George Angus, Tumblemoose Writer

Check out this great guest post!

Writing more than you read is a great sin for any aspiring writer. It’s a good start to devour other writing of all kinds. Familiarizing yourself with published writer’s work will help you develop ideas, expand your vocabulary, experience a wide range of styles, tones, concepts and structures, and understand what makes a gripping blog, article or feature. Aside from reading other’s work,  there are books out there that will help you develop your writing technique and reach your full potential. Check out this guide of the top 10 books to help in this endeavor.

1. How to Write: Communicating Ideas and Information (Herbert and Jill Meyer)

This book is a wildly popular guide to writing that has sold 200,000 copies worldwide already. The focus is on getting your point across as clearly and concisely as possible, which with limited word counts and intense competition, is exactly what every writer needs. The book also has useful advice on organizing your ideas, from the drafting stage right through the process.

2. Article Writing for Profit (Jinger Jarrett)

This book is written for the benefit of business owners who want to drive traffic to their sites using online articles.  The good news is that for any writer looking to get commissioned to write business-to-business, it’s invaluable. Reading this short e-book will help you to understand what your B2B clients are looking for from online articles, and set you up to deliver it.

3. How to Write Special Feature Articles (Willard Bleyer)

Whilst this was originally written for journalists in the traditional print media, it is a very useful book for online writers looking to sell features to high-quality, special interest web publications. Bleyer draws on 12 years of journalism teaching experience to bring together a definitive guide to writing features for publications and getting them published.

4. Writing Articles and Newsletters: The easy step-by-step guide (Pamela Brooks)

This is a straightforward guide to writing. Its appeal is in its simplicity, directness and neat layout. Brooks takes readers through the process of structuring articles, writing those killer opening and closing paragraphs, and even finding and interviewing experts to flesh out the article with real-life examples and opinions. The book also has a useful section on approaching publications with articles.

5. How to Write Clearly: Rules and exercises on English composition (Edwin A. Abbott)

Some people seem to believe that writing for the web need not adhere to the strict grammatical and structural rules of more traditional print publications, but unclear writing simply looks unprofessional, on the page or on screen. This classic writer’s manual is the perfect place for any writer, including an internet writer, to start learning the basics. This book is full of the rules that will help you create top-quality pieces that earn you the respect of publishers.

6. Now Write! Non Fiction (Sherry Ellis)

For online writers targeting more highbrow sites, this is a must-read e-book. The focus is on writing fantastic essays and articles, and it draws on the knowledge and expertise of professionals such as Pulitzer Prize winner John Matteson and Reza Ashlan. Each writer featured in the book provides advice and exercises on an aspect on non fiction writing such as Lee Gutkind’s showing rather than telling action chapter, or Gay Telese’s writers road map.

7. Writing Feature Articles (Brendan Hennessey)

This is a best-seller that every writer should have on their shelf. The book explores feature article writing, taking into account changes to the media including in-depth analysis of internet writing and what that means for the career writer. As well as the standard advice on technique, Hennessey includes useful sections on legal and ethical issues, as well as selling work to clients based abroad.

8. How to Write Fast Under Pressure (Philip Vassallo)

Deadlines constantly hang over the heads of professional web writers everywhere. Many writers find that there is no work one week, followed by a seemingly insurmountable pile of last-minute orders for articles the next. This book outlines a strategy for maintaining high standards of writing, even when under pressure, to make sure that all of your work comes out tip-top, even if you wrote it in half the time at 3am.

9. Blogging for Dummies, Susannah Gardner (Shane Birley)

This edition of the hugely successful For Dummies series is the definitive guide to a rapidly-evolving medium. This book focuses not only on writing great content specifically for the internet, but also on the latest tools used to publicize blogs. It’s essential reading for anyone looking to self-publish or write for successful blogs.

10. Writing Feature Stories (Matthew Ricketson)

This book is considered the bible for feature writers in today’s media. It is targeted at writers used to writing news who need to develop their skills in writing more extended pieces focusing on an issue in more depth, and can really help an online feature writer hone their craft.

Tom Walker is a writer who blogs for an online provider of HP 21 ink and other supplies for the creative industries. You can read more of posts about advertising, art and design on their blog.