Testimonials:

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 Caramel Latte.

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 she walks readers through all of them, while also dispelling the myths about writer’s block.

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.

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 could be going on, and how to fix them.

She takes this approach in all of her books as well as her coaching.She’s not one of those self-help/writer’s reference books authors who says, “THIS is the way it must be done if you want to be successful.” In fact she challenges her readers to Question the Premise, which is, if something isn’t working for you, maybe it’s not the way you should be doing it. She’s helped me in my own career many times over the past months.

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 the wrong answer for someone else. This book provides great food for thought with the same touch of humor from Becca Syme’s other books.

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 become the very best you can as quickly as you can while taking into consideration your individual strengths and brain wiring.

Seriously, stop reading reviews and read this book instead along with the entire QuitBooks series (then check out her courses and free YouTube videos). You’ll be glad you did.

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 this book covers different reasons for writer’s block, different types of writers, why certain pieces of advice only work for some writers, and how you can start to overcome writer’s block. An exceptional read (as are all the other books in this series)!

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, doesn’t fit all. This book will help you cope and move past the situation. I highly recommend it.

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 be applied to multiple professions or types of people, this book felt more aimed at authors in particularly. I liked the more broad approach of the earlier books, but I also like the more author focused approach in this one. In book 1 the author already addressed her Question the Premise concept and this book basically expands on that and gives specific examples and topics and then the author shows how to ask yourself questions about whether you need that or whether it’s helpful for you. This is everything from whether you need to run ads, do book signings, have a street team and more.

The way the author addresses these topics gives a good feel for how she approaches them and I think it gives authors a good idea on how to reflect and find out whether those things are for them or how best to handle them. It gives authors the tools to evaluate for themselves which techniques or advice to accept and incorporate.

I personally loved the chapter on author assistants. As an author assistant myself I thought it was great to see how she approached this topic and she poses some great questions for authors to consider whether they need an assistant. I also liked her perspective toward assistants, how she seemed to value them and how she also emphasized the authors role in making sure everything goes smoothly.

I also liked her chapter on newsletters and she recommended Newsletter Ninja, which I read and loved. But really most of these chapters are fantastic and I like again the focus she puts on individual differences and how you have to decide whether something is worth it for you, but also if you have the type of personality to do it well or be able to hire someone else for that task. There is plenty of advice, but no strict rules, these are more broad guidelines. She asks questions, so that writers can ask those questions of themselves and figure out how to handle things best. I really like this approach and focus on individual differences.

I liked slowly making my way through this book reading a chapter or two a day, which was a nice way to experience the book. There are so many great tips and bits of advice in here. It’s not only a very informative book, but I also enjoy reading these. I like the authors honest writing style, the way she isn’t afraid to give some hard truths, but also is encouraging as well.

To summarize: I wish I could convince all authors to read this series as these books are awesome. Filled with great advice, information and enjoyable to read as well. I love these books and this third book is no exception. It deviates slightly from the vibe of the first two books, the focus is more on specific marketing activities and poses questions so authors can determine how to handle those. I like the focus on individual differences and how she doesn’t give firm advice, but more tries to encourage writers to figure out what works for them and their priorities and wishes. There is no judgement here, just understanding and encouragement to figure out your way. I like the author’s writing style and how she doesn’t shy away from hard truths, but also is encouraging and focuses on how everyone is different. I especially liked her chapter about author assistants as an author assistant myself and I liked her perspective on these and how she seems to value assistants and also poses some good questions and things authors can think about before deciding whether they need an assistant. I also liked the chapter on newsletters and how she recommended a newsletter book I read and enjoyed. I can’t recommend these books enough and I really hope you pick up a copy!