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Page-Turner: Your Path to Writing a Novel That Publishers Want and Readers Buy
- Narrated by: Barbara Kyle
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
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Publisher's summary
What makes a page-turner? What mysterious literary essence holds a reader so hard they feel they must keep reading - and then tell friends, "I couldn't put it down!"? And what do literary agents and publishers really look for in a manuscript?
Internationally acclaimed author and story coach Barbara Kyle reveals the answers in Page-Turner with insights into:
- The essentials of story structure
- How to create a "story line"
- Harnessing the power of “deep character”
- The art of crafting dialogue
- Mastering point of view
- Plus practical advice on how to query agents and get published
- And more
Page-Turner shows how to create the kind of novel that brings offers from publishers and praise from readers.
For emerging writers who want to break in and published authors who want to produce a breakout book, Page-Turner is an indispensable guide.
About the author: Barbara Kyle is the author of the acclaimed Thornleigh Saga series of historical novels and award-winning thrillers, with sales of more than half a million books. She is a popular presenter at international writers’ conferences. As a story coach, she has launched many writers on the path toward published success.
"Working with Barbara is like having a secret weapon in your writing arsenal.” (Nancy Raven Smith, author of Land Sharks)
“Barbara’s wise words constantly guide my way.” (Robert Rotenberg, author of Stray Bullets)
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Ayn Rand discusses how a writer combines abstract ideas with concrete action and description to achieve a unity of theme, plot, characterization, and style, the four essential elements of fiction. Here, too, are Rand's illuminating analyses of passages from famous writers, rewrites of scenes from her own works, and fascinating rules for building dramatic plots and characters with depth.
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Get Stein on Writing
- By Lois on 12-04-09
By: Ayn Rand
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At the Existentialist Café
- Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails
- By: Sarah Bakewell
- Narrated by: Antonia Beamish
- Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Paris, 1933: Three contemporaries meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are the young Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and longtime friend Raymond Aron, a fellow philosopher who raves to them about a new conceptual framework from Berlin called phenomenology. "You see," he says, "if you are a phenomenologist, you can talk about this cocktail and make philosophy out of it!"
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Consistent look at incoherent philosophy
- By Gary on 06-19-16
By: Sarah Bakewell
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The Novel of the Century
- The Extraordinary Adventure of Les Misérables
- By: David Bellos
- Narrated by: David Bellos
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Putting a century of scholarship on one of the world's most enduring popular novels into accessible, narrative form, this new approach to a classic of world literature is written for a wide general audience. Packed full of information about the book's origins and later career on stage and screen, The Novel of the Century brings to life the extraordinary story of how Victor Hugo managed to write his novel of the downtrodden despite a revolution, a coup d'etat, and political exile.
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how hard to write a book
- By James Grohs on 08-06-24
By: David Bellos
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So We Read On
- How the Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures
- By: Maureen Corrigan
- Narrated by: Maureen Corrigan
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Conceived nearly a century ago by a man who died believing himself a failure, it's now a revered classic and a rite of passage in the reading lives of millions. But how well do we really know The Great Gatsby? As Maureen Corrigan, Gatsby lover extraordinaire, points out, while Fitzgerald's masterpiece may be one of the most popular novels in America, many of us first read it when we were too young to fully comprehend its power.
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Reading Gatsby as an adult reveals its greatness!
- By Mark on 10-06-14
By: Maureen Corrigan
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Process
- The Writing Lives of Great Authors
- By: Sarah Stodola
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Ernest Hemingway, Zadie Smith, Joan Didion, Franz Kafka, David Foster Wallace, and more. In Process, acclaimed journalist Sarah Stodola examines the creative methods of literature's most transformative figures. Each chapter contains a mini biography of one of the world's most lauded authors, focused solely on his or her writing process.
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Excellent!
- By Davina Rush on 04-10-15
By: Sarah Stodola
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Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story
- A Life of David Foster Wallace
- By: D. T. Max
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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David Foster Wallace was the leading literary light of his generation, a man who not only captivated readers with his prose but also mesmerized them with his brilliant mind. In this, the first biography of the writer, D. T. Max sets out to chart Wallace’s tormented, anguished, and often triumphant battle to succeed as a novelist as he fights off depression and addiction to emerge with his masterpiece, Infinite Jest.
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Max avoids hagiography or a sycophant's biography
- By Darwin8u on 06-11-13
By: D. T. Max
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Empire of Self
- A Life of Gore Vidal
- By: Jay Parini
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The product of 30 years of friendship and conversation, Jay Parini's Empire of Self probes behind the glittering surface of Gore Vidal's colorful life to reveal the complex emotional and sexual truth underlying his celebrity-strewn life. But there is plenty of glittering surface as well - a virtual who's who of the American Century, from Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart through the Kennedys, Princess Margaret, and the creme de la creme of Hollywood.
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Well done!
- By Christopher on 03-22-16
By: Jay Parini
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Georgette Heyer
- Biography of a Bestseller
- By: Jennifer Kloester
- Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
- Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Georgette Heyer remains an enduring international best seller, read and loved by four generations of readers and extolled by today's best-selling authors. Despite her enormous popularity, she never gave an interview or appeared in public. Georgette Heyer wrote her first novel, The Black Moth, when she was 17 in order to amuse her convalescent brother. It was published in 1921 to instant success, and 90 years later it has never been out of print.
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Heyer as a person
- By Jerri C on 06-15-15
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Becoming Faulkner
- The Art and Life of William Faulker
- By: Philip Weinstein
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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William Faulkner was the greatest American novelist of the 20th century, yet he lived a life marked by a pervasive sense of failure. Throughout his career, he remained haunted by his inability to master a series of personal and professional challenges: his less-than-heroic military career; the loss of his brother in an airplane crash; a disappointing stint as a Hollywood screenwriter; and a destructive bout with alcoholism.
