A service for writers from Deborah J. Lightfoot, author of the Waterspell  books

Recommended Reading and How-To Books for Writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy

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This recommended reading list is built upon a list compiled originally by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Workshop. It includes general books on writing, and also has many titles of specific interest to writers of science fiction and fantasy. Support your local independent bookstore! BookSense.com is a family of independent-bookseller Web sites. When you click on the link below, you'll be asked for your zip code, and then you'll see a list of independent bookstores near you. Please give them your business, either online or in person. I no longer shop at Amazon.com, to protest their practice of selling used books in a way that denies the author royalty income from the sale of a new book. Reports the Authors Guild: "Amazon has gone to great lengths to divert purchasers of new books to its more profitable used-book marketplace, promoting the prices of used copies of a work at the top of the primary Web page for new titles—some of those titles just days old. ... [A]uthors need not be complicit in undermining royalty-producing sales of their own works." Please join me in boycotting Amazon until the company ends this practice. Buy your books from an independent—visit BookSense.com—or visit your local library. Algernon, Charlie and I: A Writer's Journey Daniel Keyes Challcrest Press, 2000, $24.95, ISBN 1929519001 Aliens: The Anthropology of Science Fiction Edited by George E. Slusser and Eric S. Rabin Southern Illinois University Press, 1987, 266 pp., $31.95, ISBN 0-8093-1375-8 Aliens and Alien Societies Stanley Schmidt, edited by Ben Bova Writer's Digest, 1995, $17.99, ISBN 0-89879-706-3 Anne McCaffrey: A Critical Companion Robin Roberts Greenwood Publishing, 1996, $29.95, ISBN 0-31329450X Architecture Without Architects: A Short Introduction to Non-Pedigreed Architecture Bernard Rudofsky University of New Mexico Press, 1987, paper $17.95, ISBN 0-8263-1004-4 The Art of Dramatic Writing Lajos Egri Simon & Schuster, 1977, $12.00, ISBN 0-671-21332-6 The Art of Fiction John Gardner Vintage, 1991, paper $12.00, ISBN 0-679-73403-1 The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity Julia Cameron & Mark Bryan J.P. Tarcher, 1992, paper $15.95, ISBN 0-87477-694-5 Becoming a Writer Dorothea Brande J.P. Tarcher, 1981, 186 pp., paper $9.95, ISBN 0-87477-164-1 Beginnings, Middles, and Ends The Elements in Fiction Writing Series Writer's Digest, 1993, $14.99, ISBN 0-89879-550-8 Beyond Style: Mastering the Finer Points of Writing Gary Provost Writer's Digest Books, $14.95, ISBN 0-89879-314-9 Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays Stephen Hawking Bantam, 1994, $13.95, ISBN 0-553-37411-7 Book Business: Publishing Past, Present, and Future Jason Epstein W. W. Norton, 2001, ISBN 0-965-024262 A Book of Five Rings Miyamoto Musashi St. Martin's, 1990, paper $10.95, ISBN 1-55927-088-8 Bantam, 1982, mass market $5.99, ISBN 0-87951-153-27096; 1992, paper $9.95, ISBN 0553-35170-2 Random House Value, 1988, $8.99, ISBN 0-517-41528-3 Shambhalu Pocket Classics Series, 1994, paper $6.00, ISBN 0-87773-998-6 Borderlands of Science Charles Sheffield Baen Books, 1999, $22.00, ISBN 0671578367 Bradshaw on the Family: A Revolutionary Way of Self-Discovery John Bradshaw Health Communications, 1998, $9.95, ISBN 0-932194-54-0 A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes Stephen Hawking Bantam, 1986, $26.95, ISBN 0-553-05340-8 (paper, $14.95, ISBN 0-553-34614-8)

