Writing Popular Fiction [Hardcover]

Dean R. Koontz (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Writers Digest; 1st edition (December 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0911654216
• ISBN-13: 978-0911654219
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,368,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania where I graduated from Shippensburg State College (now Shippensburg University). When I was a senior in college, I won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition and have been writing ever since. My first job after graduation was with the Appalachian Poverty Program, where I was expected to counsel and tutor underprivileged children on a one-to-one basis. During my first day on the job, I discovered that the previous occupier of my position had been beaten up by the very kids he had been trying to help and had landed in the hospital for several weeks. The following year was filled with challenge but also tension, and I was more highly motivated than ever to build a career as a writer. I wrote nights and weekends, which I continued to do after leaving the poverty program and going to work as an English teacher in a suburban school district outside Harrisburg. After a year and a half in that position, my wife, Gerda, made me an offer I couldn't refuse: "I'll support you for five years," she said, "and if you can't make it as a writer in that time, you'll never make it." By the end of those five years, Gerda had quit her job to run the business end of my writing career. Gerda and I, along with our dog, Trixie, live in southern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent How-to, May 26, 1998

By 

Ivan Tritch [e-mail] (Bono, Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writing Popular Fiction (Hardcover)

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 Although some of the material is outdated, Koontz covers writing in different genres, including sci-fi, suspense, westerns, gothic, and erotica.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.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Early Koontz gives great tips, April 17, 2002

By 

Robert Kall "Rob Kall of Opednews.com" (Newtown, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing Popular Fiction (Hardcover)

This book was first published in 1972, Early in Dean Koontz's career. The book reviews the basic ingredients and elements of the following genres:
Science fictio and fantasy
Suspense
Mysteries
Gothic-romance
Westerns
Erotica

It's a practical book giving insights and advice.

Really now, how many writers, early in their careers, wrote a book on how to write and then proved they could become massively successful? This is a pricey book you'll need to find used. Look for a reading copy that is not collectible because it has been well worn or discharged from a library. I don't understand why Writer's Digest hasn't re-issued this.

I wish I could get Koontz to attend the StoryCon meeting on the Art, science and Application of story, which I organize.