Marissa Meyer really breaks down the writing process from beginning to end. I really liked that when she couldn't answer the question, she brought in other authors who could give guidance (this was in the section about losing agents, editors, etc). This made me trust her as an expert even more. She talks not just about writing but taking care of yourself as a person. If you don't take care of yourself, you can't enjoy your craft and do your best work. As someone who wants to write a book, this answered all the questions I had and gave me an overview of what to expect.
I preferred the audiobook version. The e-book version didn't have pep to it. No cute picture or any thing to make it fun. The quotes looked weird.

This was such a well-rounded book on being a happy writer. I felt like it had a fairly good amount about working on your mental health and happiness as a writer, while also giving great tips on improving writing and exploring publishing opportunities. As an aspiring writer who struggles with self confidence, I felt like this book had valuable advice and encouragement. I found myself constantly jotting down notes for future reference.

Marissa Meyer has been one of my favorite authors for years, and it was great to see her voice in a nonfiction work. I loved her enthusiasm about pursuing writing, but also making sure to keep yourself happy and healthy. I loved the little snippets of her referring back to her own career and journey and a writer, and how she struggled and grew over the years.

Although this book isn’t an exhaustive guide on “how to write” or “how to publish” for beginners or those new to the industry, it’s great for those who may have lost their spark and as writers and hope to replenish the excitement and happiness they may have once felt while writing. And for those like me, who convinced themselves they can’t write or aren’t good at it, maybe this will help, even a little.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan of the eARC! All opinions are my own.

The Happy Writer began as a podcast with author Marissa Meyer (known for The Lunar Chronicles and Renegades) interviewing several other best-selling authors and discussing all the ways writers can hone their creativity, work on their craft, and find satisfaction in their work. Meyer took all of the best nuggets of advice from that podcast and put them together into this book.

This book is an absolute treasure trove of advice, quotes, and actions for writers of all experiences and at all stages of their career--the advice ranges from things like setting up your home office to finding ideas to reading book contracts to dealing with book tours. It covers a wide gamut, but is organized well and easy-to-read with personal anecdotes and solid advice.

Although much of this book is geared towards fiction writers workingon books, the tips and advice are helpful for any type of writer and, honestly, much can also be helpful to anyone with a dream goal. I will return to this book often as I progress through my writing career and plan on giving it to other writer friends as well.

Highly recommend this one!

Book: The Happy Writer
Author: Marissa Meyer
Format: Digital
Genre: Non-fiction
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a dream come true being able to read more about my favorite author's process, ideas and writing structure. I've read ALL of Marissa Meyer's books and would love to write just half as great as she does. She's amazing. And this book didn't disappoint - I loved the upbeat and positive attitude she took on in her approach and the fact that she was very down to earth in admitting that as a full-time author, her schedule may need to be adjusted for others. This book was exactly what I needed!

The Happy Writer by Marissa Meyer is chock full of great ideas for ways writers can build a more blissful practice. I’m so grateful to @macmillanusa for an e-arc and to @macmillan.audio for an ALC of this one. It came out Tuesday so you can grab a copy now for yourself or a writer in your life.

The book is divided into sections that cover everything from how to fill the create well to how to overcome resistance to querying querying There was so much good advice and energy packed into this book. Most of the advice I’d heard before, but I don’t know that I’ve seen it compiled in one place by someone who clearly wants the reader to succeed.

I’m not sure what age this book was written for. I’m clearly an adult and I loved it and it’s the kind of book I think is great to have in a collection for times when you need a little pep talk and there’s no one around to give it to you. But the imprint, Feiwel & Friends—who have published all of Meyer’s books—is a children’s imprint. And I think if you have a young writer in your life, they would love this one. It’s straightforward, the chapters are quick, she doesn’t stay too long on any one topic and there’s a lot of information that new writers probably don’t know about the publishing process. But there were also tips like using resources to get childcare so you can write that made not sure about the target audience’s age. Either way, I think it’s a book writers of any age can get a lot out of.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author, and hearing her cheer me on was a really lovely experience. I thoroughly enjoyed listening. I do think this might be one of the times I grudgingly admit that a physical copy might be preferable if you can only get the book in one format because it’s the kind of information you’ll definitely want to look back on, which is harder with audiobooks. But if you can have both, that’s the way to go.