Characters & Viewpoint Elements of Fiction Writing Series Orson Scott Card Writer's Digest, 1988, $14.99, ISBN 0-89879-307-6) Chasing Science: Science as Spectator Sport Frederik Pohl Tor, 2000, $23.95, ISBN 0-312-56711-5 Coming of Age in the Milky Way Timothy Ferris Doubleday, 1989, paper $12.95, ISBN 0-385-2636-0 The Compendium of Weapons, Armor & Castles Matthew Balent; edited by Alex Marciniszyn & Kevin Siembieda Palladium, 1989, paper $19.95, ISBN 0-916211-38-X, 411 Conceiving the Heavens: Creating the Science Fiction Novel Melissa Scott Heinemann, 1997, 198 pp., $16.95, ISBN 0-435-07008-8 Conflict, Action & Suspense William Noble Writer's Digest, 1994, $14.99, ISBN 0-89879-634-2 Confrontation in Space: The Wars of the Future Will Be Fought in Space G. Harry Stine Prentice-Hall, 1981 The Craft of Writing Science Fiction That Sells Ben Bova Writer's Digest, 1994, 218 pp., $16.95, ISBN 0-89879-600-8 Creating Character Emotions Ann Hood Story Press, 1998, $14.99, ISBN 1884910-33-5 Creating Short Fiction, Revised Edition Damon Knight Writer's Digest Books, $9.95, ISBN 0-89879-166-9 The Dance of Anger: A Woman's Guide to Courageous Acts of Change in Key Relationships Harriet Goldhor Lerner Harper Collins, 1989, paper $13.00, ISBN 0-06-09156-X, PL The Dance of Intimacy: A Woman's Guide to Courageous Acts of Change in Key Relationships Harriet Goldhor Lerner Harper Collins, 1990, paper $13.00, ISBN 0-06-091646-X, PL Dancing at the Edge of the World: Thoughts on Words, Women, Places Ursula K. Le Guin Grove Press, 1997, $12,00, ISBN 0802135293 Dare to Be a Great Writer Leonard Bishop Writer's Digest Books, 1988 Description Monica Wood Writer's Digest Books, 1999, $12.00, ISBN 0-89879-908-2 Descriptionary: A Thematic Dictionary for When You Know What It Is But Not What It's Called Marc McCutcheon Facts on File, 1992, 476 pp., ISBN 0-8160-2487-1 Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, 2nd Edition E.D. Hirsch, Jr., et al. Houghton Mifflin, 1993, paper $24.95, ISBN 0-359-65597-8 Dictionary of Scientific Literacy Richard Brennan Wiley, 1991, $22.95, ISBN 0-471-53214-2 Dinosaurs John Man Simon & Schuster, 1988, $4.98, ISBN 0-671-06145-3 Editors on Editing: What Writers Need to Know About What Editors Do Edited by Gerald Gross Grove Press, 1993, 379 pages, ISBN 0-8021-3263-4 Einstein's Universe: Relativity Made Plain, The Amazing Achievement of Albert Einstein and What It Means Today Nigel Calder Penguin, 1980, paper $10.00, ISBN 0-14-005499-5 Elements of Style, 3rd Edition William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White Macmillan, 85 pp., 1979, $10.95, ISBN 0-02-418190-0 The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits Rosemary Ellen Guilley Checkmark Books, 2000, $19.95, ISBN 0-8160-4086-9 English Weapons and Warfare 1449–1660 A.V. Norman & Don Pottinger Dorset Press, 1985, $14.95, ISBN 0-88029-044-7 The Essential Guide for New Writers: From Idea to Finished Manuscript; How to Get Started . . . and How to Get Published Valerie Storey Dava Books, 1995, paper $10.95, ISBN 0-9643289-0-9 An Exaltation of Larks: The Ultimate Edition James Lipton Penguin, 1993, paper $12.50, ISBN 0-14-017096-0

