Member Reviews
A real hoot of a book! I had really no idea of what to expect when I requested this, just a vague notion about editors! Nope! It's a very, very funny ad informative travel book. Don Wills travels, no less. I wish my trips were as humorous (mine are as interesting, just not quite as funny) as his. Fun read!
I originally expected this book to be a writer's guide to dealing with editors, and the stories to be illustrative of the advice. That's not this book. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the travel stories, which I did enjoy. It is surprising that those stories were rejected -- but for a deeper understanding of why, I'd need to read a writer's guide to editors!
I requested this book because I thought it was a writers' guide. It's actually a collection of travel stories that have previously been rejected. It's not what I was looking for, but the tales and stories are, nevertheless, interesting and entertaining. I also think it's a great idea to recycle journalism like this. A pleasant surprise.
I don't even read travel stories, let that be said up front. The title of this book was almost instant click-bait for me, as an aspiring editor myself. I thought, "Okay, maybe I can get some pointers on how NOT to turn out". What I read instead was even more rewarding.
Don Willis is the MAN. He opens with a really strong hack at editors, addressing some of the world's most renowned classics and their awful rejection count by a variety of different editors and publishers. I read on until it dawned on me that Willis' book title was meant to turn heads; his intent was to publish his rejected articles in spite of their professional reputation. And turn heads he did! I couldn't begin to imagine why these stories had been rejected- sure, as a reader who seldom turns to the travel genre, I can admit that some weren't in my field of interest, but that's no cause for rejection in my eyes.
I wish I had gotten a bit more background on Willis' experience with editors in general, but I found this to be inspiring nonetheless. He believed in his stories and articles when the professionals who claimed to know better shot him down.
Very motivational for writers who feel cornered and need that extra push to move forward!
This book is a compilation of articles that were rejected by magazines. Some of these stories about the author's travels made me laugh. This is definitely a fun read!
Can I just begin by saying that I requested to read this book off NetGalley because of the title. I know...the gods of literature are probably rolling their eyes, but you can't fault me for shouting "you got that right' as I read this book. It's hilarious, witty and Don shares his travel adventures you cannot help but laugh. Listen, get the book and read about Nicki on "Hoping to Hear from you Soonest."
It's quite a thrill, however, I hope the formatting would be improved for a much better reader experience on Kindle.