Hi, there! While all our Honorary Word Wenches are offered the chance to promote future books here, the first to take us up on the offer is Laura Resnick, who has a new non-fiction title being released right now: Rejection, Romance, and Royalties: The Wacky World of a Working Novelist.
It’s from a small press and may need to be special ordered, either at your favorite bookstore or online, but for anyone interested in writing, the book is not to be missed. RRR is a collection of essays on the writing life, many of them done for the Comely Curmudgeon column Laura once wrote for the Novelists, Inc. newsletter. Here is the publisher’s blurb:
“Aspiring writers will learn the ins and outs of life as a full-time career novelist in this fresh and frank tell-all book from the perspective of one who knows. While most of these hopefuls will have no chance of becoming the next Stephen King, this book reveals that there is a real possibility for them to make a living from their writing if they put in the hard work, sweat, and tears. This guide covers the steps to getting published, getting paid, getting even, staying sane, and protecting one’s talent in this business. It even points out that prospective writers may not get to start in the genre of their dreams.”
Laura’s own comment on the book:
”This is a collection of columns and essays I've written for various publishing trade journals on living and working as a professional novelist. Using anecdotes from my own career and the experiences of dozens of writers who shared their stories with me, the book explores creative and professional strategies and adventures, surviving numerous publishing mishaps, what it's really like to do booksignings and public appearances, and many other topics."
Laura’s columns are remembered with great fondness by the Wenches, so there was much rejoicing when we received word of RRR’s publication. In fact, no less than three Wenches gave blurbs to the book. Our comments:
From MJP:
"Be still, my heart! Laura Resnick's marvelous essays on writing are not only laugh-out-loud funny, but she does a wickedly accurate job of depicting the craziness of publishing-and the creative passion that makes it all worthwhile. Recommended to all writers."
-Mary Jo Putney
From Pat Rice:
"The writing life is tough, but Resnick rants with such style and laugh-out-loud humor that readers will enjoy the suffering."
From Lady Layton:
"Laura Resnick's columns are witty, clever, cogent, and most important--they are important advice on how to survive as a writer. Getting published is only half of it: learning how to live in an erratic industry is the other, and Resnick provides advice on how to do that in spades-and hearts, and laughter... Whenever the writing life got dreary, I found [her] columns cheaper than a shrink, safer than mood meds, less fattening than chocolate, and much, much funnier."
Probably it wouldn’t have been hard to get more Wench quotes, either. <g> Here’s one from Jean Auel, author of Clan of the Cave Bear:
“Laura Resnick's witty comments on the struggles a writer faces in today's world of publishing are refreshingly insightful. A welcome voice in an often solitary profession."
But don’t just take our word for it. Go to http://lauraresnick.com/ and click on the cover of Rejection, Romance and Royalties. That will take you to a details page, including a link for excerpts. So, read, have fun—and if you seriously want to know what it’s like to be a working writer, or you just want some good chuckles—buy the book! http://tinyurl.com/yqb8l7
Mary Jo, looking forward to rereading the essays. More than once.
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