The Face of Battle John Keegan Penguin, 1983, paper $12.95, ISBN 0-14-004897-9 The Facts on File Visual Dictionary Jean-Claude Corbeil Facts on File, 1986, $29.95, ISBN 0-8160-1549-9 Fast Fiction: Creating Fiction in Five Minutes Roberta Allen Story Press, 1997, $18.99, ISBN 1884910270 The Fiction Dictionary Laurie Henry Story Press, $18.99, ISBN 1-884910-05-X The Fiction Editor Thomas McCormack St. Martin's Press, 1994, paper $6.95, ISBN 0-312-11467-2 Fiction Writer's Workshop Josip Novakovich Story Press, 1995, 250 pp., $17.99, ISBN 1-884910-03-3 First Name Reverse Dictionary: Given Names Listed by Meaning Yvonne Navarro McFarland, 1993, 217 pp., $35 library binding, ISBN 0-89950-748-4 From Printout to Published Michael Seidman Carroll & Graf, 1992, 192 pp., $10.95, ISBN 0-88184-822-0 The Future File: A Guide for People With One Foot in the 21st Century Paul Dickson ETC Publishing, 1977, $19.95, ISBN 0-89256-031-2 Getting the Words Right: How to Revise, Edit & Rewrite Theodore A. Rees Cheney Writer's Digest Books, $15.95, ISBN 0-89879-1114-6 Guerrilla Marketing for Writers: 100 No-cost Low-cost Weapons to Help You Sell Your Work Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman, Michael Larsen Writers Digest Books, 2000, $14.99, ISBN 0-89879-983-X Guide to Fiction Writing Phyllis A. Whitney The Writer, 1988, $10.95, ISBN 0871161575 The Handbook of Good English Edward D. Johnson Facts on File, 1982, 310 pp., ISBN 0-87196-141-5 Handbook of Nonsexist Writing, 2nd Edition Casey Miller Harper Collins, 1992, paper $10.00, ISBN 0-06-273173-4 Handbook of Short Story Writing, Vol. 1 Edited by Frank A. Dickson and Sandra Smythe Writer's Digest Books, 1981, 238 pp., paper $13.99, ISBN 0-89879-049-2 Handbook of Short Story Writing, Vol. 2 Edited by Jean N. Fredette Writer's Digest Books, 1991, 252 pp., paper $12.99, ISBN 0-89879-463-3 The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space Gerard K. O'Neill Space Studies Institute, 1989, 326 pp., paper $9.95, ISBN 0-9622379-0-6 How Fiction Works: The Last Word on Writing Fiction From Basics to Fine Points Oakley Hall Story Press, 2001, $18.99 ISBN 1-88491-049-1 How to Be Your Own Literary Agent Expanded Revised Edition Richard Curtis Houghton Mifflin Co., 1996, 320 pp., paper $13.95, ISBN 0-395-71819-8 How to Grow a Novel Sol Stein St. Martin's Press, 1999, $25.95 How to Write Best-Selling Fiction Dean R. Koontz Writer's Digest Books, 1981 How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy Orson Scott Card Writer's Digest Books, 1990, 140 pp., $13.95, ISBN 0-89879-416-1 How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy: The Hugo Award-Winning Reference Orson Scott Card Writer's Digest Books, 2001 How to Write & Sell Your First Novel Oscar Collier and Frances Spatz Leighton Writer's Digest Books, 1997, $16.99, ISBN 0-89879-770-5 How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction Edited by J.N. Williamson Writer's Digest Books, 1991, 242 pp., paper $14.99, ISBN 0-89879-483-8 Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension Michio Kaku Doubleday, 1995, 348 pp., paper $14.95, ISBN 0-385-47705-8 Oxford, 1994, 389 pp., $25.00, ISBN 0-19-508514-0 Inside the Bestsellers Jerrold R. Jenkins with Mardi Link Rhodes & Easton, 1997 The Internet Research Guide, Revised Edition Timothy K. Maloy Watson-Guptill, 1999, $18.95, ISBN 1581150121 www.allworth.com Into Print: Guides to the Writing Life Poets & Writers, Inc. Quality Paperback Book Club, 1995, ISBN 0-913734-48-9

