general booklist

Information and news

General Booklist

A list of books, and yearbooks about publishing and writing that may be of interest to authors.

Please note that these books are not available from the Society of Authors; they may be obtained from a public library or a bookshop.



Please also note that the categories are very broad, and that the relevant books may be found under various headings.



Yearbooks

  • The Writer’s Handbook 2009 edited by Barry Turner, published annually (Macmillan, £14.99, ISBN 0230573231)
  • The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2009 published annually (A&C Black, £14.99, ISBN 1408102641)
  • The Children’s Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2009 published annually (A&C Black, £12.99, ISBN 140810377X)
  • The Directory of Publishing 2009 published annually (Continuum & Publishers Association, £100.00, ISBN 1847065430)
  • The Small Press Guide: The Complete Guide to Poetry and Small Press Magazines published annually (Writer’s Bookshop, £9.99, ISBN 1-9027-1313-3)
  • The New Author’s Handbook by David Bolt (Peter Owen Publishers, £12.50 ISBN 0 7206 1101 6)



The following Quick Guides, Guidelines and Occasional Papers  are available to download for free

 

The following Guides are free to members (in the members area), £10 post free to non-members

  • Publishing Contracts
  • Translation Contracts



The following Guides are free to members, £7.50 to non-members 

  • Self-Publishing and Print-on-Demand
  • Author Appearances



The following Guides are free to members, £5 post free to non-members

  • Bringing a Small Claim in the County Court
  • Chasing Payments
  • Ghost Writing/Collaboration Contracts
  • Indexing Your Book



The Guides below are free to members, £2 post free to non-members

  • Copyright and Moral Rights – free to download, £2 for a paper copy
  • The Protection of Titles
  • Your Copyrights after Your Death
  • Permissions – free to download, £2 for a paper copy
  • Copyright in Artistic Works including Photographs
  • Value Added Tax 2008-2009
  • Income Tax 2008-2009
  • Libel, Privacy and Confidentiality
  • Authors’ Agents – free to download, £2 for a paper copy
  • Literary Translation – free to download, £2 for a paper copy
  • Dealing with Newspapers and Magazines



Occasional Papers– free to members, £1 post free to non-members

  • Film Agreements: Options on Literary Properties
  • Vanity Publishing – free to download, £1 for a paper copy
  • Packaged Books and Co-Editions



To order any of the above, please contact Reception at the Society of Authors, 84 Drayton Gardens, London SW10 9SB, tel: 020 7373 6642, fax: 020 7373 5768, email: Reception



If you are not a member, please send cheque with order, payable to ‘The Society of Authors’.



Magazines

  • The Author, published quarterly by The Society of Authors (£35 per year or £80 for 3 years – free to members)
  • Writer’s News , PO Box 4, Nairn, IV12 4HU (monthly)
  • Scriptwriter , (£30 for six issues a year, 2 Elliot Square, London NW3 3SU, tel: 020 7586 4853)



Publishing

  • How to Market Books – Alison Baverstock (Kogan Page, 4th Edition 2008 £25.00)
  • Literary Agents – What They Do, How They Do It, How To Find Work With The Right One For You by Michael Larsen (Wiley, £11.95 ISBN 0 471 13046 X)
  • From Pitch to Publication by Carole Blake (Macmillan, £14.99 ISBN 0 333 71435 0)
  • An Author’s Guide to Publishing by Michael Legat (Robert Hale, £9.99 ISBN 0 7090 6227 3)
  • Marketing in Publishing by Patrick Forsyth (Routledge, £21.99 ISBN 0 415 15134 1)
  • Commissioning Illustration by Martin Colyer (Phaidon Press, £15.99 ISBN 07148 26480)
  • Publishing Law 2nd Edition by Hugh James and Christopher Benson (Routledge, ISBN 0 415 261546)
  • The Writer’s Journey: From Inspiration to Publication by Julia McCutchen (Firefly Media £14.99 ISBN 0 95488480 9)

