From Pitch to Publication: Everything You Need to Know to Get Your Novel Published by Carole Blake (Macmillan, £14.99 in UK)

Like half of Ireland, you've written your novel. Good, bad, or indifferent, it's finished. What next? Well, while you can't learn how to write, you can learn what to do once you've written your big tome. From Pitch to Publication is that rare thing: an excellent manual that's both entertaining and hugely informative. Blake knows the publishing trade inside-out, having worked in publishing for 15 years, and for 15 years since as a highly successful literary agent with London's Blake Friedmann. The book is laid out in three sections, with appendices: Before your book is sold: From contract to publication; Publication and beyond. Blake illustrates the hard facts with examples from her own experiences of dealing with all aspects of the publishing trade. Even for those readers who haven't written a novel, it's a fascinating insight into the world of publishing. There are many expensive, badly-written, poorly-researched manuals around, but would-be authors need be fleeced no longer. This is the one to buy.