"Allen Appel knows how to craft a great thriller. He has been an extraordinarily helpful and wise guide to me over the years and I can’t recommend his advice highly enough. He’ll put you to work and help you produce your best work."
Matthew Quirk, bestselling author of The 500
Matthew Quirk, bestselling author of The 500
Allen Appel is a freelance book reviewer and interviewer who works primarily for the publishing industry’s most influential publication. Over his career he has read and reviewed many hundreds of novels, the majority of them thrillers. He has also published 12 of his own books, six of them award-winning novels in the mystery/thriller genre. This deep immersion in all aspects of book publishing has left him with a unique ability to quickly diagnose a novel’s best and worst characteristics and after years of practicing the craft be able to apply technical and aesthetic solutions that change difficulties and challenges into successful fiction.
Appel is also the author of the popular book blog, The Thriller Guy. There he writes about the industry and the authors of thrillers and offers advice and tips on living the writing life and the craft and business of being a novelist. Thriller Guy can be a bit curmudgeonly (that's an understatement) but he has only the best interests in the writers who work at a difficult and lonely craft and an industry that at times seems bent on its own self destruction.
Shut Up, Sit Down, Get to Work:
Thriller Guy’s Program For Writing Your Novel
There are many excellent writers and editors for hire on the Internet who would love to help you write a novel. Many of them are very good. Some of them are cheaper than Thriller Guy. Some of them may actually get you through the whole process in a reasonable amount of time. Maybe. One thing is for sure, all of them will be much nicer to you than Thriller Guy is. Which is why when you hire him, you also get his alter ego, Allen Appel. When TG has pushed his bootcamp, tough-love style of beating your novel out of you just a little too far, Appel will step in and, if not calm him down, at least explain why he’s doing what he’s doing. Here’s the thing, if you want to really produce not just a novel, but the best novel you can write, Thriller Guy will get that novel out of you and onto the page in a reasonable amount of time. If you want someone to hold your hand, pat you on the back and tell you that everything is going to be all right, hire someone else. And good luck with that novel if you do.
Cost: $2,000.00.* One thousand down when we start, one thousand when the book is finished. Because the book will be finished. You can be starting from zero or you can have a finished manuscript when you come to Thriller Guy, it’s all the same price: $2,000.00.*
Cost: $2,000.00.* One thousand down when we start, one thousand when the book is finished. Because the book will be finished. You can be starting from zero or you can have a finished manuscript when you come to Thriller Guy, it’s all the same price: $2,000.00.*
"Allen Appel is a rare bird -- a gifted novelist who can also teach. His advice is always smart, practical and, uh, refreshingly blunt."
Daniel Stashower, Edgar Award winner.
Daniel Stashower, Edgar Award winner.
“Among his (many) other qualities, Allen Appel is probably the best ‘first reader’ a writer could want. He has the gift of homing in on the critical issues in any piece of writing, whether they’re matters of voice, pace, style, or story. His suggestions are concrete and actionable, and there’s never any doubt he is on the writer’s side, working to make every piece of writing the best it can be. Also, his taste in music is impeccable and he only laughs at jokes if they are actually funny.”
John McKeon, author of The Serpent’s Crown and Demented Choirs.
John McKeon, author of The Serpent’s Crown and Demented Choirs.
"If you're looking for a 'tough love' approach to writing your novel, Allen Appel (aka The Thriller Guy) is your hero. Sign on, and he will make sure that you stop procrastinating and start writing."
Larry Kahaner, author of Naked Prey.
Larry Kahaner, author of Naked Prey.
The Second Time Around
Okay, you've written your first novel, maybe you've even published it. Then you hit that wall known as your second novel. Appel/Thriller Guy specializes in guiding the sophomore novelist through his second book. There's a whole new raft of difficulties, especially if we're talking series. Appel has been through this particular mill and survived to go on and continue a series into multiple volumes. Those of you in this position understand the difficulties. Besides all the technical challenges, writers find that there's very little sympathy, much less help, extended to those stricken with second-book-itis. The price is the same as those struggling with first books: $2000.00.* And worth every penny of it.
"Allen Appel is a combination editor, teacher and literary drill instructor. He knows how to create a good story, how to write a good story and how to sell a good story. He is simply one of the best book doctors you can find. His experience and knowledge are priceless. I've personally experienced his writing book camp, and I've just reenlisted."
Marc Smolonsky, author of Dirty Laundry
and soon-to-be-megabestseller One In A Million.
* In rare, exceedingly rare, instances, Thriller Guy will work on a project for a percentage of the profits a book makes after publication. Contact him and/or Allen Appel for specifics.
