And Discover Your 500 New Favourite Books

READ THIS NEXT

Sandra Newman is the author of the novels Cake and The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done (which was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award). Her writing has appeared in Harper's and Granta, amongst others. Howard Mittelmark is the author of Age of Consent. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and other publications. Their first co-written book How Not to Write a Novel was a great success and their next book takes on the entire canon of Western literature.

In 2009 it was How NOT to Write a Novel ('A hilarious, wickedly observed and deeply useful guide' Observer). In 2010 it's READ THIS NEXT - Sandra Newman and Howard Mittelmark have written the perfect book for anyone who has ever struggled to choose what to read next. 
 
But this is far more than a guide for book groups. Covering 600 books ranging from The Shock Doctrine to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and exploring all the important issues like how to tell the difference between Naomis Wolf and Klein, whether anyone really likes Emma Bovary, what makes a really good loo book and whether it's really wrong to marry for money, READ THIS NEXT reminds you exactly why you love reading and then makes you want to go out and read lots more. And what's more, it's very, very funny.

200 Mistakes to avoid at All Costs if You Ever Want to Get Published

How NOT to Write a Novel

This writing how-to should carry a warning: it's the kind of book one reads at the expense of all other responsibilities.

A great resource and a fun read with a lot of solid advice for would-be novelists.

Howard Mittelmark is the author of Age of Consent. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and other publications. 
 
Sandra Newman is the author of the novels Cake and The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done. Her writing has appeared in Harper's and Granta, amongst others.

There are many ways prospective authors routinely sabotage their own work. But why leave it to guesswork? Misstep by misstep, How Not to Write a Novel shows how you can ensure that your manuscript never rises above the level of unpublishable drivel; that your characters are unpleasant, dimensionless versions of yourself; that your plot is digressive, tedious and unconvincing; and that your style is reliant on mangled clichés and sesquipedalian malapropisms. Alternatively, you can use it to identify the most common mistakes, avoid them and actually write a book that works. 
 
Guardian Award shortlisted novelist Sandra Newman and veteran editor Howard Mittelmark have distilled 30 years of teaching, editing, writing and reviewing fiction into a hilarious and liberating guide that is the perfect read for anyone who's ever laughed at a badly written piece of prose and for anyone who's ever penned one - and doesn't want to do it again.

Sandra Newman

Heavens, what a joy this book is... It is extremely funny

Lynne Truss [Praise for HOW NOT TO WRITE A NOVEL]

How to Read the Classics Without Fear

There they sit, the great tomes of classical literature, taunting you with their length and difficulty, as you ask: which books are the most important and why - and what's actually any good? Why does most writing about the classics have words like 'seminal' or 'oeuvre' in it? What does postmodernism mean? Can I get away with just reading the introduction? 
 
Now you can enjoy the classics without fear. This survival kit will guide you painlessly through the Western literary canon, century by century: from Ancient Greek drama to the modern novel, via Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Romantic poetry, Tolstoy and Proust. There are entertaining plot summaries, unpretentious definitions of literary movements and fresh insights into authors' lives. With each work assigned ratings from 1 to 10 on Importance, Accessibility and Fun, you'll discover what's really worth bothering with and what you can safely discard without guilt. 
 
This book will make the things you've read clearer, inspire you to tackle the ones you've always meant to and make you sound far cleverer than you really are.

Sandra Newman

Praise for The Western Lit Survival Kit

Heavens, what a joy this book is... It is extremely funny

Pick up this clever (and useful) guide

Books by Sandra Newman

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