Successful writers—those who make a living writing—will tell you the real keys to such work today are selling the idea, and completing interviews to get details others don’t have. That’s why The Writing Business retains its value today. The book features inside advice from the late Alex Haley who became the master interviewer for Playboy. He describes how he earned the trust of the late Sammy Davis Jr. and Malcolm X to relate their feelings about what motivated them and how they dealt with their fears. This book shows you how to write query letters, to prepare the article and find necessary art (photos, illustrations). It provides the mechanics most writers don’t think about but frequently cause them delays or loss of manuscripts ... and sales.

Alex Haley contributed to The Writing Business: How To be a Successful Magazine Writer by writing the Introduction.