A Writer's Book of Days: A Spirited Companion and Lively Muse for the Writing Life


Judy Reeves - 1999
    A Writer’s Book of Days is a compilation of all that she’s learned from getting together to write with other people. She says, “the book came about because I saw the difference ongoing, regular practice could make in a writer’s life.” Practice makes perfect, and this book makes practice easy by providing writers and would-be writers with stimulating topics, helpful instruction, monthly guidelines, dozens of inspiring quotes, writerly lore, and tips for special writing sessions such as marathons, cafe writing, and other ways to make the work of writing more creative and fun.

She Sat He Stood: What Do Your Characters Do While They Talk?


Ginger Hanson - 2014
    Based on a workshop she presented at regional, national, and online writing conferences, Ms. Hanson draws on examples from books, movies, and plays to demonstrate ways to keep your characters from sitting, standing, or looking out a window as they talk.

The Author's Guide to Working with Book Bloggers


Barb Drozdowich - 2013
    Based on survey answers from over 700 bloggers, this book contains down to earth, basic information that will help every author understand the book blogger world. Although there are many sources of book reviews, this book will focus specifically on the benefits the online reader world can bring to you and your book.In this book you’ll learn about who book bloggers are and where to find them as well as learn all about these essential promotional tools: The Query The Review The Giveaway The Guest Post The Book Blurb/Cover Graphic Feature The Cover Reveal…and so much more!Discover how to move comfortably in the blogging world, putting your best foot forward. Learn to introduce yourself to coveted reviewers to obtain valuable reviews and promotion of your book.Whether you are a new author or have many titles under your belt, let the award-winning The Author’s Guide to Working with Book Bloggers demystify the promotion of your book.Pick up a copy today!

The Productive Writer: Tips & Tools to Help You Write More, Stress Less & Create Success


Sage Cohen - 2010
    Facing the blank page, staying inspired, sustaining momentum, managing competing priorities and coping with rejection are just a few of the challenges writers face regularly."The Productive Writer" is your guide to learning the systems, strategies and psychology that can help you transform possibilities into probabilities in your writing life. You'll sharpen your productivity pencil by learning how to:Set clear goals--and achieve themCreate a writing schedule that really worksDiscover what keeps you writing, revising, and submittingCarve out writing time amidst the demands of work and familyWeed out habits and attitudes that are not serving youOrganize your thinking, workspace, papers and filesIncrease your odds of publication and prosperityUse social media to build an author platformGet comfortable going public and promoting your writingCreate a sustainable writing rhythm and lifestyleAccomplish what matters most to youCreate the writing life you most desire. "The Productive Writer" will help take you there.

The Writing Life


Annie Dillard - 1989
    A moving account of Dillard’s own experiences while writing her works, The Writing Life offers deep insight into one of the most mysterious professions.

Rapid Release: How to Write & Publish Fast For Profit


Jewel Allen - 2019
     When novelist Jewel Allen's earnings tapered to a buck per month for each of her 11 books on her back list, she knew she had to change her self-publishing model. Applying the principles of rapid release, where an author publishes fast to keep readers’ interest before the dreaded 30-day cliff, she started a to-market series and recouped five times her investment in 30 days. She repeated it, not just once, but six times on her way to energizing her publishing career. In this book, learn how Jewel: *spotted a hot publishing trend for a series *wrote and published quality 50k-word novels monthly *overcame the mind games that shut down productivity *launched a series with a bang despite a small fan base *earned a profit from a series immediately With special guest commentary: Q&A with bestselling author Bree Livingston Rapid Releasing a Regency Series by Sally Britton Rapid Releasing a Multi-Author Series by Jo Noelle Rapid Releasing by stockpiling manuscripts by Eliza Boyd Rapid Releasing a Sports Romance Series by Brittney Mulliner

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft


Janet Burroway - 1987
    A bestseller through six editions, Writing Fiction by novelists Janet Burroway and Elizabeth Stuckey-French 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 every chapter in the belief that the reading of inspiring fiction goes hand-in-hand with the writing of fresh and exciting stories.

Emotional Beats: How to Easily Convert your Writing into Palpable Feelings (Author Tools Book 1)


Nicholas C. Rossis - 2016
    As soon as you name an emotion, readers go into thinking mode. And when they think about an emotion, they distance themselves from feeling it. A great way to show anger, fear, indifference, and the whole range of emotions that characterize the human experience, is through beats. These action snippets that pepper dialogue can help describe a wide range of emotions while avoiding lazy writing. The power of beats lies in their innate ability to create richer, more immediate, deeper writing. This emotional thesaurus includes hundreds of examples that you can use for your inspiration, so that you, too, can harness this technique to easily convert your writing into palpable feelings. Genre fiction authors can use Emotional Beat as a feeling thesaurus and watch their writing take off! Emotional Beats was an award-winning Finalist in the IPA 2017 Awards.

How to Write a Book Proposal


Michael Larsen - 1985
    An updated handbook for prospective authors describes what editors are looking for in a book proposal; discusses outlines, sample chapters, and submission requirements; explains how to test-market a book idea and select the right editors and publishers for a proposal; and includes sample proposals.

Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors


Kathy Ide - 2007
    Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors, by professional freelance author, editor, and proofreader Kathy Ide, is the essential go-to tool for aspiring and experienced writers and editors. This book includes all of the material from Ide's popular Polishing the PUGS book (now out of print), with added PUGS guidelines and helpful tips from multi-published authors on how to catch typos and other common mistakes. In Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors, Kathy Ide identifies the industry-standard references for books, magazines, and newspapers (which are different from the guidelines for other types of writing, such as college term papers). Using these official references, she highlights the most common mistakes writers make in the areas of punctuation, usage, grammar, and spelling (for which she uses the acronym PUGS). She also includes guidelines from The Christian Writer's Manual of Style for authors and editors who work in the inspirational market.

The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers


John Gardner - 1984
      John Gardner was almost as famous as a teacher of creative writing as he was for his own works. In this practical, instructive handbook, based on the courses and seminars that he gave, he explains, simply and cogently, the principles and techniques of good writing. Gardner’s lessons, exemplified with detailed excerpts from classic works of literature, sweep across a complete range of topics—from the nature of aesthetics to the shape of a refined sentence. Written with passion, precision, and a deep respect for the art of writing, Gardner’s book serves by turns as a critic, mentor, and friend. Anyone who has ever thought of taking the step from reader to writer should begin here.

CreateSpace & Kindle Self-Publishing Masterclass: The Step-By-Step Author's Guide to writing, Publishing and Marketing Your Books on Amazon


Rick Smith - 2013
    You need a System. Step-By-Step - Amazon's Paperback and E-Book Publishing Systems Explained In CreateSpace and Kindle Self-Publishing Masterclass, top-selling independent author Rick Smith demonstrates a logical, step-by-step system which new Authors can use to succeed. This book will fast-track you through the Jungle! Writing, Publishing, and Marketing Your Books Here you'll find the truth about what to write and how to get it finished. You'll learn the 16 Golden Rules for Successful Amazon Authors. You'll be shown the important things that must be done correctly, and the other stuff which just slows you down. Why you should publish both Paperback and Kindle formats Why you should always do Createspace first What are the best software tools for organisation, creativity, and productivity How to create or source amazing low-cost Covers that drive your sales How to build world-class Sales Pages on Amazon's storefront, with no technical skills required In fact, everything you'll need to take your book to market. Marketing 101 for New Independent Authors You’ll also discover the right moves to achieve commercial success for your book; Where to find your first willing customers who'll kick-off your sales The importance of Reviews and how to get genuine customers to write them Using the right Keyword tactics to get your book onto Page 1 in Amazon's Category Search How to price, track, and promote your book, and when to write the next one Brand New Chapters on Kindle Unlimited, Countdown Deals, and Pre-Order, the powerful new Amazon Marketing Programs As you follow these step-by-step instructions you'll quickly learn everything you need to know in order to start a new career as an Independent Self-Published Author. Along the way, you'll acquire a few Secret Weapons that could propel your book to it's Category's Top-Row, where every author wants to be and every potential buyer can see you. Publishing your first book is the ride of your life; get it right first time!Rick Smith is an independent Author and Publisher on Amazon, with multiple Top-Ten books in their categories, and numerous Best Seller badges. Click on “Look Inside” to Find Out Much More!

The Writer's Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters


Marc Mucutcheon - 1996
    Mark McCutcheon eases the process of building convincing characters for stories and novels. He starts by conducting an inspiring and informative roundtable where six novelists reveal their approaches to characterization. Next, he provides a character questionnaire more detailed than the nosiest survey. Readers will fill it out and they'll know fictional people as though they'd grown up with them. Finally, there is a thesaurus of human characteristics - physical and psychological. Fit them together artfully and characters will climb right off the page.

You Can Write a Mystery


Gillian Roberts - 1999
    In Part One, she defines the genre, concentrating on core elements of the category, from developing ideas and building character profiles to researching crimes and selecting point of view. Following her examples and exercises, readers will begin to create their own story as they construct an outline filled with hooks, cliffhangers, intriguing characters and red herrings. In Part Two, she offers expert advice for editing, revising and submitting a top-notch manuscript.

Writing Habit Mastery - How to Write 2,000 Words a Day and Forever Cure Writer’s Block


S.J. Scott - 2013
    The truth is this: Great writers don't have more time than you do. They make time to write. Not only do they make time, they also follow specific routines that help them avoid writer's block altogether. By developing the "writing habit" you'll have the confidence to sit down in front of a computer every day, knowing the words will come. YOUR GOAL: Write 2,000 Words a Day -- Every Day! One of the key factors to effectively developing ANY habit is choosing a specific, measurable goal. So if you want to become a prolific writer, then you'll need to choose a specific word count for each day. While I suggest 2,000 words as a goal, you can pick any number that fits in with your busy schedule. You might choose 500 or 1,000 words a day. Or, you might have more time than I do (or write faster than I do) and choose to write 3,000 or 10,000 words each day. The important thing is to establish a daily word count goal and then stick to it. In "Writing Habit Mastery" you'll learn how to incorporate writing into your daily routine. What you'll get is a strategy and list of tools that will help you develop a sustainable writing habit and demolish writer's block."Writing Habit Mastery" contains a step-by-step blueprint of habits and routines you can use to develop this routine.Inside this guide you'll learn how to: Establish the PERFECT writing routine and environment Find the time to write--even if you have a full-time job Minimize distractions and interruptions Crank out PUBLISHED works on a consistent basis Create an energized state where you're ready to write Make money from your completed books or screenplays < Follow a simple seven-step process that prevents writer's block You can write thousands of words every day. All you need is a strategy to develop this habit.