On this page you will find books related to the craft of writing. Most can be obtained through the Writer's Digest Book Club. Some, however, have gone out of print and can possibly found in libraries and used and rare book stores. They are all invaluable resources for writers--amateur or professional.
If you know of a good writing book you do not see listed here, feel free to email me and suggest it.
General Writing
Reference
Romance Writing
Crime/Mystery
Screenwriting
Nonfiction
Writing for Children and Young Adults
Science Fiction
Poetry
Characterization
Miscellaneous Books
The Weekend Novelist by Robert J. Ray, 1994, 268 pages.
The Complete Guide to Editing Your Fiction by Michael Seidman, 2000, 280 pages.
Building Better Plots by Robert Kernen, 1999, 272 pages.
Dare To Be A Great Writer: 329 Keys to Powerful Fiction by Leonard Bishop, 1988, 336 pages.
The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing: A 16-Step Program Guaranteed to Take You From Idea to Completed Manuscript by Evan Marshall, 1998, 240 pages.
Fiction: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published by Michael Seidman, 288 pages.
Building Fiction: How to Develop Plot and Structure by Jesse Lee Kercheval, 1997, 208 pages.
The Key: How To Write Damn Good Fiction, Using the Power of Myth by James N. Frey, 2000, 272 pages.
Your Novel Proposal: From Creation to Contract by Blythe Camenson and Marshall J. Cook, 1999, 256 pages.
Writing the Novel: From Plot to Print by Lawrence Block, 1979, 197 pages.
The Writer's Digest Handbook of Novel Writing from the editors of Writer's Digest, 1998, 260 pages.
Writing and Selling Your Novel by Jack Bickham, 1996, 208 pages.
20 Master Plots (And How To Build Them) by Ronald B. Tobias, 1993, 240 pages.
The Writer's Digest Handbook of Stort Story Writing, Vol. II. edited by Jean. M Fredette, 1991, 240 pages.
Writing the Short Story: A Hands-On Program by Jack Bickham, 1998, 213 pages.
The Craft of Lyric Writing by Shelia Davis, 1985, 348 pages.
How to Write the Story of Your Life by Frank P. Thomas, 1984, 240 pages.
Writing Personal Essays: How to Shape Your Life Experiences for the Page by Sheila Bender, 1995, 272 pages.
writing.com: Creative Internet Strategies to Advance Your Writing Career by Moira Anderson Allen, 1999, 256.
Writer's Guide to Internet Resources by Vicky Phillips and Cindy Yager, 1998, 257 pages.
Dialogue by Lewis Turco, 1999, 128 pages, part of the Elements of Fiction series published by Writer's Digest Books.
Description by Monica Wood, 1999, 176 pages, part of the Elements of Fiction series published by Writer's Digest Books.
Conflict, Action & Suspense by William Noble, 176 pages, part of the Elements of Fiction series published by Writer's Digest Books.
Setting by Jack M. Bickham, 1999, 176 pages, part of the Elements of Fiction series published by Writer's Digest Books.
Plot by Ansen Dibell, 1999, 176 pages, part of the Elements of Fiction series published by Writer's Digest Books.
Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card, 182 pages, part of the Elements of Fiction series published by Writer's Digest Books.
Scene & Structure by Jack M. Bickham, 1999, 168 pages, part of the Elements of Fiction series published by Writer's Digest Books.
Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress, 1999, 149 pages, part of the Elements of Fiction series published by Writer's Digest Books.
Voice & Style by Johnny Payne, 1995, 188 pages, part of the Elements of Fiction series published by Writer's Digest Books.
Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript by Jack and Glenda Neff, Don Prues, and the editors of Writer's Market, 1999, 208 pages.
The American Directory of Writer's Guidelines: A Compiliation of Information for Freelancers from more than 1,300 Magazine Editors and Book Publishers edited by John Mutchler, 1999, 752 pages.
How to Write Irresistible Query Letters by Lisa Collier Cool, 1987, 144 pages.
The New York Public Library Desk Reference, Third Edition: The Ultimate One Volume Source of the Most Frequently Sought Information1998, 960 pages.
Manuscript Submission by Scott Edelstein, 1989, 176 pages.
The Writer's Market Companion: The Essential Guide to Starting Your Project, Getting It Published and Getting Paid by the editors of Writer's Market, 2000, 272 pages.
Business and Legal Forms for Authors and Self-Publishers, Revised Edition by Tad Crawford, paperback and 1 CD-Rom for Windows and Macintosh, 1999, 191 pages.
100 Things Every Writer Needs to Know by Scott Edelstein, 1999, 254 pages.
English Through the Ages: From Old English to Modern-Day Slang, a Word-By-Word Birth Record of Words by William Brohaugh, 1998, 608 pages.
The Origins of Every Day Things by the editors of Reader's Digest, 1999, 320 pages.
Roget's Superthesaurus, Second Edition by Marc McCutcheon, 1998, 672 pages.
How to Write A Book Proposal, Revised by Michael Larsen, 1997, 224 pages.
Grammatically Correct: The Writer's Essential Guide to Punctuation, Spelling, Style, Usage and Grammar by Anne Stilman, 1997, 352 pages.