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Miss.'s BCS-Bundren.Compson.Snopes/Sutpen/Sartoris
- By W Perry Hall on 05-01-14
By: Philip Weinstein
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Six Walks in the Fictional Woods
- By: Umberto Eco
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In this exhilarating book, we accompany Umberto Eco as he explores the intricacies of fictional form and method. Using examples ranging from fairy tales and Flaubert, Poe and Mickey Spillane, Eco draws us in by means of a novelist's techniques, making us his collaborators in the creation of his text and in the investigation of some of fiction's most basic mechanisms.
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big ideas presented simply
- By Ashton on 01-31-14
By: Umberto Eco
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The Making of Outlander: The Series
- The Official Guide to Seasons One & Two
- By: Tara Bennett
- Narrated by: Tiffany Morgan
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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It was only a matter of time before Diana Gabaldon's best-selling Outlander saga made the leap from book to hit TV series, and the millions of readers captivated by the epic romance of Claire Beauchamp Randall and Jamie Fraser have eagerly followed. Now the must-watch drama has inspired this must-have guide, which reveals that it takes a village (or perhaps a Scottish isle) to bring the breathtaking world of Outlander to life in front of our eyes.
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Better To Get The Book
- By Eugenia on 05-30-17
By: Tara Bennett
What listeners say about Page-Turner: Your Path to Writing a Novel That Publishers Want and Readers Buy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Steve S.
- 07-25-19
Very Helpful
This book has clear examples of not only writing mistakes, but ways to correct or guide an author with their own skills. It helped me understand errors in my own books and I think I am a better writer thanks to the author's helpful hints.
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- B. Scott Andersen
- 02-04-19
A writing coach in your corner
I had followed Barbara Kyle’s email newsletter for some time, so when she announced her book “Page-Turner: Your Path to Writing a Novel That Publishers Want and Readers Buy” I went online and clicked “Add to cart” before you could say “dangling participle.” Kyle is a writing coach and that conversational and encouraging tone comes through in her book. She’s telling you things you need to hear.
The strength of the book is in her use of examples. So many books on writing enumerate objectives for your work such as “show, don’t tell” or “make your antagonist interesting” but then fall short on explaining what those things mean. Kyle’s use of example is nothing short of brilliant. She draws from a variety of stories and sources, including her own work, to drive home the point she’s making. She draws from Gone with the Wind, The Godfather, and The Kite Runner. Long excerpts or detailed analyses of scenes and situations reinforce her lessons. Of the many writing books I’ve read nobody does this better than Kyle.
The book is packed with practical advice as she discusses some of her processes including “storylining.” Just to be sure you get the point Kyle includes a large chunk of her storyline for The Queen’s Exiles. She also encourages you to make a “step-outline” which corresponds nicely to scene chunks you’d create in Scrivener, for example.
Of course the book also covers the standard repertoire of style, voice, pacing, conflict, reversals, and more. These are things you’d expect in a book like this. But Kyle goes beyond this and addresses the questions that stymie so many writers: how do I get noticed? How do I present a book to an agent? When is it ready? What other materials do I need to produce? Kyle walks through all of this in a way that both describes how tough these markets can be, and encourages you to put your best foot forward and try.
I was lucky enough to win the audiobook of Page-Turner in a drawing Barbara Kyle organized on her website. Her presentation is beautiful. She’s a (retired) actress and she doesn’t just read her book, she performs it. As I listened to the book on my commute it was like she was in the passenger seat answering all my questions. I had read the paperback book, of course, but the audiobook, and her voice, engaged me with the material at another level. I’m planning on a second listening.
There are many excellent writing coaches out there but a few have bubbled to the top of my list including Paula Munier, James Scott Bell, K.M. Weiland, and now Barbara Kyle. Get the book, and if you want to listen to a compelling writing coach, get the audiobook, too.
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- FoodDiva
- 12-16-18
Your own personal cheerleader
We writers can be insecure. If only we had someone to hold our hands and murmer, "There, there, you can do this!" as we face writer's block or plotting roadblocks. That is what this book does. I had bought the print version -- the audio version is like having Barbara Kyle in my ear as my own personal cheerleader. It's not just mindless support, though. This book provides practical, actionable tips for getting your book from head to page...from published page to, well, page-turner!
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Overall
- Gary S Lea
- 08-05-19
Excellent book for writers.
So much I learned from this book. I plan to keep it close for reference as I am constructing my stories. I wish I had found it long ago. Plus, with Audio book you get to listen to Ms. Kyle's excellent speaking voice.
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- Vicky
- 02-05-19
Insightful and Helpful
I got so much out of Barbara's book. I have one novel in its final draft and another nearly finished, and after listening to Barbara's book I realize I have work to do! But it's good work and it will help me do the best editing to bring clarity to my work.
Barbara's advice is easy to listen to, and she gives many examples from literature that I'm familiar with and that I can relate to. I had a few 'AHA!' moments while listening to this audio book that I know I'll be going back to again and again.
Thank you Barbara!!
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- Mikahla Mornay
- 02-04-19
Have An Author Over The Shoulder Walkthrough
I have the print version too. I only use the print version for reference and as a visual supplement while listening. I find this approach helps solidify key concepts until they flow naturally while writing.
The audio book is an excellent addition because it feels like Barbara is right there with you. It's like having a personal mentor working along side you. Knowing she's a bestselling author builds confidence in your own skills and talents. This audiobook should be one of your top writing guides.
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- Melvin Reynolds
- 02-15-19
Insightful
An insightful look at the process of writing a book. I learned a lot from this book. I would recommend all aspiring authors give it a read.
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