Books by Becca Syme

I was in burnout long before I found Becca’s Quitcast series on YouTube, but didn’t realize where I was, or know what to do about it. Reading this book reinforced all the “Ah-ha!” moments I had when watching the videos, and added a few more. This is a keeper for me, one I know I…

Becca’s writing voice is so authentic – you will feel as though your best friend is telling you a few hard truths, but that she is rooting for you all the way and proving encouragement.

Becca has such a refreshing way of interpreting writerly advice. I’m so thankful to have discovered this series after following advice that only frustrated me. Writer’s block looks different for all of us because we’re all different! So, of course, the way we come out of it’s going to be different too. I love that…

I am a big fan of all Becca’s ‘Dear Author’ books. Unfortunately, she’s right. The calendar may have turned over, but the pressures writers are facing today are just as intense (if not more) than they were in 2020. If you are a writer struggling with productivity, I cannot recommend this book heartily enough.

Becca’s third book is most likely the best one yet! I’m not yet a published author, but I’m so glad I picked up this book and her others. Not only does Becca’s writing makes me laugh (I love her geeky references and her great analogies/metaphors), but she gives advice in a really compassionate, yet honest…

Thing I love about Becca’s books, and especially this one, is that it feels like I’m sitting in a Starbucks having a conversation with her as a friend about my struggles with writing. There’s no guilt, no shame, just a lot of encouragement and challenging my negative thoughts. The only thing missing is a Venti…

In these days of rapid release and book-a-month publishing schedules, Becca slides in with some real talk: fast writing is not for everyone. That’s just one example of the many premises Becca rises up and challenges. This isn’t a book on what to do to reach publishing success. As she says, there’s no silver bullet.…

The author’s personal experiences with burnout show she’s not talking from an ivory chair. She’s been there and done the work to recover. She knows exactly how easy it can be to slide into the pit and what needs to be done to recover and setup long-term methods to prevent another burn.

This book examines the reasons why authors may be having trouble writing and not selling their books as well as they had hoped. The focus is on the stress of modern life, in particular during challenging times as we’ve seen in 2020 and 2021. Syme builds on the concepts from the other books in the…

Who finds that they need a manual for their life right now — not just for writers. Okay, it’s primarily for writers and creative people, but I think if you read the title and something resonates inside you then pick up this book. I highly recommend this book if you are still feeling foggy brained,…

I felt like Becca peeked in the window of my writing room and said, I know exactly what this woman needs! And then she delivered. This attitude shift can possibly change my life. I’m excited to try. Thank you.

An experienced writing coach helps you better align your own skills and personality with what can work for you as a self-published author, despite all the conventional wisdom that may have you feeling utterly inadequate because you’re not outlining, dictating, and publishing 20 books a year and killing it on Instagram while making enough to…

As someone who entered burnout while working in the public accounting industry, I have to say, “This book isn’t just for writers!” Regardless of how you burned out, you’ll learn why it happened, what you can do to feel better, and how you can prevent it from happening again.

Becca comes in with some real talk. I’ve read all the books in this series, and this one is very like the other ones. It was a hard year for everyone, and she has action steps to get beyond the funk we’re all in after a doozy of a year.

If you’re mentally and/or creatively exhausted. If you just can’t find that focus you know you have, especially when it comes to writing. If you know you’re pushing yourself too hard, but you also know you can’t stop…Go read the book. Now.

After loving the first two books in this series I bought this one on release day and started it not much later. This is another great book for authors. I love this series and I wish I could convince everyone to read these. Where book 1 and 2 address more general concepts that can easily…

I have learned so much each time I read one of her books. Advice that makes the most sense like a light bulb moment. I’ll read anything and everything she puts out.

I really enjoyed all the books in this series, and this book is not an exception. I sent an excerpt to all of my friends about how stressful the industry is. I disagreed with her chapter on dictation, but it has been useful to explain river and train people to people for whom dictation doesn’t…

Okay everyone out there looking for the easy way to success…this isn’t it, but I will tell you that this book is the beginning of changing your life for the better. I’ve been working with Ms. Syme for quite a while now off and on for a few years. She not only is 100% the…

Some books try to give readers all the right kind of answers. Dear Writer, Are You in Writer’s Block? does better and helps you learn what sorts of questions to ask so you can find your own answers because, after all, we’re so different, one answer may be the right answer for one person and…

This book is blowing my mind. It’s taken me a while to figure out how to describe what Becca does because it’s not like anything else but I think I finally nailed it. It’s like sports psychology for writing. And it really works.

I needed this short little book by a writing coach. It’s easy to internalize what the big names in indie publishing are doing and think you somehow have to do it exactly the way they do to achieve any kind of success, even if it’s not what you’ve ever done and it doesn’t fit with…

This was recommended by a fellow writer and I devoured it in one sitting. Chock full of advice for the multi-tasking author who’s hitting a brick wall.

I’ve experienced burnout both in my former career in and as a fiction writer. Having Becca break down the burnout process (fulcrum point, slide, and pit) and explain how to manage the recovery process of building a ladder by refilling our “energy penny reserves” and learning to honor our “plate size” provides hope. She shares…

This book is like peeking behind the curtain to find the Great Oz manipulating stage craft. Burn out is serious, and what’s *behind* burn-out. It’s not depression. It’s something else. The author explains what it is and how it works.

