Helpful Resources

The Elements of Style Illustrated
by William Strunk Jr.

The only style manual ever to appear on bestseller lists has explained to millions of readers the basic principles of plain English. Highly readable and extremely useful.

The Elements of Business Writing: A Guide to Writing Clear, Concise Letters, Memos, Reports, Proposals, and Other Business Documents (Elements of Series)
by Gary Blake & Robert W. Bly

Anyone who has ever had to write any business document, from interoffice memo to fifty-page proposal, will find this to be an effective tool for producing clear, concise, and persuasive prose.

The Chicago Manual of Style
by University of Chicago Press Staff

Countless publishing professionals have learned the details of their business from this classic guide for publishers, editors and writers. If you work with words, this is the reference book you must own.

The Business Style Handbook: An A-to-Z Guide for Writing on the Job with Tips from Communications Experts at the Fortune 500
by Helen Cunningham

A practical and comprehensive guide that focuses specifically on the writing issues that frequently arise on the job. Insights and feedback from Fortune 500 communications executives provide tips and advice on improving writing style and effectiveness, while more than 1,200 alphabetized entries cover the essentials of style and usage, grammatical concepts, and more.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
by Lynne Truss

Who would have thought a book about punctuation could become a bestseller in the UK and the USA? Using a mix of humor and anecdotes, author and journalist Lynne Truss manages to create a highly readable and enjoyable primer that not only explains how punctuation works but why it is important.

The Copywriter's Handbook, Third Edition: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells
by Robert W. Bly

All the nuts and bolts you need to start writing like an expert copywriter. The Copywriter's Handbook is the Bible of the copywriting industry — and has been for quite some time.

Bird by Bird
by Anne Lamott

An insightful, warm, and often humorous book about the joys and trials of creative writing, including plot and character development, the creative process, and the "writing frame of mind."

Persuasive Business Proposals
by Tom Sant

If you want to write winning proposals, you should have this practical, thorough, and highly readable book on your shelf.

Resume Magic
by Susan Britton Whitcomb

Filled with "before and after" resume examples that not only teach the author's special techniques but also show why they work, "Resume Magic" divulges the secrets of better resume writing from an expert with more than a decade of experience producing powerful, effective resumes.

How to Position Yourself As the Obvious Expert: Turbocharge Your Consulting or Coaching Business Now!
by Elsom Eldridge Jr. and Mark L. Eldridge

An excellent book about how to promote yourself and your business. One of the authors' recommendations: write a book. "You see, writing a book is not only the best way, it is the indisputably essential way, to establish your credibility in your field of expertise. Using authorship as a marketing strategy brings you an on-going flow of clients who are deliberately and purposefully seeking you."

Get Slightly Famous: Become a Celebrity in Your Field and Attract More Business with Less Effort, Second Edition
by Steven Van Yoder

One of the best books on self-promotion. Steven Van Yoder provides practical advice that will benefit all who want to increase their visibility, credibility, and profitability.

Guerilla Marketing on the Internet: The Definitive Guide from the Father of Guerilla Marketing
by Jay Conrad Levinson

The Father of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson, and online marketing masters Mitch Meyerson and Mary Eule Scarborough show how to beat the odds by combining the unconventional, take-no-prisoners Guerrilla Marketing approach with today's ultimate marketing weapon - the Internet.

How to Use the Internet to Advertise, Promote, and Market Your Business or Web Site with Little or No Money
by Bruce C. Brown

An excellent book on the basics of Web marketing. Bronze Winner in the Computer/ Internet Category of the 2007 Independent Publisher Book Awards.

1001 Ways to Market Your Books
by John Kremmer

John Kremer hits a home run with this spectacular classic reference on how to market books. Whether you are an author or a publisher, this book is a must! Every useful promotional idea you might think of is included here, from the most traditional methods to guerrilla marketing techniques.

Become A Recognized Authority In Your Field — In 60 Days Or Less
by Robert W. Bly

Bly presents straight-forward strategies to increase your prestige and income by becoming a recognized authority ("guru") in your field.

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

The new Internet phenomenon known as social media (Web 2.0) is transforming the way business is done. Business executives and entrepreneurs who want to understand and harness the power of this movement should read this book. Those who want to be left behind can ignore it.

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living
by Peter Bowerman

This is the one book I recommend to all of my ghostwriting clients. It's an outstanding overview of the self-publishing process, with special emphasis on marketing side.

Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book
by Dan Poynter

The bible on self-publishing. Highly recommended by virtually everyone in the industry. Follow the author's step-by-step advice on how to produce a commercially-successful book, get it into print quickly and easily, and learn the basics of book distribution through this fine guide.

The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days
by Fern Reiss

I recommend this book to every author I work with. It describes the self-publishing process clearly and concisely.

The Fine Print of Self Publishing: The Contracts & Services of 45 Self-Publishing Companies Analyzed Ranked & Exposed
by Mark Levine

Levin pulls no punches as he compares the services and prices of 45 of the leading self-publishing companies.

Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing, or How to Publish Your Books with Print on Demand and Online Book Marketing on Amazon.com
by Aaron Shepard

Aaron Shepard proposes a revolutionary way to easily self publish your non-fiction work and market it successfully. "If you want to learn how to sell more books on Amazon, this is the best book I've read on the subject… Thanks to books like this, self-published authors have a chance to succeed against traditionally-published competitors." — Stacie Vander Pol, author, Top Self Publishing Firms

The Copyright Permission and Libel Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers
by Lloyd J. Jassin

Presents a lucid overview of the many tricky and potentially troublesome copyright and libel issues. Written for non-lawyers with helpful question-and-answer format. Highly recommended for both publishers and writers.

The Writer's Legal Companion: The Complete Handbook For The Working Writer
by Brad Bunnin and Peter Beren

A fantastic reference for writers interested - and all should be - in legal issues concerning contracts, collaboration, agents, defamation, copyright, taxes, and high-tech publishing.