This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Laura Ziepe is the author of Essex Girls, and Made in Essex which came out on the 13th of February. She couldn't decide between her two life-changing books, one inspirational and one practical, so has told Novelicious about both. They are Deenie by Judy Blume, and The Insider's Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Rachael Stock.
I’m going to cheat here as there are actually two books rather than just one! Deenie by Judy Blume is the first book. It inspired me to attempt writing my own novel at the young age of eight or nine. I remember I couldn’t put it down and I think I finished it in a day. It’s about a teenager at school and although I was much younger than the protagonist Deenie, I felt I could relate to lots of the situations she encountered at school. I knew I wanted to write books that made me feel like that book did; completely sucked into storyline and as though I was part of it. I wanted to write books people couldn’t put down and my passion for writing grew after reading this book.
The second book is the book that helped me when I was trying to get published: The Insider's Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Rachael Stock. I ordered this book on Amazon and it said the delivery time was about a week. The following day was my birthday and I remember a lady knocking on my front door and handing me the book. I was really confused that it had arrived so soon and asked her if she lived locally. She told me she didn’t and wished me luck, and from that moment on, I had a really good feeling about getting published. I’m quite superstitious and felt like it was a sign (crazy I know!). I really did find the book very helpful as I had no idea how to go about getting published. This book helped me every step of the way and I’d definitely recommend it. After all, it certainly changed my life.