How to Write Best Selling Fiction
by Dean R. Koontz
Our Price: $62.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Dean R. KoontzEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1981-09
ISBN: 089879045X
Number of pages: 309
Publisher: Writers Digest Books
Book Reviews of How to Write Best Selling Fiction
Book Review: Who, other than Stephen King, can better direct you toward bestsellers?
Summary: 5 Stars
Brillant! If I could give this book seven or eight or nine stars, I would.
Dean walks you through, step by step, the process by which bestselling novels are developed and written. If you wish to write novels that will only appeal to knuckleheads who can not use their talents in any other field besides education, this book is not for you and you should immediately stop reading this review so that you can continue looking in your dictionary for the biggest, most unpronounceable words you can find to add to your novel (words that only make you sound smart). If you want to appeal to the masses, spend the money and read this book. When you finish reading it, read it again. When you finish reading it a second time, go through the list of authors Dean has in the back of the book and pick out a few of their novels to began your reading.
Though dated, the book is still relevant. Besides, if it wasn't relevant, why would a new copy of the book run you $326 (Jan. 10, 2011). I got mine for $46 (Aug 15, 2010), which I thought was ridiculous at the time but, it has proven to be well worth the money.
One other thing: If you believe that you are a natural writer, I also suggest Stephan King's book, 'On Writing: A memoir of the craft.' Stephen, like myself, are born writers. We would write even if there was no money to be gained from it. I can sit down at a laptop and just start typing out a story and be 60 pages in before I realize that it is 4:00 in the morning and I have to be at work in 2 hours. So can Mr. King. Dean is a bit different (In an OCD kind of way). Dean believes, which it is very good to learn if you are not a natural writer, that you need to plot and plan your novel before you write it. That has helped me but it also hinders me from my creative process and the way that I believe characters should evolve naturally. Koontz says it is absurd to believe that characters, figments of you imagination, can do anything other than what you plan for them to do. King believes that the characters will do what they want. If you're not a natural writer, the latter will make no sense to you.
After reading the two books and then reading novels by the two authors, I understand where both of them are going. King is an artist and Koontz is an mathematician. As a future author, you and I would do worse than owning a copy of both books.
Many authors write tens of novels before they hit the bestsellers list. King did it on his first try and Koontz did it only after mastering the concepts he writes about in this book.
By the way, if your going to spend $326 for the book, contact me. I'll sell mine for $325.
Summary of How to Write Best Selling Fiction
From dust jacket notes: "...In this book, Dean Koontz, whose own books have sold more than 25 million copies, shares his insight into the publishing world and shows writers how to write the kind of book that a publisher can promote as a lead title - a well-written, thoroughly researched, complex, wide-appeal novel that can sell the millions of copies necessary to finance an extensive advertising and promotion campaign. Koontz takes a practical, detailed approach to the art, craft, and business of novel writing. You'll learn how to structure a story for greatest reader appeal, how to provide depth of characterization without slowing the pace, and how to recognize and use the sort of theme that is timely and appealing. Plus you'll receive thorough instruction on other writing techniques as they apply to today's novel, including background, viewpoint, scene setting, transitions, and dialogue. On the business side, Koontz gives an insider's view of how to deal profitably with editors and agents, advice on contracts, and tips on paperback and book club sales, foreign rights, and film rights. His final advice to writers is to read, read, read. To help you get started, he supplies a list of today's best-sellers which will provide further insight into the kind of novel that will succeed today...."Words & Language Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Words & Language Books
Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writersby Lynn Quitman Troyka
Prentice Hall College Div; Published: 1998-08-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
Fundamentals of English Grammar (Black), Student Book B (Without Answer Key), Third Editionby Betty Schrampfer Azar
Pearson ESL; Published: 2002-07-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.99
Price in other shops:
Side by Side Book 1 (2nd Edition)by Steven J. Molinsky, Bill Bliss
Prentice Hall; Published: 2001-12-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.69
Price in other shops:
Understanding and Using English Grammar, 4th Edition (Book & Audio CD)by Betty Azar, Stacy A. Hagen
Pearson ESL; Published: 2009-03-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $42.00
Price in other shops:
Words that Sell: More than 6000 Entries to Help You Promote Your Products, Services, and Ideasby Richard Bayan
McGraw-Hill; Published: 2006-03-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.89
Price in other shops:
Practice Makes Perfect: English Grammar for ESL Learners (Practice Makes Perfect Series)by Ed Swick
McGraw-Hill; Published: 2004-12-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.75
Price in other shops:
Spanish Verb Drillsby Vivienne Bey
McGraw-Hill; Published: 2003-08-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.50
Price in other shops:
The Writer Got Screwed (but didn't have to): Guide to the Legal and Business Practices of Writing for the Entertainment Industryby Brooke A. Wharton
Harper Perennial; Published: 1997-03-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.14
Price in other shops:
American Sign Language Dictionary, Third Editionby Martin L.A. Sternberg
Harper Perennial; Published: 1998-11-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.82
Price in other shops:
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Printby Renni Browne, Dave King
William Morrow Paperbacks; Published: 2004-04-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.90
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Editionby Christopher Vogler
Michael Wiese Productions; Published: 2007-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.87
Price in other shops:
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writersby John Gardner
Vintage; Published: 1991-06-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.96
Price in other shops:
Simple & Directby Jacques Barzun
Harper Perennial; Published: 2001-12-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops:
The Art of War for Writers: Fiction Writing Strategies, Tactics, and Exercisesby James Scott Bell
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2009-12-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.69
Price in other shops:
Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) (Write Great Fiction)by James Scott Bell
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2004-10-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.87
Price in other shops:
How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytellingby James N. Frey
St. Martin's Press; Published: 1987-12-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.87
Price in other shops:
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Printby Renni Browne, Dave King
William Morrow Paperbacks; Published: 2004-04-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.90
Price in other shops:
How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Themby Sol Stein
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2002-03-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.12
Price in other shops:
On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craftby Stephen King
Scribner; Published: 2010-07-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.00
Price in other shops:
Writing Popular Fictionby Dean R. Koontz
Writers Digest; Published: 1972-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $150.38