How I Became A Famous Novelist, By Steve Hely, Black Inc, $19.95
Pete Tarslaw is a washed-up but well-read loser who works out that the easiest way to make a fortune (plus impress his old girlfriend) is to write a best-selling novel.
He analyses what works, draws up a list of rules (note to self: must have a kindly gentleman dancing in a cornfield) and starts writing The Tornado Ashes Club, a brilliant pastiche of the folksy, fake-literary style which racks up middle American readers.
Only a seriously good writer could choose to write this badly and Hely has honed his wit behind the scenes at 30 Rock and The David Letterman Show; the result is the perfect small gift for anyone who likes to read and laugh wickedly at the same time.
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