I wish I’d had this when I was starting to write academic papers. Sawers has produced a concise and articulate handbook that appeals to the organizational part in all of us. This “real-life” guide to paper writing is a must for students looking for a step-by-step guide to submitting a quality paper on time!
Judy Duchscher, Faculty, Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science & Technology (SIAST)
If you want to refine your writing skills, read this book. It is a valuable guide for the novice and expert alike.
Richard Carter, Program Leader Humanities, St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
Sudbury, Ontario
Sawers’ text compresses the gist of what writing and research strategies entail. His quick, accessible style makes my students read about writing, which is a tough trick for people who are visually adroit, but less inclined to read. The précis for both MLA and APA format means my students can forego the arcane reference books which usually carry this data.
Ce Ce Iandoli, Chair, Design + Industry, San Francisco State University
This small, narrow handbook effectively communicates Ten Steps to Help You Write Better Essays & Term Papers. Steps are divided into: Basic (2), Clarifying (4) and Writing (4). Reference sources are included at the back of the booklet.
Under Basic steps, Sawers advises us that ‘Being proactive is about attitude’, encourages pushing past fears, and explains how to plan backwards from an assignment’s due date and to prioritize.
Clarifying steps include identifying topic and thesis, research, and developing an outline. The author uses an inverted triangle to show the benefits of up front work, and explains how to use brainstorming, mind mapping (including a version based on columns of sticky notes) and rapidwriting tools to explore a topic.
Sawers explains that success comes from having a clear, forceful, supportable argument and communicating its validity to the reader. He talks about primary and secondary (including the Internet) research sources, and warns against plagiarism. He provides valuable tips on listening and speaking, explains MLA and APA referencing rules, and discusses different approaches to develop an argument and outline.
He begins his Writing steps with the excellent advice to ‘Write with your reader in mind’, and continues to discuss drafts, revisions, and ‘One last look’.
Any high school or college student would benefit from Ten Steps to Help You Write Better Essays & Term Papers, which provides comprehensive, succinct and accessible checklists, tools, and tips on the writing process.
Hilary Williamson, Bookloons.com
Ten Steps to Help You Write Better Essays & Term Papers is a great reference for students. As the title suggests, the author sets out ten steps guiding the student from searching for the right topic and planning a paper, through completing research and dealing with writer’s block to writing a first draft and editing. This book also comes complete with detailed examples of MLA and APA referencing, placed side by side for easy comparison.
Ten Steps to Help You Write Better Essays & Term Papers will make a handy reference for anyone attending school, college, or university. Not only does this book guide the reader through the writing process but also makes a special point to address the areas where people often have the most difficulty: planning, how to choose a topic, and editing. Those that write for a living might also find this book helpful in regards to the detailed referencing sections and perhaps even the brainstorming, mind mapping, and rapidwriting sections.
Tami Brady, Blether Book Review
As architects, we are involved in writing sales letters, reports and RFPs on a daily basis. This book reminds us of the finer detail required to write, produce & deliver a piece of work that will not only sell a product, but also the excellence of a firm.
BKDI Architects, Calgary
Charl Johnson, Director Project Development
Hundreds of publishers’ offerings cross the business desk every year… How to Write Proposals, Sales Letters & Reports is in the top dozen volumes.
This entry by Edmonton corporate writer Neil Sawers is one of those self-help books for those in sales and marketing who need information on basic business practices in small, easy-to-digest chunks. Sawers breaks down the whole process, from start to finish, for such tasks as writing business proposals (and how to respond to requests for proposals) to sales letters and reports. First drafts, editing, client contacts, it’s all here in a handy reference that, while not guaranteeing success, at least points those aspiring to a sales career down the right path with useful advice, along with illustrative examples.
Edmonton Journal – Dec 10, 2004 – Paul Marck – Journal Business Writer
Neil Sawers’ How to Write Proposals, Sales Letters and Reports is unlike any other books about business writing I’ve ever encountered. It is straightforward with bullet-point principles and written in encouraging tone. Written for both the novice and seasoned businesspeople and business writers alike, this is the ideal book that covers how to structure and develop winning proposals, sales letters and reports without sounding pushy. It is filled with solid recommendations on maximizing idea organization and how to make the final draft stand out. The author’s 25 years experience in business writing speaks by itself in the pages.
This extremely easy-to-use guidebook is a class of its own… Keeping one in the bookshelf is probably one of the smartest writing moves one can make. I’m certainly keeping it for many years to come.
BookReviewClub.com Rating: 5 Extremely Recommended
Jennie S. Bev, Managing Editor, July 2005
I have heard it said, “You don’t need God until you need Him,” time and time again, and I think this statement applies to this work. No, not the God part, just the concept. How to Write Proposals, Sales Letters & Reports is one of those books that you are sure glad you have handy when the situation arises in these areas and you have no clue what to do.
Here is an example I will use about myself. I am looking in writing grants. Now if any of you have gone down this road, you know kit can be unsettling to say the least. I was absolutely thrilled to find some help in this work. The author took the confusion out of the process and gave me some great insight into how to proceed; and that’s just a small part of this book. It is basically a business guidebook, written in a clear, concise, easy-to-understand way that can be followed by all. In reality, when dealing in this area, knowing how to prepare and write a good report, sales letter or even a grant request is something we all will be required to do sometime in our lives. Do it right the first time and achieve the results you desire. This book will certainly help with that.
Bookreviewcafe.com Shirley P. Johnson, April 2005
How To Write Proposals, Sales Letters & Reports is a straightforward business guidebook that breaks down the nuts and bolts of writing proposals, sales letters, and reports into bullet-point principles. Author Neil Sawers has over 25 years experience as a corporate writer, which he delivers to the reader as clearly and simply as humanly possible. Examples, recommendations of common tools to organize one’s thoughts, and a sprinkling of solid business advice fill out this superb, easy-to-use guidebook recommended for business writers of all skill and experience levels.
The Midwest Book Review: January 2005 – The Business Shelf
