A seasoned writer of fiction and nonfiction, Alan Gelb has published novels with G.P. Putnam’s Sons, St. Martin’s Press, Dell, Avon, and more. In 2008, Ten Speed Press published his Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Steps. Now in its third edition, this slim volume has taught thousands of students how to create a one-of-a-kind essay. And it’s often ranked the #1 college essay book on Amazon. His last book, Having the Last Say: Capturing Your Legacy in One Small Story, builds on the work he has done with 
high school students to enable older people to engage in life review and create narratives that explore their values and beliefs. He is also the author of Most Likely to Succeed: Multiple Murder and the Elusive Search for Justice in an American Town (E.P. Dutton, 1990), which dealt with a quadruple homicide in Chatham, New York.