We understand that writers who submit or want to submit their work may have a lot of questions (i.e.: “What do agents and editors look for?” “What’s considered ‘good’ writing, anyway?” “How can I improve my writing?” “What does a query letter involve?”). Therefore, we suggest the following books as potential tools, resources and references that may help, inform and inspire the would-be (bestselling?) author.

Book Proposals That Sell: 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success by W. Terry Whalin

100 Things Every Writer Needs to Know by Scott Edelstein

Your Novel Proposal: From Creation to Contract—The Complete Guide to Writing Query Letters, Synopses and Proposals for Agents and Editors by Blythe Camenson & Marshall J. Cook

The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman

Edit Yourself: A Manual for Everyone Who Works with Words by Bruce Ross-Larson

Editors on Editing: What Writers Need to Know About What Editors Do by Gerald Gross

Escaping Into the Open: The Art of Writing True by Elizabeth Berg

Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors and Publishers (14th Edition) by John Grossman

The Elements of Style by William Strunk & E.B. White

The Elements of Grammar by Margaret D. Shertzer

Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary (10th Edition)

*Note: These books should be used as guides to writing correctly, clearly and, when need be, concisely. One should not allow them to dictate your style or stifle your voice. Remember, we are looking for writers with a fresh, exciting and original means of expressing him or herself. The instructional books listed above are intended to inform and assist and are but a solid foundation on which to build.