Reading Michael Dean's $30 series of books is like going to a smart, interesting friend that knows a lot about a subject and saying "Tell me what I need to know about (X)".

In this case (X) =writing , and the book in question is "$30 Writing School."

The book covers an overview of grammar and spelling. It covers software, and the way it's used professionally. The book covers the do's and don'ts of inquiries, outlines, and actual writing, with a eye towards publication. Michael tells you exactly how he did it, in interesting anecdotal detail. It `s not easy to write what is essentially a technical manual in a way that is personally revealing, but that is the unique quality found in Michael Dean's non-fiction.

When I want an overview of a subject, I want an expert with an opinion. I want someone smart and knowledgeable to tell me, "Do this, then do this, don't do this, avoid this". After I gain knowledge and experience, of course, I can draw my own conclusions. After reading this book, I had all the basic knowledge I needed to write a book proposal, solicit it for publication, and to make sure I had an understanding of the structure and process involved in every aspect of actually writing the book.

Michael does it in a conversational tone, filled with examples of personal experience, that is truly entertaining . I found myself amused and interested to the point that I would forget that I was actually obtaining knowledge as well.

Another unique aspect of Michael Dean's non-fiction writing is that there is a strong philosophical undercurrent, and this book is no exception.

The written word is the most powerful tool for initiating change that the world has ever known. It can inspire, clarify, enlighten and motivate. $30 Writing School reminds us of this, and Michael Dean's words themselves inspire, clarify, enlighten and motivate. The book addresses the specifics but it never looses sight of the big picture which, oddly, is a rarity in instructional writing. The books tells us HOW to write, but it reminds us of WHY we write as well.

Just finished this book about an hour ago.

First, I'm deducting one star because I think Michael and team did a poor job on copy-editing, photos and consistency. I also didn't care much for some of his whining and endless references to his hotties. Technically, he had a few portions wrong with some of the software and the whole Travel chapter was a big waste of space. If this all gets fixed in a 2nd printing, I'll come back and up it to 5.

But a BIG, BIG 4 STARS for being probably the best practical book out there on writing books. I've read dozens of these books, from the Dummies ones to big fat ones. Michael does a MUCH better job of explaining a lot of the ins and outs of getting a book done. He dispels myths well too - not with his section on dispelling myths, but throughout the book, like: you MUST ONLY submit snail mail proposals.

I did enjoy a lot of the personal touch and real-world experience he brings to the table. He shows you the tools to use and guides on how to use them. I don't think any other book I've read has shown a screenshot of a Windows folder with .doc icons for each chapter. Simple as that may seem, that one picture helped me visualize the process much more. Almost every chapter had me wanting to immediately read the next one.

The CD-ROM, while a bit scattered, is fantastic. No other book includes something like this that I've seen. To see rejection letters, Quark layouts, etc. uncomplicates the whole process.

As for the value proposition of writing be primarily art, he spends a lot of time telling you that you probably won't get rich. In one of the interviews, the interviewee stated that he had to pay $6,000,000 (yep, six million smackaroos) in income taxes. I'm trying to imagine what his actual income was. I think Michael may want to spend more time in a v2 (not a 2nd printing) explaining the possible economics of book writing. For example, if you write one book per year for 3 years that each makes $10,000 per year, at the end of year 3 you will have made $60,000, or an average of $20,000/year. The finances have to make sense for someone to dive into writing with all their heart and soul - not all of us want to live on Top Ramen forever.

All in all, I would highly recommend you buy both this book and any other book on writing around it. Read the other one first. Then read this one. You will find Michael's book is LEAPS AND BOUNDS AND EVEN MORE LEAPS above the competition.