This is one of those must-have books for the aspiring novelist. Zuckerman's concept of the "commercial best seller" is very specific. His advice might seem constraining and formulaic, but it's hard to argue with the success of a best seller, monetarily and in terms of number of readers reached. For us philistines who would like to produce a good read and reach a wide readership, Zuckerman shows us the way to go. The successive outlines for Ken Follet's Man From St. Petersburg were very edifying, showing the author's struggle with plot development and characterization. It's a rare opporunity to see a clearly weak first idea develop into a first rate novel. So get this book and write a best seller first, then you can go back at your (well bank-rolled) leisure and write exclusive arcana for your elite cadre of literati.