Resources — Independent Editors Group

Here are some references we recommend for practical writing help, instruction, inspiration – and fun.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
Why We Write About Ourselves: Twenty Memoirists on Why They Expose Themselves (and Others) in the Name of Literature, edited by Meredith Maran
Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction—and Get It Published by Susan Rabiner and Alfred Fortunato
The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner
Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why, 3rd Edition by Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman
Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, 29th Edition: Who They Are, What They Want, How to Win Them Over, January 2023
The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It ... Successfully! by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry
What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing by Peter Ginna
Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books by William Germano
Refuse to be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell
Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer