Sol Stein

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How to Grow a Novel

What sets Sol Stein apart is his practical approach. He provides specific techniques that speed writers to successful publication.

How to Grow a Novel is not just a book, but an invaluable workshop in print. It includes details and examples from Stein’s editorial work with bestselling novelists as well as talented newcomers. Stein takes the reader backstage in the development of memorable characters and fascinating plots. The chapter on dialogue overflows with solutions for short-story writers, novelists, screenwriters, and playwrights. Stein shows what readers are looking for- and what they avoid- in the experience of reading fiction. The book offers guidelines- and warnings- of special value for nonfiction writers who want to move into fiction. Stein points to the little, often overlooked, things that damage the writer’s authority without the writer knowing it. And this book, like no other writing book, takes the reader behind the scenes of the publishing business as it affects writers of every level of experience, revealing the hard truths that are kept behind shut doors.


Selected Works

Fiction
The Magician
Beautiful and gripping. I cannot recall a novel of this type with greater pleasure.
--The New York Times Book Review
Nonfiction
Stein on Writing
“Sol Stein went over my manuscript with an infallible eye for the soft spots in my prose, giving me one of the best editorial readings I’ve ever had.”
--Lionel Trilling
How to Grow a Novel
“My publisher Sol Stein was my producer, and my editor Sol Stein was my director. Sol saw what I didn’t think possible.”
--Elia Kazan



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