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The ReadDown

35 Books for Writers

If you’re writing a novel, fear not: here are some of the most helpful, inspiring, and practical writing books to keep you on track.

  1. 1

    A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

    by George Saunders

    A Swim in a Pond in the Rain Book Cover Picture
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    Paperback
    $20.00

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  2. 2

    Writing Better Lyrics

    by Pat Pattison

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    Paperback
    $25.00

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  3. 3

    Living with a Dead Language

    by Ann Patty

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    Paperback
    $18.00

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  4. 4

    Bird by Bird

    by Anne Lamott

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    Paperback
    $18.00

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  5. 5

    Woe Is I

    by Patricia T. O'Conner

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    Paperback
    $18.00

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  6. 6

    The Clothing of Books

    by Jhumpa Lahiri

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    Paperback
    $10.00

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  7. 7

    The Forest for the Trees (Revised and Updated)

    by Betsy Lerner

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    Paperback
    $18.00

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  8. 8

    Negotiating with the Dead

    by Margaret Atwood

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    Paperback
    $15.95

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  9. 9

    A Writer’s Life

    by Gay Talese

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    Paperback
    $22.00

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  10. 10

    How to Write Like Tolstoy

    by Richard Cohen

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    Paperback
    $20.00

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  11. 11

    A Writer’s Notebook

    by W. Somerset Maugham

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    Paperback
    $16.95

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  12. 12

    The Kite and the String

    by Alice Mattison

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    Paperback
    $17.00

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  13. 13

    The Sense of Style

    by Steven Pinker

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    Paperback
    $19.00

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  14. 14

    The Gift

    by Lewis Hyde

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    Paperback
    $20.00

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  15. 15

    The Elements of Style Illustrated

    by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White

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    Paperback
    $18.00

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  16. 16

    On Teaching and Writing Fiction

    by Wallace Stegner

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    Paperback
    $24.00

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  17. 17

    Handling the Truth

    by Beth Kephart

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    Paperback
    $24.00

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  18. 18

    Letters to a Young Artist

    by Anna Deavere Smith

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    Paperback
    $17.00

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  19. 19

    Willa Cather On Writing

    by Willa Cather

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  20. 20
    Dreyer's English Book Cover Picture
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    Dreyer’s English

    by Benjamin Dreyer

    A sharp, funny grammar guide they’ll actually want to read, from Random House’s longtime copy chief and one of Twitter’s leading language gurus.
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    $20.00

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  21. 21

    Letters to a Young Writer

    by Colum McCann

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  22. 22

    Eats, Shoots & Leaves

    by Lynne Truss

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    Paperback
    $20.00

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  23. 23

    Why We Write

    by

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    Paperback
    $17.00

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  24. 24

    The Artist’s Way

    by Julia Cameron

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    Paperback
    $24.00

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  25. 25

    Why We Write About Ourselves

    by

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    Paperback
    $24.00

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  26. 26

    The Hidden Writer

    by Alexandra Johnson

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    Paperback
    $17.00

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  27. 27

    Story Genius

    by Lisa Cron

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    Paperback
    $17.99

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  28. 28

    Sin and Syntax

    by Constance Hale

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  29. 29

    Words for Pictures

    by Brian Michael Bendis

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    Paperback
    $25.99

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  30. 30

    Daily Rituals

    by

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    Hardcover
    $26.00

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  31. 31

    The Art of Comic Book Writing

    by Mark Kneece

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    Paperback
    $25.99

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  32. 32

    Make Comics Like the Pros

    by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente

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    Paperback
    $22.99

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  33. 33

    The Accidental Life

    by Terry McDonell

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    Paperback
    $20.00

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  34. 34

    Writing from the Senses

    by Laura Deutsch

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    Paperback
    $14.95

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  35. 35

    Writing Hard Stories

    by Melanie Brooks

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    Paperback
    $17.95

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