If we really wanted to sell you this book, we’d tell you that it’s packed full of useful advice on writing, editing, getting published and marketing your books.
Which is true, admittedly, except that 52 LETTERS also tells you all about the world’s oldest book.
And how to swear in Orcadian (which is a genuine Scottish dialect, unless you prefer to think of it as degenerate Norse, but either way it’s not the world’s most useful language, for swearing or anything else.)
And the book talks about the story you’ve left, and the story you love, and how you have to fall forwards into the book you’re writing now.
And it tells you about mindset mathematics and how to alter your perceptions of what is possible as a writer.
And it tells you why the new management of Barnes & Noble actually means something quite challenging for traditional publishing.
And it talks about all the ways that the publishing industry can treat writers crappily and it offers some helpful advice on how to avoid that kind of treatment yourself.
And it talks about the power of detail and actually gives you some examples which make you think, ‘Yes, I really understand something there and I want to go away right now to put that good advice into practice.’
And just when you think the book is going to stay really grown up and useful and good for you, it’ll unwrap a parcel of darlings and share them with you. Then ask you for darlings of your own and spend time with those too.
Then it’ll talk about the origins of the novel and be puzzled about agents who have set their hearts against speculative fiction.
So by this time, you’ll be thinking that the book is definitely entertaining but it can’t really call itself useful, except then you read something about the simplest technique in fiction (and one that always works), so you decide, dammit, that the book must be entertaining and useful, which sounds like one heck of a combination – and quite possibly something that you need right now this minute.
And, sure, you could look at our Incredibly Meagre Price and decide that your writing career doesn’t deserve even that amount of love, but realistically, you’re not going to do that, so you’re going to click that lovely golden BUY button and be very pleased you did.
Bestselling author, Harry Bingham, has been published all over the world by the biggest publishers in the business. His work has been adapted for TV and is currently the subject of a major Hollywood option. He’s also the boss of Jericho Writers, a company which helps writers like you write better and get published.
Advanced reviews:
'Harry Bingham is both the most entertaining and the most informing writer on the craft in evidence these days; not since Stephen King’s On Writing have I so valued a writer’s writing on writing! These aren’t just 52 Letters—they’re love letters, to and for writers of all stripes and stages of accomplishment.' - John David Mann, New York Times bestselling author
‘Harry’s Bingham’s inimitable, jaunty style guides the reader through the labyrinthine complexities of writing and publishing. Based on Jericho Writers up-to-the minute blog posts, 52 Letters informs writers of the rapidly changing landscape of the publishing world and the myriad options to get published in 2020. From publishers to bookstores, mailing-lists to e-books, word-length to word choice, Harry’s got you covered. This is a current, informative, engaging read, essential for every writer, whether a lockdown newbie, a jaded scribbler, or a traditionally published author. It even addresses non-writers in the postscripts to the letters: “Hate writing? Then unsubscribe.” Buy it; you’ll be glad you did.’ - Minne, advanced review copy
