Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to read this amazing book on story development. I read this book in search of insight into the story development process and gained even more from it. Veronica Mixon has many little things she goes over that I would have never thought of, but they make story writing easier. Because of her valuable lessons, I was able to complete my first manuscript. Her guidance helped me through plot holes, character names, and just coming up with a way to describe the books to others. She lays everything out in a simple-to-follow plan and speaks in regular speech, never once making the reader feel inferior or stupid. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for the adventure of writing a book, or even someone almost done. There is something for anyone at any stage in the writing process.
I want to thank Netgalley, Veronica Mixon, and BooksGoScoial for allowing me to read this helpful book.

I always am looking for new strategies to implement in my own creative writing process. I look forward to using this formula while working on my short story.

I’ve bought numerous books on the craft of writing. The 5-Star Fiction Formula by by Veronica Mixon is a repeat of many others, with some bonus material for self-publishing indie authors. Things you won’t find in the old classics such as Renni Browne and Dave King’s Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print, or Writing Fiction For Dummies by Peter Economy and Randy Ingermanson. 

Mixon’s book pulls ideas from the Snowflake Method of plotting and includes a useful appendix of terms I should remember from my days as an English major. (Should.) The book is filled with examples of good writing, many taken from the author’s own novels. I sampled one of her novels. It didn’t grab me, and I didn’t buy it.

So much of the book reads like a handout from a workshop Mixon teaches. She heavily promotes her writing classes and her own novels. Given the sheer number of How to Write A Best Seller and "How to Self-Publish" books, I cannot say this one stands out as the one to buy.

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I read a lot of books on the craft of writing. This one was exceptional because it offered direct and easy to follow advice. I enjoyed the relatable, friendly tone while learning things other books did not cover. It’s the perfect resource for writers who want to learn the craft of writing without all the judgement and unnecassary mumbo jumbo. Highly recommend.

I’m interested in writing fiction. This book was a great starting point to help me dive in. Highly recommend to future authors.

A book aimed at self-published authors from a self-published author. The writer establishes their authority early on, and continues to reassert their position in the book. Unapologetic in tone, the book is the perfect fit for beginner writers who need a roadmap to completion and sales.

Due to the references to additional online mentorship (technical upsells) I believe that some readers would feel disappointed and interpret this book as an additional sales tool.

I really want to like this book. The content is great, pulling together ideas from things like the Snowflake Method of plotting, some light editing, and other guidelines on things such as dialogue. But the layout and formatting...it's atrocious. The book appears to be lifted directly from a course (chapters 5 and 8 are entirely images that appear to be handouts from the course) and it suffers from a lack of editing. Lots of repetition of examples. For example, there are two sections that cover first lines and both of them use the same examples. The book also suffers from a lack of identity being something in between a textbook and a workbook. With proper editing and professional formatting this book could be 4-5 stars.

This book does what it says on the cover: it offers a formula for writing, and talks a lot about getting 5-star reviews. So yes, it is prescriptive and formulaic, and yes, it is focused on getting others’ approval and making sales; I’m not going to lower its rating for that because it does exactly what it claims out to do.

I appreciate how practical and specific the book is. It has a lot of really good suggestions. I had heard most of the tips before, but it’s nice to have them all in one place, and it’s validating to hear I might be doing something right. I even learned a couple of new things, too! Though I didn’t care for the tone in a few parts of the book, it’s overall a very good resource, especially for newer writers.

A note: The eARC I received still needs some edits. It repeats some tips verbatim. Additionally, there’s a part that seems… off:
“Perfect! Here’s the fully polished and formatted closing section of your Bonus Chapter - bringing it home with clarity, motivation, and a practical recap for your readers.”
It seems to me like this was generated by AI or written by someone else. I hope my suspicions are incorrect, because it is unethical to make money off of something you didn’t write. Additionally, it baffles me when writers “feed the beast” of AI that has stolen from so many of us. If writers use AI or someone else’s work, they should at least give credit. But I recognize that 1) I received an unfinished eARC and some changes may still be made, and 2) I may be incorrect in my suspicion, so this did not impact my rating of the book.

My recommendation would depend on what your writing goals are and whether you've read other craft books before.
This is alright as an introduction, and it focuses mostly on writing a story that will be commercially successful.
It brought up a different interpretation of the Snowflake Method, and some of those concepts were interesting to me.
One thing I didn't love is that some segments were repeated pretty much word by word, but I guess that can work when it comes to non-fiction and a book with exercises like this one.
All in all, if you're new to writing craft (or know someone who is) and would like to have some exercises to help you write something that is appealing to readers, this is a good book for you :)

This book was a great overview of how to write a successful novel. It wasn't really at all about the details of sentence structure or grammar, but instead delved into format, structure, and POV. The author went over a format similar to the snowflake method and had daily step-by-step instructions for outlining a book. It then delved deeply into the different POVs, including first-person, third-person limited, and third-person omniscient, and also talked a little bit at the end about deep POV. A lot of it was stuff I'd heard before, but it all seemed like good advice. It did really inspire me to try to write a book again!

One thing I would say that I didn't necessarily love (although it wasn't wrong, just personal preference) is that this was very much aimed at people who want to write a popular book and make a lot of money. I would have preferred it to be less about making a successful book and more about making a meaningful, impactful, and beautiful book and letting the success come later. But...I also understand that people have to make money. So again, it's not wrong. It's just maybe not the focus I would've looked for it a book about writing. To be fair, this was very clear from the description and cover. Not a surprise at all.

Overall I think this is a good book for people who want to write books but don't know how to make books that people actually want to read. It went over outlining and POV, and I think really addressed the major points that writing authors generally make. It wasn't anything earthshaking or new, but it was a good overview and I would recommend it to others who want to learn how to write a successful book.

I read this book as an ARC on NetGalley.