Book Review: The Author Training Manual by Nina Amir

If you're considering a nonfiction project, you'll want to pick up a copy of The Author Training Manual by Nina Amir.

In this useful writer resource, you'll learn a step-by-step process that helps you develop an author attitude, evaluate your idea, create a Table of Contents to help you structure your book, find ways to brand yourself, and learn if you you will make a good publishing partner for a publisher or how to self-publish effectively.

The book opens with a discussion on what are the essential characteristics one must possess for publishing success, and then quickly moves to the evaluation process. It then takes the reader one step at a time through figuring out if your book has a market, judging the competition, learning how to structure your book, and more. The end of each chapter includes a suggested reading list. Important topics such as business plans, book proposals, and platform are discussed.

After the step-by-step process is thoroughly discussed, Amir shares numerous samples of business plans for self-publishing or book proposals meant to be submitted to agents/publishers. These samples include comments from agents and editors. Then you move on to the Training Exercises. These tie into the step-by-step process you learn about. These are multi-step exercises for you to perform that will help you judge if you have what it takes to be successful in publishing and to evaluate your idea before you spend years writing a book that won't sell.

Though The Author Training Manual is geared heavily toward writers of non-fiction, I can definitely see how even fiction writers will learn a great deal from going through this process. What amazed me the most about Amir's book is that though it contains a ton of helpful information, it's not overwhelming. It makes business plans and book proposals seem not quite so daunting. And once you've performed this task on a couple of ideas, it will probably become second nature before you start any project.

The Author Training Manual is an excellent resource for aspiring and novice authors. It would also be a great refresher course or source of encouragement for seasoned writers who are looking to get refocused.

Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Writer's Digest Books (March 18, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599631458
ISBN-13: 978-1599631455

I received this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book. This review contains my honest opinion, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

I read this book for the following challenge: