Books for Writers Part 3

The end is in sight! Welcome back to the last post in the Books for Writers series. This last one is all about the books that I have found valuable as a self published author. Self publishing can be a difficult decision to make, and the road is not easy. These books have been a fount of information and inspiration.

The Little Red Writing Book by Brandon Royal
The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need by Susan Thurman
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers
2015 Guide to Self Publishing 

Both The Little Red Writing Book and The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need are excellent. Each in their own right, but they are fabulous for quickly finding answers to questions on grammar and sentence structure. "Little Red" is not only concerned with grammar, but it has large sections about structure, style, and readability. Each of these sections are critical not only to writers, but especially to writers who decide to self publish as they don't have a team of editors and agents behind them. The book is written in an easy to understand, conversation like tone that makes it a pleasure to read.
The Only Grammar Book is every grammarian's dream. It details the parts of speech and includes a section on commonly confused words, as well as chapters on avoiding common errors, revising, and writing formats. This book is not only great for fiction writers, but also for any type of writing whether for research, blogs, or essays; this book has something for everyone.

The Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers has been a bit of a rock for me. In every step of the self publishing process. It is the book that has helped me with rejection from a few agents, my first negative review, and even getting up the courage to self publish in the first place. If you want to raise the spirits of the writer in your life, this is the book to get. It is a balm to the writers soul when the hard things come up.

Guide to Self-Publishing is a book that every self-publisher needs on their shelf. Every year they come out with a new version, but really any recent version is the best. I purchased the new one last year before self-publishing, and it has been a life saver, especially when it comes to promotion. It has whole sections that break down the following:
Production- book cover, cover text, keys to a standout cover, tools for great covers, how to hire a freelance editor
Management- keeping manuscript safe, record keeping, pricing, self-publishing checklist
Promotion- platform challenges, building a platform, using public relations, speaking, creating an email newsletter, blogging, an using social media
There is even a section of listings of Self-Publishing companies, editorial services, freelance designers, and independent publicists.
This book is a "one stop shop" for all things Self-Publishing.

Thank you all for hanging in there for this series. I hope that you have found a few of these books helpful or at the very least intriguing. And as always, keep writing!