I suppose this is in danger of being a plug, because Harry Bingham is a colleague, and I've got a little piece in it myself, but I've just been read his new book, The WAAYB Guide to Getting Published, from cover to cover, and it's absolutely terrrific.

Harry gives you not only detailed, readable, practical, knowledgeable and often funny advice on everything to do with getting to that book contract, but also about life afterwards. Indeed, he has quite a mission to explain all the things that the book trade can't or won't tell authors, or doesn't remember that you won't know. So it's not just for the aspirers, but for all of us who at least want to know more about what's happening to our work, and possibly do something about it.

Emma

<Added>

I hasten to add that it isn't a plug in the sense that my little piece has made me any money.

Thanks. Might have to get that. I hope you made some money from your little piece, as presumably HB did/will.

Interested top know how others feel, but I don't mind plugs on here at all. I like them - it's good to know when people's books are out or when they're doing a reading. We can't on one hand be expected by the industry to market ourselves and on the other assume an attitude of humble discretion when we're around people who love books.

It's too small an industry not to find oneself with commercial connections to things that you also might want to talk about.On the whole, I think one should declare an interest, so that if you say what your connection is with something, then people can make up their own minds about how partis pris (sp?) you might be. But I have had trouble in the past, from mentioning commercial things I was involved in...

And I was happy to do it for Harry. Apart from anything else, I expanded the piece I did into a longer one for the Resources on my blog, which wasn't a topic I'd thought of covering...

I wouldn't be posting it here if I didn't think it was a fantastic resource, and very definitely a unique one. And Mark LeFanu of the Society of Authors doesn't endorse things lightly.

Emma

Well you're a better man than I am Gongedin. I would want payin'.

I normally steer clear of books about writing (it reminds me of the scene in Monty Python's Holy Grail, where all the knights shout "just get on with it!") but I bought this having read your post.

Extremely interesting, very frank and superbly entertaining. I would definitely recommend this and I haven't written a single word of it

Jo

Thanks for the tip, Emma - have just ordered a copy!

Funnily enough, I nearly posted about this book over on children's.

After reading a few advance publicity snippets, I'd pre-ordered a copy of TWAAYBGTGP, and spent last weekend reading the chapters that are particularly pertinent to 'where I'm at' at the moment.

Love Harry's style of writing. Found the book to be detailed, imformative, and with an excellent vein of humour throughout. And, let's face it, if we lose our sense of humour - we're stuffed!

From my own point of view, money well spent.

SusieL

Thanks Emma. Useful tip. I'm gonna ask for it for Christmas.

Deb