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Reference Books for Writers and Self-Publshers
Smart
Self-Publishing (3rd edition)
Linda and Jim Salisbury with Forewords by Betty Wright and
Joe Sabah
 A
must-have reference for authors and aspiring self-publishers!
The third edition offers easy-to-follow, honest, basic information
of what self-publishing is all about, including the difficulties
as well as the rewards. It includes a chapter on e-books and
new technologies. The useful tips and publishing experiences
have been expanded to include sections from a reviewer, an
indexer and Web site designers. The book continues to give
direction and confidence to authors who want to create a product
that will compete with books from the major publishing houses.
It stresses professionalism and marketing, and does not promote
costly and nonproductive wild goose chases.
It has been called a "An excellent primer for anyone
with a serious interest in self-publishing," (Jim Cox,
Midwest Book Review) and "Probably the smartest
book about self-publishing in the market," (Jennie S.
Bev, BookReviewClub.com). Alex Moore, ForeWord magazine,
called it "A Rosetta stone for unraveling the cryptic
peculiarities of publishing." And Noreen O'Brien, NonfictionReviews.com,
said it is a "Phenomenal reference for self-publishers."
Smart Self-Publishing (3rd edition) 256 pp. $16.95
The
Chicago Manual of Style
The University of Chicago Press
 The
Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is an essential desk
reference for all serious writers, editors and publishers. The
manual is full of information on how to set up a book, how books
are produced, and some basics on rights and permissions. It
also is a detailed guide for abbreviations, numerals, titles,
capitalization and spellings. The manual will help you follow
the widely accepted standards for book style. Self-publishers
and small press, editors and proofreaders need to use this book
to create a professional product.
Merriam-Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition
Merriam-Webster
 Used
by many professional writers, editors and journalists, this
dictionary is a handy desk reference. It is updated annually,
which is both good and bad. You need to know the most current
hyphenation, for example, but ever-changing language makes it
difficult to set a consistent style. But modern we must be!
If you are a "word person," we recommend that you
visit Webster's
on-line dictionary at for definitions and word
games.
You
Can Write Children's Books
Workbook - Tracey E. Dils
 Whether
you are self-publishing or submitting a manuscript to a publishing
house, read and digest this book! Dils gives valuable advice
on how to prepare your material, develop characters and plot.
It will help authors of adult books as well.
Lapsing Into a Comma
A Curmudgeon's Guide to the Many Things That Go Wrong in Print
and How to Avoid Them. - Bill Walsh
 This
book gets a high rating from Tabby House editors. A gift from
our son, Christopher, we spent Christmas Day reading it aloud.
Walsh is the copy desk chief for the business desk of the Washington
Post. His explanations are about the best we have read on when
to put a comma before "but" and on style issues emanating
from the newspaper world. You will never be tempted to write
web instead of Web after reading his rant on the subject. Contemporary
Books. Price: $10.47
Woe
Is I
The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English
- Patricia T. O'Conner
 Patricia
O'Conner's book comes highly recommended from copy editors at
major newspapers. She explains how the things we should remember
from our school days -- such as group possessives, words that
are misused and verbs that should be avoided. And then there
is the fancier stuff, such as how to create plurals out of foreign
terms. As Garrison Keillor puts it, "This is, like, a cool
book." An alternate selection of the Book-of-the-Month
Club. Price: $9.60
Eats,
Shoots, and Leaves
The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation - Lynne Truss
 American
readers should ignore the British forms of punctuation and use
the book as a good reference. There is a lot to be learned about
the importance of punctuation in this runaway bestseller from
Britain. The book is replete with apostrophe horror stories
and other crimes against punctuation. Humor and lessons abound.
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