Good reference, although mostly for non-fiction writers, May 21, 2003

I've rated this book based on it's value overall, not just it's value for me. In other words, I'm trying to be objective.

This book would be a valuable resource for me if I were a non-fiction writer. The sections on non-fiction book and article proposals took up most of the book, with the section on the novel proposals, query letters and synopses taking up about a quarter of the book.

On a positive note, the book does include good examples of things writers shouldn't do when writing and submitting these documents. Many books on the subject describe your formats, but don't show you an example of a well-written document.

One thing I noticed immediately upon opening the book, was the large typeface. I liked this, as it made the book easier to look at. I've read entirely too many books with miniscule typefaces, only to come away with a headache from squinting at it once I'm done reading. I liked this, but then, the large typeface also made the book longer and made it look as though it contained more material than it actually did.

I couldn't give it 5 stars for reasons mentioned by other reviewers, but if you are a non-fiction writer or a fiction writer in need of additional references, this is a good book.