Hello everyone and happy Father’s Day!
Due to additional job responsibilities, summer plans, and writing deadlines, I will be posting two times per month for the rest of the summer.
The more I write, the more I discover how truly essential reading is to developing one’s craft. There are two books which I believe every writer seeking publication should read and a reading strategy which, in my opinion, all writers should employ.
Book Recommendations
The first book is The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing: How to Write, Work, & Thrive on Your Own Terms by Zachary Petit. In his book, Petit offers advice on how to break into the freelance market, build a platform, write a professional query letter, conduct interviews, and more. Although his book’s target audience is freelance writers, much of his advice is valuable for those who do not wish to become a freelancer. In addition to being informative, Petit’s voice is very conversational and often humorous, causing the book to read more like a novella than a “how to” book. I highly recommend The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing to anyone who wants to write professionally.
Another valuable resource is the Writer’s Market Deluxe Edition 2017 (aka the writer’s Bible). It contains:
- Writing Related Advice (i.e. how to write a good query letter, how to build a platform, etc.)
- Lists of:
- Literary Agents
- Book Publishers
- Consumer Magazines
- Trade Journals
- Contests and Awards
Other books which are similar in content, but geared towards specific genres are Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market 2017, Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market 2017, Poet’s Market 2017, and Guide to Literary Agents 2017.
Reading Strategy
Read in your genre. If you want to write poetry, read poetry. If your passion is science fiction, read all the science fiction you can get your hands on. Do you want to write short stories? Read short stories, especially ones printed in the publications you plan on querying.
The young adult novel I am currently editing, The Four Crystals, is an allegorical fantasy. Obvious books to read for this genre are The Chronicles of Narnia, Eragon, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
I hope you find these book recommendations and the reading strategy helpful.
Happy writing!
Katie
katiemerkelwriter 