These book lists will help to get you started on your writing journey. Keep in mind that these are not meant to be exhaustive lists and you may find other books in our catalog or by browsing the shelves at your local library branch. These titles may be available in other formats or languages. Check the catalog for availability.
Recommended Reading contents
General Reading on the Writing Craft - Whether you're new to the craft of writing or a seasoned novelist, these books will help you figure it all out from getting out of writer's block to plotting your novel and writing dialogue.
Writers on Writing - Writers love to talk about the craft of writing and the writing life. If you've ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of your favorite novels, or if you're an inspired writer looking for advice, these books will answer all of your impassioned questions.
Writing the Genres - If you're writing genre fiction, you'll find books on this list to help you write paranormal fiction, M/M Romance, science fiction, and others.
Get Your Facts Right - Here is a sampling of books that offer great information on police procedure, body trauma, poisons, and other things writers will need to know to get their facts right.
Editing Your Novel - Make sure your novel is ready to send off to the publisher with these books on editing.
Publishing Your Novel - These books will help you in your publishing endeavors from finding the right publisher to helping you write your query letter.
These books are available at the library!
Click on a title from these lists and you will be taken directly to the library's catalog. There you can either place a hold on the title, or find out where it's located and find it on the shelf, where you can also browse for similar titles. If you need more books than what can be found on these lists feel free to search the catalog for other titles, or use the following Library of Congress call numbers to browse the shelves in person at your local branch library:
Modern English: PE1001-1693
Literary History: PN140-1009.5
Authorship & Craft of Writing: PN140-472 & PN3350-3383
Writing Genre Fiction: PN3427-3448
Borrowing eBooks from the library
Some of the titles on these lists are available in eBook format. If you've not tried our eBook services, these links below direct you to library resources that can show you which platforms we have and how to use them.
Stream & Download - This page will link you to each of the eBook platforms the library uses as well as tutorial videos and FAQs for each.