On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
by Stephen King
From the publisher: Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King’s critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.
“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.
Length: 288 pages
Publisher: Scribner
Average customer review: (19 921 reviews)
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The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published
by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry
From the publisher: The best, most comprehensive guide for writers is now revised and updated, with new sections on ebooks, self-publishing, crowd-funding through Kickstarter, blogging, increasing visibility via online marketing, micropublishing, the power of social media and author websites, and more—making The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published more vital than ever for anyone who wants to mine that great idea and turn it into a successfully published book.
Written by experts with twenty-five books between them as well as many years’ experience as a literary agent (Eckstut) and a book doctor (Sterry), this nuts-and-bolts guide demystifies every step of the publishing process: how to come up with a blockbuster title, create a selling proposal, find the right agent, understand a book contract, and develop marketing and publicity savvy. Includes interviews with hundreds of publishing insiders and authors, including Seth Godin, Neil Gaiman, Amy Bloom, Margaret Atwood, Leonard Lopate, plus agents, editors, and booksellers; sidebars featuring real-life publishing success stories; sample proposals, query letters, and an entirely updated resources and publishers directory.
Length: 544 pages
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Average customer review: (255 reviews)
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Writing Fiction for Dummies
by Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy
From the publisher: A complete guide to writing and selling your novel.
So you want to write a novel? Great! That’s a worthy goal, no matter what your reason. But don’t settle for just writing a novel. Aim high. Write a novel that you intend to sell to a publisher. Writing Fiction for Dummies is a complete guide designed to coach you every step along the path from beginning writer to royalty-earning author. Here are some things you’ll learn in Writing Fiction for Dummies:
– Strategic Planning: Pinpoint where you are on the roadmap to publication; discover what every reader desperately wants from a story; home in on a marketable category; choose from among the four most common creative styles; and learn the self-management methods of professional writers.
– Writing Powerful Fiction: Construct a story world that rings true; create believable, unpredictable characters; build a strong plot with all six layers of complexity of a modern novel; and infuse it all with a strong theme.
– Self-Editing Your Novel: Psychoanalyze your characters to bring them fully to life; edit your story structure from the top down; fix broken scenes; and polish your action and dialogue.
– Finding An Agent and Getting Published: Write a query letter, a synopsis, and a proposal; pitch your work to agents and editors without fear.
Writing Fiction for Dummies takes you from being a writer to being an author. It can happen—if you have the talent and persistence to do what you need to do.
Length: 384 pages
Publisher: For Dummies
Average customer review: (321 reviews)
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Writing Fiction
by Janet Burroway, Elizabeth Stuckey-French, and Ned Stuckey-French
From the publisher: The most widely used and respected text in its field, Writing Fiction, Ninth Edition guides the novice story writer from first inspiration to final revision.
A bestseller through eight editions, Writing Fiction explores the elements of fiction, providing practical writing techniques and concrete examples. Written in a tone that is personal and non-prescriptive, the text encourages students to develop proficiency through each step of the writing process, offering an abundance of exercises designed to spur writing and creativity. The text also integrates diverse, contemporary short stories in the belief that the reading of inspiring fiction goes hand-in-hand with the writing of fresh and exciting stories.
Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Pearson
Average customer review: (134 reviews)
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Structuring Your Novel
by K. M. Weiland
From the publisher: Is Structure the Hidden Foundation of All Successful Stories?
Why do some stories work and others don’t? The answer is structure. In this IPPY and NIEA-Award winning guide from the author of the bestselling Outlining Your Novel, you will learn the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will show you how to perfectly time your story’s major events and will provide you with an unerring standard against which to evaluate your novel’s pacing and progression. Structuring Your Novel will show you:
– How to determine the best techniques for empowering your unique and personal vision for your story.
– How to identify common structural weaknesses and flip them around into stunning strengths.
– How to eliminate saggy middles by discovering your “centerpiece.”
– Why you should NEVER include conflict in every scene.
– How to discover the questions you don’t want readers asking about your plot—and then how to get them to ask the right questions.
