TL;DR
7/10. A broad anthology from the editors of Writer’s Digest gathering advice from many accomplished authors across the entire novel-writing and publishing process. A solid, useful survey valued for its range and professional perspectives, held from higher by the anthology form’s breadth-over-depth, uneven quality across contributors, and business material that dates.
The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing, from the editors of Writer’s Digest, is a thick anthology of craft advice covering every stage of writing and publishing a novel, drawing together guidance from many of the field’s accomplished authors and professionals. Rather than one author’s coherent method, it is a curated collection, essays, interviews, and advice from a wide range of successful writers on everything from idea through draft through publication. As a broad, multi-voice survey of the whole novel-writing process, it offers genuine range and the appeal of learning from many pros at once, with the unevenness that always comes with the anthology form.
The Writer’s Digest pedigree is the draw: the collection assembles advice from established, working authors, so a reader gets a spectrum of professional perspectives rather than a single teacher’s take.
Many voices, every stage
The book’s value is its breadth in both coverage and contributors. It spans the entire arc of writing a novel, generating ideas, developing character and plot, drafting, revising, and the business of getting published, and it does so through the voices of many accomplished writers, so a reader encounters a variety of approaches and hears how different successful authors actually work. For a developing novelist, that range is genuinely useful: it exposes them to multiple methods rather than a single prescribed system, and the chance to absorb hard-won advice from a roomful of professionals, including interviews with notable authors, is the particular appeal of a well-assembled craft anthology.
Keep reading
Writing a novel: guidance across the whole process — the full-arc coverage this handbook gathers, in the wider craft of the novel.
The value and the cost of the anthology form
The collection’s strength and its weakness are the same thing. A multi-author anthology offers range and diverse perspectives, which is valuable, but it cannot offer the depth, coherence, or sustained through-line of a focused single-author book; the coverage is necessarily broad rather than deep, and the quality and usefulness vary from piece to piece. A reader gets a wide survey and many starting points rather than a thorough education in any one aspect, and some entries will land while others feel slight or familiar. For an overview and a sampling of professional wisdom it works well; for deep instruction on a specific skill, a dedicated book serves better. The form gives breadth at the cost of depth.
Explore the hub
The Writing Hub — the whole novel-writing process, gathered in one place.
The honest caveats
A few honest notes. As a survey anthology it is broad rather than deep, best used as an overview and a source of varied perspectives rather than as a complete course in any single area. The multi-author format means variable quality. And the publishing and business material in particular dates, this edition is from 2010, and the industry has shifted since, so that guidance should be checked against current sources even though the craft fundamentals age well. These are the normal characteristics of a broad craft anthology rather than flaws, and they place it as a useful survey rather than a definitive single text.
Verdict
It is a solid, useful anthology of novel-writing advice, valuable for its broad coverage of the entire writing-and-publishing process and for assembling the perspectives of many accomplished authors in one volume, a genuine strength for a developing novelist wanting range and professional wisdom. It earns a fair rating, held from higher by the inherent trade-offs of the form: breadth rather than depth, uneven quality across many contributors, and business material that dates. For a writer who wants a wide-ranging survey and a sampling of how many pros approach the work, it is a good resource; for deep mastery of a specific skill, a focused book serves better. A sound, broad overview, fairly judged.
Explore the hub
The Publishing & Marketing Hub — the path from finished novel to published book, gathered in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing about?
An anthology from the editors of Writer’s Digest covering every stage of writing and publishing a novel, drawing together essays, interviews, and advice from many accomplished authors and professionals across the whole process from idea to publication.
What is its main appeal?
Its breadth in both coverage and contributors. It spans the entire arc of writing a novel through the voices of many successful writers, exposing a developing novelist to multiple methods and letting them absorb hard-won advice from a roomful of professionals rather than a single teacher.
What is the trade-off of the anthology form?
Range at the cost of depth. A multi-author collection offers diverse perspectives but cannot match the coherence and sustained through-line of a focused single-author book, so coverage is broad rather than deep and quality varies from piece to piece.
Is the advice current?
The craft fundamentals age well, but the publishing and business material dates, this edition is from 2010, and the industry has shifted since, so that guidance should be checked against current sources.
Who should read it?
Developing novelists who want a wide-ranging survey of the whole process and a sampling of how many professionals approach the work. For deep mastery of a specific skill, a dedicated single-topic book serves better.
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