Danielle Steel ‘Can’t Write a Book on a Computer,’ Prefers ‘Big, Heavy, Clunky, Solid’ 1940s Typewriter (Exclusive)
The bestselling author has written each of her 212 books — and counting — the old-fashioned way for a reason
Brigitte Lacombe
Danielle Steel and the cover of her latest book, 'Resurrection'.The legendarily prolific Danielle Steel sometimes writes for up to 24 hours at a stretch, if she's really on a roll. But she doesn't use a computer to do it. Instead, she types out each manuscript on one of her 1940s Olympia typewriters — and she has very good reasons for doing it the old-school way.
"I love my typewriters," Steel tells PEOPLE, for a story in this week's print issue. "I've had them forever. And they're very old. I bought them, obviously, secondhand 'cause they're from the '40s."
The bestselling author of more than 212 titles, whose newest, Resurrection, comes out June 25, does use her computer to write emails but prefers her manual typewriter for drafting her books.
Courtesy Alessandro Calderano
Danielle Steel at her typewriter in 2023.For more on Danielle Steel, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.
"I'm used to the feel of them," she explains. "They're big, heavy, clunky, solid. And obviously, I've made typing mistakes, but I can't make any horrible mistakes. I can just see myself doing a year of work [on a computer] and hitting the wrong button and blowing it out."
A lot of work goes into each book before Steel even sits down at the typewriter. She outlines every book by hand, accompanied by exhaustive research, much of which she does herself.
“I’m very meticulous,” Steel says. “It’s what makes it credible. I need a lot of geographic descriptions. How long does it take to get from here to there? What does it look like? And what does it smell like? All of that."
"I try to be very accurate with medications and with illnesses," she adds. "You don't want to give people the wrong information, so the research is really intense."
That attention to accuracy has paid off for Steel, who has sold more than a billion copies of her books worldwide.
"My readers know they can trust me," she says. "They're not gonna be heartbroken and depressed at the end of the book. I may make the characters suffer and bad things happen, but in the end, they're gonna be relatively okay."
Even after going through her process hundreds of times, she still feels a thrill — and some nerves— every time she settles in at her typewriter to begin a new project. “I’m always scared in the beginning,” she confesses. “And because of that, I really strive to make it better every time.”
Resurrection is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.
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