Member Reviews
As someone who writes the majority of the day for work and work-related tasks, The Secret's of Business Writing Success covered so many topics they don't teach you in any business, creative writing, literature, leadership, marketing, or copywriting course. It's well worth the read if you're looking to work less and create more.
This book provided an excellent opportunity for me to look at all of the aspects to writing, editing and reviewing my books. Although I do not work in the workplace, I was still able to benefit from the writer's process.
I found this book quite useful, in that it had many useful tips and ways to break down your work load so you are able to efficiently and effectively write in the way that one wants or needs to write.
The Workplace Writer's Process is a great resource for writers. It's relatable and practical for those who write professionally while still useful and inspiring for those who don't.
*This review is based on a free digital advance copy provided by the publisher. The opinions expressed are my own.
This book gave many ideas of how to progress on your writing. Gave my some skills that I can improve my writing. Loved it overall.
of writing and makes it clear and succinct. She bullet points the information and places headers and sub-headers to make the layout organized and easy to navigate. She offers practical advice to questions and uses examples that immediately pertain to the issues at hand. Even though this is for business writing, any writer can benefit from Janzer’s advice. It is an instruction manual for not only how to write, but what to do after the book is written. All writers would benefit from keeping a copy of this book on hand.
It was just okay for me, it covered all the basics but never went in-depth on anything.
I was really surprised by this book. I expected it to be same old, same old. And it WAS to a point. But the whys and wherefores behind it were really helpful to me. I tend to be the type that skips the foreword and goes straight for the meat. This has helped me to see that it's worth taking your time to do your best. And for that matter if you do some pre-planning you might spend less time than you did before. As someone who has written ebooks, content, copy, blog posts, etc. it gave me some new ideas to streamline my work. And as someone who is about to open a business it illustrated the need for an actual house style guide, something I thought would be ridiculous but now I really want everyone to be on the same page with the same feel.
This is a handy how-to book that offers useful advice for writing in the work place. The author is obviously an experienced writer and knows exactly what tools are required. The chapters were short and to the point, it was easy to read and makes for a good reference book.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Anne Janzer for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Interesting & fresh perspective. Worth a look or three!
"The Workplace Writer’s Process" is not only about writing, it's a book about structure and organization. It teaches how to write for an organization, how to handle those who influence your writing work and how to overcome external and internal obstacles to a text that is useful to the reader.
This is a book for those whose writing is their job but I think it is also useful for those who simply have writing as a hobby. This book teaches you about discipline, time management, the importance of planning and the fabulous idea of "the incubation effect". So true!
Another truth written by this author is about research: "Excessive research is a dangerous form of procrastination". I know it! But it's good to have it explained!
And "Inspiration tends to follow action, not precede it".
In the end, go to Anne Janzer's site and download the worksheets and checklists from the book. And subscribe to her Writing Practices email list. She really gives good advice about writing!
If you're an organized, logical thinker type you will like this book but might not need it.
If you're an idea-chaser with scattered attention you may not like this book, but you need it.
I read this book avidly as it is stuffed of useful hints and strategy for general writers and workplace writer in particular.
It gives suggestions that spread from general strategy (i.e. define the approval flow in advance) to deep details and a final checklist to be used in different phases of the project.