Word Lover's Book of Unfamiliar Quotations: Over 1500 Unique Quotations Drawn from the Wisdom of the Ages by Wesley D. Camp, 1990, 516 pages.
21st Century American English Compendium: A Portable Guidebook for Translators, Interpreters, Writers, Editors, and Advanced Language Students, 2nd Ed. by Marv Rubinstein, 2000, 380 pages.
Facts in a Flash: A Research Guide by Ellen metter, 1999, 432 pages.
Writer's Encyclopedia, Third Ed. by the editors of Writer's Digest Magazine, Revised edition of Writing A to Z, 1996, 560 pages.
The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the 1800's by Marc McCutcheon, 1993, 320 pages, part of the Everday Life Reference Series published by Writer's Digest Books.
Everyday Life During the Civil War: A Guide for Writers, Students and Historians by Michael J. Varhola, 1999, 288 pages, part of the Everday Life Reference Series published by Writer's Digest Books.
The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England: From 1811-1901 by Kristine Hughes, 1998, 240 pages, part of the Everday Life Reference Series published by Writer's Digest Books.
The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Renaissance England: From 1485-1649 by Kathy Lynn Amerson, 1996, 272 pages, part of the Everday Life Reference Series published by Writer's Digest Books.
The Writer's Guide to Everday Life in the Middle Ages: The British Isles From 500 to 1500 by Sherrilyn Kenyon, 256 pages, part of the Everday Life Reference Series published by Writer's Digest Books.
The Writer's Guide to everyday Life in the Wild West: From 1840-1900 by Candy Moulton, 1999, 336 pages, part of the Everday Life Reference Series published by Writer's Digest Books.
The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life from Prohibition through World War II by Marc McCutcheon, 1995, 272 pages, part of the Everday Life Reference Series published by Writer's Digest Books.
You Can Write Romance by Rita Clay Estrada and Rita Gallagher, 1999, 128 pp.
Writing Romances: A Handbook by the Romance Writers of America edited by Rita Gallagher & Rita Clay Estrada, 1997, 224 pp.
How To Write Romances, Revised and Updated by Phyllis Taylor Pianka, 1998, 166 pp.
The Complete Idiot's Guide To Getting Your Romances Published by Julie Beard, 2000, 408 pp.
The Romance Writer's Pink Pages: The Insider's Guide to Getting Your Romance Novel Published by Eve Paludan, 1994, 257 pages.
The Romance Writer's Phrase Book by Jean Kent & Candace Shelton, 1984, 144 pages.
How to Write a Romance and Get It Published by Kathryn Falk, 1990.
Writing Romance by Vanessa Grant
Hidden Evidence: The Story of Forensic Evidence and How it Helped to Solve 40 of the World's Toughest Crimes by David Owen, 2000, 239 pages.
Mystery & Crime: The New York Public Library Book of Answers by Jay Pearsall, 1995, 175 pages.
A Murder: From the Chalk Outline to the Execution Chamber by Greg Fallis, 1999, 256 pages.
The Mafia Encyclopedia: From Accardo to Zwillman by Carl Sifakis, 1987, 367 pages.
The Writer's Complete Crime Reference Book by Martin Roth, 1993, 304 pages.
Modus Operandi: A Writer's Guide to How Criminals Work by Mauro V. Corvasce and Joseph R. Paglino, 224 pages., part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Malicious Intent: A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists and Other Criminals Think by Sean P. Mactire, 240 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Missing Persons: A Writer's Guide to Finding the Lost, the Abducted and the Escaped by Fay Faron, 272 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Body Trauma: A Writer's Guide to Wounds and Injuries by David W. page, M.D., 240 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Murder One: A Writer's Guide to Homicide by Mauro V. Corvasce and Joseph R. Paglino, 240 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Just the Facts, Ma'am: A Writer's Guide to Investigators and Investigation Techniques by Greg Fallis, 325 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Rip-Off: A Writer's Guide to Crimes of Deception by Fay Faron, 232 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Cause of Death: A Writer's Guide to Death, Murder & Forensic Medicine by Keith D. Wilson, M.D., 240 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Deadly Doses: A Writer's Guide to Poisons by Serita Deborah Stevens, R.N., B.S.N., with Anne Klarner, 304 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Scene of the Crime: A Writer's Guide to Crime-Scene Investigations by Anne Wingate, Ph.D., 240 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Police Procedural: A Writer's Guide to the Police and How They Work by Russell Bintliff, 304 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Private Eyes: A Writer's Guide to Private Investigators by Hal Blythe, Charlie Sweet & John Landreth, 198 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Armed and Dangerous: A Writer's Guide to Weapons by Michael Newton, 192 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Amateur Detectives: A Writer's Guide to How Private Citizens Solve Criminal Cases by Elaine Raco chase and Anne Wingate, 240 pages, part of the "Howdunit" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Order in the Court: A Writer's Guide to the Legal System by David Mullally, 288 pages, part of the "Behind the Scenes" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Code Blue: A Writer's Guide to Hospitals, Including the ER, OR, and ICU by Dr. Keith Wilson and Dr. David Page, 256 pages, part of the "Behind the Scenes" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Lights & Sirens: A Writer's Guide to Emergency Rescue Professions by James and Lois Cowan, 272 pages, part of the "Behind the Scenes" series from Writer's Digest Books.