Self Publishing

  • How to Publish a Newsletter by Graham Jones (How To Books, £8.99 ISBN 185703 1660)
  • How to Publish Your Poetry by Peter Finch (Allison & Busby, £8.99 ISBN 0 7490 0391 X)
  • How to Publish Yourself by Peter Finch (Allison & Busby, £8.99 ISBN 0 74900 301 4)



Contracts and Copyright

  • A Handbook of Copyright in British Publishing Practice by J M Cavendish and Kate Pool (Continuum £47.50 ISBN 0304326356)
  • Copyright & Law for Writers by Helen Shay (How To Books, ISBN 978-1-84528-321-6)
  • Publishing Agreements, A Book of Precedents edited by Charles Clark, Lynette Owen and Roger Palmer (Allen & May, ISBN 0 04655016X)
  • Buying & Clearing Rights: Print, Broadcast & Multimedia by McGracken & Gilbart (Routledge, £60.00 ISBN 185713 0251)
  • Understanding Publishers’ Contracts by Michael Legat (Hale, ISBN 07090 72899)
  • Selling Rights by Lynette Owen, fourth edition (Routledge, £50.00 ISBN 0415 235 081)
  • Media Law: The Rights of Journalists and Broadcasters by Geoffrey Robertson and Andrew Nicol (Penguin, ISBN 014 013 8668)
  • Media Law and Human Rights by Andrew Nicol QC, Gavin Millar QC and Andrew Sharland (Blackstone’s, £45.95 ISBN 1 841 741345)

Authors and Authorship

  • Authors by Profession; Vols I & II by Victor Bonham-Carter (Vol. I £3.00 hb, £1.50 pb Vol II. hb only, £5.00 available post free from the Society)
  • Author! Author! An anthology of The Author, edited by Richard Findlater (Faber, available from the Society £2.50)



Prizes and Awards

  • Guide to Literary Prizes, Grants and Awards (Book Trust, www.booktrust.org.uk)
  • Public Lending Right
  • PLR in Practice by John Sumsion (from the PLR Office, telephone 01642 604699)



Freelance Writing

  • 1,000 Markets for Freelance Writers by Robert Palmer (Piatkus, £9.99 ISBN 07499 1288X) (Out of print)
  • The Fiction Writers’ Handbook by Nancy Smith (Piatkus, ISBN 07499 11522)
  • Freelance Writing for Newspapers by Jill Dick (A&C Black, £12.99 ISBN 0 713663634)
  • How to Make Money from Freelance Writing by Andrew Crofts (Piatkus, £12.95 ISBN 07499 11158)
  • How to Make Money out of Writing by Graham R Stevenson (Gower Publishing Ltd., £9.95 ISBN 0704 506300) (Out of Print)
  • Working for Yourself by Roz Morris (Piatkus, £7.99 ISBN 07499 13355) (Out of print)
  • 30 Ways to Make Money in Writing by Jennie Hawthorne (Rushmere Wynne Ltd, £7.99 ISBN 09480 35269) (Out of Print)
  • The Magazine Writer’s Handbook by Gordon Wells and Chriss McCallum (Writer’s Bookshop, ISBN 1 902713 07 9)



