The Tears of the Singers is a science fiction novel by American writer Melinda M. Snodgrass, part of the Star Trek: The Original Series franchise.

Snodgrass was a fan of Star Trek: The Original Series and, after quitting her previous job at a law practice, her friend Victor Milán suggested that she try to become a writer.

Snodgrass and Milán discussed ideas and she decided that she would go with a softer, more friendly story along the lines of the episodes "The Trouble with Tribbles" or "The City on the Edge of Forever".

[1] She subsequently wrote "The Measure of a Man" for the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation and following the success of that script and episode, she joined the writing team there for the rest of the series.

[1] Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer, in an article for Tor.com about the appearances of Uhura in Star Trek novels, stated that she "put the book down for a week of rage and derision when I hit page 132".