For the same reasons popular fiction frequently portrays book lovers as main characters, Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum appeals to the would be writer, who one day dreams of writing books and making a career out of it. Readers often dream of writing! Writers dream of reading! It all goes hand in hand.

This is a practical guide, but it is also fun and dreamy and voice-y, so that readers stay engaged for the ride. Here’s the thing though–while as a real guide it is informative, the odds of publishing a book through a major publishing house is so rare. To get paid for your book in any kind of substantive way is even rarer! To go on a paid book tour is nearly unheard of! To be meeting and lunching with editors throughout means you’re one of these rare gems who just happens to live in NYC.

Therefore, the book is the fantasy thrill-ride (and one worth taking)! However, the unwritten parts of this book is that this book deal experience is all too rare for most writers. Published writers are usually otherwise financially independent, either from personal wealth or from a spouse who supports them. Published writers can grab lunch with an editor and that means they live in New York. And, we all miss out when this narrow subset is all we ever hear from.