Science Fiction Writers of America Handbook: The Professional Writer's Guide to Writing Professionally, 2nd ed.
edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Dean Wesley Smith
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Pulphouse (Eugene, Oregon): 1990. Trade paperback: iv, 248 pages. ISBN-10: 1-56146-406-6 Suggested retail price: $10.00 (US) Tactical strength: [7/10] |
This handbook professes to be intended for professional writers as well as novices. Although professional writers may find other author's perspectives and experiences useful, this handbook is clearly aimed at the novice and is one of the most concise compilations of advice on the business of writing. By novice I mean those who are new to the world of professional publications, perhaps with only one or two sales under their belts.
The handbook picks up where all the how-to-write books leave off. It assumes that the reader has the skills and potential to become a professional and gives detailed advice on contracts, copyrights, payments and royalties, self-promotion, agents, and many other aspects of the writing business. Each article comes from an established author who has volunteered to share experiences and knowledge from the school of hard knocks.
Besides the section containing the SFWA bylaws (really articles of incorporation), I found interesting information in each article -- information not readily available in the typical guides written to novice writers. I'm sure much of the information is not really new, but I have never before seen so much advice condensed into a single volume. The book is a paperback and didn't seem to be constructed with the highest quality. Some of my pages are falling out after only two readings. The design and typesetting left a lot to be desired as well: laser printing and poor planning detracted from the otherwise excellent information.
In spite of all the excellent information, I still only give this book an above average rating. Some of the articles become a little too chatty or repetitive and could have been edited to a more concise form. Also, I would have appreciated a short biography of each of the authors, just to let me know where I am getting this advice. Although this would have posed a minor problem since several authors had two or three articles -- I sometimes felt I was reading the work of a vanity press rather than the work of a professional publishing house.
