Daphne Clair/Laurey Bright

Reference books for writers

MAKING THE PERFECT PITCH by Katherine Sands (The Writer Books) ISBN 0-871d1d6-206-7
A collection of advice from writers, editors, publishers about selling your work and getting published.
How to Punctuate: (Penguin Writers' guides)- by George Davidson. ISBN 0-141-02159-4
A very practical and readable guide to punctuation marks of all kinds.

Markets and Agents
The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook - published by A & C Black (UK)
The Writers' Handbook (also issued yearly) - ed. Barry Turner, published by Macmillan (UK)
Writer's Market (published yearly) - published by Writer's Digest Books (US)
Novel and Short Story Writer's Market, also from Writer's Digest (the monthly magazine is good too)
The Writer's Handbook (published yearly) - published by The Writer (US); also a monthly magazine
Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers and Literary Agents - by Jeff Herman, published by Prima Publishing, (US)
Australian Writer's Marketplace - Published by The Queensland Writers Centre , yearly. ISBN 2005 0 9578033.
New Zealand Writer's Handbook - published by David Bateman
Guide To Literary Agents - published by Writer's Digest Books
Literary Agents - by Debby Mayer, published by Penguin (US)

Most also contain helpful articles, and there are publishers' and agents' sites on the internet. You will find these sites useful when searching for a publisher or agent:
http://www.karenafox.com
http://www.geocities.com/ebyame/warning.html
http://www.authorlink.com/agents
http://www.literaryagents.org
http://www.agentsearch.com http://www.aar-online.org
http://www.agentsassoc.co.uk/
http://www.agentresearch.com

Check out these sites before deciding on an agent in America.
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors
http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/

Basic Books on Writing and Getting Published

Write Away: One Novelist's Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life - by Elizabeth George, published by HarperCollins, NY. ISBN: 0-06-056042-8.
Exactly what it says. George is a bestselling author of psychological suspense novels.
501 Writers' Questions Answered - by Nancy Smith
How to Get Happily Published - by Judith Appelbaum, published by HarperPerennial, 5th edition 1998 (US)
How to Get Published and Make a Lot of Money! - by Susan Page, published by Piatkus.
A little over-optimistic, but some good advice.
Lessons From a Lifetime of Writing: by David Morrell, Writers Digest Books. ISBN: 1-58297-143-9
Best-selling novelist gives advice and examples in a comprehensive writing guide. Stucture, character, point of view, etc. and he owns up to his early mistakes and tells how he overcame them.
So, What's Today's Brilliant Excuse? a practical guide to overcoming procrastination and self-doubt; by Joy Atkin - published by A&A Book Publishing Pty Ltd, NSW. ISBN: 0-9757864-3-1
Atkin is an Accredited coach with a BA in teaching, as well as a writer herself.
BOOK MARKETING FROM A-Z (Infinity Publishing 2005) by Francine Silverman retails at US$18.95
THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T (Star Publish 2004) by Carolyn Ho ward-Johnson retails at US$17.95
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO WRITE PUBLISH & MARKET YOUR BOOK by Patrika Vaughn retails at US$19.95
MAKING THE PERFECT PITCH by Katherine Sands (The Writer Books) ISBN 0-871d1d6-206-7
A collection of advice from writers, editors, publishers about selling your work and getting published.

A Short List of Good Books on Technique

Writing The Popular Novel - by Loren D. Estleman, published by Writers Digest Books. ISBN: 1-58297-288-5.
Good solid advice on every aspect of popular fiction, interspersed with amusing/interesting quotes. Definitely a keeper.
Novelist's Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes - by Raymond Obstfeld, published by Writer's Digest.
ISBN: 0-89879-973-2
A useful refresher or beginner's reference to making scenes work. Includes What is and isn't a scene; how to make scenes memorable; point of view; character, plot and theme; how to make scenes pay off; structuring a scene; setting; revision, and lots of good advice. The author has written twenty-seven novels in several genres, sold ten screenplays and thirteen non-fiction books pluse numerous short stories and poems.
The Creative Writer's Style Guide - by Christopher T. Leland, published by Writer's Digest Books ISBN 1-8884910-55-6
The Elements of Storytelling - by Peter Rubie, published by John Wiley. ISBN: 0-471-13045-1
Rubie is a wellknown NY agent with lots of cogent things to say on the subject of storytelling. Some of his dogmatic advice won't suit every writer, but worth reading.There are exercises to get you going. Making Shapely Fiction - by Jerome Stern, published by W. W. Norton & Company ISBN 0-39302929-8
How To Write a Damn Good Novel - by James Frey, published by Papermac (Macmillan) plus the sequel, How to Write a Damn Good Novel II, published by St. Martin's Press
Spider, Spin Me a Web - by Lawrence Block, published by Writer's Digest Books (and others by the same author)
Techniques of the Selling Writer - by Dwight Swain, published by University of Oklahoma Press
Technique in Fiction - by Robie Macauley and George Lanning, published by St. Martin's Press
How to Write an Uncommonly Good Novel - ed. Carol Hoover, published by the Writers Mentor Group
Practical Tips for Writing Popular Fiction - by Robyn Carr, published by Writer's Digest Books
Story - by Robert McKee, published by Methuen
Plotting and Editing - by Sherry-Anne Jacobs, published by Training Publications of Western Australis
Rewriting - by David Michael Kaplan

Punctuation, Grammar and other Nuts & Bolts
How to Punctuate: (Penguin Writers' guides)- by George Davidson. ISBN 0-141-02159-4
A very practical and readable guide to punctuation marks of all kinds.
Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation - by John Seeley, published by Oxford University Press, ISBN:0-19-860897-7
AND
The Oxford Guide to Plain English - by Martin Cutts, published by Oxford University Press, ISBN: 0-19-861911-4: Two small and reasonably priced books packed with good and easily understood advice on using the English language. Very nicely designed, and recent.

(And there are many others.)

For Romance Writers

Writing Romantic Fiction - by Daphne Clair and Robyn Donald, published by A & C Black The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Your Romance Published, by Julie Beard, published by alpha Books, ISBN #0-02-863196-X.
A very comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about the business.
Dear Leigh Michaels... - by LeAnn Lemburger, published by PBL Ltd, PO Box 935, Ottumwa, Iowa 52501-0935 (US$9.95)
The Art of Romance Writing - by Valerie Parv, published by Allen & Unwin
To Writers With Love: On Writing Romance Novels - by Mary Wibberley, published by Buchan & Enright (London)
Writing Romance - by Vanessa Grant, Self-Counsel Press (1997); 2nd edition now available
Introduction to Romance Writing - by Sherry-Anne Jacobs, published by Training Publications of Western Australis
Romance Writing for Dummies - by Leslie Wainger, 2004
Wainger is a top editor in NY.
Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance, published by Studymates Ltd. UK 2004. www.studymates.co.uk
Useful tips from a multipublished, successful romance writer, well organised into sections.

Additional Reading in romance theory
Barr, Penelope: Reader, I Married Him, Macmillan 1974
Beaumann, Nicola, A Very Great Profession, Virago Press Ltd 1983/1995
Campbell, Joseph, The Power of Myth, Doubleday 1988
Dixon, Jay, The Romance Fiction of Mills & Boon 1909-1990s, UCL Press 1999 ISBN 1-85728-266-3 Frye, Northrop, The Secular Scripture, Harvard
Hardwick, Elizabeth, Seduction and Betrayal, Weidenfeld & Nicholson 1974
Hazen, Helen, Endless Rapture - Rape, Romance and the Female Imagination, Scribner
Grescoe, Paul, The Merchants of Venus - (Inside Harlequin and the Empire of Romance), Raincoat Books
1996 ISBN 1-55192-010-7
Jensen, Margaret Ann, Love's Sweet Returns - The Harlequin Story, Women's Educational Press 1984
Krentz, Jayne Ann (ed), Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women, university of Pennsylvania Press, ISBN 0-06-108463-8
McAleer, Joseph, Passion's Fortune - the Story of Mills & Boon. Oxford 1999 ISBN 0-19-820455-8
McAlpine, Rachel, The Passionate Pen (NZ Romance Writers) ISBN 1-877161-36-5
Mann, Dr Peter, A New Survey; the Facts About Romantic Fiction, Mills & Boon 1974
Modleski, Tania, Loving With a Vengeance; Mass-Produced Fantasies for Women, Shoestring Press 1982
Moers, Ellen, Literary Women, The Women's Press 1978
Nell, Victor, Lost in a Book, Yale 1988
Papashvily, Helen, All the Happy Endings, Harper 1956
Pearson, Carol, Six Archetypes We Live By, Harper 1986
Radway, Janice, Reading the Romance, University of North Carolina, 1984
Spender, Dale, Women of Ideas, 1983
Thurston, Carol, The Romance Revolution, University of Illinois 1987
Regis, Pamela, A Natural History of the Romance Novel, University of Pennsylvania Press 2003 ISBN0-8122-3303-4

