While my blog is filled with fantastic resources, I learned everything about writing through study and repetition. I reference these top tools for writing frequently throughout my blog, but you may have lost a few or simply want them all in one convenient spot.
These are some of the best resources about for writing that have helped me develop The Eirenic Verses.
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Best Books on Writing and Top Blogs About Fiction Writing
Clearing the Way, Tom Romano
While actually written for English teachers who want to teach teenagers how to write, this book has some fantastic advice for writers at all levels. I particularly enjoy his discussions of the percolation process and have referenced it multiple times in my blogs.
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The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell
Part academic text and part writing guide, Campbell explores the origin of mythology and what creates a truly compelling hero. He breaks down the common forms of creation myths and analyzes some of the world’s most famous heroes, such as Odysseus.
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How to Write a Million, Orson Scott Card
Truly a compendium of the most important writing advice, this book discusses everything from characterization, plotting, dialogue, and revision. It is the holy grail of writing advice, and you can learn practically everything you need to get those first million words done.
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More About How to Write a Million, William Noble
This edition goes more into marketing and revision than the original book, including some examples of revision. It’s just as helpful as the first book, though it is more focused on marketing.
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How Not to Write a Novel, Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman
I cherish this book and reference it all the time. Through 200 short examples, Mittelmark and Newman actually show you what bad writing looks like, then explain how to improve. I particularly enjoy how witty and engaging this book is, making it so much more fun to learn.
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They Say, I Say, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
This book is about academic writing, but it’s a fantastic resource for how to structure your thoughts more clearly. It explains logical fallacies (which you could filch for your characters) and what makes for clear and concise writing.
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Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, Lynn Truss
Grammar is the beautiful window dressing that helps people peer into our minds. The perennial favorite that explains why grammar is important and explains tricky sentence structures in an approachable, understandable way.
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The Elements of Style, William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White
This little book has launched so many writing careers because it is simple, approachable, and easy to understand. You’ll learn what clear writing looks like and how to balance style with clarity. Despite its age, Strunk and White’s style guide remains a must for English language writers the world over.
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I found The Darling Axe when I was considering traditional publishing, and I found their discussions of what makes a good query letter extremely helpful. However, the Chopping Blog has so much more, particularly focusing on marketing and self-publishing. You’ll find a wealth of resources going back years that cover nearly everything you need to be a great writer.
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If you write fantasy, you should absolutely heed Sanderson’s advice, as I’ve talked about multiple times in my blog. He is a powerhouse of exceptional writing advice and provides an in-depth look at his own process. Sanderson is the most successful living fantasy author, so you can definitely learn a thing or two from him.
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While Writer’s Digest is for all types of writers, from nonfiction to poetry, their backlog has some fantastic advice about everything to do with fiction writing. They also run contests that can help you gain greater exposure and offer discounts on other writing services.
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Reedsy is a developmental editing company, and as such, they have a plethora of excellent advice on drafting, revising, and publishing. I also appreciate their unique marketing tips and clear-eyed look at the publishing industry as it is today.
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Useful Writing Tools for Novelists
This is a focus tool that cuts off your access to different websites (or apps, if you pay for the premium version). If you find yourself scrolling social media instead of working, Cold Turkey is for you.
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ProWritingAid is a spellchecker on steroids, specifically engineered for fiction writers. It will identify overly long sentences, repetitive sentence structures, reading level, sensory input, and so much more. I particularly like the Virtual Beta Reader, which I use before sending my work off to human reviewers.
While the tool does use AI, none of your work is ever saved on their servers, and all inputs have been double-checked by professional editors.
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This focus tool provides visual feedback while you are writing, particularly good for those of us with executive dysfunction or attention deficits. Please note that StimuWrite should not be used as a document management tool as it does not regularly save your work; however, you can easily copy-paste into your actual document with the click of a button.
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This text-to-speech tool is unique in that you can choose different voices and insert custom pronunciations, which is very helpful for fantasy. It is a one-time license fee, and then you get to keep it forever.
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If you’ve ever had the frustrating experience of a word right on the tip of your tongue, OneLook is for you. Through your jumbled explanation of the word, OneLook will magically find it for you – and some synonyms, too!
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The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
I put this on my Writing Tools section because it’s an excellent way to spark insight into different emotional states. While the words in the dictionary are imaginary (don’t use them in your work!), the emotions are very real. Flipping through it might offer you some suggestions for different feelings to infuse in your work.
