Here’s a list of books for writers to help you write and grow as a writer and a business person. I have books listed for all types of writers: young to old, from storytellers to copywriters.
Books on Story Craft
Writing Down the Bones
I love the phrase Goldberg uses, “Shut up and write.” You have to start somewhere and it is not going to be a perfect time. There is no perfect time. It’s good to remember event he best writers started from the same place you are. I like to think of this phrase as telling my inner critic to “Shut up” and then write.
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within is one of my favorite books on creative writing. It is an inside look at the writing methods of Natalie Goldberg. I love the Zen approach. It is kind of like therapy for writers but funny and thought-provoking.
She writes down her thoughts, a stream of consciousness in the moment, and uses them as building blocks. I love using this method for poetry. As one of my college professors used to say, “All writing is rewriting.”
If you can ‘write down the bones,’ you can overcome writer’s block. A great tool for all writers to have in their box! I like to reread it from time to time, and usually find something new to think about and use. This book will make you think about how and why you write! I prefer the audio version. As much as I like to read, some things are easier to digest while listening to them. I find I learn things much faster this way. You can find it here: Writing down the Bones.
How to Write A Series: A Guide to Series Types and Structure plus Troubleshooting Tips and Marketing Tactics (Genre Fiction How To Book 2)
Sara Rosett wrote a wonderful little book on the basics of how to write as series. It’s a quick read and covers the basics in a way that is easy to understand and use. I used this when I worked on the structure of my first series, and I go back to it when plotting. It’s also a great resource for brainstorming and is reasonably priced on Amazon.
Secrets to Editing Success (Write Novels That Sell Book 1)
Secrets to Editing Success Kindle Edition by authors Kristina Stanley, founder of Fictionary and CEO, and L. Cooke, Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Editor, is the first book that really made sense to me when editing my first novel; it saved me from revisionary hell. Thank you so much Kristina and Lucy for writing this wonderful resource and for coming to rescue of storytellers everywhere! I highly recommend it if you are considering self-editing your work. (If you’re not you should.) You can find Secrets to Editing Success here. They also have a second book: Secrets to Outlining a Novel (Write Novels That Sell Book 2)
The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know
The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne (Author), with an introduction by Steven Pressfield, is a great book for any writer interesting in learning more about story craft and what makes a book more attractive to a wider audience. The book has valuable Insite into the publishing industry, explaining why it’s so hard to get a published and why it’s important for authors to become their own editor. You can find The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know here.
Writing Active Hooks Book 1: Action, Emotion, Surprise and More
Writing Active Hooks Book 1 by Author Mary Buckham is an excellent rescore for any storyteller that wants to sharpen their skills to keep readers reading! I highly recommend this book as well are her second book. You can find Writing Active Hooks Book 1: Action, Emotion, Surprise and More here. This book has an invaluable exercises that will teach you how to entice readers to keep reading and not put your book. Studying what other writers have written and learn from it.
Writing Active Hooks Book 2: Evocative Description, Character, Dialogue, Foreshadowing and Where to Use Hooks
Mary Buckham’s second book, Writing Active Hooks Book 2: Evocative Description, Character, Dialogue, Foreshadowing and Where to Use Hooks, builds on the first book and will give you a deeper understanding of when to use what hook and keep your reader riveted to the story to the end. Find Writing Active Hooks Book 2: Evocative Description, Character, Dialogue, Foreshadowing and Where to Use Hooks here.
More Books by Mary Buckham
Her book, Active Setting Book 1: Characterization and Sensory Detail book will help you understand how to use setting as a way to make your stories come to life. Writing It’s book one of three and available on Amazon. In book two, Writing Active Setting Book 2: Emotion, Conflict and Back Story, you’ll learn how to settings can show backstory, ramp up emotion, intensify conflict, and more. Book three, Writing Active Setting Book 3: Anchoring, Action, as a Character and More, will help you learn how to write settings that draw the reader in and keep them reading.
Mary Buckham also teaches online classes, you can find them on her website here: https://www.marybuckhamonwriting.com/online-classes/
“I Give You My Body . . .”: How I Write Sex Scenes
If you want to learn more about how to write a sex scene that isn’t cheesy, offensive, but has your readers reaching for a tall cold glass of tea to cool off read “I Give You My Body . . .”: How I Write Sex Scenes by author Diana Gabaldon. You can find it here.
Wired for Story
If you want to know the power story has over the human mind, Wired for Story by Lisa Cron is a great read. I love brain science. Understanding how it works and why it works can help you understand why you love the stories you do and how a good story cant can grab hold of your attention like a siren, making you read longer than you planned. This book is a good guide for novel writers and those writers who want to write a novel. It gives you insight into what works to hold the reader’s attention and why. You can find Wired for Story here, or check it out at your local library. It’s an interesting and popular book.
Story Genius
Story genius is another book by Lisa Cron. Anyone who knows me, knows I love reading medical journals. This book satisfies my curiosity about why and how things work. And it builds on her first book. It breaks down how to apply brain science to each scene and make your book riveting. It also dispels many myths about what it takes to write a compelling story. She uses Fifty Shades of Gray as an example and how it put Random House back in the black. My take on why these books work when most formulas don’t work for all writers is that each writer is genetically different we all have our own strengths we need to learn how to play to those strengths and figure out what methods work for us as the special snowflakes we are. You can get find out more about Story Genius here.
Books for Young Writers
Spilling Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook
I love the ideas in this book and the fun way they are introduced to the reader. It is a great introductory book for young writers who want to learn more about writing and growing as a storyteller.
I also love that the writers treat kids and their ideas as something not limited by age. I find many books for kids are too simple and limit their imagination. However, many adult writers will discover fun information and new ideas worth learning too. You can find it here: Spilling Ink.
Business Books for Writers
The Well-Fed Writer
The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency As a Commercial Freelancer in Six Months or Less is an excellent book for commercial writers. It gives you very good basic business advice; you just have to be willing to follow it. Keep in mind building a business is not an easy task, though this book will take the mystery out of it for you. Be willing to cold call and not take rejection personally. You can find it here: The Well-Fed Writer.
Platform: The Art and Science to Personal Branding
I love this book for the ideas and advice Cynthia Johnson gives on how to build your brand and nurture it. It’s filled with great detailed information, step-by-step actions, and ideas and tools for any writer. You can find it on Amazon: Platform: The Art and Science to Personal Branding. One of the concepts she shares in this book is building your platform though association your brand with people and/or organizations that have an established and more credible public image or well known brand. Social media is fine, but it should never be your main focus, especially when starting out because when you’er not well known it is hard to get people to come to you. Instead, go where your ideal readers are!