If you've ever wondered why hackneyed, badly-written books become runaway bestsellers, you will love this fast and funny send-up of the publishing world. When the hero is laid off from his job writing college applications for iliterates, he decides to write a bestseller and turn up at his ex-girlfriend's wedding as a rich and famous author. ( )

This is very light reading about a guy who figures out that many of the authors on the current bestseller lists are just really good con-artists and he wants in. He comes up with some hilarious rules for writing a bestseller and sets off to write a schlocky romance-and-redemption story filled with heinous clichés and such. He also wants to be famous just so he can upstage his ex-girlfriend at her upcoming wedding. But the character's trashing of the bestselling ilk that passes for entertainment these days is the good stuff. It's often quite funny and possibly hits pretty close to home on occasion. This book can be read very quickly and should appeal to the cynic in you. Oh, also: all the blurbs are fake. ( )

This book suckers you in. You think it's just a funny book, and that the author has no integrity. By the end, you realize this wasn't just a comedy (though it is very funny, especially in the beginning). I really can't say more without spoiling things. You may learn something about yourself from this book, I will say that. Very well done. Surprisingly good, coming from a television writer. ( )

Pete Tarslaw has a problem. His ex-girlfriend is getting married, and with the shape that his life is currently in, he dreads attending the upcoming wedding. He doesn’t want to tell everyone that he gets paid to write college application essays for people who for whatever reason, be it poor English skills, lack of time, laziness or just plain stupidity, choose note to write their own. Pete doesn’t want his ex to point him out to her new husband as “the sorry wretch she toyed with in her younger days.” He cannot stand the idea of all the wedding guests whispering about the bride’s pitiful ex-boyfriend who had the nerve to show up. So he decides that he’s going to do something that will make him completely outshine any blushing bride at her own wedding. He is going to become a famous novelist.

Pete approaches his problem from what he considers to be a logical point of view. He takes a hard, dispassionate look at the current list of bestsellers, and he makes a list of what it takes for a book to be successful. These include things such as “Rule 4: Must include a murder,” “Rule 9: At dull point include descriptions of delicious meals,” and “Rule 12: Give readers versions of themselves, infused with extra awesomeness.” He comes up with “The Tornado Ashes Club,” a meandering tale that follows the eccentric characters across the country on a road trip with a mission, to cast the ashes of a loved one into a tornado.

With the help of a friend who works in the industry, Pete actually gets “The Tornado Ashes Club” published, and he enjoys a modicum of success with the book, until he decides he cannot keep up with the pretense of being a “serious writer” by faking his way through interviews and writing workshops any longer. The fallout of his confession and the controversy it stirs up regarding the nature of writing and the success of books will appeal to anyone who has ever wondered about the business of publishing.

“How I Became a Famous Novelist” is a humorous look at the world of publishing and what makes a book a bestseller. It is written as a pseudo-memoir, detailing the rise and fall of Pete Tarslaw from paid lackey of the ethically questionable company EssayAides to the disgraced author of one of the most controversial books ever to be published. If you’ve ever wondered how certain books end up with that coveted description “bestseller” then you’ll want to pick up “How I Became a Famous Novelist.”

If you've every thought about what it takes to be a best selling novelist, this books for you. Every fiction stereotype is sent up and perfectly skewered. Favorite line "you'll have to apologize to Oprah" no one knows why, that's just what author's who mess up have to do - apologize to Oprah. ( )