He was born in Hollywood, California, and attended the University of California, receiving a BA in English in 1961. He did civil rights work in the South in 1964. He became literary editor of Ramparts Magazine in 1967 and was later editor of that magazine from 1968-1972 along with David Horowitz whom he had known at Berkeley in the late 50s. He taught Freshman English at the University of California from 1964—69, and returned as a Lecturer in Creative Writing from 1978-81.He has contributed reviews to various publications.. He is on the editorial board of World Affairs a quarterly international affairs journal.

He is a fellow of the National Endowment of the Arts (1980) and lectured abroad for the United States Information Service in 1980, 1987, and 1998.

Collier lives with his family in Nevada City, California.

Co authored

With David Horowitz:

• The Rockefellers: An American Dynasty Summit Books (1979) ISBN 978-0671677886
• The Kennedys: An American Drama Encounter Books (1984) ISBN 1893554317
• The Fords: An American Epic Encounter Books (1987) ISBN 1893554325
• Destructive Generation Encounter Books (1989) ISBN 1594030820
• Deconstructing the Left: From Vietnam to the Clinton Era ISBN 978-0819183156
• The Roosevelts Simon & Schuster (1994) ISBN 978-0684801407
• The Heterodoxy Handbook: How to Survive the PC Campus Regnery Publishing (1994) ISBN 978-0895267313
• The Race Card: White Guilt, Black Resentment, and the Assault on Truth and Justice Prima Lifestyles (1997) ISBN 978-0761509424
• The Anti-Chomsky Reader Encounter Books (2004)) ISBN 978-1893554979

Novels

• Downriver Dell Pub Co (1978) ISBN 978-0440118305

Non fiction

• When Shall They Rest? The Cherokees' Long Struggle with America Dell Publishing (1975) ISBN 978-0440993414
• Second Thoughts: Former Radicals Look Back at the Sixties(editor) Madison Books (1989) ISBN 978-0819171474
• Second Thoughts About Race in America Madison Books (1991) ISBN 978-0819182432
• The Fondas: a Hollywood Dynasty Berkley Books (1992) ISBN 978-0425131848
• Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty Multimedia DVD with photography by Nick Del Calzo Artis (2003) ISBN 1579653146

Other

• The King's Giraffe children's tale with Mary Jo Collier Stephane Poulin (Illustrator) Simon & Schuster Books (1996) ISBN 978-0689806797

His short fiction has appeared in Triquarterly, Canto, the Seattle Review, and the Missouri Review.