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A review by londonmabel
The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner
5.0
One of the best books about writing I've read, though it's not a how-to. Lerner was an editor for 15 years at a few houses, and is now an agent (she was also a poet.) She says the first half of her book is meant as an encouragement to those stalled in their writing or afraid of writing; maybe because that's not my problem, I just found it to be a celebration of writers. She tells great stories both from her own career and from the lives of famous writers and their editors, and really gives you the drive to just keep pushing onward. It's full of quotable moments.
The second half is her advice about the publishing industry, step-by-step from querying to marketing. If it were only practical advice the book wouldn't be that different from others and I'd have been disappointed. But again she brings her personal stories and a wealth of anecdotes to the subject matter, so in the end it feels like you've spent a week having lunches with your new New York publishing friend.
Finally, Lerner just writes really well. Clear prose, funny, inspiring, and though her background is in literary fiction she doesn't turn her nose up at popular writing. I don't just recommend this to writers, but to people who love books and want the insider scoop on the old world of publishing (the one that's likely on the cusp of a radical overhaul.)
The second half is her advice about the publishing industry, step-by-step from querying to marketing. If it were only practical advice the book wouldn't be that different from others and I'd have been disappointed. But again she brings her personal stories and a wealth of anecdotes to the subject matter, so in the end it feels like you've spent a week having lunches with your new New York publishing friend.
Finally, Lerner just writes really well. Clear prose, funny, inspiring, and though her background is in literary fiction she doesn't turn her nose up at popular writing. I don't just recommend this to writers, but to people who love books and want the insider scoop on the old world of publishing (the one that's likely on the cusp of a radical overhaul.)