From Hollywood Experts and Published Authors
Marilyn Peake
Double Dragon Publishing, Inc, Ontario
ISBN: 1-55404-426-X
Non-Fiction, Writing
Reviewed by Frederick Noronha

"Planning to write is not writing. Outlining, researching, talking to people about what you're doing, none of that is writing.  Writing is writing." - E. L. Doctorow, novelist

Marilyn Peake's own story -- and the one of how this book came about -- is an interesting one. Her tome has grown out of a free monthly online newsletter, called The Golden Goblet, which she started in July 2005.

Run atop the easy-to-build-on YahooGroups.com, Peake's newsletter invited authors and experts to write articles for each edition. All put together forms this book.

A number of specialists in their field write on a range of topics. Quite a bit of useful guidance on offer here.

With impressive bios, the writers lend a whole lot of tips to anyone who cares to read. Rather, who cares about writing.

Much ground is covered here. From copyright for writers, to non-union actors and the Screen Actors Guild, and writing first novels, managers and agents, getting your novel to be read, literary conventions, writers' workshops, literary festivals, the writers' life, being a "serial writer", goal plans, and much more.

Goal plans, grants and opportunities for writers, and "getting the word out" about your writing are also covered. Karen DeGroot Carter offers commonsensical yet helpful insights on the latter.

I found Lea Schizas' list of easy-to-access web-based resources both well-collated and helpful. Her list includes:

http://novelspot.net
RealWritingTeachers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
ReviewersChoice-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
FMAMwriters-artists-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
childrens-writers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
mikeswritingworkshop-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://pubproauthors.bravehost.com/index.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WorkForWriters
WriteThingToo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Science fiction, casting children as extras, being "an actor with smarts", self-examination in your writing, truth and fiction, and "how to become a world-famous best-selling author, work seven days a week and still earn less than a migrant day-laborer" are some of the other themes touched on.

So, at the end of the day, what are the perils of e-books and "print on demand"? If e-books are so great, why don't more people read them?

Well, let me not give it all away, but say you'll need to go to this ebook and get at the details. If you're interested in the world of writing, you could surely learn some of the tricks of the trade out here.

In the meanwhile, you could also join Marilyn Peake's group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marilynpeake/?yguid=145479362