For good or ill, once money enters the picture you become a professional writer: even if you've never received a penny for your words, as soon as you try to sell them—to agents, editors, or the public—the nature of many of your social relationships changes. People will no longer care about you; they'll only care about what you and your writing can do for them.

This guide looks at all the people who will be involved in buying and selling your books, what you need to understand about them, and how to deal with them. Using the principles in Dale Carnegie's, How to Win Friends and Influence People, as a framework, you will learn how the mantra of the professional—"I have no problems; I cause no problems; I solve your problems"—is the key to your success as a writer.