Art of Writing

  • Is There a Book in You? by Alison Baverstock (A & C Black, £8.99 ISBN 0 7136 79328)
  • Novel Writing 16 Steps to Success 2nd Edition by Evan Marshall (A & C Black, £12.99 ISBN 0 7136 6852 0)
  • Research For Writers 7th Edition by Ann Hoffmann (A & C Black, £13.99 ISBN 0 7136 6576 9)
  • Rewriting A Creative Approach to Writing Fiction by David Michael Kaplan (A&C Black £10.99 ISBN 0 7136 4875 9) (
  • Revision An Author’s Guide by Michael Legat (Hale, £9.99 ISBN 07090 6079 3)
  • Starting to Write by Marina and Deborah (How To Books, £9.99 ISBN 1 85703 401 5) (Out of Print)
  • Teach Yourself Creative Writing by Dianne Doubtfire (Teach Yourself Books, £7.99 ISBN 0 340 65833 9)
  • The Weekend Novelist by Robert J. Ray & Bret Norris (A & C Black £12.99 ISBN 0 7136 7143 2)
  • Twenty Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald B Tobias (Piatkus, £9.99 ISBN 07499 1983 3) (Out of Print)
  • Word Power A Guide to Creative Writing 3 rd Edition by Julian Birkett (A & C Black, £10.99 ISBN 0 7136 4850 3)
  • Writing for Pleasure and Profit by Michael Legat (Hale, £6.99 ISBN 07090 52618)
  • Writing Popular Fiction 2 nd Edition by Rona Randall (A&C Black, £9.99 ISBN 0 7136 4731 0)
  • 501 Writers’ Questions Answered by Nancy Smith (Piatkus, £10.99 ISBN 07499 1512 9)
  • Writing for Publication by Chriss McCallum (How To Books, £9.99 ISBN 1 85703 1407)
  • Writers’ Questions and Answers by Gordon Wells (Allison & Busby, £8.99 ISBN 0 749 005319)
  • Writing a Play, third edition by Steve Gooch (A & C Black, £9.99 ISBN 0 713 669454)
  • The Seven Key Elements of Fiction by L.P. Wilbur (Robert Hale, £9.99 ISBN 0 709 069707)



Children’s Books

  • How to Write for Children by Tessa Krailing (Allison & Busby, £9.99 ISBN 0 7490 0258 1)
  • How to Write for Children and Get Published by Louise Jordan (Piatkus, £9.99 ISBN 0 7499 1880 2)
  •  Illustrating Children’s Books Creating Pictures for Publication by Martin Salisbury (A & C Black, £16.99 ISBN 0 7136 6888 1)
  • Teach Yourself Writing for Children and Getting Published by Lesley Pollinger (Teach Yourself, £7.99 ISBN 0340 64738 8)



Crime and Thriller Writing

  • How to Write Crime Novels by Isobel Lambot (A & B Writers Guide, £6.99 ISBN 074900 125 9)
  • Teach Yourself Crime & Suspense Fiction and getting published by Lesley Grant-Adamson (Teach Yourself Books, pb £6.99 ISBN 0 071421300) (Out of Print)
  • The Way to Write Crime Fiction by Lisanne Radice (Elm Tree Books, £6.99 ISBN 0241 12462X) (Out of Print)
  • Writing Crime Fiction by H R F Keating (A&C Black, £9.99 ISBN 0 1736 3921 0)
  • Writing A Thriller by André Jute (A&C Black, 2 nd edition, £9.99 ISBN 0 7136 5093 1)
  • The Crime Writer’s Handbook by Douglas Wynn (Allison & Busby, £9.99 ISBN 0 74900 345 6) (Out of Print)
  • Worlds of Wonder: How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by David Gerrold (Titan Books, £12.99 ISBN 1 840 233575)
  • Writing Crime Novels by John Paxton Sheriff (Robert Hale, £11.99 ISBN 0 709 068360)



Food and Cookery

  • The Craft of Food & Cookery Writing by Janet Laurence (Allison & Busby, £7.99 ISBN 0 74900 211 5) (Out of Print)
  • Writing about Food by Jenny Linford (A&C Black, £8.99 ISBN 0 7136 4216 5) (Out of Print)



Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy

  • How to Write Tales of Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy ed. J N Williamson (Robinson Books, £4.99 ISBN 0 18548 70785) (Out of print)
  • How to Write Science Fiction by Bob Shaw (Allison & Busby, £6.99 ISBN 0 74900 135 6) (Out of print)
  • Writing Fantasy Fiction by Sarah Le Fanu (A&C Black, £8.99, ISBN 0 7136 4260 2) (Out of Print)
  • Writing Horror Fiction by Guy N Smith (A&C Black, £9.99 ISBN 0 7136 4339 0)
  • Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction by Lisa Tuttle (A & C Black, £11.99 ISBN 0 7136 7244 7)