CONTENTS
Praise for The Workplace Writer’s Process
Introduction: The Workplace Writer
I. Writing Rules That No One Teaches You
1. Five Myths That Can Hurt You
2. Writing as a Team Sport
3. Project Management for Writers
4. Essential Cognitive Science Concepts
5. You Are the Reader’s Advocate
6. Process Is Your Secret Weapon
II. The Planning Process
7. The Planning Overview
8. Why Are You Writing?
9. Who Will Read It?
10. Why Should They Care?
11. What Will It Look Like?
12. When Will It Be Done?
III. The Drafting Process
13. The Ins and Outs of Research
14. The Writing Blueprint
15. Find Your Writing Zone
16. The First Pass
17. The Layering Pass
IV. The Revision Process
18. Why We Revise
19. Top-Down Revision
20. Terminology, Abstractions, and Details
21. Grammar Matters
22. Style: Yours, Ours, Theirs
V. The Review Process
23. Start with a Plan
24. Know How to Ask
25. Put It All Together
26. The Style Guide Is Your Friend
VI. Troubleshooting Your Process
27. Distractions and Focus
28. The Reluctant Subject Matter Expert
29. The Shrinking Deadline
30. Collaborative Writing
31. Recognition and Attribution
Resources for Successful Workplace Writers
The Checklists
Scoping and Scheduling Work
Further Reading and Notes
Acknowledgments
About the Author
In The Workplace Writer's Process, Anne H. Janzer has created the perfect solution for those who have to write as part of their jobs. Whether it's an annual report, a press release, a grant proposal, ad copy, or other types of writing, everyone in the business world must interact with others during the writing process, and will find this book to be a powerful asset.
Janzer has created a step-by-step process for taking us from the initial idea to the finished product. Whether it's sharing those "Writing Rules That No One Teaches You", or the "Five Myths That Can Hurt You", and any of the many more sections, you will find something immensely valuable in The Workplace Writer's Process. Two tips I found especially important were 1) find an environment that works best for you, and 2) resist the urge to polish your piece while writing the first draft.
She reminds us that we all undervalue our own strengths, while we seem to be under the impression that those same strengths come easily to others. The book is complete with a resources section with checklists and a worksheet. Writer's everywhere, not just business writers will find this book extremely helpful. I know I did.
Look for me online as The Grumpy Book Reviewer.
The Workplace Writer’s Process
A Guide to Getting the Job Done
by Anne Janzer
Cuesta Park Consulting
Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles
Business & Investing , Self-Help
Pub Date 18 Jul 2017
I am reviewing a copy of The Workplace Writer’s Process Through Cuesta Park Consulting and Netgalley:
In this book author Ann Janzer reminds us that our professional online identity is clothed in Written words. And the quality of the work does matter.
In this book we are reminded that people aren’t born writers, it is a talent that needs to be nurtured, something you have to work at. We are reminded too that writing is a team sport.
We are reminded too that in order to become a valued writer we need to own our process. Anne Janzer points out too that you cannot be effective if you are lacking an objective. We are reminded too that Grammar matters, and that when in doubt we should rephrase.
I give The Workplace Writer’s Process five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
The Workplace Writer's Process is a concise guide to writing effective business communication. Anne Janzer takes you step-by-step through the process of writing all types of content, from researching your topic, writing an outline, drafting, writing and revising your final piece. She also covers the importance of using correct grammar, appropriate style guides, and even how to ask your supervisors and colleagues for reviews of your projects. This is a great reference to have if you enjoy writing, whether in or out of a business setting.
*I received an advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.*
This book does a good job at pointing out that everyone in an office setting has some amount of writing responsibility. The best part was the emphasis that planning what to write, editing, seeking approvals, and then positing should go into the calculated time of someone's efforts. It's not just "sit down and write 700 words" then boom, done. I would honestly recommend this book to the people who are not the primary writers of teams so that they understand the process.
I found Ann's book to be very practical and useful for myself right now I my career. Educating the reading on "weasel words", how to trim primrose and "information-architecting" the page to display easy to scan data to the reader have already produced fruit of the labor involved in changing the writing style I use in the workplace.
This book is really usefully for anyone who is new to writing in a work environment or team environment. I used this book successfully in my work it really helped me with writing projects that were very new to me. The concepts are very well written and easy to follow and understand.
This book is practical and right to the point. Anyone who wants to improve their productivity and results when writing can beneficiate from the guidance provided by Anne Janzer. It is specially good for those who need to to write as a side task in their workplace, but all kinds of writers can find equal amount of help from the advice, methods, examples and solutions given at every step throughout the book.
It starts by debunking the most common myths about types of writers and provides solutions to each of them as well as properly defines the role of the writer and importance of defining the reader. It continues by talking in detail about each step of writing process as well as reviews, approvals and other aspects to consider when working in an organizational environment or as part of a team. The last section provides checklists and guides that help you stay organized throughout the different parts of the process.
What I particularly liked about this book is how easy to understand and practical it is. Also, the inclusion of cognitive concepts for writers gives this book a unique an effective way to approach the writing process.