|
||||
It’s all set to look for books. Need more
advanced capabilities? Try Advanced Search.
I receive an astonishing number of inquiries about what it’s like to be a writer, how to write fiction, how to break into the biz, and so on. Here are sixteen handpicked books, three magazines, and ten web sites that will get you off to a running start.
For the books, simply clicking on the cover or title will whisk you away to Amazon.com. In most cases, I’ve linked to the paperback version to save you money. All books on this site are also available through your local bookstore. (My published works are here. Two free stories are here. My publishing company is here. Comments or suggestions? Send me email.)
|
||||||||
| Customized Search Engine It’s all set to look for books. Need more advanced capabilities? Try Advanced Search. |
||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| The Elements of Style The most widely recommended book on usage and style. People who love English love this book. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| The Chicago Manual of Style The bible of the publishing industry. Invaluable for questions on spelling, punctuation, and just about anything else. Updated every dozen years or so, the latest edition should be kept within arm’s reach. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English A dictionary with unusually clear and direct definitions. Also contains: illustrations, thousands of phrases, notes on usage (both British and American), and statistics on frequency (for both spoken and written English). |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| Oxford English Dictionary The ultimate English dictionary. More than eighty-five percent cheaper than the list price of the twenty-volume print version. Takes up vastly less space, too. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar For the serious grammarian. Optional. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| The Art of Fiction The most widely recommended book for beginning fiction writers. Probably the best one, too. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| Creating Short Fiction Covers different topics in a different manner from the above book. Very useful. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| On Writing Well A book on writing nonfiction that will benefit fiction writers as well. In the vein of Strunk and White. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy A collection of essays that addresses the problems unique to writing science fiction and fantasy. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| How Many People Can the Earth Support? A book on global population that teaches you how to think about the future. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| The Writer’s Legal Companion Good information on contracts, copyright, taxes, agents, publishers, and more. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| The Copyright Handbook Copyright—what it is, how to register it, how to use it, how to protect it. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| The New Hugo Winners, Vol. IV Hugo-winning short stories, novelettes, and novellas. This is Volume IV. Volumes I-III are unfortunately out of print, but worth looking for. It helps to read the best, and these volumes are more exclusive than either the Dozois or Hartwell anthologies. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Over 1,300,000 words about the science fiction field. Awesome. The best. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia A lavishly illustrated romp through the history of the genre. Now out of print, but lots of used copies available. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
| Infinite Worlds Art has been integral to the science fiction field from the beginning. This oversized volume is bulging with lush images. Again, lots of used copies available. |
|||||||||
 |
||||||||
| Locus The dominant trade magazine for the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Everybody reads Locus. |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
| SFWA Bulletin Members of SFWA automatically receive the Bulletin, but you can also subscribe to it. Excellent articles in every issue. |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
| Speculations The best magazine for a new writer. Packed with how-to-write articles, how-the-biz-works articles, fresh market reports, and Mike Resnick’s “Ask Bwana” column. (Dormant.) |
||||||||
Science Fiction and Fantasy World
Science Fiction Resource Guide
The Ultimate Science Fiction Web Guide
Copyright ©1999–2012 Brian Dana Akers. All rights reserved.