Alan Rinzler

Consulting Editor

The blog for writers

The Book Deal

What makes writers special: An editor’s valentine

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All good editors love working with writers. To us, writers are special people, compelled to put words together as they look at the world.  They can’t stop, must return to whatever is in their heads, what they’re thinking and feeling, making sense of their lives, to explain, to teach, so write … [Read more...]

Ask the editor: How to untangle a plot

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Q: An agent said my novel was “dense, over-plotted and difficult to follow.” I’m not sure what to do. A: You might have too much action and not enough content. If that's the problem, you need to punctuate any rapid fire twists and turns with dialogue, description, and the kind of pacing that’s … [Read more...]

How an endorsement can help land your book deal

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Smart writers and agents know the value of including outside endorsements with the query letters and proposals they send to book publishers. A persuasive quote from a big name or a well-connected expert can have a major impact on the level of attention we give a new submission, whether it’s fiction … [Read more...]

Hot young agent’s old-school methods

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How do literary agents who blog, tweet and carouse online find the time to do the real work of agenting: reading, hobnobbing with editors, reading some more and making great book deals for their clients? That’s what Chris Parris-Lamb, a rising star at the Gernert Company in NYC wonders, and it’s … [Read more...]

What makes a book publisher drool? Can you say “series”?

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For a publisher, producing a successful book series is like winning the lottery. The rewards can be enormous and ongoing. Check out these numbers The Harry Potter behemoth towers over all the rest, with more than 400 million copies sold. Nancy Drew? The 175 installments of the beloved mystery … [Read more...]

Mystery and crime fiction is bloody booming!

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Photograph © Cheryl Rinzler Why would one of America's most distinguished literary publishers jump at the chance to sign up an unknown hillbilly-noir writer whose history so far consists of gritty short stories published online by pulp fiction e-zines? Here's why: Mystery and crime … [Read more...]

Quick: How many POVs in an “I” narrative?

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OK, it's a trick question. The answer is that every "I" narrative has not one, but two points of view. Think about it: You - the writer - embody the second POV. You stand behind the curtain of literary creativity, directing everything that happens in the story; what to include and what not, what … [Read more...]

Literary agents open the door to self-published writers

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The top dog at one of the most successful literary agencies in New York says he’s in hot pursuit of self-published books to represent to mainstream publishers. “Absolutely, yes!”  That was Jim Levine’s unequivocal answer when I asked him recently if he was accepting self-published … [Read more...]

The last laugh: If self-published authors owned the midlist

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Mega publishers like Simon and Schuster and Random House could someday cede the midlist to a vast army of self-published authors. In that scenario, they'd focus instead just on blockbuster books by brand-name authors and celebrities. All the rest -- the literary fiction, the cookbooks, the … [Read more...]