Home » Non-Fiction Writing
Books on general non-fiction writing, including writing articles and journalism, writing for business, and specific categories such as travel, history and autobiography.
Non-Fiction Writing from WritersBookStall
How to Sell, Then Write Your Nonfiction Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting Published-- from Crafting a Proposal to Signing the Contract and More
Blythe Camenson
The author of over 50 non-fiction books tells you how to land a contract before you write the book. Includes finding and defining marketable ideas, writing your query letters and much more.
Freelance Copywriting (Writing Handbooks)
Diana Wimbs
Berg 3PL
Helps would-be copywriters to learn more about this fascinating and lucrative line of work and how to break into it. Covers markets, briefings, style techniques, concepts and campaign development, as well as the practical aspects of freelance copywriting.
Writing For Journalists
Sally Adams, Wynford Hicks, Harriett Gilbert
No-nonsense book for trainee journalists and anyone who wants to write better journalistic material, showing the essentials of good writing and how to write a news story which is informative, concise and readable.
How to Write About Yourself (Writers' Guides)
Alison Chisholm, Brenda Courtie
Allison & Busby
Practical short paperback handbook which shows you exactly how to approach a memoir or autobiography.
Freelance Writing for Magazines and Newspapers: Breaking in without Selling out (Harperresource Book)
Marcia Yudkin
HarperReference
Useful book which covers the basics effectively and is strong on traditional media, if that is what you're interested in, but is not completely up-to-date on new media opportunities.
Writing for Magazines (Writing Handbooks)
Jill Dick
A & C Black Publishers Ltd
A survey of the field, covering ideas, research, electronic aids for the magazine writer and selling your work.
Writing Sports Stories that Sell: How to make money from writing about your favourite pastime (Successful Writing)
Jeremy Butler
Subtitled 'How to make money from writing about your favourite pastime' this covers everything you need, from covering school sports matches to writing as a regular professional sports correspondent. With specific and practical advice, this book benefits from the author's freelance writing career, which includes writing for Reuters and the Press Association.
Non-fiction Books: A Writer's Guide
Michael Legat
Robert Hale Ltd
An invaluable manual for would-be non-fiction authors, packed with constructive and practical advice. More
The Magazine Writer's Handbook (Writers' guides)
Gordon Wells
Detailed information on more than 70 British magazines , including their target readership, subjects dealt with, how to submit material, including presentation, and likely payment.
Writing a Nonfiction Book: How to prepare your work for publication
Norman Toulson
Concise guide which covers research, writing, structure, revision, finding a publisher and selling your work.
Writing About Travel (Books for Writers)
Morag Campbell
Packed with ideas and practical advice on improving and selling your travel writing.
This helpful book guides you through the whole process from the initial decision to start writing right through to publication. More
Read This!: Business Writing that Works
Mr Robert Gentle
Prentice Hall
This straightforward and helpful book shows you how to produce simple, clear, commanding but not pompous business writing – and to make people read what you write.
It shows you how to grab and sustain your reader's attention, produce a user-friendly layout and draw attention to key passages. It's a fundamental set of techniques that you'll be able to apply to all kinds of business writing - letters, e-mails, reports, memos, websites, business plans, forms, sign boards and even graphs.
Writing Guides, Non-Fiction Writing
How to Make Money from Freelance Writing
Andrew Crofts
Piatkus
Highly experienced ghost-writer and freelance writer gives you the low-down on making money from freelance writing, taking a realistic approach. Our Reviewer commented on the author's message that: 'The realities of freelance life are very far removed from the glamorous picture so many people have of it.'
Janet MacDonald
Starting by looking at what travel writing is, this covers articles and short pieces as well as books, and provides advice on specialising, how to research topics, getting and developing ideas, and much more.
Writing Feature Articles: A Practical Guide to Methods and Markets (Focal Press Journalism)
Brendan Hennessy
Focal Press
Intended for journalists and freelance writers, this thorough book goes quite deeply into the subject, analysing many examples in covering: the formulating and development of ideas; looking at markets; research; and matching length and style to subject-matter.
Writing Your Life Story: How to Record and Present Your Memories for Friends and Family to Enjoy
Michael Oke
No previous memoir-writing experience is necessary with this clear step-by-step guide from the director of Bound Biographies Ltd. He shows you how to research, structure, write, present and produce your material in book form, enabling you to experience the fulfilment of writing about yourself and producing a unique record for friends and families to enjoy.
The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells
Robert W Bly
Henry Holt & Company Inc
Shows how to write effective advertising copy, looks at print ads, direct mail, brochures, catalogues, commercials, and public relations material, and offers advice on freelance and ad agency work.
The author focuses on selling, urging writers to identify the USP (that which makes a product different and saleable) and to put it right up-front, to deliver simple messages that everyone can understand, and to write precisely for the intended audience. Also chapters on getting a job in an agency, and going freelance. All-in-all, a practical and helpful guide.
The Craft of Writing Articles (Allison & Busby Writers' Guides)
A perfect introduction, with step-by-step practical advice on ideas, writing, identifying the right outlet and submissions.
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Non-Fiction
William Zinsser
Quill Press
A veritable treasure trove of ideas and guidance on non-fiction writing, often neglected. Updated and expanded, this features basic tips ranging from writing non-fiction for beginners to sophisticated advice for professionals. This edition includes two new chapters, new sections and many new examples of good writing
A Short Guide to Writing About History (The Short Guide Series)
Richard A. Marius (late), Melvin E. Page
This somewhat academic but useful book encourages you to 'think like an historian', with comprehensive guidelines for writing and research, including using electronic sources. New examples include a full-length research paper.