I probably should have known from the subtitle, but much too much life coaching, not enough practicable advice. Read like a rehashed website. Perhaps some will find the pick-up-and-dip-in approach useful, but I could never quite figure out who the audience was supposed to be, between the rah-rah "you can do it" pieces and the "here's how to replace your agent" section.

THE HAPPY WRITER by Marissa Meyer is one of the better books that I have found about writing. I say that because it offers a myriad of practical suggestions and, as Meyer says, is written to connect the readers with their intrinsic love of writing as they "build a foundation of happiness, a love of words, a passion for telling stories, and appreciation of our own bizarre and beautiful imaginations." Meyer divides her thoughts into six sections that deal with cultivating creativity, setting goals, crafting and revising a first draft, pursuing publication, overcoming common challenges, and finding big payoffs through little joys. For example, she mentions developing a story playlist and listening to different types of music. A very established and best-selling writer herself, Meyer has been providing similar pointers on her Happy Writer podcast and this text certainly offers suggestions on many, many ways to "Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond." I received a preview copy of the text and an audiobook file read by the author. For me, Meyer's voice was a bit strident, and I found it difficult to focus and retain so many ideas when listening. Personally, I would prefer a print version where I could scribble and highlight – and I would because her ideas are useful and motivating. Meyer even includes a list of sources and further reading like Joyful by Lee, plus writing classics like Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott or Stephen King’s On Writing. Meyer has added a great pep talk for aspiring and established writers!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC! I've been a fan of Marissa Meyer's work for a few years, and jumped on the chance to read some of her nonfiction, "self-help" work. I am pleased to say that this came at an opportune time, as I am working on my own beginnings of a fiction novel. I especially appreciate her suggestions on filling one's creative well, and how to make small goals to make little progress over a period of time(which becomes BIG progress when you're consistent). This book it filled with practical tips and suggestions for the rookie and veteran writer to stay motivated and excited about writing. Because why do it if it doesn't make you happy?

Meyer wrote this book in a way that is educational, but entertaining and motivational. Its a lot of information, but I never felt the need to cringe away from an "info-dump." This book is intuitive and insightful, and I hope to edit this review after implementing some of the tips Meyer included. Stay tuned. ;)

"The Happy Writer" by Marissa Meyer is a helpful guide for seasoned writers and beginners alike.

This guide has a wide array of practical advice from where to find inspiration to showing kindness to yourself throughout the writing process. Marissa's tone encapsulates the joys of writing. Her stance is uplifting, showing all writers that they can work through challenges to find their flow. Marissa is like a warm, encouraging friend who believes in you, giving you the pep talks you need so you won't give up on your draft. The conversational tone makes this guide a breeze to read and the tips are easy to apply. Marissa's advice covers all angles of writing, from draft to publication. The book can be read linearly, or you can skip to the sections most relevant to your writing journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Full of helpful lists, tips, and advice on writing. Short and clear chapters. Great for published writers as well as those just starting out. I’m thankful to have received an advanced copy and I am happy to leave my honest review.

There is some great advice in this book! And the approach is novel. It doesn't discuss writing craft in any great detail, but rather it discusses how to stay happy and motivated during the writing process. And this book covers all stages of the writing process, from initial conception to the post-completion business end of things.

Most of the advice is singular to writers; however there is a good spattering of suggestions that are surprisingly universal. Definitely motivational. I even started my “Inspiration List” before I had finished the book!

Clever and fun, with so many good ideas. If you are a writer, you are bound to find something to take away from this book.

I think Marissa Meyer has a lot of excellent advice in this book — unfortunately, it's nothing that hasn't been covered extensively elsewhere. It also felt like the focus wasn't truly on writer happiness, but cramming any and all publishing advice in here to fill it out into a book. I think this is a great concept that would work better as an article, not a full-length book. Still, I think Marissa Meyer is a great author and if anyone likes having a lot of standard publishing advice in one place, mixed in with pep talks that every writer could probably use, they should pick up this book. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I loved this! It's so helpful and informative for new, old or in between writers. I feel like anyone could find a way to benefit from this knowledge.

Engaging and accessible. A recommended purchase for collections where writing craft titles are popular.