Jane Friedman (1)

Many people instinctively relate writing with a life of poverty. The impression is that majoring in English literature instead of, say, engineering will forecast a worse economic existence down the road. The “starving artist” stereotype thus comes into play. In this book, Friedman disagrees with this simplistic approach. She shows the many career paths that writing can take, including some more lucrative ones. She thus empowers readers (who are writers!) to make informed decisions about their lives and prepare themselves for further success.

Friedman’s background is important to note. She worked in a publishing house for over a decade before moving into academe. Thus, she has business experience that most academics lack. She has taught this material to students and now codifies it in book form. This combination of academic and business experience gives her an advantage that few writers have. Reading her words conveys deep wisdom to readers.

Many of the traditional career trajectories are discussed, like how to land a book deal, work with a literary agent and an editor, and navigate legal frameworks. Also discussed are ways to thrive in a digital world by creating a personal digital marketing strategy. Blogging, social media, and the changing economics of journalism are all analyzed at length. These newer topics set this book apart from competitors as being on top of its game.

Many students want to pursue a life in writing, but may be scared of sacrificing financial prosperity. Friedman teaches these aspirants ways that they can maintain their love of letters while providing for themselves – and, perhaps, a family – along the way. This book, comprehensive in scope, educates this audience well. It can also teach those more experienced about how the world of literary business is organized, particularly in the digital sphere. Economic success, like other forms of success, comes with studied decision-making. This book can position aspiring writers to succeed in spades.… (mehr)

The best overall guide to publishing that I've ever read and chock-full of technical details and resources at the end of the book. A must-have for writers.

Even though it is "a compilation of [her] best blog posts since 2008", it was published fairly recently (December 2014). I just finished reading it and it is now my go-to book for publishing and marketing advice. Not only is it comprehensive, but it has a whole slew of sources and even delves into website-building. Later, you would dive deeper into specifics on her website (janefriedman.com). Friedman is an intellectual powerhouse and you could spend weeks on her website. When anyone references [b:The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language|5755|The Language Instinct How the Mind Creates Language|Steven Pinker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388342388s/5755.jpg|2422982] in an incisive manner, you need to consider that person's opinions and analyses.

Friedman knows about the publishing world as she was "President and Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide, one of the world's leading English-language publishers, from 1997 to 2008." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Friedman)… (mehr)