"[1] The original edition was published in hardcover by Hermitage House in 1953 as a volume in its Professional Writers Library series.

Peripheral subjects such as lecturing and bookkeeping are also discussed, and a short history of the field of imaginative fiction is included.

The revised version excised outdated material, updated the historical section, and added more information on the business and records-keeping end of being a writer.

[2] Groff Conklin of Galaxy Science Fiction praised the book, stating that it was "Recommended even for people who don't want to write".

However, reviewing the revised edition, they declared that "A venerable classic has been consistently simplified, softened and trivialized" and concluded that what remained "was not adequate to the problems of writing contemporary SF.