Mary's Blog:
How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book

If you believe you have a book inside you just waiting to come out, here is a guide that will ensure your book's arrival in the world.
—Rebecca McClanahan, author of Word Painting

I had a contract but not the first clue how to transact a book. Every morning I tried to move walls with my forehead. I wanted answers and I wanted them yesterday. Mary showed me I wasn't yet ready to ask the questions. More importantly, her method provided an invaluable blueprint that, I suspect, will be useful for every book I write.
—Tom Swift, author of Chief Bender's Burden

Mary's suggestions enabled me to take material I'd been struggling with and look at it with new eyes.
—Annie Kelleher, author of The Shadowlands Trilogy

A first-time book-writer's best companion.
—Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew, author of Writing the Sacred Journey: The Art and Practice of Spiritual Memoir

With specific advice, focused writing exercises and generous encouragement, her clear, personal voice guides developing writers through the process, from first steps to final launch. They—and their future readers—will be grateful.
—Catherine Watson, author of Home on the Road

Mary Carroll Moore offers the most practical book development process I have ever seen. As a first-time author, I found her easy-to-follow guide exactly what I needed to take my idea from a dream to a completed manuscript. More than simply sharing a writing process, she laid out the ground rules, provided a clear step-by-step process, and showed me how to move forward with confidence.
—Michael Lane, author of The Wisdom of Yawdy Rum

Help! I want to write a book—how do I begin?

Take your novel, memoir, or nonfiction book from idea to print! Finally, sound, easy-to-follow advice on the ins and outs of book writing: everything from writing practice to pacing your prose. Dozens of specific book-writing exercises to generate ideas, flow chapters, and keep you writing, plus expert up-to-date advice on today's publishing industry.

The consummate How-To Guide for everyone who has a book percolating inside them.
—Nancy Slonim Aronie,
author of Writing from
the Heart: Tapping the
Power of Your Inner Voice

Find out...

Why it's essential to know your reader—before you write your book!
How a storyboard designs your book's flow of chapters and ideas
Which book form is best for each genre
How to handle your book's creative tension—and avoid writer's block
Why you can throw away your outline—random writing leads to perfectly linked chapters
Secrets of inner and outer story to create strong conflict, characters, plot
What agents and publishers look for in a book manuscript today

Comprehensive and Concise
Generous margins for notation
Real-world writing excercises

Download a Sample Chapter

Download Table of Contents