMYM so many times that I might want to see the last few seasons as well.
January 24, 2022
Interesting advice around the practicalities of being a full-time writer and indie publisher, interspersed with alternately amusing fictions, helpful "Drew tries stuff", and tabletop RPG anecdotes and advice. Being from Dallas myself (though I moved away 18 years ago), I found myself pleasantly nostalgic for my hometown, as well as, the years after college, living in Dallas and working at the craft of becoming a writer, working for the Writers Garret and all the striving...I kinda wish indie, online publishing had been a thing back then. It probably was, I just wasn't cool enough to know about it. The closest I came to that were small press publishers, which he didn't mention, I wonder if they still exist?
June 19, 2023
I like Hayes' writing but expected to DNF this book. I am not a creative person and will never be an author. I really liked the structure of this book--a chapter of advice followed by a chapter of fun stuff. Each chapter was 3-5 pages long making it easy to dip in and out of. His advice on writing was very informative providing an overview of today's state of publishing. My favorite bit was when he pointed out that each book in a serial should work as a stand-alone story. I don't mind dangling plot threads, but I loathe getting to the point where a book should be wrapping up only to discover the darn thing's a cliffhanger. The best of the diversions were the Thunder Pear Press inter office memos.
February 20, 2024
DNF because wow, what a sad waste. To be honest, I had not heard of Drew Hayes and I do wonder if I would have enjoyed this book more if I was familiar with this work. Alas, this book made me want to steer clear of his body of work because though there are good bits, he is over-the-top and obnoxious in his writing. It is like he is trying too hard to be funny. Though he gives you a heads up in the introduction and first chapter, his choice to have random diversions from the point of his book serve as nothing more than distracting chapters that get steadily more annoying. He brings up a lot about alcohol and drug use, trying to seem more relatable but ends up coming across as someone who mocks those who struggle. Overall, it had potential but lacked any depth.
August 9, 2025
I’m a fan of Drew’s writing, with his NPC’s series being one of my absolute favourites and a must-listen as soon as each new instalment drops. His humour is a little on the crazy side and this book is about half chapters of advice for authors and half funny interludes (I think I might want to work for ThunderPear Publishing now but my liver definitely couldn’t take it!). The interludes are amusing, creepy, poignant, bizarre and laugh out loud. The advice is a wonderful peak behind the curtains for Drew’s fans, solid advice for his fellow authors and, a bit surprisingly to me, really good points to think about for anyone who is self employed or otherwise needs to be a self starter or work from home. Well worth a read/listen!
January 1, 2021
Misleading Title
The diversions are amusing but the advice is not underqualified. This is the best "how-to" book on becoming an author that I've ever read (as a writer I've read more than a few). It has solid advice for writing in the digital age as well as for managing your business. You will enjoy this book if you have a sense of humor at all even if your goal is something other than writing. Apparently Drew's brain spiders are enforcing this...so maybe read the book for the excellent tips on dealing with them. This is a seriously funny book filled with useful tips and suggestions, if there were a sixth star it would rate that.
The diversions are amusing but the advice is not underqualified. This is the best "how-to" book on becoming an author that I've ever read (as a writer I've read more than a few). It has solid advice for writing in the digital age as well as for managing your business. You will enjoy this book if you have a sense of humor at all even if your goal is something other than writing. Apparently Drew's brain spiders are enforcing this...so maybe read the book for the excellent tips on dealing with them. This is a seriously funny book filled with useful tips and suggestions, if there were a sixth star it would rate that.
May 20, 2020
I loved this book - it was an at times bizarre mix of insights into writing and publishing and hilarious jaunts down unpredictable paths, some of which were really touching at times! I'm terribly disappointed the taste testing of new Oreo flavours did not include 'Cinnamon Roll' (my personal fave), but that is my only complaint about the book!! Also, Kirby Heyborne does a fabulous job narrating the aubiobook - I love their work on the Fred the Vampire Accountant series and they did such a great job here too!!
October 25, 2020
I particularly enjoyed the advice on how to become a professional writer, mostly for the inside look at the process that it provided. As for the random thoughts an stories on just as random topics that made up the other half of the book, they were more hit and miss. The author wisely chose topics he seems passionate about, making most of them at least come across as interesting, whether or not the topic itself was something I cared about. I can't quite tell from this if I would enjoy other works by the author, but may decide to give one a chance.
July 31, 2023
This is not a traditional writing book, and Hayes is up front about that at the beginning. I personally wasn't interested in the D&D or most of the fiction in the book, so I skipped those chapters, as Hayes suggests. I would have ranked the book lower if he hadn't understood all the sections wouldn't be for everyone. The information about writing was good, if dated, which isn't his fault. He even specifies when his information was valid.
I love Kirby Heyborne - he is how I imagine Drew Hayes sounds - so another opportunity to hear him is always worth it.
I love Kirby Heyborne - he is how I imagine Drew Hayes sounds - so another opportunity to hear him is always worth it.
November 2, 2023
OK - to start I like Drew Hayes. I saw this and didn't actually look at what it was just assumed it was by Drew Hayes so I'd like it. So I was kind of surprised once I started it to realize it was a book about how to be a writer. It is a chapter about being a writer full time followed by a chapter that is a short story or something from his life like trying random cereals and rating them.
So you could almost qualify it as "self help" for aspiring writers. Not in to self help books and not planning to try and be a writer but it was still interesting to peek into that world.
So you could almost qualify it as "self help" for aspiring writers. Not in to self help books and not planning to try and be a writer but it was still interesting to peek into that world.
January 21, 2021
If you're used to Hayes's fiction but wonder if a non-fiction work of his is up your alley, never fear. Drew's writing really threads the needle between humor and drama for me and this book is no exception. There's plenty of advice for would-be authors here but there are also some cool tidbits about his books and some reformatted blog posts that really make this a fantastic book. I really enjoyed it and may read it again next year.
May 8, 2021
This book was divided between writing advice and experience and silly fiction about drinking games. About a third of the way through I gave up on reading the fiction, and focused on the advice, which was great. It's weird, I've very much enjoyed Drew's fiction, Fred the Vampire is silly fun, and Forging Hephaestus is excellent, but the silliness here in fell entirely flat. Lots of good insights into the publishing and indie publishing industry though.
January 2, 2022
as advertised! alternates between fun and writing advice
I enjoyed this as much as most of his other books, which is a bit of a surprise considering how different it is from the usual superhero novels/SFF. What surprised me more, was it actually got me wanting to write again, which I mostly haven’t done in years and years. I wound up 2000 words today! I have no idea if that’ll continue, but thanks Drew! :)
I enjoyed this as much as most of his other books, which is a bit of a surprise considering how different it is from the usual superhero novels/SFF. What surprised me more, was it actually got me wanting to write again, which I mostly haven’t done in years and years. I wound up 2000 words today! I have no idea if that’ll continue, but thanks Drew! :)
November 13, 2022
Drew Hayes is fun and I had no idea what this book was about when I bought it on sale so it was a surprise. Not my most favorite piece of his work but glad that I stuck with it to listen to the funny bits. I would definitely suggest this to was someone inspiring to become a semi-professional author or professional office.
December 17, 2022
Quite innovative format with pieces of humorous short fiction mixed with nonfiction tips about self-publishing. Some good advice you wished somebody would tell you about before you go in a self-publishing journey like Kindle Unlimited, fan conventions, and taxes, plus answers to some craft questions. Also, some hilarious eating and drinking challenges tested with friends.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews