Blogger: Mary Keeley
Location: Books & Such Illinois Office
Writers consistently look for books to help them with their craft, with understanding the industry, with making the right publishing connections in the right way. Following is the top dozen books recommended at the 2011 Write-to-Publish conference to build your writing library:
1. Christian Writers’ Market Guide (Tyndale); Writer’s Market (Writer’s Digest)—if you’re writing for the general market
2. A Complete Guide to Writing for Publication edited by Susan Titus Osborn (ACW)
3. An Introduction to Christian Writing by Ethel Herr (ACW)
4. Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer by Moira Allen (Allworth)
5. Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript by the editors of Writers’ Digest Books (Writer’s Digest)
6. The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style by Bob Hudson & Shelley Townsend Hudson (Zondervan)
7. Beginning Writer’s Answer Book edited by Jane Friedman (Writer’s Digest)
8. The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters by Wendy Burt (Writer’s Digest)
9. Book Proposals That Sell by Terry Whalin (ACW); The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit by Elizabeth Lyon (Perigee)
10. The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. & E. B. White (Longman)
11. On Writing Well by William Zinsser (Harper)
12. Getting the Words Right: 39 Ways to Improve Your Writing by Theodore A. Rees Cheney (Writer’s Digest)
No doubt you’re aware of some or most of these titles, but I thought you would want to see this conference’s top-12 list. Our agency also has a list of titles you could check out here. Which ones are new to you? Which have helped you? Which ones to you go back to repeatedly? Which ones couldn’t you do without? Are there any you might shop for this weekend?
Mary,
Thanks for sharing this list. I am often overwhelmed with choices and appreciate suggestions.
I think as writers, we are always students. It’s good to keep up with changes and to sharpen our work and our presentations. I’ll be adding a few to my library: #12 and #6 for starters.
Have a great weekend!
I agree with Kate- part of my job as a writer is to always be learning new things and putting them into practice. I have some of these books, but not others. Maybe it’s time to do some shopping!
Two of my favorites for writing fiction are Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell and Word Painting. I’m away from my office and can’t remember the author for Word Painting, but it was a tremendous help for my descriptions.
What great lists. I’ve read some of these and own a few more that are in my TBR pile. Since I’ve been focusing on the children’s market (picture books and early readers) this one hadn’t crossed my radar yet: Writing and Selling the Christian Novel by Penelope J. Stokes. I’m adding this to my wish list because I would like to write a Christian romance novel.
Thanks for the wonderful posts this week, Mary. I appreciate all the hard work here to help us on our writing journeys.
I reread Zinsser (On Writing Well) every year. And I own most of the others on the list–great choices.
I’d add The Creative Call: An Artist’s Response to the Way of the Spirit by Janice Elsheimer (Shaw Books, 2001). Craft matters; art inspires. This book helped remind me why I write.
Many years ago, as an aspiring writer, I read “The Elements of Style.” Its lessons have stayed with me, while the more recent reads have begun to fade.
It’s not that the other books are not as good, it’s that the recollections of youth seem to be more resilient.
Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan. This is a great list.
Wow! A lot of those titles are new to me and I thought I was keeping up. The books that have influenced me most are: Stein on Writing by Sol Stein, Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell, Techniques of the Selling Author by Dwight Swain, Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, Getting into Character by Brandilyn Collins, and of course The Elements of Style.
Thank you for the new list!
I have several of the listed books, but the one that has stuck with me after a couple readings is “Writing for the Soul” by Jerry B. Jenkins. It has tips on the actual writing, but just as importantly how writing fits into the big picture and WHY you’re looking to write in the first place.
Perhaps it was because I’d already met his son and other family members, but reading about how he prioritized family / work / writing after I’d already witnessed its fruit was encouraging.
Great list Mary! I just posted your article on the Writing Platform Facebook page.