It’s about time someone wrote this book!

I have been reading tie-in novels since the mid-1970’s. I’m not sure if the first one was a Partridge Family novel (oh, yes, they had them and I read them!) or one of the two Gerry Anderson UFO novels (why only two!?) or, quite likely, one of those James Blish Star Trek adaptations. I don’t know how far back tie-in novels go, but for me, they go back to my earliest reading days. What a lot of younger readers don’t quite grasp is that back before the internet was easily accessible (possibly in your own parents’ day), if we wanted to experience more adventures of our favorite characters, we couldn’t just stream any tv show we wanted, but we could (maybe) get a book and enjoy an entirely new adventure.

So, tie-in novels have been around for awhile, but while there is no shortage of how-to-write books and magazines I’m not aware of any other book that speaks specifically to the task and challenges of writing a tie-in novel or a novel in someone else’s universe.

Author Tim Waggoner lays it all out by the numbers – he’s written a few tie-ins and had varying experiences (including NOT getting a job he wanted) and he comes at this with some great insight. But even with this, Waggoner includes a brief Q&A with other tie-in writers. Most of these are names I recognize. In one instance, a writer whose work I really like but didn’t know they also did tie-ins, and in another instance, the author mentioned having been asked to write a short story set in another author’s universe and it just happens that I recently read and reviewed that collection, and this author’s story was one of those that I felt was outstanding.

Perhaps some of the most interesting or helpful parts of the book are Waggoner’s including outlines and treatments, and even one complete short story that he’s written in an effort to get a contract.

Not surprisingly, there are challenges to tie-in writing that we don’t usually think about. Anyone who’s current with Star Trek fandom probably knows the story of James Blish, who wrote the television adaptations for the books, hadn’t actually seen an episode of the show when he first started – he was handed copies of the scripts – often early versions – and set about to writing. According to Waggoner, this is still common practice.

If you’ve read a novelization of a movie and noticed some differences, some of this could be because of the version of the script handed the author, some of it could be because the author hadn’t seen the film or even stills from the film (very likely), and some of it could be because part of the author’s job is to expand on what is in the film. Waggoner notes:

My job is to write a book based on the script, almost as if I was directing my own version of the film. It’s not only okay if they don’t match completely, it’s a good thing.

The big take-away from the book (which should be no surprise to anyone) is that you are not going to get a job as a tie-in writer. Nope. It doesn’t matter if you’ve loved My Little Pony all your life and know more about the series than the creators themselves. If you don’t already have a decent amount of writing credits under you belt – meaning book contracts from major publishers, you aren’t going to get hired to write the next, the best, or even the first My Little Pony novel.

But take time to read through the book anyway. It’s full of fabulous resources and Tim Waggoner’s got a talent for word-smithing.

Did you know that there’s actually an association for tie-in writers? It’s the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers and you can find them at: iamtw.org …Wait a minute … i … am … TW? Just how did Tim Waggoner get this job?

Looking for a good book? Just Add Writer by Tim Waggoner explores what it takes to work as a media tie-in writer. It’s full of juicy tidbits and resources, but it will absolutely not help you get a job.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Read as an ARC from Netgalley:

This book is absolutely essential reading for any fans of novelizations or tie-in literature. Waggoner gives an outstanding overview of the format and gives a very entertaining history of his own journeys throughout his career.

Excellent for anyone looking to get into the business, but also excellent for anyone curious about the business as well.

Great interviews, smart writing, can't recommend this one enough.

Title: Just Add Writer: A Complete Guide to Writing Tie-ins and IP
Author: Tim Waggoner
Publisher: Raw Dog Screaming Press
Release Date: May 2024
Genre: Writing / Craft / Nonfiction
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Part memoir, part how-to manual, Just Add Writer is Tim Waggoner’s deep dive into the world of media tie-in fiction—those officially licensed novels based on franchises like Supernatural, Alien, and Grimm. Waggoner combines firsthand experience with practical guidance, covering everything from pitch prep to IP etiquette, with a refreshing honesty about the constraints and rewards of working in someone else’s sandbox.

The book shines thanks to its accessible tone, generous real-world examples, and interviews with other seasoned tie-in authors, making it feel like a writing panel you didn’t have to leave your house to attend. While some broader writing advice is touched on lightly, the real value here is its specificity—Waggoner isn’t trying to teach you how to write fiction in general; he’s teaching you how to survive and thrive in the unique (and often invisible) ecosystem of IP writing.

Whether you’re a working writer hoping to break into the tie-in market or a curious fan wondering how those franchise novels get made, this is a smart, practical, and surprisingly inspiring resource.

Final Word:
A niche but necessary guide, Just Add Writer demystifies the business of tie-in fiction with clarity, candor, and craft. Ideal for writers looking to get paid to play with other people’s toys.

Tim Waggoner has written a plethora of tie-in novels for various franchises and has tapped a number of other media tie-in writers to share their own experiences and advice. In each chapter of JUST ADD WRITER, he discusses a particular tie-in franchise he’s written for, for example, in chapter four, it’s Supernatural and Grimm. He shares how he obtained the opportunity to write various tie-in book(s), how he developed the book, his experience working with editors and the intellectual property owners, and his key takeaways. He also includes exercises to help the aspiring tie-in author to hone their craft and “voices from the trenches” with insight from other established tie-in authors. Later chapters delve into specific topics such as the business aspects of tie-ins, writing novelizations, and how to gain tie-in writing experience. Five appendices cover a sample story, sample pitches, sample proposal, sample outline, and sample chapters.

Some of the craft information in JUST ADD WRITER is applicable to original fiction as well as tie-ins, for example the advice around writing for themed anthology calls and tactics for increasing the word count of novels.

