Alan Rinzler

Consulting Editor

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The blog for writers

The Book Deal

Are you obsessed with writing? Good news!

March 15, 2016 by Alan Rinzler

"Obsession produces a book. You get up with it every morning and go to bed with it every night. (No, it's not that new mattress you found after concluding whether the koala vs ecosa mattress would be the best one for you). You keep a pad next to the bed so when you wake up in the middle of the night … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craft of Writing, Writers at work Tagged With: advice, Alan Rinzler, craft, developmental editor, discipline, focus, work ethic, writer, writing

Write a killer memoir: My 9 top tips

January 14, 2016 by Alan Rinzler

Want to write a memoir that's powerful and inspiring? One that has impact, and appeals to a broad popular market? Here's how. These 9 tips come directly from my 50+ years of working with authors as a developmental editor in major publishing houses and with private clients. 1. Create a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craft of Writing, Memoir Tagged With: advice, Alan Rinzler, author, consulting editor, developmental editor, how to, memoir, tips, writer, writing

What 4 top agents desire in a memoir

August 10, 2015 by Alan Rinzler

Sometimes it seems like everyone's writing a memoir. You too? So how can you break out of the pack and and persuade an agent to take a look? Here are four accomplished literary agents, and they’re all selling memoirs. Scroll down to see some of the books they represent. These agents are the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: How To Get Published, Literary Agent Profiles, Memoir Tagged With: advice, agent, Alan Rinzler, book, developmental editor, editor, getting published, how to find an agent, literary, memoir, traditional publishing

Toni Morrison: Write, Erase, Do it over

March 21, 2015 by Alan Rinzler

When Toni Morrison talks about writing, I listen. I've taken a keen interest in what she's had to say ever since I began working with her in 1968, when I acquired, edited, and published her first novel The Bluest Eye. More on what it was like working with Toni here. The Bluest Eye was a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craft of Writing Tagged With: advice, Alan Rinzler, consulting editor, craft, developmental editor, editor, interview, National Endowments for the Arts Magazine, tips, Toni Morrison, writing

Have you ever written something you later regretted?

March 11, 2014 by Alan Rinzler

I sure have. It was 1964 and I was on assignment for The Nation magazine to write a review of the Beatles at Carnegie Hall, their first live appearance in the United States. No Soul in Beatlesville There I was, standing on a shaky balcony seat trying to see the stage over a mob of hysterical, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craft of Writing Tagged With: advice, Alan Rinzler, anniversary, author, Beatles, book, consulting, developmental, editor, how to, magazine, review, The Nation, writing

Staying connected: You’re not alone

January 26, 2014 by Alan Rinzler

When you're writing in the zone, you feel confident and creative, ready for prime time, readers, agents, and publishers, right? But it doesn't always come that easily. When writers get stuck, those good feelings can drop away quickly. A lonely occupation Writing is a solitary business for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craft of Writing Tagged With: advice, Alan Rinzler, block, craft, developmental editor, editing, editor, help, self-doubt, writers, writers block, writing

Prequels build buzz!

December 16, 2013 by Alan Rinzler

Have you heard what some savvy authors are doing to build excitement and attract readers to their upcoming books? They're writing prequels: tantalizing teasers in short story form that preview the key characters and settings of an upcoming novel. Some prequels predate or provide backstories … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Book Industry Trends, How To Get Published, Marketing Your Book, Self-Publishing Tagged With: advice, Alan Rinzler, author, book, book deal, developmental editor, editor, fiction, marketing, prequel, self-publishing, writer

Happy Birthday Tom Robbins! Time to revisit your advice to writers

July 24, 2013 by Alan Rinzler

I’ve never known a great author to be more generous with useful advice about the craft of writing than Tom Robbins. If you’ve yet to discover this fabulous author, Robbins has written many bestselling novels including Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Jitterbug Perfume, Skinny Legs and All and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craft of Writing Tagged With: advice, Alan Rinzler, author, craft of writing, developmental editor, editing, Jitterbug Perfume, suggestions, tips, Tom Robbins, writers

Walking in your character’s shoes: Writing with authenticity

January 21, 2013 by Alan Rinzler

Bestselling crime novelist Patricia Cornwell inhabits and writes from inside the mind of her lead sleuth, Dr.Kay Scarpetta, the medical examiner in a blockbuster series of 20 forensic thrillers and counting. To get the details exactly right, Cornwell has hung out in a coroner’s morgue to study … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craft of Writing Tagged With: advice, Alan Rinzler, authenticity, character development, consulting, developmental editor, editor, fiction, Garth Stein, Kay Scarpetta, novel, Patricia Cornwell, Racing in the Rain, writer, writing

Ask the editor: Is it OK to cross genres?

