Resources


New! The following list is now available as a PDF download. Click here.

Some of the books on this list are classics, must-haves for writers looking to get published. Others are just my favorites. Books that have been reviewed on my blog have a link to the review. Also, check reviews on Amazon and other book-sellers’ sites.

Writing Craft: Magazine writers must have #1 and/or #3.

    1. Effective Magazine Writing: Let your Words Reach the World, Roger C. Palms, Shaw, 2000.
    2. Just Write! Susan Titus Osborne, ACW Press, 2000. http://www.christiancommunicator.com/.
    3. Writing for Magazines: A Beginner’s Guide, Cheryl Sloan Wray, McGraw-Hill, revised 2004. This one is now considered a textbook, so it is fairly expensive.
    4. Writer’s Digest Handbook Of Magazine Article Writing, Michelle Ruberg, ed., WD Books, 2004.
    5. How to Write What You Love and Make a Living at It, Dennis E. Hensley, Shaw/Waterbrook, 2000.
    6. The Little Handbook to Perfecting the Art of Christian Writing, Leonard G. Goss & Don M. Aycock, Broadman and Holman, Nashville, 2006.
    7. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, Natalie Goldberg, Shamhala Publications, 1996.

Marketing: If you’re serious about writing for the Christian market, Sally Stuart’s guide is a must. John Vonhof’s book is the best I’ve seen on marketing your books.

      1. Christian Writers’ Market Guide: The Essential Reference Tool for the Christian Writer, Sally Stuart, ed. See her site www.stuartmarket.com for this and other resources.
      2. Writer’s Market, Writers Digest Books, published annually in regular and deluxe edition (includes subscription to www.writersmarket.com). Some libraries have it.
      3. Selling Your Book: The No Nonsense, Step-By-Step Marketing & Promotion Workbook, John Vonhof, Footwork Publications, 2004.
      4. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Marketing Basics, Sarah White, MacMillan General Reference/Alpha Books, Madison, WI, 1997.
      5. Marketing for Dummies, C. Smith and Alexander Hiam, John Wiley & Sons, UK, 2006.
      6. Guerrilla Marketing for Writers: 100 Weapons to Help You Sell Your Work, Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman and Michael Larson, Writers Digest Books, New York, 2000.

Grammar and Style:

      1. The Associated Press Stylebook, updated annually, for newspapers, newsletters, flyers. Online at http://www.apstylebook.com/, subscription cost is $25/year.
      2. The Chicago Manual of Style, University of Chicago Press, 2003. Also online http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html. Subscription cost, $35 annually. New print edition coming soon (2010).
      3. The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style, Zondervan, 2004.
      4. Macmillan Teach Yourself Grammar and Style, Pamela R. Hahn, Dennis E. Hensley, 2000.
      5. Polishing the “PUGS” (Punctuation, Usage, Grammar and Spelling), Kathy Ide, 2005. Highly recommended by Cecil Murphey, www.kathyide.com. Reviewed on this blog. Click here.

Devotional Reading:

      1. Committed But Flawed, Cecil Murphey, AMG Publishers, 2004.
      2. Write His Answer, Marlene Bagnull, ACW Press, 2001.
      3. How to Keep a Spiritual Journal: A Guide to Journal Keeping for Inner Growth and Personal Discovery, Ron Klug, Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, 2002.

Magazines and Newsletters:

      1. Christian Communicator and Advanced Christian Writer, http://watkins.gospelcom.net/americanchristianwriters/index.htm
      2. The Writers’ Journal, http://www.writersjournal.com/
      3. The Writer, http://www.writermag.com/wrt/default.aspx
      4. Writers Digest, http://www.writersdigest.com/

You can find them all on Amazon. Search here.

While there’s a lot of information available online to writers, print resources are still valuable and necessary. This list was prepared as a handout for workshop I presented at Kentucky Christian Writers Conference 2007.  Some of the books on this list are classics, must-haves for writers looking to get published. Others are just my favorites. Books that have been reviewed on this blog have a link to the review. Also, check reviews on Amazon and other book-sellers’ sites.

Writing:Magazine writers must have #1 and/or #3.

  1. Effective Magazine Writing: Let your Words Reach the World, Roger C. Palms, Shaw, 2000.
  2. Just Write! Susan Titus Osborne, ACW Press, 2000. http://www.christiancommunicator.com/.
  3. Writing for Magazines: A Beginner’s Guide, Cheryl Sloan Wray, McGraw-Hill, revised 2004. This one is now considered a textbook, so it is fairly expensive.
  4. Writer’s Digest Handbook Of Magazine Article Writing, Michelle Ruberg, ed., WD Books, 2004.
  5. How to Write What You Love and Make a Living at It, Dennis E. Hensley, Shaw/Waterbrook, 2000.
  6. The Little Handbook to Perfecting the Art of Christian Writing, Leonard G. Goss & Don M. Aycock, Broadman and Holman, Nashville, 2006.
  7. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, Natalie Goldberg, Shamhala Publications, 1996.

Marketing:If you’re serious about writing for the Christian market, Sally Stuart’s guide is a must. John Vonhof’s book is the best I’ve seen on marketing your books.

  1. Christian Writers’ Market Guide: The Essential Reference Tool for the Christian Writer, Sally Stuart, ed. See her site www.stuartmarket.com for this and other resources.
  2. Writer’s Market, Writers Digest Books, published annually in regular and deluxe edition (includes subscription to www.writersmarket.com). Some libraries have it.
  3. Selling Your Book: The No Nonsense, Step-By-Step Marketing & Promotion Workbook, John Vonhof, Footwork Publications, 2004.
  4. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Marketing Basics, Sarah White, MacMillan General Reference/Alpha Books, Madison, WI, 1997.
  5. Marketing for Dummies, C. Smith and Alexander Hiam, John Wiley & Sons, UK, 2006.
  6. Guerrilla Marketing for Writers: 100 Weapons to Help You Sell Your Work, Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman and Michael Larson, Writers Digest Books, New York, 2000.
Grammar and Style:

  1. The Associated Press Stylebook, Basic Books, 2006, for newspapers, newsletters, flyers. Online at http://www.apstylebook.com/.
  2. The Chicago Manual of Style, University of Chicago Press, 2003. Also online http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html.
  3. The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style, Zondervan, 2004.
  4. Macmillan Teach Yourself Grammar and Style, Pamela R. Hahn, Dennis E. Hensley, 2000.
  5. Polishing the “PUGS” (Punctuation, Usage, Grammar and Spelling), Kathy Ide, 2005. Highly recommended by Cecil Murphey, www.kathyide.com. Reviewed on this blog. Click here.

Devotional Reading:

  1. Committed But Flawed, Cecil Murphey, AMG Publishers, 2004.
  2. Write His Answer, Marlene Bagnull, ACW Press, 2001.
  3. How to Keep a Spiritual Journal: A Guide to Journal Keeping for Inner Growth and Personal Discovery, Ron Klug, Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, 2002.

Magazines and Newsletters:

  1. Christian Communicator and Advanced Christian Writer, http://watkins.gospelcom.net/americanchristianwriters/index.htm
  2. Cross and Quill, http://www.cwfi-online.org/crossquill.html
  3. The Writers’ Journal, http://www.writersjournal.com/
  4. The Writer, http://www.writermag.com/wrt/default.aspx
  5. Writers Digest, http://www.writersdigest.com/

 

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