What Michael Stelzner did for writing blogs has now been done for writing books. On his Writing White Papers site, Michael’s just released the recently voted-upon list of the Top 10 Books for writers: 

On Writing - Important lessons and truths for any writer. By Stephen King.

The Elements of Style - THE reference for language use in a small package. By William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White.

The Renegade Writer - Achieve freelance writing success the unconventional way. By Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell.

The Well-Fed Writer - Put more food on the table with proven methods for freelancers. By Peter Bowerman.

Bird by Bird - Practical methods for getting your book written. By Anne Lamott.

If You Want to Write - How to write, create and live; a classic. By Brenda Ueland

On Writing Well - Clean up your writing style with this classic. By William K. Zinsser.

The Elements of Copywriting - THE guide for writing copy intended to sell. By Gary Blake, Robert W. Bly.

The Copywriter’s Handbook - Techniques for freelance copywriters. By Robert W. Bly.

The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters That Rock - Writing letters to land freelance jobs. By Diana Burrell and Linda Formichelli.

Obviously, calling these the Top 10 books for writers is a bit of a misnomer; many of the titles are aimed squarely at commercial/business writers.

I own half of these titles, and I’m looking hard at the others. Given my limited interest in editorial projects, I’m guessing I’ll only be adding a few of the titles to my library.

My only addition to the list might be “Writing the Natural Way” by Rico.

Still, great work from Michael. Don’t forget to pop over to his site and join the discussion that’s sure to follow. And keep writing, Tom Chandler.

Source: Michael Stelzner’s Writing White Papers » Blog Archive » Top 10 Books for Writers