Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Tie-in novels are books based on pre-existing media properties -- like TV shows, movies and games -- and they regularly top the national bestseller lists. But as popular as tie-ins books and novelizations are among readers, few people know how the books are written or the rich history behind the hugely successful and enduring genre.

This 75,000 word book is a ground-breaking collection of lively, informative, and provocative essays and interviews by some of the best-selling, and most acclaimed, writers in the tie-in business, offering an inside glimpse into what they do and how they do it.

Contributors include Donald Bain, Max Allan Collins, Tod Goldberg, Elizabeth Massie, William C. Dietz, Aaron Rosenberg, Paul Kupperberg, Jeff Mariotte, Raymond Benson, Robert Greenberger, David Spencer, Greg Cox, Burl Barer, Jeff Ayers, Nancy Holder, Brandie Tarvin, Alina Adams and William Rabkin.

This book is an official publication of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.

EDITORIAL REVIEWS:

"TIED IN doesn’t focus solely on television tie-ins. It also covers movie novelizations, comic book tie-ins and computer game tie ins. But that actually makes it even more valuable and more interesting.[...]David Spencer’s wonderful “American TV Tie-Ins from the 50s through the early 70s,” delves into the history of television tie-in novels and examines several of the writers from those decades, including William Johnston, Keith Laumer and Michael Avallone. [...] Other essays I found particularly interesting were “Learning on the Job,” in which Nancy Holder discusses her experience writing her first tie-in novel, “This Time It’s Personal,” an account of how Max Allan Collins managed to write the novelization for a movie adapted from his own graphic novel, and “How to Novelize a Game,” William C. Dietz’s reflection on what goes into crafting a novel out of a computer/video game.[...]
TIED IN is a fascinating exploration of the media tie-in business." -- Television Obscurities Blog (www.tvobscurities.com)

"This is really interesting and entertaining stuff. I started with Tod Goldberg's essay on writing the Burn Notice books, moved on Jeff Mariotte's "Jack of All Trades," got really caught up in Max Allan Collins's "This Time It's Personal," kept right on going through the great round-table discussion, and read three or four more of the essays, including one that harks back to my era, David Spencer's "American TV Tie-Ins from the '50s to the Early '70s." All I can say about that one is that I'm glad I have my copies of John Tiger's I Spy novels because I'm sure a lot of people are going to be looking for them now. I still have a few more essays to read, and I'm really looking forward to them. I was genuinely surprised at how much fun I had reading this book, and I'm sure most of you would like it, too" Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine (billcrider.blogspot.com)

"I say this without a whit of exaggeration TIED-IN, edited by Lee Goldberg and written by the members of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, is the most fascinating, entertaining and honest book about the writing life I've ever read..." --Ed Gorman, author of GUILD, SLEEPING DOGS, and founder of Mystery Scene Magazine

Rating: - A Fascinating Behind the Scenes Look at the World of the Tie-in Novel
Since I enjoy tie-in novels, I jumped at a chance to get a review copy of this collection of essays that attempt to explain just how these books come to be. And I found it just as fascinating as I thought I would.

Over the course of 19 chapters, we get a good feel for how the business works. Since many of the authors are telling their own stories, we get some repetition. But that also helps reinforce the point that writing tie-ins is hard work. But it is also a labor of love. I get the feeling that the authors contributing here love doing it, struggles and all.

We get a look at every kind of tie-in imaginable. There are the books based on TV series, as covered by Donald Bain (author of the Murder, She Wrote books), Tod Goldberg, and William Rabkin. Max Allen Collins discusses his two most frustrating novelizations of movies. Is writing for a YA crowd harder or easier? You'll get the answer from Aaron Rosenberg. Writing a novel based on an entire season of episodes, novels based on comic books, and writing novels set between movies are all discussed. Heck, I wasn't aware that some canceled soap operas have continued on-line, but now I know all about that.

My respect for tie-in writers has really grown as a result of reading this book. One of the repeated facts is their short deadline. We're talking weeks to complete a book. And that's with multiple people telling them how the book should be written. This isn't easy work.

Since there are so many different authors, the writing style varies. Most of the essays are conversational, but a couple get more scholarly in tone. Even then, I found the writing readable. A couple of the chapters could have been a bit shorter for my tastes (I'm not a big Bond fan, for example), but I'm sure others will love those chapters.

Really, if you enjoy reading about the adventures of your favorite screen characters, this is a book you need to check out. You'll love getting a peak behind the scenes at how authors create these further stories.

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Rating: - Absolutely facsinating!

WOW! This book is absolutely fascinating. I'm not being facetious, or praising it because I am among the contributors -- this really is a remarkably compelling and irresistible book for anyone who loves reading, writing and/or popular culture. It also should/could be required reading for students of creative writing. Anyone who loves popular culture, movies, television, comics and film will find this a treasure trove of insights and information unavailable elsewhere.