Books for Writers

Inspiring and practical resources for writers of all stripes

Updated June 12, 2026
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1000 words : a writer's guide to staying creative, focused, and productive all year round
Attenberg, Jami.
Paper Book
National Bestseller Inspired by Jami Attenberg's wildly popular literary movement #1000WordsofSummer, this "encouraging handbook" (Publishers Weekly) features essays on creativity, productivity, and writing from acclaimed authors including Roxane Gay, Lauren Groff,...
The art of memoir
Karr, Mary.
Paper Book
Bestselling author and renowned professor Mary Karr offers a master class in the essential elements of great memoir--delivered with her signature wit, insight, and candor. Credited with sparking the current memoir explosion, Mary Karr's The Liars' Club spent more than a year at the top of...
Stylebook and briefing on media law
Goldstein, Norm.
Paper Book
More people write for The Associated Press than for any newspaper in the world, and writers-nearly two million of them-have bought more copies of The AP Stylebook than of any other journalism reference. It provides facts and references for reporters, and defines usage, spelling, and...
Bird by bird : some instructions on writing and life
Lamott, Anne.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . An essential volume for generations of writers young and old. The twenty-fifth anniversary edition of this modern classic will continue to spark creative minds for years to come. Anne Lamott is "a warm, generous, and hilarious guide through the writer's world...
The book of alchemy : a creative practice for an inspired life
Jaouad, Suleika
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A guide to the art of journaling--and a meditation on the central questions of life--by the bestselling author of Between Two Kingdoms, with contributions from Hanif Abdurraqib, Jon Batiste, Salman Rushdie, Gloria Steinem, George Saunders, and many more<...
The Chicago manual of style
Ebook
The venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar--an indispensable reference informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. Now in its 18th edition!  More than 1.75 million copies sold! Much has happened in the years since...
The elements of style
Strunk, William
Paper Book
You know the authors' names. You recognize the title. You've probably used this book yourself. This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. A new Foreword by Roger Angell reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was...
The ode less travelled : unlocking the poet within
Fry, Stephen
Paper Book
I have a dark and dreadful secret. I write poetry... I believe poetry is a primal impulse within all of us. I believe we are all capable of it and furthermore that a small, often ignored corner of us positively yearns to try it. —Stephen Fry, The Ode Less Travelled Stephen Fry believes that if one...
On writing : a memoir of the craft
King, Stephen
Ebook
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF WRITING with fresh testimonials from fellow writers about why they love Stephen King and On Writing--and a few new words on the joy of writing from King himself. *ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S TOP 100 NONFICTION BOOKS OF ALL TIME*
A poetry handbook
Oliver, Mary
Paper Book
"Mary Oliver would probably never admit to anything so grandiose as an effort to connect the conscious mind and the heart (that's what she says poetry can do), but that is exactly what she accomplishes in this stunning little handbook."--Los Angeles Times From the beloved...
Steering the craft : exercises and discussions on story writing for the lone navigator or the mutinous crew
Le Guin, Ursula K.
Paper Book
Ursula K. Le Guin generously shares the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime's work.
Writing science in plain English
Greene, Anne E.
Paper Book
An updated edition of the essential guide for all scientists--from undergraduates to senior scholars--who want to produce prose that anyone can understand.   Scientific writing is often dry, wordy, and difficult to understand. But, as biologist and experienced teacher of...

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