Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

I read a lot of self-help books and when I do, I want them to inform me, give me specific, practical, and above all useful information in a particular area. It helps, of course, if the book is organized and well written. My Guide: How to Write a Novel by Rebecca Richmond and Claire Pickering gets five stars. It meets all the criteria for becoming a great self-help classic. It is thorough, comprehensive, and very well written. I have read several books about writing, in particular writing a novel, and many of them were informative about particular areas of the process, but this book covers everything and it covers it all well. I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed. Most of all, I was inspired to dust off my own unfinished manuscript and go to work again.

My Guide: How to Write a Novel has eleven chapters. There are three hundred and four pages when you include the bibliography and index. Rebecca Richmond and Clare Pickering are thorough and professional as they lay out a road map for the aspiring writer and deserve all the success and acclaim that should follow a job well done. My Guide: How to Write a Novel is not dry reading of information. There are many interesting facts about the history of writing and inspirational tidbits about famous authors. But the meat is there, too. All aspects from getting started to actual publication are covered in My Guide: How to Write a Novel. I give it five stars.