Story structure has enabled countless bestselling and classic authors. Now it’s your turn!
Length: 295 pages
Publisher: PenForASword
Average customer review: (499 reviews)
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Immediate Fiction: A Complete Writing Course
by Jerry Cleaver
From the publisher: The Only Writing Book You’ll Ever Need
From the legendary creator of the Writer’s Loft in Chicago, comes a writing course for those who want to see results now. Immediate Fiction covers the entire process of writing including manuscript preparation, time management, finding an idea, getting words on the page, staying unblocked, and submitting to agents and publishers.
With insightful tips and advice, Jerry Cleaver helps writers manage doubts, fears, blocks, and panic all while helping to develop their writing in minutes a day. A practical and accessible resource, this book has everything the aspiring writer needs to write and sell novels, short stories, screenplays, and stage plays.
Length: 304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Average customer review: (162 reviews)
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Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York’s Acclaimed Creative Writing School
by Gotham Writers’ Workshop
From the publisher: Gotham Writers’ Workshop has mastered the art of teaching the craft of writing in a way that is practical, accessible, and entertaining. Now the techniques of this renowned school are available in this book.
Here you’ll find:
– The fundamental elements of fiction craft-character, plot, point of view, etc.-explained clearly and completely
– Key concepts illustrated with passages from great works of fiction
– The complete text of “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver-a masterpiece of contemporary short fiction that is analyzed throughout the book
– Exercises that let you immediately apply what you learn to your own writing
Written by Gotham Writers’ Workshop expert instructors and edited by Dean of Faculty Alexander Steele, Writing Fiction offers the same methods and exercises that have earned the school international acclaim.
Once you’ve read-and written-your way through this book, you’ll have a command of craft that will enable you to turn your ideas into effective short stories and novels.
You will be a writer.
Gotham Writers’ Workshop is America’s leading private creative writing school, offering classes in New York City and on the web at WritingClasses.com. The school’s interactive online classes, selected “Best of the Web” by Forbes, have attracted thousands of aspiring writers from across the United States and more than sixty countries.
Length: 304 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Average customer review: (157 reviews)
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Writer’s Market 2018
by Robert Lee Brewer
From the publisher: The most trusted guide to getting published!
Want to get published and paid for your writing? Let Writer’s Market 2018 guide you with thousands of publishing opportunities—including listings for book publishers, consumer and trade magazines, contests and awards, and literary agents. These listings feature contact and submission information so you can get started right away.
Beyond the listings, you’ll find all-new material devoted to the business and promotion of writing. Discover the secrets to writing better queries and selling more articles, tips to earn money from blogging, and how to develop a standout author brand. Plus, you’ll learn how to create an effective e-mail newsletter, improve organization, and build a solid foundation for long-term writing success. This edition includes the ever-popular pay-rate chart and book publisher subject index.
You’ll also gain access to:
– Lists of professional writing organizations
– Sample query letters
– A free digital download of Writer’s Yearbook, featuring the 100 Best Markets: WritersDigest.com/WritersDigest-Yearbook-17.
Includes exclusive access to the webinar “Funding Your Writing Career” from C. Hope Clark, founder of FundsForWriters.com and author of The Edisto Island Mysteries.
Length: 896 pages
Publisher: Writer’s Digest Books
Average customer review: (67 customer reviews)
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Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer
by Roy Peter Clark
From the publisher: A special 10th anniversary edition of Roy Peter Clark’s bestselling guide to writing, featuring five bonus tools.
Ten years ago, Roy Peter Clark, America’s most influential writing teacher, whittled down almost thirty years of experience in journalism, writing, and teaching into a series of fifty short essays on different aspects of writing. In the past decade, Writing Tools has become a classic guidebook for novices and experts alike and remains one of the best loved books on writing available.
Organized into four sections, “Nuts and Bolts,” “Special Effects,” “Blueprints for Stories,” and “Useful Habits,” Writing Tools is infused with more than 200 examples from journalism and literature. This new edition includes five brand new, never-before-shared tools.
