When you start a new job or learn a new skill, chances are, you need to do a bit of reading or research. As a bookworm who can’t resist buying more books, and as an author in progress (a phrase I’m borrowing from one of the books mentioned in this post), I have created quite a collection of books related to the writing, marketing, and publishing of books.
I thought I would share the titles on my TBR shelf in case others were looking for publishing industry reads.
My TBR Shelves for Blogging Books (Industry Reads TBR 2) and Books on Writing (Industry Reads TBR 3) will be coming soon.
Note: Prices may have changed on Amazon since I looked them up, and many of them are available for Free on Kindle Unlimited. I like to have a physical copy of the books to write in, add sticky notes, etc. All prices are in USD.
TLDR YouTube Video Link at the bottom of the post. or HERE.
Currently Reading
Author In Progress: A no-holds-barred guide to what it really takes to get published
By Therese Walsh, Editor, and the Writer Unboxed Community
Price: $19.99
This book is a collection of essays by novelists, editors, agents, and freelance writers that cover topics spanning from the mentality of when you first begin to think you could be a writer through the writing, editing, self-care, and publishing process. There are more than 50 essays, and the variety of contributors allows for multiple perspectives on each topic.
Traditional Publishing
Writer’s Market (Annual Edition)
By Robert Lee Brewer, Editor
Price: $21.49
The annual massive book includes lists of book publishers, magazines, contests, awards, and literary agents, as well as where and how to submit to each, and often includes what their preferred genre submissions. I’ve been interested in looking closer at the traditional publishing houses and agents for when my trilogy is further along.
How NOT to Write A Novel
By Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman
Price: $10.99
While this book is also on my Writing TBR Shelf, the last section of the book is about selling your book, including the query letters, refining the book pitch, synopsis, final checks for typos, formatting, and choosing a publishing house.
An Insider’s Guide to Publishing
By David Comfort
Price: $10.99 -$19.99
I’ve read a few of the essays in this book already, and the humor is fantastic! This book has a few fun stories about historically famous authors, advice and tips from agents and editors for queries and the process of getting published, as well as their opinion and discussion on 21st century non-traditional publishing avenues.
Amazon Publishing
Self Publishing with Amazon (Boxed Set: 4 Books in 1)
By Chris McMullen
Price: $19.99
This (massive) tome includes details for formatting your document so that you can publish either electronically or physically with Amazon, an introduction to marketing, instructions and advice for editing, tutorials for Amazon’s document conversion software, and articles from self-published authors.
How to Publish A Book on Amazon: Real advice from someone who’s doing it well
By Sam Kern
$11.99
This author has a series of books on how to work from home, and he has released all of these through Kindle. He created this book as a list of How To topics from choosing a topic for your book – which genres sell well, to the pros and cons of pre-releasing your book, and what to do after you publish your first book.
Kindle Bestseller Publishing
By Gundi Gabrielle
Price: $13.99
This book is supposed to help you create a schedule for the steps of publishing your book on Kindle, and it includes a discussion on the cost of self-publishing on Amazon, the algorithm and SEO terms, when to schedule promotional material and social media posts, decisions for pricing and royalties, etc. It seems to function as a nice checklist for the process, but I haven’t finished it yet.
Marketing and Growing Your Audience
The Sassy Way to Social Media Marketing when you have no clue
By Gundi Gabrielle
Price: $13.99
This book has strategies for monetizing and expanding the reach of your social media platforms. The strategies include the following platforms: YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.
Grow Your Author Platform
By Mandi Lynn and Bethany Atazadeh
Price: $9.99
I just got this book, along with The Book Launch Planner, which you can read about in the last blog post: Unboxing The Book Launch Planner.
This book is the second of 3 books on Marketing for Authors. This particular book includes tips on how to utilize the traffic on your website to generate book sales, how to market your book through email, blogs, YouTube, and Pinterest.
How to Build a Writing Empire in 30 Days or Less
By Sam Kerns
Price: $11.99
This book is geared towards authors who also take freelance writing jobs. In this book, Sam Kerns provides suggestions for rebranding your writing business to attract the right audience (or clients for freelance writing), creating a writing business routine to optimize your writing time, and a plan for steps to take in the first days, weeks, and month of starting your new writing endeavors.
Making a Living
Writers for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success
By Kelly James Enger
Price: $12.99
This book has strategies for creating a writing routine to manage deadlines, querying successfully, networking, and handling rejection. The book also includes advice on taxes and invoicing when self-employed.
Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making A Living
By Manjula Martin
Price: $11.19
This is a collection of essays and articles from modern authors on topics such as are MFA programs worth it, do teaching fellowships leave you enough time to write, and what success looks like from multiple perspectives.
Write and Grow Rich: Secrets of Successful Authors and Publishers
By Alinka Rutkowska, Adam Houge, Alexa Bigwarfe, Amy Collins, Caitlin Pyle, Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Christine Kloser, Daniel Hall, Donna Kozik, Derek Doepker
Price: $13.95
24 authors share their best practices for turning your book into a successful career. They each share advice they would have liked to receive, tips on coping and self-care, and the necessary writing and business skills needed to make your author life profitable and sustainable.
Publishing on a Budget
How to Self Publish for Under $100
By Cinquanta Cox-Smith
Price: $14.95
This is a guide with tips and tricks on utilizing SEOs, discounting prices, choosing the right category for your book, and marketing through blogs and endorsements. These are geared towards authors who are considering Amazon, but also include information for publishing outside of Amazon.
Find Readers and Sell Books on a Shoestring Budget
By Rob Eagar
$7.99
This book is geared for those who want to publish on Amazon with a tight budget. Rob Eagar outlines the pros and cons of using Amazon Ads and Facebook Ads, improving keyword and ad copy wording, attracting email subscribers, encouraging word of mouth, as well as the importance of book launches and reviews.
Do You Have Any Recommendations for Books on Publishing? If so, please leave the title and author in the comments!
Thanks for your recommendations,
Jules the Dawdling Writer
The Dawdling Writer 