I took the Wilton classes so that way I could actually have someone showing and telling me if it was coming out right. Have you thought about looking in the photo gallery and looking at some others roses. You have to keep in mind that your roses are not going to come out exactly like the book. those were done professionally and my belief is that they were enhanced to be in a book.
LinB
This is what I learned from my class when I took it (I took the class just for the flowers, really.)
First, the base really needs to be wide, about the width of a dime at the bottom, and really not much taller than it is wide. What I do is hold the tip almost touching the nail, squeeze until the icing threatens to engulf the tip, move it up a millimeter, and repeat. The look you're going for is really close to an equilateral triangle, where all sides are the same length.
For the petals, the trick, which I never figured out from the books, is the rotation of the piping bag. For the first petal, the bag is pointed slightly in to close around the base. To do this, your hand is in the same position, but your elbow moves up. The first row of 3 petals your bag is pointing straight up (elbow back down). For the 5 petal row, twist the bag in your hand as if you're just tightening it, not quite a quarter turn, away from you. This will turn your petals out. For the 7 petal row, twist again.
For each petal you do, the motion of your hand is just straight up and down as you turn your flower nail with the other hand. And always keep your elbow close by your side.
Don't know if any of this makes more sense than the book, or any sense at all, but hope it helps.
check this video for a demonstration
http://www.wilton.com/decorating/basic/rose_video_56.cfm
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