Journalism

  • Freelance Writing by Chris Moore (Hale, £9.99 ISBN 0 7090 5869 1)
  • Freelance Writing for Newspapers by Jill Dick (A&C Black, £12.99 ISBN 0 713663634)
  • How to be a Freelance Journalist by Christine Hall (How To Books, £8.99 ISBN 1 85703 147 4) (Out of Print)
  • Interviewing for Journalists: How to Research & Conduct Interviews you can Sell by Joan Clayton (Piatkus Books, £8.99 ISBN 0 749913509)



Magazine Features and Articles

  • The Craft of Writing Articles by Gordon Wells (Allison & Busby, £8.99 ISBN 0 8052 81509)
  • How to Write Stories for Magazines by Donna Baker (Allison & Busby, £7.99 ISBN 0 7490 02964)
  • The Magazine Writer’s Handbook by Gordon Wells (Allison & Busby, £8.99 ISBN 0 74900404 5)
  • Writing Feature Articles by Brendan Hennessey (Focal Press, £21.99 ISBN 0240 516915)
  • Writing for Magazines by Jill Dick (A&C Black, £12.99 ISBN 0 7136 4485 0)
  • How to Compile and Sell Crosswords and Other Puzzles by Graham R Stevenson (Allison & Busby, £8.99 ISBN 0 7490 02492)



Multimedia

  • Creative Web Writing by Jane Dorner (A & C Black, £11.99 ISBN 0 7136 5854 1)
  •  Multimedia by Tony Feldman (Routledge, £18.99 ISBN 185713 0103)
  • The Electronic Publishing Business and its Market ed. by Brian & Bargot Blunden (Pira International, £55.00 ISBN 185802 0824)
  • The Internet: A Writer’s Guide 2 nd Edition by Jane Dorner (A & C Black, £10.99 ISBN 0 7136 6126 7)



Non-fiction (including Scientific, Technical and Medical)

  • An Author’s Guide to Scholarly Publishing By Robin Derricourt (Princeton University Press, £13.95 ISBN 0691 03709 4)
  • How to get Research Published in Journals by Abby Day (Gower, £22.00 ISBN 0566 07767 1)
  • Medical Writing: a Prescription for Clarity by Goodman & Edmunds (CUP, £19.95 ISBN 0521 498767)
  • Non-Fiction Books: A Writer’s Guide by Michael Legat (Robert Hale, £7.99 ISBN 0 7090 49455)
  • Writing a Non-fiction Book by Norman Toulson (How To Books, £9.99 ISBN 1 85703 426 0)
  • Writing Successful Textbooks by Anthony Haynes (A & C Black, £9.99 ISBN 0 713 657340)
  • Writing Successfully in Science by Maeve O’Connor (HarperCollins Academic, £18.99 ISBN 0 419 252 401)



Novels

  • Bestseller: Secrets of Successful Writing by Celia Brayfield (Fourth Estate, £8.99 ISBN 1 85702 383 8)
  • How to Write a Blockbuster by Sarah Harrison (Allison & Busby, £8.99 ISBN 0 74900 197 6)
  • Plotting the Novel by Michael Legat (Robert Hale, £8.50 ISBN 0 709 04770 3)
  • Teach Yourself Novel Writing by Nigel Watts (Teach Yourself Books, £8.99 ISBN 0 340 927291)
  • The Craft of Novel Writing by Dianne Doubtfire (Allison & Busby, £9.99 ISBN 0 7490 0311 1)
  • Write and Sell Your Novel by Marina Oliver (How To Books, £9.99 ISBN 1 85703 575 5)
  • The Craft of Novel Writing by Dianne Doubtfire (A&B, £8.99 ISBN 0 74900311 1)
  • How to Write Historical Novels by Michael Legat (Allison & Busby, £8.99 ISBN 0 709 072899) (Out of print)
  • Writing Historical Fiction by Rhona Martin, 2 nd edn (A&C Black, £8.99 ISBN 0 736 40685)
  • The Craft of Writing Romance by Jean Saunders (Writer’s Bookshop, £7.99 ISBN 1 902713 06 0)
  • Writing a Romantic Novel by Donna Baker (Teach Yours elf, £6.99 ISBN 0 340 69114X)
  • Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel by Mike Chinn (A & C Black, £14.99 ISBN 0 844200212)