Waggoner expanded my understanding of the tie-in market and inspired me to explore tie-in adjacent opportunities. Like the other titles in his WRITING IN THE DARK series, JUST ADD WRITER is an excellent resource for the aspiring tie-in author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Raw Dog Screaming Press for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was interested in this book one two fronts. One is that I'm a home fan fiction bookbinder, so my hobby is taking stories based on IP and "publishing" them into physical books. Another is that I've been a long time fan of the Star Wars expanded universe, and the divide between Affirmational Fandom and Transformational Fandom is ever fascinating to me. I was really curious to see if this book would essentially be "how to write fanfic for profit and corporate approval." What I thought was interesting was that the book makes a clear distinction between fan fiction and tie-in fiction, and in fact, how fan fiction may be stigmatized in the tie-in world. This is a solid how-to book specifically for folks interested in breaking into writing IP fiction in traditional publishing.

Helpful, Insightful and told through interviews of many successful tie-in writers.
The book gives you a map explaining to improve your skills and where to start in finding your way to one's dream in the publishing game

What the book needed though was a section on how to improve that writing.

But, aren't we all trying to find that magic recipe? Yes.
Saying, write better though, is kind of an oversimplification.

Four Stars

I went into the book somehow an ignorant. I am leaving a bit less so, with a lot more questions, and some exercises to guide me through.

I like that Tim Waggoner asked several other people in the industry to way in so he can have different voices in this book.
This also speaks of the wealth of experience that went into this book.
The answers were always brief yet comprehensive and clear.

The chapters are easy to follow and very informative.
The book definitely inspires confidence and is a holistic place of passion where someone who wants to write tie-ins can start.

There are also advice that is very useful for writers of all genres and types, and not just tie-ins.

ANd the creme de la creme is definitely the thought-provoking exercises at the end of each chapter.

Tim Waggoner, Just Add Writer A Complete Guide to Writing Tie-ins and IP, RDS Publishing|Guide Dog Books, May 2024.

Thank you, Net Galley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Tim Waggoner has written an impressive guide for writing tie-ins – but more than that, there is so much material that applies to other forms of writing. I am not a fan of much of the material that he uses as examples ( Supernatural, Defender: Hyperswarm, Exalted: Shadow Over Heaven’s Eye, A Nightmare on Elm Street, for example and he refers to horror as a favourite genre) – but my prejudices are apparent from my sigh of relief when one of the contributors mentioned writing for Law and Order and Murder She Wrote. Something familiar at last! However, that said, I was drawn into Waggoner’s alien world through the almost magical lure of his writing style, the accessibility of his advice and the substantial and valuable guide to a wide range of writing beyond the topic for which this book could be seen as a ‘must read’. To add to Waggoner’s experience there are interviews with other tie in writers which strengthen the proposition that, although there are some broad guidelines that are worth following, writers have unique experiences as well as comparable ones that are also valuable.

The chapters comprise Waggoner’s experience in particular areas: These are followed by relevant interviews with some of the other tie in writers – ‘Voices from the Trenches,’ and exercises. The Introduction includes a wonderful story of youthful enterprise and eventual work in the industry. Chapter include an overview; detailed chapters on Waggoner’s beginnings in the industry – 2004- 2006, 2006-2010, 2013-2017, 2017-2019 and 2021-2024; a ‘how to’ chapter for those wanting tie-in writing experience; and the business side of tie-ins. In chapter 9 Waggoner talks of writing tie-ins and the focus of this book, suggesting that other resources will be better guides for writing differnt fiction. He is the expert, but I found useful clues for improving other types of fiction with which I am more familiar than tie-ins. Perhaps have this book as your ‘go to’ for tie-ins and an ancillary for other work? I am certainly glad to have read it, apart from learning more about tie-ins! His references to the role of tie-ins in short stories, novels and novellas in this chapter is useful, and links neatly with chapter 10 in which writing ‘novelizations’ is covered. I think back to the simple novelisations of ‘When the Boat Comes In’ and ‘Onedin Line,’ and see that Waggoner is usefully discussing more sophisticated works. This is a fitting end to an exciting journey.

There is an inspiring biography – inspiring because it encourages readers with different tastes to explore further – which features novels, non-fiction, comic book scripts, short stories, and a list of Waggoner’s original work. Yes, tie-in writers are free to write their own work, at the same time recognising that the tie-in must confirm to the original plan. Key resources appear at the end of the book, together with a short biography of Waggoner, and five appendices. These are a sample story, sample pitches, a tie-in proposal, a tie-in outline, and sample chapters.

This is the work of a person who, in his own words, enjoys writing tie-in fiction. Waggoner’s enthusiasm is abundantly clear from the book, and a wholehearted encouragement to others who want to join him.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

First let me state that I am a big fan of Tim Waggoner, for both his original and tie-in fiction and so I was really looking forward to reading this book. And what a book it is! Tim has always been generous with his writing advice in both his books, his Youtube channel and his personal blog at Writing In The Dark and this book was no different. Tim takes us through an overview of what tie-in fiction is, his own experiences with each piece of tie-in fiction he has written from 2004 through to 2024, as well as advice on how to get into tie-in fiction, the business side of writing tie-in fiction, writing tie-ins in the form of short fiction, novels or novellas as well as writing novelisations of film or TV media. All of this along with a vast appendix of examples that he used to write pitches, sample chapters and so much more.

There is also accompanying advice from other tie-in writers who all generously give their experience of how they got into writing tie-ins, how fun it can be to play in someone else's sandbox with someone else's characters and how they have found the experience.

All in all, this book is a vast repertoire of advice and information for anyone looking to get into tie-in fiction or novelisations of licensed media and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Engaging and accessible. A recommended addition to authors' shelves who are looking to break into IP work.