Inspirational Books For Writers

Writing Down the Bones - by Natalie Goldberg, published by Shambhala
The Artist's Way, and The Vein of Gold - both by Julia Cameron, published by Putnam, and Pan paperbacks
The Writer's Journey - by Christopher Vogler, published by Michael Wise Productions

Mystery, Suspense and Horror

How To Write Killer Fiction (Mystery and Suspense) by Carolyn Wheat - published by Perseverance Press, 2003 ISBN: 1-880284-62-6 Dark Thoughts: On Writing - compiled by Stanley Wiater, published by Underwood in arrangement with the author. ISBN 1-887424-30-X
Well known horror and suspense (heavily leaning to horror) writers talk about their work. Includes Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Dean Koontz.
Murder and Mayhem: A Doctor Answers Medical and Forensic Questions for Mystery Writers, by D.P. Lyle, M.D., published by St. Martins Press. ISBN: 0-312-30945-7
Great for those writing mysteries of any kind. Gory but informative and amusing.

Autobiography and Family History

Writing Family Histories and Memoirs - by Kirk Polking, published by Better Way Books
Your Life As Story - by Tristine Rainer, published by Tarcher Putnam Books

Script Writing

You Can Write a Movie - by Pamela Wallace, published by Writer's Digest Books ISBN: 0-89879-974-0 Wallace originated the script of the award-winning Witness.
Writing Dialogue for Scripts - by Rib Davis, published by A&C Black. ISBN:0-7136-6380-4
The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script - by David Trottier ISBN: 1879505444
The Complete Book of Scriptwriting - by J. Michael Straczynski, published b Writer's Digest Books.ISBN: 1582971587
Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade - by William Froug, published by Silman-James Press ASIN: 1879505134
The Script-Selling Game: A Hollywood Insider’s Look at Getting Your Script Sold and Produced - by Kathie Fong Yoneda, published by Michael Wiese Productions. ISBN: 0-941188-44-2
Writing Scripts Hollywood Will Love:Revised Ed. - by Katherine Atwell Herbert Published by Allworth Press. ISBN: 1581150741
Crafty Screenwriting: Writing Movies That Get Made - by Alex Epstein, published by Owl Books. ISBN: 0805069925
Making a Good Script Great - by Linda Seger, published by Samuel French. ISBN: 573699216

Historical Sources

Domestic Technology - by Nell Du Vall, published by G. K. Hall & Company (US); very useful
Timetables of Technology: A Chronology of the Most Important People and Events in the History of Technology - ed. Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans, published by Simon & Schuster
The Mode in Costume - by R. Turner Willcox; covers centuries of English and French costume, with details
And the Bride Wore... - by Ann Monsarrat, published by Gentry Books (London)
Men's Fashion: The Complete Source Book - by John Peacock 1996
The History of Underclothes, C. Willett Cunnington and Phillis Cunnington, published by Dover Publications
(Dover Books has a raft of books on historical fashion and will send a catalogue; write to Dept. 23, Dover Publications, Inc., 31 East 42nd St, Mineola, NY 11501.)

Notes on Research

In the library Dewey system, books about writing are generally filed under the number 808, and history is in the 900 section. The children's library is often a good place to start researching any subject. Usually the information is accurate and presented in brief form. Look at the back for a bibliography that may lead to more detailed sources. Also look in the adult section of the library for diaries and letters (these may in the biography section under 920 as well as in the 900 history section). These too will have bibliographies.

Many of my out-of-print history reference books have been picked up cheaply in secondhand bookshops, including an 1840 dictionary. However if the book is still in print remember that the author receives no royalty on secondhand copies. If writers don't get paid they can't afford to write more books.

File cards are useful for notes, and always record the source and page number in case you want to refer back. When photocopying from books I always copy the front and back of the title page, which gives all the information I may need to track down the book again, and often I photocopy the bibliography as well.

And of course there's the internet! Try this research site.

Don't forget there are also writers' sites, some of which are linked from this site.

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