Techniques of the Selling Writer

Dwight V. Swain

University of Oklahoma Press, Sep 6, 2012 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 344 pages

Techniques of the Selling Writer provides solid instruction for people who want to write and sell fiction, not just to talk and study about it. It gives the background, insights, and specific procedures needed by all beginning writers. Here one can learn how to group words into copy that moves, movement into scenes, and scenes into stories; how to develop characters, how to revise and polish, and finally, how to sell the product.

No one can teach talent, but the practical skills of the professional writer's craft can certainly be taught. The correct and imaginative use of these kills can shorten any beginner's apprenticeship by years.

This is the book for writers who want to turn rejection slips into cashable checks.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - AngelaLam - LibraryThing

My editor suggested I read this book. I am glad I did. I learned a lot about writing that I never learned from a regular University degree. A must read for any author looking to improve their writing to sell on the commercial market.

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - Amelia_Smith - LibraryThing

This is definitely going into my top 3 books about writing. I doubled back and re-read passages, not just because I was tired and distracted, but also because I could instantly see the implications ...

About the author

Dwight V. Swain spent a lifetime writing newspaper and magazine articles, pulp fiction, and screenplays. For more than twenty years he taught in the Professional Writing Program at the University of Oklahoma. His popular books, Techniques of the Selling Writer and Creating Characters: How to Build Story People are published by the University of Oklahoma Press.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Techniques of the Selling Writer
• Author: Dwight V. Swain
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press, 2012
• ISBN: 0806186674, 9780806186672
• Length: 344 pages
• Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Writing / Authorship; Language Arts & Disciplines / Writing / Composition; Language Arts & Disciplines / Writing / Fiction Writing