How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead: Your Words in Print and Your Name in Lights

This book is not a writing manual. There is no magic formula that can make you write like Stephen King or whoever your favourite writer is. The secret to writing something, anything, is to sit down and put pen to paper. Nothing is going to happen if you don't do that, and on a regular basis. Unlike the authors of many of the other books on writing that are out there, Ariel Gore realizes this and instead of spending pages going on and on about characterization and inspiration, Gore deals with the issues that are most important to those of us who have managed to churn out some of our own work - how to get your name known and your words in print. "How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead" is a fantastic book on the art of self-promotion. Gore details all of the steps that she went through to get her name in print (and clearly, they must have worked, otherwise I wouldn't be reviewing this book) and in addition, the book is interspersed with interviews with other famous writers (including Ursula Le Guin and Margaret Cho, among others) who also share the secrets of their success. There might not be a magic formula for writing a best-seller, but there is a formula for becoming a published writer and this book tells us mere mortals exactly what it is.

It's funny, it's true, it's irreverent, and it's one of the best new books on writing and publishing available. (Literary snobs won't agree, but who asked them?) I've got three shelves crammed with writing books, and while most are pretty good, they all offer the same safe advice. Gore stresses the importance of marketing and promoting yourself and getting your stuff OUT THERE -- even if it means self-publishing your poems on a copy machine or posting a humor column in the PTA newsletter. While Gore's clear, take-no-prisoners style will appeal mostly to the young and the hip, I'm recommending this book to everyone in my writing workshops, no matter how old (or un-hip) they are. -Cindy La Ferle

I wish this book had been written several years ago, when I first started my writing career. Ariel Gore's wit and wisdom could have spared me a lot of error and grief. How to Be a Famous Writer Before You're Dead is a breezy and informal guide for the writer looking for that first publishing score. Using her own experiences, as well as those of other writers, comedians, and entertainers, Gore speaks to the reader as if to an old friend and "tells it like it is." Launching a writing career is a scary, but rewarding, endeavor. Gore's encouragement and practical advice should inspire any first-time writer to keep at it. Hell, her book inspired me, even after five books of my own; after all, I'm not dead yet. John Kachuba [...]

This book changed my life! I'm not remotely kidding. I'm embarrassed now to say that I hadn't heard of Ariel Gore until last week, when I stumbled upon this book at Quimby's bookstore in Chicago. I bought it and read it (and highlighted it, which is what I do to the books I love so I don't forget the parts I love most) over the course of last weekend. And now, three days later, I have founded the new Silver Lining zine and a writing group by the same name, finally attended and networked at a literary reading series I'd always meant to go to, and contacted several of my favorite authors (starting with Ariel) to tell them how much I love their work and to pick their brains a bit about writing. That's right! That's just how inspiring and practical this book is. Plus it's a blast to read. Buy it now and use it to further your passions!