I didn’t pick up this book because I thought I was blocked. Frankly, I’ll read anything Becca publishes. I was a burned out writer, thinking maybe I should quit writing when I first picked up Dear Writer, You Need To Quit (QuitBooks for Writers Book 1). The laugh was on me, though, because quitting (writing,…

I’ve been skimming the edge of writerly burnout for months, and this book has arrived just when I needed it. It asks writers to question all of the assumptions we hold about who we are and who we’re supposed to be as writers. Using positive psychology, the book also asks that we focus on developing…

If you’ve been to a writer’s conference, you’ve heard the aphorisms “You can’t edit a blank page” and “There’s no such thing as writer’s block.” But, as well-meaning as those presenters have been, they don’t know what works or doesn’t work for you and why some techniques don’t fit. One size, or one-liner of advice,…

I really appreciated the multifaceted approach this book takes to Writer’s Block, including highlighting when writer’s block is a normal part of the writing process. It’s helpful to know different causes for writer’s block and how to confront them. Another great read in this series!

I love Becca’s Dear Writer books. I find them entertaining, encouraging, and incredibly enlightening. I have many forehead-slapping moments with each one. I’m a full-time mid-list author, meaning I spend a lot of time writing and writing just to keep my head above water. She really makes that journey more fulfilling.

Becca Syme has a knack for saying things that aren’t always fun to hear, but boy, are they useful. If this book had been around a few years back, I’d have saved some time and grief. I also love Syme’s sense of humor.

Something has been missing from my writing soul for several months. I tried to press on, but I missed two deadlines and could barely force myself to work through my editor’s line edits. Burnout. Or maybe the slide. This book, and the associated videos on Syme’s QuitCast channel, will help you identify what is contributing…

More great information from Becca about questioning the premise. You don’t need to do everything people are telling you to do. Consider whether it is right for your situation. Read the book for more information about the specific “must do’s” you may not have to do. What a relief.

So my kid asked me, are you questioning HER premise? Yep, I am, and so far, Becca Syme has proven a credible source that I can learn from. Loved the first book, Dear Writer, You Need to Quit” despite my initial reaction. She was right, not only are there things I need to quit, but…

WARNING – there is no magic bullet. Simply reading this book isn’t enough. You have to sit down and actually do the work. But the eye-opening illumination the first time you apply her technique will blow minds and rock worlds. Genius appears deceptively simple in hindsight.

Becca Syme continues to hit it out of the park when it comes to solid, healthy, positive coaching advice for writers. I can’t recommend her books enough–they’re simply the best thing I’ve found out there in terms of fostering a beneficial author mindset while still offering practical tips and advice on how to how to…

Writer’s block is such a hard thing to talk about because most of the industry tries to pretend it doesn’t exist and that if you are blocked you clearly aren’t trying hard enough. But it’s not that simple and Becca not only realizes that, in this book she shows you the many different things that…

I’m definitely questioning my premises after reading this book; for the first time, I feel like I can be an indie author on my own terms. That it’s okay to not be after quitting my day job (or education in this case). I haven’t published yet because I’m more worked up by the educational constraints…

This book is more than just about being a writer in 2020. It’s about surviving and thriving as a writer and author whenever life throws unexpected plot twists your way. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that life can throw us some real curveballs and we’d better learn how to deal with them. Becca…

This is hands down the best advice for writers I’ve encountered in five years of pursuing traditional publishing and eight more of being an indie author. Much of what Becca says about the publishing industry and human behavior are things I felt were true at a gut level but had no way of proving. It…

You need to read this book. QTP: or do you? Yes, yes you do! Last year I was in a dark place and on the verge of giving up, when a friend suggested I read Dear Writer You Need to Quit. That book shone a light to show me the way out of where I…

I am devouring these ‘Dear Writer’ books like I need them to breathe! It’s so freeing to see there are so many ways to do things and the best way is the one that’s right for me. The personality science behind why something may or may not work for me is fascinating. Thank you for…

I recommend This book for ALL writers whether you think you’re in burnout or not. It was so eye opening. If you are in burnout, it gives you the tolls to get out. If you’re headed that way, it gives you the tools to reduce the slide (and maybe prevent it altogether). And if you’re…

This is another must read book for indie authors. It explores how to recognize and work through writer’s block. What I like best about this book is that the author recognizes there is no one tried and true way to work through writer’s block. Instead there are multiple paths for dealing with writer’s block and…

This is one of the best non-fiction books I read so far. Not that I’ve read a lot of non-fiction books, but I’ve been reading more of them since this year and this one really stood out for me. One of the main reasons this one stood out to me is that something about this…

A topic at just about every virtual writers’ conference in 2020 has been how to write in a pandemic. How do we pull entertaining stories people will like out of imaginations overheating with every headline, each more dire than the last? Well, this book gives you ideas, some according to your personality. Like the process…

Becca takes the “you do you” mantra further making it “you do the best you.” Instead of willy nilly adopting systems and processes that work for other writers, she encourages the reader to dig deep into their personality, environment, platform, resources and patterns to determine what, as an individual, makes a person’s writing process work…

I devoured all three of the books in this series quickly and decided to work with her team in the Better Faster Academy too. These are now the books I recommend to all the writers I work with. Excellent material.

Working through some real questions through this series and happy to have gotten to this book in particular. What can I take away from 2020? How can I serve my readers better? Such great questions I’ll be pondering. Definitely recommend!