Resources and Books for Authors

I like to read non-fiction books for authors and about book marketing. And on this page I’ve listed the most helpful books I’ve found so far. I will regularly update this list when I come across new resources and books that I would recommend.

Non-fiction books for authors

• Quit Books for Writers series by Becca Syme. This series is awesome and one of the few non-fiction books to get 5 star ratings from me. I love how these books focus on individual differences and the message that everyone is different and what works for one person, might not work for you. Dear Writer, You Need to Quit is the first book and is all about questioning certain behaviors and deciding which things you have to quit or stop doing to be more effective. Dear Writer, Are You In Burnout is the second book in the series and is all about burn out, how to avoid it, recognize it and recover from it. Dear Writer, You’re Doing It Wrong is the third book and all about questioning the premise and questioning certain common book related strategies and questioning whether they are right for you. I really can’t recommend these enough.
• Let’s Get Digital and From Strangers to Superfans by David Gauhgran. I’ve read both Let’s Get Digital and From Strangers to Superfans. Let’s Get Digital is a great read for (beginner) indie authors and is al about the whole process form writing a book to publishing it and marketing it. It covers the basics and gives a good overview of the whole process. From Strangers to Superfans is about the process that converts strangers into fans and to identify in which stage of the reader journey you’re losing readers and how to make sure you don’t.
• Killing it on Kobo by Mark Leslie Lefebvre. Killing it on Kobo by Mark Leslie Lefebvre is a good book if you want to know more about how Kobo and Kobo Writing Life works and how to make the most of your book on Kobo. It includes information about other markets, how to use the author dashboard and more.
• Newsletter Ninja by Tammi Labrecque. Newsletter Ninja is an awesome book about how to make the most of your newsletter. Her view on newsletter matches mine and I really like how this book is full of great advice and written in a pleasant style as well.
• Audio for Authors by Joanne Penn. Audio for Authors is a great read if you want to know more about audio, everything from audiobooks to podcasts and other voice technologies. It’s written in a to the point way with plenty of information and resources you can check out if you want to know even more. If you want to do more with audio this is a great one to check out.
• Plot Gardening by Chris Fox. The Write Faster, Writer Smarter series is a series that covers a broad variety of topics about book writing and marketing. I’ve read Plot Gardening so far and it’s a great look at how to plot your book, with some interesting techniques on how to do it. It’s full of information and written in a very to the point way, but also has some good examples. I’ve bought several other books in the series and hope to get to those soon as well.
• How to Writer a Sizzling Synopsis by Bryan Cohen. How to Writer a Sizzling Synopsis by Bryan Cohen is such a great read about how to write your synopsis. I found this one very informative and if you’re struggling with writing synopsis I would definitely recommend it.
• Show, Don’t Tell by Sandra Gerth. Show, Don’t Tell by Sandra Gerth is an informative book and showing and telling and when to use showing and telling. There are plenty of handy examples and exercises.

Facebook Groups

• Indies Together Group. The Indies Together Group is run by author Susan Kaye Quinn and is a place for indie author to come together, help each other,ask questions and more.
• Indie Cover Project. The Indie Cover Project is a great place to get feedback on your cover and blurb.

Other Resources

• The Quitcast by Becca Syme. The Quitcast is Becca Syme’s Youtube Channel where she talks about a large variety of writer related topics. I also would recommend her Strengths for Writers videos and check out the Clifton Strength personality test to get the most of those video’s and understand which things you are best out and how to make the most out of that in your work and writing.
• David Gauhgran’s blog. David Gauhran’s blog is full of great articles aimed at authors about a large variety of topics. I also recommend subscribing to his newsletter for even more content.
• Bookbub Partners Blog. The Bookbub Partners Blog has some great articles about how to make the most of Bookbub and Bookbub ads as well as some more general marketing advice and round up articles with how other authors handled something.