Recommended Reading
For Fiction Writers
- Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
- Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain
- Stein on Writing by Sol Stein
- Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
- Writing and Selling the Christian Novel by Penelope J. Stokes
- The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes: (And How to Avoid Them) by Jack M. Bickham
- The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life by Noah Lukeman
- Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft by Janet Burroway and Elizabeth Stuckey-French
- Plot and Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish by James Scott Bell
- Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing by Jessica Page Morell
- Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore by Elizabeth Lyon
- The Dance of Character and Plot by DiAnn Mills
For Nonfiction Writers
- Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University
- The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
- Your Life as Story by Tristine Ranier
- Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
- The Art of Spiritual Writing by Vinita Hampton Wright
- The Copyright Permission and Libel Handbook by Lloyd J. Jassin and Steven C. Schecter
- Writing Creative Nonfiction by Phillip Gerard
For Children’s Writers
- It’s a Bunny Eat Bunny World by Olga Litowinsky
- Worlds of Childhood: The Art and Craft of Writing for Children edited by William Zinsser
For All Writers
- Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite by June Casagrande
- Woe is I by Patricia O’Conner
- Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
- Publicize Your Book by Jacqueline Deval
- The Flip Dictionary by Barbara Ann Kipfer
- A Christian Writer’s Manual of Style by Bob Hudson & Shelley Townsend
- The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White
- On Writing Well by William Zinsser
- The Art of the Book Proposal by Eric Maisel
- Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul by Susan Harrow
- On Writing by Stephen King
In addition, might we suggest…
The Inside Scoop: Two Agents Dish
on Getting Published
by Janet Kobobel Grant and Wendy Lawton
Insider publishing tips revealed
You yearn to get published, but the journey looks perilous and complicated. Don’t give up! Two literary agents break it all down, dishing up pointers for you. In an easy, step-by-step format, learn how to take your concept from the seed of an idea to a published book.
- What’s right for you–DIY or traditional publishing?
- Should you get an agent or go it alone?
- How does an agent or an editor know if an idea is dead on arrival?
- Which elements make a proposal stand out?
- What does silence mean from an agent?
- What takes an author’s book marketing efforts from wasted to meaningful?
Avoid the pitfalls on the path to publication. Learn the dos and don’ts, the ins and outs, from two insiders willing to tell it like it is.
You can order the book here.
How Do I Decide? Self Publishing vs.
Traditional Publishing by Rachelle Gardner
There is plenty of information available on both traditional and self-publishing. But how do you decide between the two? How Do I Decide? is a concise, definitive resource that will guide you through the decision, allowing you to ignore the noise and focus on the right path for YOU. It gives you the facts you need to make an informed choice, walking you through the various steps of the publishing process so you can determine which road best suits your personal goals, temperament, and level of previous publishing experience. This is a fair and balanced approach that avoids favoring one choice over the other—and instead shows you how to determine which option fits your own situation.
You can order the book here.
Below is a sampling of the insights available on our blog.
We’ve been writing blog posts since 2008 to help writers gain insights into publishing. Please use the Search option on our blog page to find topics of particular interest to you. Here are three articles to whet your appetite.
How Many Hats Does a Literary Agent Wear?