J. W. Rinzler has authored 16 books, three New York Times bestsellers, and a London Times bestseller, including The Making of Star Wars, The Complete Making of Indiana Jones, and the #1 best-selling graphic novel The Star Wars. His books have been translated into seven languages, with more than 600,000 copies in print. A prolific writer who worked closely with George Lucas for 15 years, he was the executive editor at Lucasfilm. Known for his meticulous research, Rinzler is adept at bringing behind-the-scenes dramas to life. He wrote and directed the animated short Riddle of the Black Cat, which was featured in several festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival. His most recent work is All Up, an epic historical fiction novel of the first Space Age.

He has several upcoming books: The Making of Planet of the Apes (2018), The Making of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (2019), and The Making of Alien (2019). Born in Lakewood, New Jersey, J. W. Rinzler grew up in New York City & Berkeley. He is married, has two adult daughters, one grandson, and lives on the northern California coast.