jack_reid's review against another edition
4.0
Fun read on the publishing industry. I considered acquiring a publisher (what Biel calls a hybrid publisher) and wanted to learn more. I quickly learned that I don't want to run a publisher but read on as I enjoyed learning more about the business behind my favorite hobby!
katewrites's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.75
There was a lot of good information in this book. However, it could also be discouraging. This aspect of the book will not deter me from accomplishing what I desire to do.
rray_'s review against another edition
5.0
A a graduate of a publishing course myself this is legitimately one of the best books I've written about the craft of actually getting books to market.
thegirlwholivedtoread's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great book for anyone who wants to get the gist of what it's like to be a part of a Publishing company, or even how to start up your own small press.
This can also be a great book for anyone teaching classes about Publishing. My teacher assigned this book to the class, and it really was just the best overview about publishing. There's info about all sides of the company: Editing books, finding books to publish, marketing, selling your books to stores, self-publishing, etc.
Even if you're just curious about how publishing works so that you can be publish a book, this has some great info about the process you'd be put through with a publisher. The best point that Biel makes about writing a book is.
It's a vast amount of information, that's conveyed without the dryness or boredom that can be brought on by textbooks. Despite holding a lot of information, it's not heavy or dense, and is very easy to understand.
It's light and fun with some great stories! Biel has a very distinct voice and you can tell that he really knows what he's talking about. I got to meet him last month, and he's a very nice person!
The one downside, I found, is that because Biel's publishing company exclusively publishes non-fiction, much of his information is catered towards that section. A lot of it, of course, is still relevant to fiction, but there are some things that just may not work for someone publishing fiction that would for non-fiction publishers.
This can also be a great book for anyone teaching classes about Publishing. My teacher assigned this book to the class, and it really was just the best overview about publishing. There's info about all sides of the company: Editing books, finding books to publish, marketing, selling your books to stores, self-publishing, etc.
Even if you're just curious about how publishing works so that you can be publish a book, this has some great info about the process you'd be put through with a publisher. The best point that Biel makes about writing a book is.
It's a vast amount of information, that's conveyed without the dryness or boredom that can be brought on by textbooks. Despite holding a lot of information, it's not heavy or dense, and is very easy to understand.
It's light and fun with some great stories! Biel has a very distinct voice and you can tell that he really knows what he's talking about. I got to meet him last month, and he's a very nice person!
The one downside, I found, is that because Biel's publishing company exclusively publishes non-fiction, much of his information is catered towards that section. A lot of it, of course, is still relevant to fiction, but there are some things that just may not work for someone publishing fiction that would for non-fiction publishers.
booksforbrunch's review against another edition
5.0
So much of what I'm learning in school for book publishing is in People's Guide to Publishing. Thoroughly enjoyed and learned from this book. Will have it on my shelf for reference for many years to come. Got my dad a copy so we could talk publishing biz!
hybridpubscout's review
5.0
I learned a LOT from this book. It challenged a lot of what I thought I knew about publishing, which, as a relative newbie, I realize isn't that hard. But! It also gave me a lot of hope that there's still space and potential for new publishing companies, that small presses are alive and thriving, and that maybe we won't all just be absorbed into an amorphous fuel source for the company that owns this very website. One thing I am still going to have to come to grips with, though, is the fact that I'm going to have to get a lot better at P&Ls before I even think about starting a press of my own.
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