Customer Reviews

How to Write Best Selling Fiction

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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!

OK, I have been changing my review of this book for a couple of times. The first time I considered it was a three stars book because I was expecting someting else. Then I read the book again and I changed my mind about it. This is the third time I read it and now I can say this book is mind blowing. If you want to write bestsellers this as a good place to come and learn.

I just love how the author defends commercial writing and put it above the so-called "art writing". In recent times I've come across people and schools that look down at commercial writing and think their "artful writing" is much more valuable. I think not. Koontz proves his case by talking about some of the most successful writers of all times. Does Dickens sound familiar. Well, he's just one example of many.

Also, there are hidden jewels in this text. For example, I bought a dvd workshop that talks about a very exclusive method to develop a plot. This workshop claims that you will find this method in very few places. They sell this workshop with some degree of hype. Well Koontz explains the whole thing in a couple of pages -no hype, just the truth about the plot points common to all good and selling fiction. So, with Koontz you get the very best information on how to grow a plot without hype.

Another example of the secrets in this book has to do with methodology. Like it or not, the most difficult aspect to grasp about writing is methodology. How does a writer create? How does a writer come up with story ideas? Well, I have had to search in many many books on this topic. After searching a lot I found some very good ideas on the best methods to write stories. Then I came back and read Koontz again... and guess what? Yes! Some of those methods are right here.

I really don't know why the first time I read Koonts work I didn't see how rich and valuable it was. It has gone way up in my list of favorite creative writing books. It is now close to "Techniques of the Selling Writer" by Swain -which is still the best book I've found on creative writing so far.


Now, as time has passed I can see why many people like it. If you ask me, all I can say is that the book is not so much about techniques of effective writing. The book does address some techniques but the real main subject of this book is way of thinking about good selling fiction. The author presents a series of arguments to support his idea of what he calls "main stream fiction". On the one hand there are the "academic creative writing" books. Koonz gives reasons why you should run in the opposite direction when ever that kind of books and approach to writing is trying to influence you. On the other hand there are the "formulaic genre books" such as mystery novels, romance novels, etc. Koonz gives reasons why you should not under any circumstance choose that path.

Without "academic fiction" and "genre fiction" what do we have left? Main stream fiction. The rest of the book is an explanation of how main stream fiction differs from "academic fiction" and "genre fiction".

In some ways this book has a high dosis of Zen for writers. It is about your approach to writing and how to turn your writing into the most popular writing it can ever be.

Table of content.

1. A brief explanation of the author purpose.
2. Writing the great American novel.
3. The changing marketplace.
4. Creating and structuring a story line.
5. Action, action, action.
6. Heroes and heroines.
7. Creating believable characters.
8. Achieving plausibility through believable character motivation.
9. Background.
10. Grammar and Syntax.
11. Style.
12. Two Genres: Science Fiction and Mysteries.
13. A few more pitfalls to avoid.
14. Selling what you write.
15. Read, read, read.

This is the Bible for anyone who wants to write good commercial fiction. His no-b.s. approach to writing is refreshing in an area filled with mediocre books. This book may be expensive and hard to find (it should be updated, or at least brought back in print), but is well worth the effort in tracking it down, as much of what he says is still valid.

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.

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.

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.

Dean Koontz gives insightful advice, not just on getting your words on paper, but also how to get published. He has lots of do's and don'ts, along with a list of recommended authors to read and see various writing styles. Be sure to look for my name on the best seller list now that I've read this book.

This must be a re-issue of the same book that Koontz published in 1974, in which he lays down exactly the way you write a best seller. I only have a copy of that book in Xerox. Anyway, he tells the most important secrets here. If you're ready to understand what he's talking about, you can use this to base a novel-writing career. No exaggeration. Fantastic book. Changed my life.

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.

I found this book to be most helpful regarding all that goes into the writing process. Even though it was written many years ago by Mr. Koontz, I am most appreciative to him for taking the time to write this book as he explains everything in great detail. Also,even though the book was written many years ago, I found much of the info in it still holds true today. In my opinion, the chapters on how to write a good story (ie - having a plot, strong characters, interesting storyline, etc.) were especially informative. Thank you, Mr. Koontz!