Books for Writers

Inspiring and practical resources for writers of all stripes

Updated June 12, 2026
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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...
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...
Body work : the radical power of personal narrative
Febos, Melissa
Paper Book
In this bold and exhilarating mix of memoir and master class, Melissa Febos tackles the emotional, psychological, and physical work of writing intimately while offering an utterly fresh examination of the storyteller's life and the questions which run through it.
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<...
Children's picturebooks : the art of visual storytelling
Salisbury, Martin
Paper Book
Children's picturebooks are the very first book we encounter and play a major role in introducing us to both art and language. But what does it take to create a successful picturebook for children? Children's Picturebooks, Second Edition is the revised edition of a bestselling...
Craft in the real world : rethinking fiction writing and workshopping
Salesses, Matthew
Paper Book
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER "A significant contribution to discussions of the art of fiction and a necessary challenge to received views about whose stories are told, how they are told and for whom they are intended" (The New York Times Book Review) The traditional...
Dear writer : pep talks & practical advice for the creative life
Smith, Maggie
Paper Book
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER New York Times bestselling author and poet Maggie Smith distills creativity and the craft of writing with a practical guide perfect for fans of Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic and Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. Drawing from...
The design of books : an explainer for authors, editors, agents, and other curious readers
Berne, Debbie
Paper Book
Seasoned designer Debbie Berne presents an accessible introduction to book design for authors, editors, and other book people.   Design is central to the appeal, messaging, and usefulness of books, but to most readers, it's mysterious or even invisible. Through...
Dreyer's English : an utterly correct guide to clarity and style
Dreyer, Benjamin
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A sharp, funny grammar guide they'll actually want to read, from Random House's longtime copy chief and one of Twitter's leading language gurus   NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY O: The Oprah Magazine<...
Elements of fiction
Mosley, Walter
Paper Book
Following his essential writing guide, This Year You Write Your Novel, award-winning author Walter Mosley delivers an eloquent treatise on the craft of fiction writing--part writing guide, part study of the mechanics of the genre. In his essential writing guide, This Year...
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...
How to write a mystery : a handbook from Mystery Writers of America
Child, Lee
Paper Book
From 70 of the most successful mystery writers in the business, an invaluable guide to crafting mysteries--from character development and plot to procedurals and thrillers--"this is a writing guide that readers and writers will turn to again and again" (Booklist, starred review). ...
How to write an autobiographical novel : essays
Chee, Alexander
Paper Book
Named a Best Book of 2018 by New York Magazine, the Washington Post, Publisher's Weekly, NPR, and Time, among many others, this essay collection from the author of The Queen of the Night explores how we form identities in life and in art. As a...
Making comics
Barry, Lynda
Paper Book
The bestselling, idiosyncratic curriculum from a 2019 MacArthur Fellow will teach you how to draw and write your story "The self-help book of the year."--The New York Times Hello students, meet Professor Skeletor. Be on time, don't miss class, and...
Meander, spiral, explode : design and pattern in narrative
Alison, Jane
Paper Book
"How lovely to discover a book on the craft of writing that is also fun to read . . . Alison asserts that the best stories follow patterns in nature, and by defining these new styles she offers writers the freedom to explore but with enough guidance to thrive." ―Vulture
Novelist as a vocation
Murakami, Haruki
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER * An insightful look into the mind of a master storyteller--and a unique look at the craft of writing from the beloved and best-selling author of 1Q84, Norwegian Wood, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running....
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
Paper Book
*ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S TOP 100 NONFICTION BOOKS OF ALL TIME* Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King's critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him...
Refuse to be done : how to write and rewrite a novel in three drafts
Bell, Matt
Paper Book
They say writing is rewriting. So why does the second part get such short shrift? Refuse To Be Done will guide you through every step of the novel writing process, from getting started on those first pages to the last tips for making your final draft even tighter and stronger. ...
Rules for the dance : a handbook for writing and reading metrical verse
Oliver, Mary
Paper Book
Pulitzer-prize winning poet and National Book Award winner, Mary Oliver, provides a graceful manual on the mechanics of poetical composition. "True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, / As those move easiest who have learned to dance," wrote Alexander Pope. "The dance," in the...
Self-publishing
Rich, Jason
Paper Book
Get your books into the hands of readers with this simple how-to guide Self-Publishing For Dummies takes you through the entire process of publishing your own books, starting with the writing and editing process and moving through cover design, printing options, distribution...
Steering the craft : a twenty-first century guide to sailing the sea of story
Le Guin, Ursula K.
Paper Book
Ursula K. Le Guin generously shares the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime's work.
Story genius : how to use brain science to go beyond outlining and write a riveting novel (before you waste three years writing 327 pages that go nowhere)
Cron, Lisa
Paper Book
Following on the heels of Lisa Cron's breakout first book, Wired for Story, this writing guide reveals how to use cognitive storytelling strategies to build a scene-by-scene blueprint for a riveting story. It's every novelist's greatest fear- pouring their blood, sweat,...
Take it from me an agent's guide to building a nonfiction writing career from scratch.
Habib, Alia Hanna.
Paper Book
From the literary agent behind some of today's most successful authors comes a narrative guide geared specifically to the needs of aspiring and working nonfiction writers, demystifying the world of publishing and offering a practical roadmap to getting your book published. "An...
Writing Creativity and Soul
Kidd, Sue Monk.
Paper Book
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER * From the bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longings: an intimate work on the mysteries, frustrations, and triumphs of being a writer, and an instructive guide to awakening the soul. When Sue Monk Kidd...
Writing to persuade how to bring people over to your side.
Hall, Trish.
Paper Book
In the tradition of The Elements of Style comes Trish Hall's essential new work on writing well--a sparkling instructional guide to persuading (almost) anyone, on (nearly) anything. As the person in charge of the Op-Ed page for the New York Times, Hall spent years immersed in argument,...

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