Book as a Parachute

On one of our fortnightly visits to the local library, I found this short treasure: ‘Get Your Book off the Ground’ by Anthony Santoro and Suzanne Male

While Pip and Pop danced about the aisles looking for Enid’s re-ignited ‘Naughtiest Girl in the School’ series, I flipped through this book and decided to put it on our endless ticket of 32 items for three people.  I don’t read many books on writing unless they are recommended.  I prefer fiction or biographical jaunts.

Personal preference aside, Get Your Book off the Ground is interesting and easy – kind of like a first date *g*.  (NO disrespect intended)  It’s not preachy.  It doesn’t propose the impossible and it doesn’t promise to unearth you from the bottom of the dating slush pile to come to the attention of the Very Important Industry Peeps.

It proposes simple planning of your story.  It instills the reader-wot-wanna-be-a-writer with the notion of You Can Do It, and it is KIND.  It is kind in its cajoling and empathetic in its understanding of the hurdles – completion of work, loneliness, lack of success, rejection.

I’m in love with it.

So, it’s a great first date.  One amazing piece of information shared by Suzanne Male is ‘Only 3% of writers finish their book, so if you have finished your tome you should be feeling very successful.’ I found that statistic astonishing.

And of course, Pip and Pop had to have the final say when they saw the cover and the title of this wonderful short piece:

‘Oh mum!  Are you wanting to turn your books into parachutes?’ said the younger, looking at the way the cover design ‘flights’ a novel as a picture.

Pip was dismissive, as she always is of her younger sibling.  ’Nah.  It’s a hovercraft.  Okay, so the book is shown in the sky, but it’s sort of hovering, you know?  Mum’s book is a hovercraft.’

Smiling, I couldn’t help thank God the title wasn’t ‘Ship your Book to Success’ – otherwise ‘mum’s’ books could have been the written equivalent of the friggin’ Titanic.

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