Making the Mistakes So You Don’t Have to
 
He’s written more than a dozen books, including the highly acclaimed Terin Ostler/Fortannis fantasy series, the Teddy Roosevelt/steampunk adventure Big Stick, and the horrifically funny Bloodsuckers. He’s also edited a slew of great books, including the Fantastic Books anthologies Release the Virgins and Three Time Travelers Walk Into…, and he co-edited Across the Universe and two volumes of alternate Sherlock Holmes stories in the Baker Street Irregulars series… and that’s just his fiction output. All of that means he’s made—and learned from—the mistakes beginning writers usually make. And now, in Learn From My Mistakes!, Michael A. Ventrella saves you the time of making those mistakes yet again for yourself.
 
This collection of essays—written over several years, usually as he was making the mistake he talks about—give a wonderful overview of the entire process, from idea to writing, editing to publishing, and selling the book and building a career. Told in an accessible style, Ventrella is someone you want to have a conversation with, to pick his brain. And this book offers just those suggestions.
 
Recommended for beginning writers and those who want to level up their writing game.