10 of the best books for writers

I’ve read lots of books for writers during my career as an editor – and as an author to help me learn and grow! Craft books are some of the best tools writers have at their disposal, and best of all, you can get them for free at libraries or buy them pretty cheaply if you shop for used copies.

Here are some of the best books for writers to have on their bookshelf – whether you’re just starting out as an aspiring author, or you’re more experienced and are looking for something specific.

1. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King

This is the book I recommend to authors I work with all the time. Written by an ex-senior editor and a Writer’s Digest contributing editor, this book has everything you need to effectively self-edit your work and improve your writing craft.

There are chapters on all the major sticking points authors struggle with: exposition in its various forms, point of view issues, dialogue, monologue, beats, voice, as well as improving your writing stylistically.

The book contains useful checklists, exercises, and examples from edited books. Every writer should read this!

2. The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi

The Emotion Thesaurus is great if you struggle with character emotions, or you find yourself describing the same feeling in the same way. The book has an excellent introduction on writing emotion, subtext, character research, and common problems with writing emotion.

The thesaurus lists most emotions you can think of, with the definition, physical signals, internal sensations, mental responses, acute/long-term responses, and signs the emotion is being suppressed. They also include where the emotion could lead if escalated.

This is part of a wider series called Writers Helping Writers, so the authors have written more than one thesaurus! I also love The Emotional Wound Thesaurus but it’s worth checking out the others too.

3. Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel adapts a popular story-structure method for screenwriters and turns it into “beat sheets” novelists can use. It’s one of the best books on story structure I’ve ever read, and it’s another one I recommend constantly.

Jessica Brody guides us through writing a story-worthy hero (which is great for building a relatable protagonist) in her early chapters before diving into the beat sheets. These plotting methods can be used for any type of plot and for most genres of fiction.

The book breaks down popular novels using these beat sheets to demonstrate how it works, too. There are useful checklists and exercises scattered throughout.

4. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

While this isn’t really a craft book, it’s still essential reading. This one is more of a self-help book for creatives. Bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert shares her wisdom and thoughts on creativity. This is the ideal book to read if you’re generally feeling stuck, mentally blocked, or stifled creatively.

Topics explored in the book include (but are definitely not limited to!) courage, fear, ideas arriving (and leaving), persistence, trust, defining success, and general life advice for creative people.

Big Magic is for you if you need some gentle guidance and inspiration on your writing journey.

5. The Penguin Guide to Punctuation

Are you the type of writer who struggles with punctuation? Confused about colons versus semicolons, apostrophes, and how to sort out the quotation marks in your dialogue? This is the ideal reference book to have to hand.

This book isn’t one you’d read cover to cover, but it’s very useful to have if you need help with something punctuation-specific, or if that’s your weak point. Note that this does have more of a UK focus – it does touch upon the differences if you’re writing in American or Canadian English, though. For those in the US, The Chicago Manual of Style is a brilliant reference book with an online option (just bear in mind that it’s designed for editors primarily).

6. On Writing by Stephen King

It should be no surprise that this memoir slash writing advice book is on my list – it makes most lists of the best books for writers! Written by the master of horror Stephen King, it’s probably one of the most famous books about writing, and for a good reason!

This book combines details of Stephen King’s life as a writer with advice and tips on the craft. This is so effective because you can get a deeper insight into the long road to getting published. (King famously nailed all his rejections to the wall, for example, and gathered a solid collection of these by the time he was sixteen years old.)

If you’re looking for a mix of inspiration and tips and advice, On Writing is perfect.

7. Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

Romancing the Beat focuses on story structure for romance novels. There aren’t too many craft books for writers out there with a focus on romance. Although this one is short, it’s very useful for getting you used to romance structure, which tends to be very specific.

Editor and romance author Gwen Hayes provides a four-part structure: the setup, falling in love, retreating from love, and fighting for love. Each segment is then broken down even further, with specific “beats” to hit within each.

I’ve used the Gwen Hayes outlining method to loosely outline my own romance books, in combination with the “Buddy Love” beat sheet from Save the Cat! The great thing about these methods is you can combine and adjust them as needed. Romancing the Beat in particular is brilliant if you’re new to romance writing.

8. The Magic Words by Cheryl B. Klein

If you want to write for children or young adults, this is one of the best books to help you. It’s written by an executive editor and an author of picture books, and is incredibly in-depth.

Topics covered in the book include ages in children’s/YA literature, story concepts, how to write a novel, character creation, building connections with the reader, scenes, voice, publishing your book, and more. It’s packed full of useful stuff, and there are detailed exercises for you to do. The book also includes an interesting chapter on writing for love versus for money, and recommended reading in the children’s and YA space.

9. Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell

Another useful book on plotting and structure. This was published in 2004 but still stands the test of time, in my opinion.

The book discusses the differences between literary versus commercial plots, and expands on how writers can use the three-act structure. There are sections on finding plot ideas, writing beginnings, middles and endings, character arcs, and other plotting systems. There’s also useful advice on revising your plot after the first draft, and diagnosing and curing common plot issues.

Plot & Structure is useful in so many ways – you can easily dip in to pick and choose the parts you need!

10. Paper Hearts series by Beth Revis

This isn’t actually one book, but three because I couldn’t choose just one. New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis has written an entire series of writing and publishing advice, collected into three volumes. The first volume covers writing advice, the second publishing advice, and the third marketing advice.

The great thing about this series is that no matter where you are in your writing journey, there will be a volume for you with plenty of advice to take away. You can move through the volumes as your writing journey progresses. Beth has also written a workbook and a planner to go along with the main books. There’s a free sample of the first book here.

Have any other books for writers to recommend to me in the comments? Writing craft books are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, so I’m always looking for suggestions on others!

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