Review: Yay!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 26, 2013
Has anyone ever told you "you should really write a book" and you've thought they may be right, but had absolutely no friggin idea how to get started?  Have you ever walked through the day while narrating what happened as though those in your life were characters in the latest best-selling novel?  Have you ever dreamed of seeing your name in a movie right next to the caption "inspired by the best-selling novel...."?  Writing is a daunting task, yes, but would you be encouraged to take that next step if you knew what that next step looked like?LONG STORY SHORT...BK promises much in the blurb to this book...and oh boy, does she deliver on those promises!  In this book you will find a no-nonsense, step-by-step guide to getting that idea out of your head, onto paper, and published for the world to love.  BK guides readers through the process of not only finding a publisher, but also deciding what kind of publisher to use (I didn't know there were differences).  She lays out a one-foot-in-front-of-the-other guide to seeing your work not only published, but published successfully in a way that actually gets it in front of readers.If you have ever thought of writing anything that would look like a book, you need to read this!  Though it is packed with information, it is a pretty quick read that is light, engaging, and contains plenty of "been there, done that" humor that assures readers that BK really does know what she is talking about.  The image that comes to mind?  Your witty older sister sits you down for a "facts of life" chat that actually goes well and leaves you empowered to take the next step in your creative journey.In short, I rate this book 5 out of 5!!LONG STORY...The GoodWell, this is a how-to book, so there isn't a lot for characters/plot/setting to analyze.  :P  What is present is an absolutely wonderful how-to book that feels very much like you sat down with an older sister or best friend who has gone through an experience that you want to do, and is telling you the facts...all of the facts, good or bad.BK has been in this book business for awhile.  She runs a blog tour company (Virtual Book Tour Cafe), which is, quite frankly, one of the companies for which I do reviews...and one of my favorites.  Not only this, but she has written several books (you'll see another review on here once I read her werewolf book!), does book reviews, has self-published and published through a company, etc.  Her credential list impresses, as does this book.Be Brilliant... is the kind of kick-in-the-pants kind of pep-talk that empowers wanna be authors to "git er done"!  Sure, putting your idea out there and publishing is scary...but what is more scary: having an idea and never running with it, or putting yourself out there and *gasp* seeing that others like your idea?Here BK walks wannabe authors through very concrete 1-2-3 steps to getting their work out there.  Do you want to know a simple way to get a manuscript onto the page?  She's gotcha covered.  Curious about how publishing/editing works?  She's gotcha there as well.  Not sure how to market, especially considering that you might be working on the kind of budget that buys gourmet Ramen noodles as a luxury?  She's gotcha there as well.Let's pause a moment and consider BK's writing style.  This is not an over-the-top, "I'm gonna blind you with credentials and then school you in how it's done oh look at me I'm so smart" kind of how-to book.  Yes, BK does put forward her credentials, but she does so in a way that maintains humility while showing readers that she does know what she is talking about.  She provides super helpful step-by-step instructions about how she has found authoring books to work in the real world (sorry, we aren't all Castle).  She is engaging, lively, and a joy to read.  I can't wait to read her other book that is waiting in my Kindle!I loved this book.  Kinda gave me the kick-in-the-pants I needed to actually think about getting the book idea that's been in my brain for a few years out of my brain and in front of you guys...The Bugly (bad/ugly)Not too much to gripe about here. There were a couple of typos, but that is about it.  =)  Okay, maybe the chapters were a little too short and left me wanting a bit more explanation in a couple of places.  There...happy?  :POh, okay - one more little thing: the main title of this book doesn't indicate that it has anything to do with writing, and instead would seem to herald a personality self-help type book.  This didn't bug me much more than too much, though, because the smaller title (sorry, not sure of technical term) does indicate that it is about writing/publishing, etc.