February 2, 2012 by Alan Rinzler

Q: Is it ok to write a book that crosses genre lines, like a mystery with time travel, or a romance with extraterrestrials? A: The short answer is "Yes, absolutely!" That's the truth, despite the fear that agents and publishers will avoid a book that falls into more than one genre. But … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Book Industry Trends, Craft of Writing, How To Get Published Tagged With: advice, agents, Alan Rinzler, ask the editor, authors, books, bookstores, categories, crossing genres, developmental editor, editors, genres, mixing genres, publishers, shelf, writers

About The Book Deal

Welcome readers.  Let me introduce myself and offer up some credentials for the opinions, perspectives and insights in this blog. In nearly … more »

Working with Alan

I can’t thank you enough!

"Working together was interesting, challenging, and fun. I can't thank you enough for taking my stories and putting them in a comprehensible order, focusing more on my younger, formative days with my parents, and helping me remember great events that added so much to the book."

– US Senator Barbara Boxer. Her memoir, The Art of Tough, was published by Hachette in June 2016.

Figure out how to get Alan on your side

"Figure out how to get Alan on your side. He took my rambling manifesto and helped me hone it into a sharp, funny, culture-changing book featured in the New York Times, the New Yorker, The Atlantic, the Times of London, and most recently on The Daily Show."

– Lenore Skenazy, author Free Range Kids – How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children Without Going Nuts with Worry.

Enthusiastic, imaginative and razor sharp

"Alan is enthusiastic, imaginative, razor-sharp, concise. His line-editing is specific and actionable; his developmental advice truly invaluable, providing focus and direction to the often chaotic process of writing a first novel."

– David Tomlinson, author of The Midnight Man.

An advocate, friend and mentor

“Alan can tell you at one glance, where a manuscript works and where it doesn’t. More than an editor, he’s an advocate, friend, mentor, and a bullshit detector of the highest caliber.”

–  Celeste Chaney, author of In Absence of Fear

A 5-star Olympic Gold Medal for editing!

"Alan Rinzler has edited seven of my books, and no one compares to his competence as an editor. Everything I write he makes better. Alan knows the business, knows writing and understands a writer’s needs. He has my 5-Star Olympic Gold Medal for editing! I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him."

– Michele Borba, author of Building Moral Intelligence, The Big Book of Parenting Solutions, and others.

Featured Video

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Ask the Editor

Tips for blending in the backstory

Tips for blending in
the backstory
2015-07-28T14:50:53-07:00
Tips for blending in the backstory
https://alanrinzler.com/testimonials/tips-for-blending-in-the-backstory/

Wake up your readers! How to thicken a plot

Wake up your readers!
How to thicken a plot
2015-07-28T15:29:05-07:00
Wake up your readers! How to thicken a plot
https://alanrinzler.com/testimonials/another-link/

Memoir or novel for my true story?

Memoir or novel
for my true story?
2015-07-28T20:47:16-07:00
Memoir or novel for my true story?
https://alanrinzler.com/testimonials/3172/

Is your book in need of emotional glue?

Is your book in need of emotional glue?
2015-07-28T20:51:25-07:00
Is your book in need of emotional glue?
https://alanrinzler.com/testimonials/is-your-book-in-need-of-emotional-glue/

Can I really become a better writer?

Can I really become a better writer?
2015-07-28T21:05:22-07:00
Can I really become a better writer?
https://alanrinzler.com/testimonials/can-i-really-become-a-better-writer/

7 techniques for a dynamite plot

7 techniques for
a dynamite plot
2015-07-28T21:17:53-07:00
7 techniques for a dynamite plot
https://alanrinzler.com/testimonials/7-techniques-for-a-dynamite-plot-2/

What to expect from a developmental editor

What to expect from
a developmental editor
2015-07-28T21:21:18-07:00
What to expect from a developmental editor
https://alanrinzler.com/testimonials/what-to-expect-from-a-developmental-editor/

Categories

  • Ask the Editor (23)
  • Book Industry Trends (81)
  • Book Proposal Critiques (4)
  • Craft of Writing (72)
  • Guts Ball: Editing Hunter Thompson (3)
  • How To Get Published (80)
  • Literary Agent Profiles (11)
  • Literary Destinations (3)
  • Marketing Your Book (33)
  • Memoir (7)
  • Parts of a Book (5)
  • Self-Publishing (34)
  • The writer's toolkit (3)
  • Writers at work (2)

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