Staying Alive: A Writer's Guide

It's hard enough for a writer just to get published. But even harder is—Staying Alive. This book is an indispensable guide to economic and psychological survival as a writer, with insights into how the publishing industry works and how to get and stay published.

"No one knows the ins and outs of the publishing business better. Spinrad is uniquely qualified to give writers advice on how to make a living in this crazy business. Full of witty and practical information on surviving the hazards of freelancing."
—Stephen Goldin, Author, The Business of Being a Writer

"Spinrad, past president of one of the strongest writers' groups, has cast a cold eye over the publishing industry in general, and come up with a book that is not so much a manual for story preparation as an examination of the marketplace and the forces that drive it. A must for the prospective writer, and an enjoyable read for anyone interested in the business of writing and publishing."
—Publisher's Weekly

"Analyzes the market from both the writer's and the publisher's viewpoints. His pragmatic advice includes a model writer's contract with step-by-step explanations of each clause. There are also chapters on market forces, awards, and criticism."
—Library Journal
About the Author

Norman Spinrad is the author of over twenty novels, including the acclaimed BUG JACK BARRON.

He is a multiple nominee for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for science fiction achievement, an American Book Award Nominee writer, and winner of the Prix Apollo. He has written scripts for Star Trek and produced two feature films. He has also published over 60 short stories collected in half a dozen volumes, and his novels and stories have been published in over a dozen languages.

He has been President of Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA) three times. He is a tireless campaigner for authors' rights and is the creator of the "model contract" now in use by several writers' organizations. He's been a literary agent, President of World SF, briefly a radio phone show host, has appeared as a vocal artist on three albums, and occassionally performs live. He is a long time literary critic, sometime film critic, perpetual political analyst, and sometime songwriter.

He grew up in New York, has lived in Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, and Paris, and travelled widely in Europe and rather less so in Latin America, Asia, and Oceania.