Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
23 used & new from £8.47
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
How I Write: The Secret Lives of Authors
 
See larger image 

See all 8 customer images
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

How I Write: The Secret Lives of Authors (Hardcover)

by Dan Crowe (Author), Philip Oltermann (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
RRP: £19.95
Price: £13.97 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £5.98 (30%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Saturday, July 18? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
15 new from £11.99 8 used from £8.47

Frequently Bought Together

How I Write: The Secret Lives of Authors + A Novel in a Year: A Novelist's Guide to Being a Novelist + Your Writing Coach: From Concept to Character, from Pitch to Publication - Everything You Need to Know About Writing Novels, Non-fiction, New Media, Scripts and Short Stories
Price For All Three: £25.75

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

A Novel in a Year: A Novelist's Guide to Being a Novelist

A Novel in a Year: A Novelist's Guide to Being a Novelist

by Louise Doughty
4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  £4.79
Your Writing Coach: From Concept to Character, from Pitch to Publication - Everything You Need to Know About Writing Novels, Non-fiction, New Media, Scripts and Short Stories

Your Writing Coach: From Concept to Character, from Pitch to Publication - Everything You Need to Know About Writing Novels, Non-fiction, New Media, Scripts and Short Stories

by Jurgen Wolff
4.9 out of 5 stars (8)  £6.99
The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing (Cambridge Introductions to Literature)

The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing (Cambridge Introductions to Literature)

by David Morley
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £15.19
Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing

Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing

by Margaret Atwood
4.3 out of 5 stars (6)  £6.99
Wannabe a Writer?

Wannabe a Writer?

by Katie Fforde
4.4 out of 5 stars (39)  £6.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications (18 April 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0847829421
  • ISBN-13: 978-0847829422
  • Product Dimensions: 25.9 x 21.1 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 248,185 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
"The Secret" Book & Film
   www.SecretsofTheSecret.com/    Improve Your Life & Gain More Joy with Hidden Ebooks behind Movie 
Beyond Law Of Attraction
   www.DivineOpenings.com    Enlightenment, bliss, joy now, no hard work. Get the secret. 
The Secret: DVD, Book, CD
   www.themagikthread.co.uk    The Secret DVD NOW £8.99 Plus 1000's Self Help Books 
  
 

Product Description

Synopsis
A striking anthology of writings by some of the world's most provocative authors includes a selection of letters, essays, photographs, memorabilia, and other features from Jonathan Franzen, Joyce Carol Oates, Rick Moody, Will Self, Jeffrey Eugenides, and other seminal writers.

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
fiction
creative writing
author
a book to look at
joyce carol oates
dan crowe
book on writing
authorship

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars A few scribes idiosyncrasies, 23 Sep 2008
By Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This book seems more of a marketing project rather than a title with lots of meaningful content. To get round the fact that all the text for the sixty-seven writers would have made a really slim book the publishers have let lose an Australian design group to fill out the pages with a visual extravaganza of photos, graphics and expressive typography.

The problem is the look of the pages totally over-powers the text but this maybe what was wanted anyway as there is so little readable content. So, a book about the thoughts of some writers becomes an exercise in design but I think it fails because design is presenting information with clarity and style which should not be conscientiously noticed. Design in How I Write is anything but unnoticeable, for example: the page numbers don't exist, instead each left-hand page has, near the spine and turned sideways: How (I) Write ++++++++ ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN etc, the back of the book bibliographies are set in one solid block of run-on type with the writer's names in red (and not even bold face) over nine pages, various letters of the alphabet, seemingly chosen at random, are so enlarged that they run of the edge of the pages.

I must admit that as a publication designer (thankfully retired) had I seen this book some decades ago I probably would have been mightily impressed with its flash look but now it seems so obviously a triumph of style over substance. Really not much more than designers having fun with a software graphics package and on that basis I'll keep it as a flamboyant example of that. If I was interested in learning a bit about writing style I would stick to David Lodge's `The Art of Fiction' (ISBN 978 0140174922) a Penguin paperback that really delivers and without a graphic in sight.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read contained in a dazzling 'product', 4 Jun 2007
By chkchkchk (London) - See all my reviews
This book is visually staggering, containing absolutely beautiful photographs and design throughout, but the real reward comes from the textual content. Authors of many and varied stripes allow us to see beyond 'the fourth wall' (to borrow a metaphor from the performing arts), and read about the quirky tics and eccentric practices that help them write. Will Self's tale of his dedication to post-it notes is just one highlight of many.

As a further bonus, I gave this book to an aspiring writer friend of mine as a present, and he has been absolutely devouring it for tips!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars A good mix of design and wisdom, 20 Oct 2008
I bought this book primarily for the graphic design stylings of Vince Frost rather than the actual written content but i think the perhaps self indulgent subject amtter and content fits perfectly with the exaggerated and brash design of the book. The descriptions of how various authors are a mix of the funny, the touching and the ocassionally quite bizarre! Accomanyingthe tales are wonderful illustrations using various characters of typefaces that help to inject a sense of humor and energy into the book. All in all i was pleased with the purchase of this book, an all round package!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A literary coffee table book, interesting in snippets
This is not a book about how writers write. What editor Dan Crowe did was contact 67 authors and asked them to write a short piece about one object that plays a part in their... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Murray

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]

   

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

Make A Wish

Get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List.

›More info on Wish Lists

  

Train Hard...Play Hard

Nike, Gola, Converse, and more
Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates