How did Dean Koontz sell 450 millions books? Hard work? Luck? Innate skill? Today we'll take a look at his long road to becoming one of the world's best selling authors.
I knew Dean and his wife, Gerda in the very beginning when she made him that deal when they lived in Harrisburg, PA. Dean and Gerda only lived there for about their first three years. I serviced both his wife's IBM Sectric typewriter where she worked and Dean's IBM Selectric typewriter in their apartment where he worked. Talking about working, Dean worked 12 hours a day except for Sunday. He only worked 6 hours on Sunday. This was week in and week out. He did NOT goof off. They were just a great couple and very. very nice people. I'm so, so happy that things worked out for them. I'm thrilled just to have known them.
Dean Koontz actually IS one of my favourite authors simply because he IS "safe." Sure, if you have read ten or more you know what you'll get, but it's always a relaxing read. My top 5 Koontz books in order are: 1) Strangers 2) Watchers 3) From the corner of his eye 4) Lightning 5) Twilight eyes There are many honourable mentions.
I would have to add Phantoms. The only book that ever scared me to death. From the corner of his eye, I will have to read. Watchers, was the first book that ever made me cry, lol. Lightning - insane. I think I would have to do a top 15.
Yes! Koontz is without question my favorite author!! My favorite is Odd Thomas. Leading up to where I am now in my Koontz fandom, I wasn't sure for a long time if I would enjoy his Frankenstein series... I shouldn't have doubted, they're as great as my other faves of his. The Jane Hawks series is pretty top notch as well. I have seen many people's reviews complain about him being preachy, which is silly, I Really Very enjoy the way he digresses with thought and sentiment. In fact, I have grown to expect this of him. I also love the way he creeps into the mind of his villains, he shows from their perspective, their evil and deluded, self righteous, self indulgent thought processes... in their own crazy explanations of why they do what they do.
I don't know that Dean Koontz is my absolute favorite author, but he is certainly in my top 5. I absolutely adore his writing style. In my humble opinion, writing is best when the reader is less aware of the reading process and more aware of experiencing the story in the mind's eye. Mr. Koontz has the ability to do that better than most. I don't know if his writing has always been this good, but books like Watchers, Intensity, Innocence, and Elsewhere all have that effect, and are some of the best books I've ever read.
I've never read a single word from Koontz. But I have/had a friend who I wrote with for a long time. She always said I was in her top 5 favorite authors/writers. Top three actually, specifically beating out Dean Koontz, who was one of her top five favorites. So that was high praise, as she was an avid reader and writer. That was before I really began my writing journey. I don't feel like I have any more particularly innate talent than Mr. Koontz, but I can appreciate hard work.
Lightning is a really good read. I am from Argentina, we speak spanish here, and his books are not being edited anymore (since the 90's). Looking for a D.Koontz novel in an old library is super fun, and when you find one, it's just amazing. Same thing happens to John Saul (although he is not that good compared to Koontz imo), Ramsey Campbell, Frank de Felitta, William Peter Blatty... even Thomas Harris is just difficult to find here. Good video.
Hey Travis, what a truly great and inspirational video (as always!), especially for young writers, like myself, who dream about writing full-time. I saw you wrote that "Chase" has been long out of print. However, two years ago I was able to buy a copy of that novel, which was published in 2017 by Headline, a British publishing house. So... if you're interested... Ps. I think "Night Chills" was a pretty awesome book, too, even though it came out in the seventies. Regards, Chris
I was first introduced to Koontz by my uncle, who gave me a copy of the book he'd gotten from his friend. The book was The Husband and I hated it very much, and thus began a long road of me trying to figure out why the guy was popular. I went on to read Odd Thomas, Darkest Evening of the Year, and Prodigal Son (Frankenstein 1). Odd and Prodigal Son were good. Darkest Evening was shit. I read the Odd sequels. I read 2, 3 and 4 but none after that. I'm in the minority there. I preferred books 2 and 4 to 3. After that, I read Lightning. Lightning was fantastic, amazing, dark and brutal. Door to December was also good. The primary strength of Koontz is pacing. When he's at his best, the plot hits the ground running, whereas Stephen King (my favorite writer) can give you a really bloated story (The Tommyknockers is a great example). The primary weakness of Koontz is characterization, especially getting into his later period. His. heroes are nearly perfect, and never argue with each other or have any vices. The villains are pure evil with zero redeeming qualities. The kids are geniuses and never watch TV, watch movies, or play video games. And nobody swears. Hardened criminals will say "shit" and "bitch" sometimes but that's it. So when I read books like Odd Thomas or Prodigal Son, even when I liked them, I felt that they were "off." The characters really didn't hold up next to Harold Lauder, or Jack Torrance or The Loser's Club.
I am a stephen king fan but I never dislike koontzs also.. Because I never understand why people keep compare them.. Koontz books are fun to read.. And king is awesome. I love them both.
He is my favorite author! His books are awesome! He conquers subjects that I believe frighten most other known authors. He doesn’t bore you with the same stuff all the time. And he definitely hits a chord with reality through storytelling. But better! His research is admirable and it shows in his writing. Plus he is one of the few authors that can make me laugh out loud! To laugh is always a plus in life to me. Koontz is a real person, and continues to grow in mind and soul which I can relate to wholeheartedly! Love your books Dean; ‘Innocence’ being my favorite so far, but there’s Odd Thomas, Jane Hawk, Watchers, The Husband, The Good Guy, and a few more I love; the rest I really like! Some I have read 20 to 30 times. No bs. Koontz stands in his own category which no one can touch so far! Love you Dean, Gerda, and all your Goldens! Course I’m not biased. I just know what I like. And Dean Koontz’s writing is great! A breath of fresh air! I own all but a few of his books. I will eventually have them all! ❤️
Nice summary and recap here! My favorite author is Thomas Harris. I do admire and enjoy Dean Koontz work. My fav DK novels: 1 Midnight 2 Watchers 3 Bad Place
I have read a LOT of Dean's books. Less of them in later years when he kind of went off the rails about dogs but whatever floats his boat...he's rich enough to do what he wants. He's not my favorite author, there's too much of a formula to his books. The good guy always wins, gets the girl, rides into the sunset, etc. However, one of my very favorite books is by Dean Koontz, From the Corner of His Eye. I loved that book the first time I read it and it has always stuck with me. I recently read it again and loved it just as much. I'll probably read it again eventually. And that's something I can say about very, very few books in my life - and I average reading about a book every day or two. So, I completely agree with the video. Koontz writes good, reliable stories with a great one popping up once in a while. But that good one makes it worthwhile to read all the decent ones.
@@alexx3914 I've never heard of him doing erotica. He doesn't really seem the type, does he? Where do you find his erotic books and what are some titles? Does he use the same name or a different pen name?
@@Fiddlebuckers no he used a different name. And it's a rarity to find. I just found out today after reading a few articles and RU-vid videos. It was also in his early years of writing.
He isn't my favorite author; however, I do truly love One Door Away from Heaven. His books were something new for me. I'd never read anything that gripped me by the hand and raced me along. Now, after I read a bunch of his books in a row, I started to catch the pattern of his writing. But that was okay because it let me look at his writing from a more technical standpoint and as an author myself, I'm down to learn from a great.
@@angim6750 It is different. I read it and for whatever reason it jist didnt resonate with me. But I'd dare anyone else but Koontz to write a story like that and pull it off. You know?
I did a Venn Diagram of all his book titles using just three concepts: dark/nighttime, cold/winter, and vision-- something like *24* of the books published under his own name alone fit into it 😅
dean koontz was ok in small doses. his stuff now is bunk. its all the same. i hope youre just trolling. stephen king can be redundant, but at least his characters have depth.
@@daveedmunds1109 1st off I'd like to say that asking for my top 10 makes no sense because i like things you probably Won't and I wont like things that you probably do so why do we need my top 10, but I'll give it. Odd Thomas , Flight plan, the city, The door to December, fear nothing, Odd hours, Odd Apocalypse, Seize the night, tick tock, strange highways.
@@claymaynard4207 it does make sense Clay. I'm interested in what your opinion is or else why ask anyone's opinion on anything as it might not match your own lol
My Top 10. 10. Your heart belongs to me. -totally underrated. There sure is a problem here and there, but I love how he started it and the reveal at the end was totally unexpected oh and the resolution at the end. Totally different from all koontz ending. 9. Dark Rivers of the Heart. - yes it is a bit formulatic, but love the antagonists here. 8. Fear Nothing. - this ones scary. the monkeys scared the shit out of me. And Bobby and Chris's friendship. 7. Watchers. though one of his most acclaimed, I will put it just one seven. 6. Odd thomas. a humble cook who is a friend of both elvis and frank sinatra, top that! 5. Midnight. - Janice Capshaw loves to run at night. ... that intro alone.!! And Chrissy foster and Harry are just adorable. 4. Strange Highways. . The pumpkin!!!. Love the short stories here. 3. Bad Place. The twins, Candy and Frank are sibling goals.!!!!! 2. Mr. Murder- this one got me into Koontz. I need.... a Charlotte and Emily. 1. From the Corner of his eyes. Yes it is lengthy and the ending sucks. But theres Enoch Cain and the twins. And Barty and his eyes!!!
@@mikebarnes7441 I have. Dr. Ahriman still creeps me out. A real monster that is. Although he is the only memorable character in the novel, at least for me. But thanks anyway.
@@carlitobuban7264 can i ask your opinion? I am still a fairly new Koontz reader and i have recently picked up watchers as i have gathered that is generally accepted as one of his best. But i have a few options after that: One Door Away From Heaven, What the Night Knows, The Face, The Taking, Fear Nothing, Phantoms Thanks for your input!
@@mikebarnes7441 you actually picked great titles. I love all of them except The Face. One door away from heaven is highly recommended along with Fear nothing.
@@carlitobuban7264 hah i realized after i asked you that Fear Nothing was right there on your list above. Thar one is a bit shorter so i will most likely knock that one out after Watchers. Then I have Intensity then probably One Door. Thanks for your help man! 👍
To answer the question at the end: he used to be one of my favourite authors when I was a teenager, not so much anymore. Twilight Eyes had a very big impact on me, and I love the rewritten Demon Seed (haven't read the original published version though). I find myself thinking of Lightning, and Tick Tock quite often still, so I suppose they must have gone in fairly deep on some level.
Yep, he is my favorite author. And of course that all started for me with Watchers. And my favorite is A Big Little Life, about his golden Trixie. But I love most of his books that I’ve read.
I'm an avid collector of his books (when money can allow). Aside from academic or faith based books, he's the only author I will read from going on 10 years now. Once I've collected everything he's ever written (and read it) I will open up to other authors, but for now I love falling into the intensely descriptive, harrowing, uplifting and vivid stories I feel only he can accomplish. King is a master of description as well but I find his stories bleak and soul sucking, they always leave me looking down at life. Dean Koontz can draw up great evil characters as well but he also shows their constant self destructing ways and how strong goodness can grow through adversity. I will say this, even though I admire the crap out of this author, his books are not "read aloud" friendly. His long drawn out descriptions flow better read to ones self. This is solely one woman's opinion but I think the odd Thomas movie stayed true to his book and was phenomenal to watch.
Intensity so far is my favorite. Sole Survivor is also good. Recently finished Odd Thomas which was good but I’m guessing the others in that series are better. Currently reading Tick Tock which so far I’d recommend! I own about 20 of his books so got to go do more reading!
I read "Whispers' and 'Night Chills' when I was ten. The violence and creepy sexual situations totally traumatized me for sure, LOL. 'The Bad Place' was an amazing ride though, what a weird plot! And 'Phantoms', of course.
He is one of my favorite authors. James Lee Burke; Joe R. Lansdale; Louis L'Amour; Robert Cormier, etc...I even got an autographed book of his with a handwritten letter because I sent him my two self published books on Amazon. The Man is a real hard worker!! I received an award in 8th Grade: Hardest Worker! my two books on Amazon: Poetry / Art Book "My Poetic Blessings" in Three parts and my Autobiography "My Life & Escape, How I Escaped the Captivity and Suffering of the VA Prison of Drugs" both by Michael Anthony Melice
Not many people's favorite author?! You must be kidding. He's only sold 450 million books. There's an excellent analysis of Koontz as a serious - and outstanding - Catholic author which you can find online. I'm sure he did take a while to get going. But if you read the essay I alluded to, in which the author quotes both extremely recent and thirty year old prose excerpts, you'll see an undeniable first rate ability. I can recall only one Koontz novel I couldn't get anywhere with, "77 Shadow Street," I think it's called. Otherwise, I am an avid fan. He could certainly have decided to be a "literary writer," someone on the order of Steven Millhauser, whom I'm a huge fan of, but he doesn't appear to have been interested in a life in the academy, thank God. He writes his own genre. I do think he parodies himself sometimes, and there are repeated elements and qualities, motifs in his work. I can't think of a writer of whom that isn't so. It's certainly so of Steven Millhauser. Graham Greene, whom Koontz reminds me of in that Greene appears to have been unpretentious and certainly uninterested in being a "literary writer," said that every worthwhile writer repeats themes, ideas, his own style. Greene wrote great thrillers and is universally recognized as a great novelist. Koontz is still a denizen of the genre he invented, which is a goulash of various elements. I think that just as Phillip K Dick and Raymond Chandler used to be recognized as genre writers but are now understood to have been first rate American writers, period, the same thing may happen to Koontz eventually.
Intensity is my favorite Koontz. Yes, I know no one who's worked harder. My favorite writer is Charles Dickens. My favorite living writer is ... a constant change but Thomas Pynchon is up there. Good overview and commentary.
Perhaps the thing I most enjoy about Koontz's books is that, unlike Stephen King, whom I compare him favorably to, his protagonists are usually really decent people I enjoy spending time with. Unlike so many of King's characters, who can be downright horrible people. Koontz's characters are normal and simple and hardworking everyman characters who are also brave and noble, honest and true. They are my ideal of The Hero archetype. Like the character in Cold Fire; who, after discovering he has control over his supernatural gift, criticizes Superman for having a day job. He, on the other hand, decides to spend the rest of his life rescuing and helping all the people his power informs him about! I LIKE THAT!
After the last race, Night Chills, the vision and Prison of Ice are great books IMO. I never could get through Whispers. I agree with you with most things. And have loved novels from all his Eras. I would say he’s in my top ten Authors with Poppy Z Brite Brett Easton Ellis Ramsay Campbell Scott Heim Joe Hill Stephen King Anne Bishop Ian Banks And Jenifer Roberson. If koontz wouldn’t always have dogs in his novels I’d enjoy them more.
The only book I've completed of Koontz so far was Darkfall. Which, I don't hear many people talk about. Honestly, it was a 90's nostalgia book....I don't know how to describe it but...it was this era of writing that was my favorite.
People need to start treating James Patterson like pro wrestling treats Chris Benoit. Who the fuck is that guy? Seriously though, that man has the most overwhelming exaggerated sense of importance and accomplishment I have ever seen for doing practically nothing other than having the money to pay others to write his books.
Hes books before 1980 are good the vision night chills, winter moon im reading key to midnight now its good so far maybe they het better nut tjese are good.
I Liked his first Odd Thomas books and the Seize The Night characters, but he never continued them. I don't buy his stuff anymore. It's rather repetitive. Many years ago, I loved "Lightning".
You forgot Watchers one of the best My opinion I just love dogs😀please don’t compare him to other writers😀 I don’t understand are you bashing him or appraising him😀he is my favourite author but he’s the author of intelligent readers with high IQ’s. I challenge anyone to read all his books before you judge. LOVE YOU KOONTZ.🙂
"To this day, he's never done a book tour." Actually, there's a video on RU-vid of Koontz speaking at what I guess is some kind of Comic-Con or something, where he talks about going on a book tour. Hate to be THAT GUY, but just sayin'...
He's done signings and conventions, which is what he's discussing in that video if it's the one I'm thinking about. But he's never gone on a nationwide, multi city, multi week book tour like most of his contemporaries.
Koontz is a creationist, he thinks non-religious people have no morals, he's a terrible writer on sentence-by-sentence and book-by-book basis, and his right-wing TV anchor bouffant is utterly hilarious.