Accessible, entertaining, inspiring, and above all, useful for every type of writer, from high school student to novelist, Writing Tools is essential reading.
Length: 288 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Average customer review: (288 reviews)
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Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students
by Mignon Fogarty
From the publisher: Named to the International Reading Association’s 2012 Teachers’ Choice book list.
Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students is a complete and comprehensive guide to all things grammar from Grammar Girl, a.k.a. Mignon Fogarty, whose popular podcasts have been downloaded over twenty million times and whose first book, Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, was a New York Times bestseller.
For beginners to more advanced students, this guide covers it all: the parts of speech, sentences, and punctuation are all explained clearly and concisely with the warmth, wit, and accessibility Grammar Girl is known for. Pop quizzes are scattered throughout to reinforce the explanations, as well as Grammar Girl’s trademark Quick and Dirty Tips—easy and fun memory tricks to help with those challenging rules.
Complete with a writing style chapter and a guide to the different kinds of writing—everything from school papers to letter writing to e-mails—this guide is sure to become the one-stop, essential book on every student’s desk.
Length: 304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Average customer review: (119 reviews)
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Student’s Guide to Writing College Papers
by Kate L. Turabian
From the publisher: High school students, two-year college students, and university students all need to know how to write a well-reasoned, coherent research paper—and for decades Kate Turabian’s Student’s Guide to Writing College Papers has helped them to develop this critical skill. In the new fourth edition of Turabian’s popular guide, the team behind Chicago’s widely respected The Craft of Research has reconceived and renewed this classic for today’s generation. Designed for less advanced writers than Turabian’s Manual of Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Seventh Edition, Gregory G. Colomb and Joseph M. Williams here introduce students to the art of defining a topic, doing high-quality research with limited resources, and writing an engaging and solid college paper.
The Student’s Guide is organized into three sections that lead students through the process of developing and revising a paper. Part 1, “Writing Your Paper,” guides students through the research process with discussions of choosing and developing a topic, validating sources, planning arguments, writing drafts, avoiding plagiarism, and presenting evidence in tables and figures. Part 2, “Citing Sources,” begins with a succinct introduction to why citation is important and includes sections on the three major styles students might encounter in their work—Chicago, MLA, and APA—all with full coverage of electronic source citation. Part 3, “Style,” covers all matters of style important to writers of college papers, from punctuation to spelling to presenting titles, names, and numbers.
With the authority and clarity long associated with the name Turabian, the fourth edition of Student’s Guide to Writing College Papers is both a solid introduction to the research process and a convenient handbook to the best practices of writing college papers. Classroom tested and filled with relevant examples and tips, this is a reference that students, and their teachers, will turn to again and again.
Length: 288 pages
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Average customer review: (38 reviews)
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Stephen King is such a great storyteller. Really love the advice he gives on writing.
Hi Beth,
Stephen King is great, and his insight into the craft of writing is really valuable. It’s been fun to see the new adaptations of all his work lately.
Grammar Girl is like my go-to source for English grammar these days. Didn’t know she had books out – that’s pretty handy. Will definitely check it out.
I also use Grammar Girl a lot. She makes the rules in English a lot easier to understand.
Yeah, I do too. I disagree with a small number of her recommendations, but most of her grammar explanations are well-reasoned and modern.
The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published was really helpful, thanks. It helped me prepare in so many ways for both getting published and then marketing my book afterwards and building up a readership. Lots of valuable advice for new and aspiring writers, especially now with all the different avenues for publishing.
Writing Fiction was a big help for me. We used it in our creative writing classes quite a bit.
That’s cool to hear. I was wondering how much practical use it has. I’ll have a look 🙂
No problem – it’s definitely got a lot of practical value for writers. Immediate Fiction is another good one worth looking at.
The Writer’s Market is a bible for freelancers. It’s honestly one of the most helpful resources around for writers looking for work.
It’s one of the books I always get an annual copy of – it’s hard to beat for a freelancer.
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