Discover the Tricks and Tools of the Pros Successful writers write , rather than just think about writing, talk about writing, or plan what they'll write when they get a cabin in the woods. Yet even accomplished writers sometimes get "blocked," losing access to their in-the-zone writing mind. Steve O'Keefe offers proven techniques and practices for jump-starting stalled ideas, honed during his many years of working in virtually every aspect of publishing. His innovative, often unconventional exercises will get you writing and accessing your own unique voice -- a voice the world wants to read! Containing a career's worth of writing and publishing savvy, as well as the advice of expert authors gleaned from hundreds of interviews, Set the Page on Fire is the kind of nuts-and-bolts coaching and encouragement invaluable to novice and veteran writers alike. " Set the Page on Fire is another masterpiece by book industry professional Steve O'Keefe, author of groundbreaking textbooks on online book marketing and pioneer of author interview videos. His latest book reveals strategies learned from decades in the field and is a captivating, informative, and humorous necessity for any budding or veteran writer." -- Gary Michael Smith, author of Getting Grease "Irresistible!" -- Judith Appelbaum, author of How to Get Happily Published "A very well-composed work about writing. I am happy to say that, based on its merits alone, Set the Page on Fire is a book that all writers should read and reread." -- Jeff Herman, literary agent and author of Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agent s "A class act . . . about making a life as a writer. I would compare it to The Art Spirit by Robert Henri." -- Pat Hartman, editor of Salon and author of Ghost Town "Solid advice for finding an editor or agent." -- Alice B. Acheson, Literary Market Place award-winning publicist for Old Turtle , an American Booksellers Association Book of the Year "I want to thank Steve O'Keefe for introducing me to his Four-Part Pitch. What an amazing tool." -- Dr. Jeff Jones "Steve O'Keefe's research-oriented approach helped me to identify the right agent for me, and then to zero in and just persist and have no mercy. I think the most valuable thing I learned from him was to never make it easy for them to say no -- never complain, always provide the action alternative. Thank you so much!" -- Maggie Thrash, author of Honor Girl and Lost Soul, Be at Peace "Well, it worked. I did some research and sent a query to the senior editor of McGraw-Hill's engineering department. The next day I received a phone call from him, and we have already begun talking contract." -- Chris Ortiz, author of Lessons from a Lean Consultant "Steve O'Keefe taught me how to write a query that sells. His practical knowledge of publishing and online promotion is tremendous." -- Tim Bete, author of Guide to Pirate Parenting Set the Page on Fire: Secrets of Successful Writers is a practical guide to the writing craft built around a four-year road trip interviewing hundreds of authors in the United States and Canada. Set the Page on Fire does not waste any time getting to the "Top 10 Secrets of Successful Writers," many of which, such as mechanics don't matter, run contrary to other manuals. "What matters is whether or not you get across," O'Keefe says, "and the secret to getting across is to write fast and clean it up later." Set the Page on Fire has clever exercises to quickly ignite your writing, such as puffensprachen -- a word game that moves writers out of their tiny verbal vocabulary and into a written vocabulary four times as large -- and The Zipper , a form of self-interrogation writers use to reveal a character's motives. Steve O'Keefe started his career as a book editor for Loompanics Unlimited, where he worked with many prison writers. His love of working with writers led to a long career as a publicist for hundreds of bestselling authors, including Philip Pullman, Isabel Allende, Kara Swisher, and Dr. Seuss. Steve wrote two textbooks and taught at Internet Public Relations at Tulane University for 10 years -- until hurricanes convinced him to relocate to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Today, Steve O'Keefe works as the content director at Orobora, where he hires dozens of writers every year to generate content for websites and blogs. Reviewers are On Fire about Set The Page on Fire: * "unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections." - Midwest Book Review * "well-written and practical" - Author Tim Bete * "one of the very best books ever on how to write a book, how to get it happily published, how to promote it - and why all these things are worth doing." - Author Ken McCarthy * "filled with practical, real-world experience and relevant anecdotes yet it was not repetitive nor boring to read." - Author David