- Hardcover: 228 pages
- Publisher: Writer's Digest Books,U.S. (Sep 1986)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 089879210X
- ISBN-13: 978-0898792102
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,733,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
The proven and definitive resource for aspiring novelists, How to Write & Sell Your First Novel gives writers the critical information they need to write and publish a first novel in today's market. Readers will find:. Time-tested writing instruction, covering the basic elements of novel writing and revision. Expert marketing advice, with information on using an agent, negotiating a contract and more. Actual case histories of first-time novelists, providing valuable insight into how to become a successful writer Written by a successful agent and published author team, this Writer's Digest Classic shows writers the path to novel success.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
Oscar Collier was a successful literary agent, writer, and former editor. Frances Spatz Leighton is the author of over thirty books.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
You couldn't get more obscure than John Wessel who worked in a bookstore. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
You couldn't get more obscure than John Wessel who worked in a bookstore. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read Gardner's monsterpiece as well as Forster's and have come to the conclusion that this book is preferable to both. Why? It's written by an editor, not a writer, so it is vastly more objective than anything an author of fiction could produce. Unromantic to a fault, it is packed with good, old, common sense advice on how to write a publishable book.
48 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book started out extremely well, the first chapter was inspirational and very informative. The second chapter explained the different genres of fiction, i.e. mainstream, romance, mystery, etc. Further along the book, I found the book was most practical in its advice on preparing your final draft and submitting it to publishers.
The second part of the book is basically a biography covering the lives of several authors. Some were quite interesting as they were compressed into two or three pages, such as the careers of John Grisham, Stephen King, and Mary Higgins Clark. I do admit those were very inspirational as well.
The disappointment was in the long, extensive, and detailed biographies of George O'Toole, Steven Linakis and a few others. I believe this was hardly relevant to the subject; one may think they were included in the book for inspiration to the reader, but the amount of detail that is put in there about the authors' lives may tend to leave you wondering, "He (Oscar) could've said that in a page, why'd he use up 8 pages?"
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've read more than a few good books on writing; several are quite inspirational. The difference here is that this book is practical. I wrote my first novel following the guidelines set forth in Collier and Leighton's book, and I sold it to a major publishing company. Inspiration is great; inspiration plus methodology is better.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
HOW TO WRITE SELL YOUR FIRST NOVEL
GOOD CONDITION
LOOKS TO BE JUST WHAT I NEED TO HELP ME WITH MY FIRST BOOK
LOOKS TO BE JUST WHAT I NEED TO HELP ME WITH MY FIRST BOOK
Published 19 months ago by jakki
3 stars
Hit and miss. The first part of the book--how to write a novel--is pretty much useless. When it isn't redundant/obvious it is formulaic ("Remember to check your spelling" and "Your... Read more
Published on 31 May 2010 by Rebecca
Great!
I have read a lot of books on the subject of writing, yet never have I been so encouraged by one. I would not hesitate to recommend it. I will definitely read it again.
Published on 17 July 1999
Devoid of theory (thank God) yet full of pragmatic tips.
I have read Gardner's monsterpiece as well as Forster's and have come to the conclusion that this book is preferable to both. Why? Read more
Published on 24 Nov 1998
Practical and encouraging
I really found this book to be very helpful. Great tips from people who obviously know the score.
Published on 15 Dec 1997
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