How to Write Best Selling Fiction

By Dean Koontz

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...."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 089879045X
• ISBN13: 9780898790450
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books
• Length: 311 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A Great Book on Writing, but No Longer in Print

This is a great book on writing that was written by Dean Koontz when he was a relatively unknown 35-year old writer of paperback suspense novels. This book was written in 1981 and is no longer in print. It is very difficult to find, and old copies can sell for over a hundred dollars. In HOW TO WRITE BEST SELLING FICTION, Koontz offers solid advice on how to create a good plot, interesting characters, good dialogue, and fast-paced action sequences. He also offers some common sense advice on how to write a popular novel that is marketable. This book is VERY well written and is just as good as Stephen King's ON WRITING in my opinion. Koontz also offers a lengthy chapter where he offers his honest opinion on many of the famous writers of his day. I found this section quite fascinating to read. Throughout this book, Koontz also discusses his own past history as a writer, making this the closest thing to a memoir that Koontz has ever written. I know quite a few established writers who were heavily influenced by this book. Is it worth one hundred dollars? Probably not. Given dramatic changes in the book industry, parts of this book are severely out-of-date. I recently read an interview with Dean Koontz where he admitted as much, which may explain why this book has been out of print for such a long time. Unfortunately, Koontz has no current plans to update this book, so your best bet is to look for this book in your local library, which is where I found my copy.

Classic Timeless Advice For Any Fiction Writer

Dean Koontz is a master at his storytelling craft. This book has been read and re-read as it's been on my shelf for more than 20 years. The advice has stood the test of time and it's invaluable for any fiction author. In the first chapter, Koontz provides three key reasons why this book is worth your time. "1. I am going to point out a couople of hundred pitfalls into which new writers always fall. I fell into every one of them, and I still have a few bruises to prove it. If my warnings help you avoid just a few of those traps, or if I am able to help you climb out of them more quickly than you otherwise might, you will probably save weeks, months, even years in your struggle to obtain the goals you have set for yourself. 2. This book will be more blunt and more honest about the hows and whys of marketing fiction than any book has ever been before. I will tell you about the strengths, weakness, successes, and failure of editors and publishers. I will tell you about the strengths that make a writer succeed, and I will warn you about the weaknesses and self-delusions that cause some writers to fail. I will lead you through the maze of book contracts and explain some of the more insidious and odious clauses that publishers try to slip past unwary authors. In the process, some myths will be shattered, including the one which would have you believe publishing is a refined, sensitive, gentlemanly business. 3. One of the most valuable things to be obtained from a book of this sort is the knowledge that you are not alone in your madness, that your obsession with words and stories is not as rare as you think. There are others of us who share your burning if somewhat irrational need to write and publish fiction." Get this book. It's priceless.

PACKED WITH USEFUL INFORMATION

I like the premise that Koontz starts with here: that your goal as a writer should be to have as many people as possible read your book. That is my goal as a writer, and I found the book incredibly helpful and insightful. Obviously, Koontz knows what he's talking about, with millions of books in print.This is a very practical guide: long on examples and practical lists and short on voodoo and magic. Koontz breaks writing down into understandable pieces, whereas some writing books I've read spend far too much time on touchy-feely things that are hard to understand or emulate.There is much practical advice here, not only in the writing of best-sellers, but also in the business of books, dealing with contracts and agents, etc. There's even a reading list of books and authors that will inspire the aspiring novelist.My one complaint is that, even in the 20 years since this was written, the publishing industry has changed dramatically. I would LOVE to see Koontz update this tome with a 21st century edition, addressing some of the changes he's seen in the course of his career. I'd also like to see an updated reading list...I wonder which authors Koontz would praise now?An excellent resource for writers, even if you have to pay quite a bit for it!

An excellent book about writing, before he was famous

Dean Koontz, as an act of generosity, wrote a book about how to write books which is enjoyable and insightful whether you want to write books or not. Even then, he could have made a lot more money writing fiction than by writing this book, but he wanted to share some excellent and interesting ideas.

An Excellent How-to

This is the perfect book for aspiring writers. Although some of the material is outdated, Koontz covers writing in different genres, including sci-fi, suspense, westerns, gothic, and erotica. He also motivates the reader by laying out his writing methods and emphasises the discipline it takes to succeed as a writer.