Inside The Cover
Book Reviews
Review by Rachel Newcombe
It
Shouldn't Happen to a Journalist
By Tess Crebin and Kathleen Tracy
Xlibris
March, 2002
170 pages
Genre: Writing-related
Amazon.com price: $20.99
Ever wondered what the life of a journalist is like and how to break into the
career? Or perhaps you're keen to know if it's really only you who seems to end
up in bizarre situations during the course of reporting? This book answers
both of those questions and provides an intriguing, funny and sometimes shocking
view of life as a journalist.
Written as a collaboration by Tess Crebin and Kathleen Tracy, the book consists
of a series of alternating first-person accounts of memorable moments in their
careers. It reveals the truth about what actually goes on behind the scenes in
the glamorous world of international journalism and offers an entertaining and
no holds barred account of their ups and downs.
Both authors have had eventful careers and faced numerous encounters with
fascinating people, yet started off as ordinary women with big dreams and
ambition. Kathleen Tracy is a best-selling entertainment journalist whose
books include the biographies of Angelina Jolie, Ricky Martin and Neve Campbell.
Tess Crebin is a former foreign correspondent who wrote human-interest stories
for magazines and newspapers before retiring from active journalism.
As well as an interesting and gripping reading, there are plenty of tips to pick
up and apply to your own writing. You'll learn the lengths to which some people
go to get a story, how to bluff your way through the job of being a foreign
music correspondent and the often strange and awkward situations they find
themselves in during the process.
There's also some useful insight into the dos and don'ts of interviewing, as
learned from experience, and how to act (or not to) when covering situations as
varied as sporting events, celebrity marriages, deaths and adventures.
Whether you're a journalist or not, it's a compelling read and is sure to have
you turning the pages with interest until the very end.
* 10 percent of proceeds from the book are donated to the Dorset Victim Support
charity, which helps people overcome the traumatic after-effects of having a
loved one murdered. A further10 per cent goes to Crime Victims for a Just
Society (CVJS).
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HERE TO ORDER THE BOOK.
Rachel Newcombe is a freelance writer and researcher based in
the UK. She's editor of Health Today magazine and writes news, features and
reviews for a range of online and print publications, including Discovery
Health, Babyworld, Health Media and It's On The Net. She can be found on the web
at http://www.newcombe.co.uk/media.