Linked items...
Joelle Taylor wins TS Eliot poetry prize for 'blazing' C+nto & Othered Poems | TS Eliot prize for poetry | The Guardian
Thu, 13/01/2022 - 6:39pm — Chris Holifield
Joelle Taylor wins TS Eliot poetry prize for 'blazing' C+nto & Othered Poems | TS Eliot prize for poetry | The Guardian website
Joelle Taylor has won the TS Eliot poetry prize for her look at butch lesbian counterculture in the 1990s, C+nto & Othered Poems, praised by judges as "a blazing book of rage and light".
10 January 2022 - What's new
'If there is anything I believe to be foundational to the business of writing then it is this: writing is work. To frame it in this way is to acknowledge that good writing doesn't come out, fully formed, at two in the morning; and nor does it require anything extraordinary in the way of genius or education, although of course it's possible to have an aptitude for it, and reading helps.
Psychotherapy and fiction
Psychotherapy and fiction website
The pressures on all our mental health have never seemed greater, and every parent or carer, whether biological or adoptive, bears the additional burden of worrying about their children's wellbeing. Are they healthy? Are they safe? Are they happy? Although the challenges change with each stage of a child's development, they never go away. Read more
Richard Charkin: A 2022 Publishing Resolution
Richard Charkin: A 2022 Publishing Resolution website
I'm writing this on January 1. It's exactly 50 years since I turned up at the side entrance of George G.Harrap & Co., at 182-184 High Holborn, London, WC2, on January 1, 1972, having been interviewed and accepted for the job of a "Young Scientific Assistant Editor." January 1 wouldn't become a bank holiday in England until 1974. Read more
The Obscure French Thriller That May Hold the Secrets to Jack Reacher's World ‹ CrimeReads
The Obscure French Thriller That May Hold the Secrets to Jack Reacher's World ‹ CrimeReads website
Most children enjoy stories about kids getting away from their parents, even the ones who are perfectly happy at home. The young Jim Grant was never very happy at home. Read more
Revenues up £1.3m at Roald Dahl Story Company before Netflix deal earned £370m | The Bookseller
Thu, 13/01/2022 - 12:56pm — Chris Holifield
Revenues up £1.3m at Roald Dahl Story Company before Netflix deal earned £370m | The Bookseller website
The latest set of accounts published at Companies House also show pretax profits increased to £14.4m, from £13.2m the year before. TRDSC's former directors Luke Kelly and Claire Wright said the performance "exceeded expectations" with revenue 13.2% ahead of budget. Read more
YA is leading the way | The Bookseller
YA is leading the way | The Bookseller website
I've kind of given up telling non-publishing people that I write for young adults. They nod knowingly and then say something dismissive like "isn't that just vampire romances?"
This leaves me with two options. Option one: bite them on the neck. Or option two: explain very politely that young adult fiction is without doubt the most exciting, innovative space in publishing today. Read more
For want of a motive for the book thief, let's run through some possibilities | Stephanie Merritt | The Guardian
For want of a motive for the book thief, let's run through some possibilities | Stephanie Merritt | The Guardian website
The theft of books occupies a complex place in our moral judgment, depending on motive. In Markus Zusak's 2005 novel The Book Thief, the actions of the title character are heroic - she steals books to save them from destruction. Read more
Zadie Smith on Reading While You Write ‹ Literary Hub
Zadie Smith on Reading While You Write ‹ Literary Hub website
Some writers won't read a word of any novel while they're writing their own. Not one word. They don't even want to see the cover of a novel. As they write, the world of fiction dies: no one has ever written, no one is writing, no one will ever write again. Read more
Joanne Harris on how her career as a teacher shaped her career as a writer ‹ CrimeReads
Joanne Harris on how her career as a teacher shaped her career as a writer ‹ CrimeReads website
I come from a family of teachers. Both my parents taught at Barnsley Girls' High School, which meant from an early age I was immersed in stories of school life: the scandals, the fights, the rivalries of any small community. Read more
I'm not mad about Ben Smith; I'm mad at all of this – Poynter
I'm not mad about Ben Smith; I'm mad at all of this – Poynter website
Conventional wisdom in the Western literary tradition holds that character determines plot. A protagonist possesses a fatal flaw that dashes his otherwise charming character and sets him on a path to slay the dragon, save the world, and get the girl - all while resolving the problem of this fatal flaw. Captain America saves the day. Read more
I Wrote A Book. It Was Adapted Into a Movie. Everything Went Really Well. ‹ CrimeReads
Thu, 13/01/2022 - 11:58am — Chris Holifield
I Wrote A Book. It Was Adapted Into a Movie. Everything Went Really Well. ‹ CrimeReads website
I know that writers often feel that the screen adaptation of their work is an inferior-sometimes even an embarrassing-take on the original. Writers say: I told myself that a novel and a film are two different things. Once you sign that contract with Hollywood, let it go. It's out of your hands.
'Creative' Writing (15)
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Fiction Writing (29)
General Guides (23)
Genre Fiction Writing (12)
Internet and the Writer (10)
Non-Fiction Writing (21)
Other Types of Writing (7)
Personal Accounts (8)
Play and Script-Writing (20)
Selling your work (10)
The Business of Publishing (7)
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Writers' Reference (3)
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'A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life.'
— John Milton
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