"Writing to Be Understood" is a great source, possibly not a great audiobook. I feel like a physical copy would be better as a reference but this audiobook was well done and kept my attention.

Well done book about writing clearly. Audiobook was well produced and enjoyable. Accessible and enjoyable approach to a topic that could be considered dry in most presentations.

I have read a lot of creative writing books before. Many touch upon non-fiction, but don't cover it in great detail. Part of my day job involves writing non-fiction articles, This book has all you need to write non-fiction. Anne Janzer takes the reader through the stages of writing from identifying your audience to how to craft a non-fiction book. I found many tips and hints in this book to be helpful to my writing.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

There are many, many books about every aspect of writing and how to do it, but this book by Anne Janzer actually stands out. Her basic goal is to show that writers must understand who their audience is, and then (very specifically) write so that audience will be able to understand what the author is hoping to convey. One size does not fit all. She practices what she preaches and writes each chapter for authors of various genres and formats so THEY can understand how to succeed. Wonderful style, a book to be referred too often.

I was given this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

I loved this audiobook, the author did a great job with creating a wonderful ressource for anyone who wants to write. I'm an English teacher and I found some really useful advices in this book and bought the physical copy to be able to go back and get more from the book.

However as it's a book with writing advices the audiobook is a bit limited as it's more difficult to take notes and to go back on some advices when we need it. So I would recommend to go along with a physical copy or an e-book even though the author (who is also the narrator) did a great job narrating it.

I found this book easy to get through, with little Easter eggs of great knowledge along the way! As someone who struggles with not knowing exactly what I want to write, or how to get my exact thoughts on to a page, I did enjoy this read!!

A great book advising writers on how to put their readers first and deliver readable, engaging, concise prose. Janzer’s conversational style and the layout of the chapters makes it accessible and easy to read. There is plenty to keep the novice writer on track and it’s a great resource to keep referring to in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, due a Netgalley issue, I wasn't able to listen to this. If you do reenable it, I would love to listen to it.

Anne Janzer expertly dissects and deconstructs non-fiction writing in order to help other writers improve their work. She refers to a wealth of writing resources throughout. Plenty of food for thought and invaluable advice for writers of non-fiction to ensure that their work is accessible to the widest audience possible. The audiobook is brilliantly narrated by the author herself.

Anne Janzer offers a fantastic alternative to all of the 'How to Write a Thesis' and 'How to Write a Novel'-type texts I've read in the past. By primarily focusing her lens on the reader, Janzer advises on how to change your voice and style to communicate your message most appropriately and successfully. Great for copywriters and academics alike. I loved the formal frameworks applied throughout, which made the book feel a lot more theoretically grounded; there are, for example, chapters on 'Writing Advice from a Comedian' and 'Writing Advice from a Behavioural Expert'. A quick listen, but a great pep up for anyone experiencing writers' block or a lull in creativity.

For some reason, I wasn't expecting this book to be more for nonfiction and blog writing – I write mostly fiction – but it was still helpful and had a bunch of helpful advice.

Janzer's Writing to Be Understood acts as a guide to narrow down one's target audience and empathise with the needs and desires of the reader. This book is a useful text for anyone who wants to strengthen their nonfiction writing - Janzer explains in-depth tips for how to engage one's readership and provides great advice. However, I feel as if this text would have been more effective in book format, rather than audiobook, due to the nature of its content.

I received complementary access to this book from the author, Cuesta Park Consulting and Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

*Disclosure: I received an audiobook ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*
It took me an entire month to get through this book, in large part due to the poor quality of NetGalley's new audiobook player.
Because of this, I don't feel very qualified to comment extensively or decisively on this book, due to the subpar listening experience.
Technical problems aside, this book was...fine. It's definitely not very high, lofty literature; it's approachable and well-explained. There were a few parts I really enjoyed - the author's explanation of humor, while a bit technical, was quite interesting. Overall, though, it fell flat.
I'd still recommend it to others - if, for nothing else, than for the last few chapters - but this book was just not for me.

Somehow I just didn't resonate with this audiobook, the blurb and cover really spoke to me. but I zoned out whenever I tried to listen to it and DNFed. It was just very dry and I think I'd have enjoyed more as a book to flick through.
Thanks for the ARC copy.

Very nice book. I learned a lot from this and look forward to referring back to it in years to come.

I read a lot of narrative nonfiction and self-help and business nonfiction, but I've never read a book targeted at authors of nonfiction.

To a great degree, the information here is straightforward and predictable. Know your audience. How much explanation do they need? Illustrative stories and analogies can make your point relatable, but only if the story or analogy is strong enough that you can structure your book around it. Otherwise, don't try to structure your book around it. Use an authentic voice, but don't be condescending or patronizing to your reader.

Also, as you can see from the examples above, it is impossible for Ms. Janzer to give definitive answers to the reader of this book of exactly how to write. Each situation will be different. So she gives a list of issues to consider--and it is a helpful list--but it boils down to a list.

If you are a nonfiction writer, get a copy of this book, but understand that it won't solve all of your problems. It will give you valid and important issues to consider as you organize, write and edit your work.

I greatly enjoyed that this book was concise and well-written, and having the author narrate the book was the icing on the cake! It was like having a conversation with a friend, on a sunny afternoon with a cup of tea on the porch. While the author is writing primarily for those writing nonfiction, I can see many other applications of the guidance given in this book, such as for instructional designers, academic writers, faculty, or even fiction writers! Several of these tips are general for writing (know your audience, use analogies, write to the reader's curiosity, etc.) but as a novice writer with no formal background in writing, I found these to be helpful. The author practices what she preaches, as she keeps the reader's attention using the very tips she writes about. The book includes interviews and examples from other popular authors to support how to communicate well in writing, and be understood more effectively.

I'm interested in getting this book in print, as I found myself wanting to write down much of what was shared. I can see this book being used by writing courses, or others wanting to improve their writing technique.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the independent publisher, for the copy of the audiobook in exchange for my review.

Anne Janzer narrates her own book on fine-tuning a non-fiction writer’s skills.
The lessons given are just as valuable for fiction writers as many of the topics bridge both writing professions. Running at just over four and a half hours, this writing guide is an ideal resource that packs a lot of information into one short volume.
One of the most important conversations in this book is one that rarely seems to appear in similar tomes – that of writing about values-based topics and the need to not only know your audience, but their beliefs and opinions. In non-fiction writing, Janzer explains how facts and evidence won’t change an opinion, so the writer must rely on their choice of language and phrasing so as not to disenfranchise those people who may hold opposing views.
She goes on to discuss the need to alternate between theory and examples, exploring the idea of learning through analogies and stories.
Sensory hooks, tone, humour, repetition and style are all tools that Janzer discusses, along with the use of effective imagery in the prose.
The author practices what she preaches, making Writing to be Understood a primary example of the lessons learned. Listen once to learn, then again to notice those lessons in practice. Janzer’s guide to non-fiction writing is practical, sensible and enjoyable.

There are tons of useful tidbits in here and I did take some notes for my own writing but I must be honest; this is the driest thing I’ve ever listened to.

The narrator is the author and I can hear her excitement but the material is still… not overly engaging. I tried to listen directly, as background and such and perhaps it was just my state of mind but it nearly put me to sleep.

I think I’d rather give this one a read physically vs audio.