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Top Guides on Marketing for Self-Published Authors
Firefly Magic, Lauren Sapala
If you absolutely hate marketing, Firefly Magic can change your perspective. It doesn’t give explicit instructions for how to market, but it does explain how to develop a healthy marketing mindset and figure out what approach works best for you.
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Starting from Zero, David Gaughran
This (free!!) publishing course is an utter miracle, and I learned nearly everything I know about marketing from it. David patiently explains each aspect of marketing from start to finish, including the importance of good cover art and how to set up Amazon ads.
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Search Engine Optimization is crucial to succeeding in today’s market, especially if you have a blog. Search Engine Journal is one of the premier SEO resources in the market, and one I use for my day job, too. Here, you can find advice on things like keyword optimization, internal linking, website structure, and analytics.
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Friedman explores a lot of writing topics, but I find her marketing discussions to be the most helpful. She is the reason that I decided to cancel my KDP enrollment and go for wide distribution: a choice that made a huge impact on my reach. She also has great advice for Amazon ads.
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If you are thinking of getting traditionally published, then Publishers Weekly should be your front page. However, they also a wealth of advice for self-published authors over on BookLife, which is their self-publishing section.
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Best Self-Publishing Vendors and Services
Draft2Digital has a list of preferred vendors for cover art, revision, and editing. I’ve heard good things about these, and they are thoroughly vetted by one of publishing’s best-known platforms, so I have full confidence you’ll have a great experience.
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This Advance Reader Copy (ARC) platform is relatively affordable ($90 for one year) and allows you access to thousands of active reviewers who are interested in your book. They manage the review process for you, though you may need to follow up with some of your reviewers after the deadline has passed. You can also add people to your review team so that you have a pool of regular reviewers for each project.
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This easy-to-use online graphic design tool is free, though you can pay for add-ons like background removal and additional fonts. I like how simple it is to use and how I can have all my favorite graphics available at the click of a button.
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Katarina is the primary artist for all the works in the Eirenic Verses, save Saint Luridalr and the Peony Phoenix as mentioned below. She is amazing for fantasy, creating enticing covers that really do sell.
The basic package costs about $285 and includes revisions. I recommend giving her a mockup of what you want before you start, as this helps speed up the process.
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Lila is my go-to beta reader for every single project. She is extremely fast yet always very thorough. What I really appreciate about her is that she identifies issues I hadn’t even thought of, yet she is never cruel. Lila does pay-by-word, so you will need to ask her for a custom quote of works above 30,000 words.
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Rachel did the cover for Saint Luridalr and the Peony Phoenix, which I think is absolutely breathtaking. She is incredibly talented when it comes to these types of old-school graphic covers. The basic package costs about $50.
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J. Flowers is an excellent beta reader who gives thoughtful and encouraging advice. I love the way they organize their beta read, pulling out specific quotes that they liked and providing their first-hand experience of the read. They are exceptionally thorough and always encouraging without sugarcoating things.
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Dominique did a complimentary beta read for Pride Before a Fall, and her advice was peerless. With over a decade of professional experience, Dominique is the real deal, with a flawless eye for detail and a savant’s understanding of what makes a good story. I strongly recommend her for either beta reading or developmental edits.
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Annalise did two paid reviews for me: one for 9 Years Yearning and one for Saint Luridalr and the Peony Phoenix. While these did not translate to immediate sales, they did ensure my books show up in Google AI overviews when you search for the title. The basic review costs about $100.
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Tory Hunter did a developmental edit of Poesy, the sixth book, before I began writing the first parts of the series. Her advice was exceptional, and she identified things I hadn’t even considered. I also worked with her on the query letter, which will now be the synopsis.
I will note that Tory is expensive and has very long lead times, so keep that in mind. She’s great for an in-depth look, but don’t expect a fast turnaround.
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Best Marketing Services for Self-Publishing
This team set up my Amazon ads for 9 Years Yearning, which immediately got me out of a sales drought and has provided a consistent return on investment.
Their basic package costs around $130 and provides a one-time setup of your Amazon ads, which you will then need to manage and adjust yourself. They also provide subscription management services if you want complete outsourcing.
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This is an interesting tool that’s excellent after you’ve already set up Amazon ads. For a one-time $150 fee, you get lifetime access to an advertising research application that will help you identify keywords, find comps, and understand how many books you must sell to get to the top 10 in your niche.
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Ahrefs is an SEO company that offers a plethora of free tools, including website analysis and keyword research. There are other SEO companies that offer the same thing, like Semrush and Moz, but I’m partial to Ahrefs for some reason.
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I will continue to update tmy list of good writing resources for beginners as I find more resources, so check back regularly! I hope you find exceptional success with these tools.