Poetry

  • A Practical Poetry Course by Alison Chisholm (Allison & Busby, £8.99 ISBN 07490 0294 8)
  • Teach Yourself: Writing Poetry by Matthew Sweeney & John Hartley Williams (Teach Yourself, £7.99 ISBN 0340 867647)
  • Poets Handbook: A Guide to Building Great Poems by Kenneth C Steven (Writers’ Bookshop, £7.99 ISBN 1 9027131 0 9)
  • Writing Handbooks: Writing Poetry by John Whitworth (A & C Black, £9.99 ISBN 0 7136 5822 3)



Short Stories

  • Creating a Twist in the Tale (How to write winning short stories for women’s magazines) by Adele Ramet (How To Books, pb £7.99 ISBN 1 85703 558 5) (Out of print)
  • Practical Short Story Writing by John Paxton Sheriff (Robert Hale, £8.99 ISBN 07090 6326 1)



Travel Writing

  • Writing about Travel by Morag Campbell (A&C Black, £7.99 ISBN 07136 41746)



Radio, TV and Film Writing

  • Debut on Two – A Guide to Writing for Television by Philippa Giles & Vicky Licorish (BBC, £4.99 ISBN 0 563 20810 4)
  • How to Make Money Scriptwriting by Julian Friedmann (Intellect Books, £14.95 ISBN 1 84150 002 X)
  • Script to Screen by Allan Prior (BFI Publishing, £13.99 ISBN 0 9527512 0 8)
  • Teach Yourself Screenwriting by Raymond Frensham (Teach Yourself, pb £7.99 ISBN 0 340 859717)
  • The Craft of TV Copywriting by John Harding (Allison & Busby, £5.99 ISBN 085031 9307) (Out of Print)
  • The Way to Write for Television by Eric Paice (Elm Tree Books, £8.99 ISBN 0241 122392) (Out of Print)
  • Writing for Television by Gerald Kelsey (A&C Black, £10.99 ISBN 07136 5092 3)
  • Writing for Television – How to Write and sell successful TV Scripts by William Smethurst (How To Books, £9.99 ISBN 1845280261)
  • Writing Comedy by John Byrne (A&C Black, £11.99 ISBN 0 7136 7070 3)
  • Writing Comedy: A Guide to Scriptwriting for TV, Radio, Film & Stage by Ronald Wolfe (Hale, £9.99 ISBN 0709046529)
  • Writing for Radio by Rosemary Horstmann (A&C Black, £8.99 ISBN 0 7136 4649 7)
  • Writing a Play by Steve Gooch (A&C Black, 3rd ed £9.99 ISBN 0713669454)
  • Film Scriptwriting: A Practical Manual by Dwight V Swain and Joyce R Swain (Focal Press, £41.99 ISBN 0240 51190 5)



Word Processing and related matters

  • Making Electronic Manuscripts: Word Processing Guide for Writers by Michael Barnard (Pira International, £15.00 ISBN 09489 05387) (Out of Print)



Grammar Books

  • The Oxford Everyday Grammar by John Seely (OUP, £7.99 ISBN 0 198608748)
  • The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms by Chris Baldick (OUP, £8.99 ISBN 0 198608837)



Reference Books

  • The Reader’s Encyclopedia 4 th Edition by William Rose Benet (A & C Black, £30.00 ISBN 0 7136 4985 2)
  • Whitaker’s Almanack (A & C Black, £40.00 ISBN 0713670185 )
  • Dictionary of National Biography (OUP, £12.99 ISBN 1 402170696)