Fiction
The Art and Craft of Writing
and Getting Published
BY Michael Seidman

• $14.95 Tradepaper ISBN: 0-938817-46-9
• Reference/Writing
• 5 1/2 x 8 1/4 320 pp

Fiction
The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published

An exhaustive, three-part guide to the writing and selling of fiction by Michael Seidman, who is both an accomplished fiction writer himself and a highly-regarded editor with a New York publishing house. This book provides not only the information a writer must have about writing fiction as both an art and a craft (as well as a profession), but also a section on the publishing process itself--including basic facts about the industry, examples of a profit and loss statement done for a book before acquisition, production cost breakdowns, and an extensive examination of book contracts, allowing the unagented author to understand what's being acquired, and the clauses which might most easily be negotiated. The book also contains an informative section on writer's conferences and workshops, and an appendix listing dates, locations and contact addresses for further information about these events.

This is an inspiring book about the art and craft of writing fiction that makes you want to sit down and begin your own novel!

Michael Seidman A forty-year veteran of the publishing wars, Michael Seidman has been on the editorial side of the desk since 1970. Currently responsible for the mystery publishing program at Walker & Company, he has worked at various publishing houses and was the Editorial Director of Zebra/Pinnacle (now Kensington), and served for ten years as the editor of The Armchair Detective. He's the author of two previous publishing books: From Printout to Published and Living the Dream, as well as countless articles for magazines such as Writer's Digest, The Writer, Bylines, Bookman's Weekly, etc. A frequent guest lecturer at conferences and workshops, he also does a column for The Writer's Club, which appears on their website and on AOL, where he also monitors a board called TalkBack--Ask the Editor. (It is the most frequently posted to board in the writer's section.) He's been honored for his work as an editor, winning the 1987 American Mystery Award as best book editor (and was nominated two years later for his work as a horror editor); he was also named Editor of the Year by the Southwest Mystery and Suspense Convention. His fiction has appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies including Twilight Zone, Stalker, The Black Lizard Anthology of Mystery and Crime Fiction and others.

REVIEWS:
LIBRARY JOURNAL, May 1, 1999

"The field of how-to-write books is crowded, but if you want to beef up your collection, this is a good choice. Author and editor Seidman writes about the practical aspects of the craft in a straightforward and clever way. As an editor, he is well versed in what publishing houses are looking for, and his is also familiar with the major stumbling blocks authors face when submitting work. Seidman's first section on writing includes many good hints and exercises for getting work into shape. Part 2, on networking, discusses writers' groups, conferences, and professional readers and how to use them. Part 3, 'The business of Publishing,' is a guide to the business end of writing. The section on contract negotiation alone is worth the price of the book. Recommended for public libraries.