Writing Mysteries by Margaret Lucke, 280 pages.
How to Solve A Murder: The Forensic Handbook by Michael Kurland, 194 pages.
How to Try A Murder: The Handbook for Armchair Lawyers by Michael Kurland, 202 pages.
The Weekend Novelist Writes A Mystery by Robert J. Ray and Jack Remick
The Screenwriter's Bible, 3rd, Edition: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script by David Trottier, 1998, 314 pages.
Writing Television Comedy by Jerry Rannow, 1999, 211 pages.
The Complete Book of Scriptwriting by J. Michael Straczynski, 1996, 448 pages.
Making a Good Writer Great: A Creativity Workbook for Screenwriters by Dr. Linda Seger, 1999, 256 pages.
The Screenwriter's Problem Solver: How to Recognize, Identify, and Define Screenwriting Problems by Syd Field, 1998, 363 pages.
Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade by William Froug, 1992, 158 pages.
Successful Scriptwriting: How to Write and Pitch Winning Scripts for Movies, Sitcoms, Soaps, Serials and Variety Shows by Jurgen Wolff and Kerry Cox, 1998, 372 pages.
Why We Write: Personal Statements and Photographic Portraits of 25 Top Screenwriters edited by Lorian Tamara Elbert, 1999, 233 pages.
Writing Scrips Hollywood Will Love: An Insider's Guide to Film and Television Scripts That Sell by Katherine Atwell Herbert, 1994, 159 pages.
The Art & Craft of Playwriting by Jeffrey Hatcher, 2000, 288 pages.
Writing Dramatic Nonfiction by William Noble, 2000, 192 pages.
Creative Nonfiction: Researching and Crafting Stories of Real Life by Philip Gerard, 1998, 224 pages.
The Art of Creative Nonfiction: Writing and Selling the Literature of Reality by Lee Gutkind, 1997, 224 pages.
Writing the Nonfiction Book by Eva Shaw, Ph.D., 1999, 268 pages.
Writing for Children and Teenagers by Lee Wyndham, revised by Arnold Madison, 1985, 265 pages.
Writing for Young Adults by Sherry Garland, 1998, 240 pages.
How to Write and Sell Children's Picture Books by Jean Karl, 1994, 192 pages.
Writing and Illustrating Children's Books for Publication: Two Perspectives by Berthe Amoss and Eric Suben, 1995, 124 pages.
Young at Heart: The Step-by-Step Way of Writing Children's Stories by Violet Ramos, 1999, 74 pages.
How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books and Get Them Published edited by Treld Palkey Bickness and Felicity Trotman, 2000, 144 pages.
The Children's Writer's Reference by Berthe Amoss and Eric Suben, 1999, 272 pages.
Children's Writer's Word Book by Alijandra Mogilner, 1999.
Writing Books for Children by Jane Yolen, 1973.
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy: How to Spin a Dream, a Wish, or a Speculation into a Vivid, Convincing Tale of Human Possibilities by Orson Scott Card, 1990, 136 pages.
Space Travel: A Writer's Guide to the Science of Interplanetary and Interstellar Travel by Ben Bova with Anthony R. Lewis, 1997, 288 pages.
Time Travel: A Writer's Guide to the Real Science of Plausible Time Travel by Paul J. Nahin, 1997, 208 pages.
Aliens and Alien Societies: A Writer's Guide to Creating Extraterrestrial Life-Forms by Stanley Schmidt, 1995, 240 pages.
World-Building: A Writer's Guide to Constructing Star Systems and Life-Supporting Planets by Stephen L. Gillett, 1996, 224 pages.
Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy by Crawford Killian, 1998, 165 pages.
You Can Write Poetry by Jeff Mock, 1998, 128 pages.
The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux, 1997, 224 pages.
Writing Personal Poetry: Creating Poems From Your Life Experiences by Sheila Bender, 1998, 240 pages.
The Art and Craft of Poetry by Michael J. Bugeja, 1994, 352 pages.
The Poetry Dictionary by John Drury, 1995, 352 pages.
The Poet's Handbook by Judson Jerome, 1980, 224 pages.
The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet, 1994, 352 pages.
Dynamic Characters: How to Create Personalities That Keep Readers Captivated by Nancy Kress, 1998, 272 pages.
Creating Character Emotions: Writing Compelling, Fresh Approaches that Express Your Characters' True Feelings by Ann hood, 1997, 176 pages.
The Writer's Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon, 1996, 288 pages.
The Writer's Guide to Character Traits by Dr. Linda Edelstein, 1999, 288 pages.
Creating Characters: How To Build Story People by Dwight V. Swain, 1994, 195 pages.
Writing Great Characters: The Psychology of Character Development in Screenplays by Michael Halperin, 1996, 175 pages.
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
What If: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter
How To Write Western Novels by Matt Braun, 1988, 164 pages. Part of the Writer's Digest Genre Writing Series.