THE WRITING AND SELLING OF FICTION

Anyone of reasonable intelligence can learn to write publishable non-fiction,"" says Paul Reynolds at the start of his present book, a parallel guide to The Writing and Selling of Non-fiction (p. 692, 1963). ""About fiction no such statement can be made. Success as a musician or as a painter requires talent. The same is true of a novelist."" Eschewing the short story form, which he feels is out of the current running, he advises the fiction writer to start right in with the novel. Using Morris West's Devil's Advocate, Howard Fast's April Morning, and R.L. Stevenson's Treasure Island as illustrations, he analyzes the basic elements of fiction, reviews writing techniques from conception to revision. There follows information on selling the manuscript, from securing a publisher, procedures after acceptance with particular attention to the handling of the first novel, to prospects and the range of remuneration probable and possible. For the aspirant, here is professional aid in craftsmanship and a straight-shooting marketing outlook.