Alan Rinzler

Consulting Editor

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The blog for writers

The Book Deal

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

Ask the Editor: Memoir or novel for my true story?

July 1, 2013 by Alan Rinzler

Q. I have an amazing true story to tell, but publishing it may step on some toes. Should I write it as a memoir, and tell it exactly like it was? Or should I write it discreetly as a novel, so I can disguise the lurid details and stay out of trouble? If I don't write this story, the truth will … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ask the Editor, Craft of Writing, Memoir Tagged With: Alan Rinzler, ask the editor, author, book, developmental editing, editor, memoir, novel, writer, writing

Writing a memoir: Intersecting memory and story

March 11, 2013 by Alan Rinzler

Writing a memoir is one of the most stimulating but difficult literary challenges an author can undertake. Nevertheless, it’s a hugely popular genre. Five of the top ten hardcover nonfiction books on the NY Times bestseller list this week are memoirs. Aspiring memoir writers can find help in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craft of Writing, Memoir Tagged With: Alan Rinzler, author, craft, developmental editor, editor, memoir, Tamim Ansary, workshop, writer, writing

It’s the details, writers!

May 19, 2012 by Alan Rinzler

An author builds a narrative with thousands of tiny details. Even before a reader knows what the book is really about, it's through the gradual accumulation of these crucial moments, objects, movements, sounds, smells and touches that the power and meaning of the story emerges. As an editor … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craft of Writing Tagged With: Alan Rinzler, details, developmental editing, developmental editor, editor, fiction, memoir, narrative, narrative non-fiction, novel, story, techniques, tips, writing

Creating a compelling narrative voice

March 16, 2012 by Alan Rinzler

How does an author of memoir or personal narrative transform a naked self into a compelling voice that tells a story readers can’t put down? This question arises frequently in my work as a developmental editor. One of best books on this technique is The Situation and the Story: the Art of Personal … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craft of Writing Tagged With: Alan Rinzler, author, developmental editor, editing, memoir, narrative non-fiction, narrative voice, personal narrative, The Situation and the Story, Vivian Gornick, writers, writing

Wake up your readers! How to thicken a plot

August 7, 2011 by Alan Rinzler

Here’s a situation that editors encounter frequently: manuscripts with a large cast of potentially interesting characters, sparkling dialogue, and the glimmer of ideas churning just beneath the surface. But after a little while the scenes become repetitious, the characters and their machinations … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ask the Editor, Craft of Writing Tagged With: "narrative arc", Alan Rinzler, author, characters, developmental editor, editor, memoir, novel, plot, plot structure, writer

Tweets, texts & posts: New sources for memoir writers

April 13, 2011 by Alan Rinzler

Tweets, text messages, blog posts, and missives left on forums, in comments and on social networks have become a rich mother lode of raw personal material to mine for authors who are writing memoirs. It's the way we communicate now It's how we express and absorb information and emotion, in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craft of Writing, Memoir Tagged With: Alan Rinzler, developmental editor, memoir, writing a memoir

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/

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