Books About Writing

I have a habit of buying books about writing. I can't help it. It's an affliction. But I enjoy it, and I enjoy reading those books from time to time and getting a different perspective on the craft. My books range from how to write books, in the areas of novels, creative writing, children's books and poetry, to useful things about the business of writing. I'm constantly getting more books, so this list is by no means complete.

Teach Yourself 

The Teach Yourself series of books, I find can be quite helpful in getting the info you need in a concise manner. While I wouldn't necessarily say they are the only place to go to while looking for a book on writing, they certainly do contribute. Definitely trustworthy! Here is a list of the books I have in the series related to writing:

• Writing a Novel
• Creative Writing
• Writing For Children
• Screenwriting

 Alison Baverstock

This author has three books I find to be of great importance for people who wish to write or work with books - three that I've read, at least. I can't stress enough how much I would swear by what Alison Baverstock says: she's worked in the industry, she's gotten books published, she's in the know. In order of what I deem to be the most important books for writers to read, her titles include:

• Is There a Book In You?
• Marketing Your Book: An Author's Guide
• How to get a Job in Publishing

She also has quite a few books on parenting, if you're into that sort of thing.

Miscellaneous Others

Beyond that, I don't have multiples of anything by the same author/publisher. What's left is a mishmash of titles I've found that looked interesting and/or helpful, some of which are of great importance for a writer, and others are just helpful in different ways.

• Terry Prone: Write and Get Paid For It
• Writers Workshop in a Book
• Poetry: Reading It, Writing It, Publishing It
• Writing a Children's Book
• No Plot? No Problem!
• How Not to Write a Novel 
• For Dummies: Writing a Novel and Getting Published 
• Oxford Guide to Effective Writing and Speaking 
• Writing For Television
• The Screenwriter's Handbook
• The Writer's Retreat
• The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction 

As well as those, I find it helpful for writers to have copies of The Writers and Artists Yearbook, a dictionary, maybe a copy of Eats, Shoots and Leaves and perhaps something along the lines of Bill Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors.

While none of these books can guarantee success, having a look at one of two of them doesn't hurt. It can certainly help in figuring out the craft a bit, and getting someone else's perspective on how to write in a particular genre. My list isn't complete, by far, of course. I still plan on getting more books in the Teach Yourself series, and who knows what else will wander into my collection. All the time I'll justify the purchase of these books with the knowledge that they can be very helpful in getting an insight into the world of books and writing.