The Joy of Writing Sex: A Guide for Fiction Writers Elizabeth Benedict Story Press, 1996, 150 pp., $16.99, ISBN 1-884910-21-1 The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth James N. Frey St. Martin's Press, 2000, $23.95, ISBN 0-312-24197-6 Knowing Where to Look: The Ultimate Guide to Research Lois Horowitz Writer's Digest Books, 1988, 440 pp., paper $19.95, ISBN 0-89879-329-7 The Language of the Night Ursula K. Le Guin Berkeley, 1979, ISBN 0-425-05205-2 Larousse Gastronomique Edited by Larousse Crown, 1984, 1152 pp. $195.00, ISBN 0-7859-9800-4 Larousse Gastronomique: The New American Edition of the World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia Edited by Jenifer H. Lang Crown, 1988, $60.00, ISBN 0-517-57032-7 Life in a Medieval Castle Joseph and Frances Gies Harper Collins, 1979, paper $13.00, ISBN 0-06-090674-X, CN 674, PL Light in the Forest Conrad Richter Knopf, 1953, $23.00, ISBN 0-394-43314-9 Make That Scene: A Writer's Guide to Setting, Mood and Atmosphere William Noble Eriksson, 1988, $17.95, ISBN 0-8397-5708-5 Manuscript Submission Scott Edelstein Writer's Digest Books, 1989, $13.95, ISBN 0-89879-398-X Mastering Point of View Sherri Szeman Story Press, 2001, $16.99 ISBN 1-884910-52-1 Mindscapes: The Geography of Imagined Worlds Edited by George E. Slusser and Eric S. Rabkin Southern Illinois University Press, 1989, 316 pp., $29.95, ISBN 0-8093-1454-1 Mirror Matter: Pioneering Antimatter Physics Robert L. Forward & Joel Davis Wiley, 1988, paper $18.95, ISBN 0-471-62812-3 Movies in the Mind Colleen Mariah Rae Sherman Asher Publishing, 1996, $14.95, ISBN 0-9644196-5-3 Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words Josefa Heifets Byrne Citadel Press, 1976, paper $10.95, ISBN 0-8065-0498-6 The Myth of Male Power: Why Men Are the Disposable Sex Warren Farell Berkley Publishers, 1994, 448 pp., paper $13.00, ISBN 0-425-14381-3 Berkley Publishers, 1996, 544 pp., mass market $6.99, ISBN 0-614-13646-6 The Nazi Doctors Robert Jay Lipton Basic, 1988, 576 pp., paper $18.00, ISBN 0-465-04905-2 The New Fowler's Modern English Usage R.W. Burchfield, ed. Oxford University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-19-869126-2 Omni Future Almanac Edited by Robert Weil Kensingon Publishing, 1983, 320 pp., mass market $3.99, ISBN 0-8217-1364-7 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Stephen King Scribner, 2000, $25.00, ISBN 0-684-85352-3 On Writing Science Fiction: The Editors Strike Back George Scithers, Darrell Schweitzer, and John M. Ford Wildside Press, 1981, $17.50, ISBN 1880448785 On Writing Well William Zinsser Harper & Row, 1980, 187 pp., ISBN 0-06-047396-7 100 Things Every Writer Needs to Know Scott Edelstein Perigee, 1999, $12.95, ISBN 0399525084

Paperless Publishing Cohn Hayes TAB Books, 1994, paper $27.95, ISBN 0-07-911895-X Paragons: Twelve Science Fiction Writers Ply Their Craft Edited by Robin Wilson St. Martin's Press, 1996, 368 pp., $24.95, ISBN 0-312-14023-1 People's Names: A Cross-Cultural Reference Guide to the Proper Use of Over 40,000 Personal and Familial Names in Over 100 Cultures Holly Ingraham McFarland, 1996, $65.00, ISBN 0786401877 Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery Don Richard Riso & Russ Hudson Houghton Mifflin, 1996, paper $12.95, ISBN 0-395-79867-1 Plot Ansen Dibell Writer's Digest, 1988, $14.95, ISBN 89879-303-3 Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories James Moffett and Kenneth McElheny, eds. Penguin, ISBN 0-451-62872-1 Random House Word Menu Stephen Glazier Random House, 1997, ISBN 0-679-44963-9 Revision: A Creative Approach to Writing and Rewriting Fiction David Michael Kaplan Story Press, 1997, 240 pp., $18.99, ISBN 1-88491019X Robert Silverberg's Worlds of Wonder Edited by Robert Silverberg Warner Books, 1989, 368 pp., $12.95, ISBN 0-446-39012-7 Scene & Structure Jack M. Bickham Writer's Digest, 1993, $14.95, ISBN 0-89879-551-6 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Handbook: The Professional Writer's Guide to Being Professional Edited by Jon M. Gustafson Fat Puppy Press, 1995, 258 pp. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Source Book 2nd Edition Edited by David H. Borcherding Writer's Digest, 1966, $19.99, ISBN 0-89879-762-4 Science Fiction of the 20th Century Frank M. Robinson Collectors Press, 1999, $59.95, ISBN 1-888054-29-8 Science Fiction Writer's Workshop I: An Introduction to Fiction Mechanics Barry Longyear Owlswick Press, 1980, $9.50, ISBN 0-913896-18-7

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print Renni Browne and Dave King Harper Collins, 1994, 240 pp., paper $11.00, ISBN 0-06-272046-5 The Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print & Sell Your Own Book Pare Publishing, 1996, 464 pp., paper $19.95, ISBN 1-56860-018-6 Setting Jack M. Bickham Writer's Digest, 1993, $14.95, ISBN 0-89879-635-0 Show, Don't Tell: A Writer's Guide William Noble Eriksson, 1993, 196 pp., paper $12.95, ISBN 0-8397-7767-1 Sociobiology: The New Synthesis Edward 0. Wilson Belknap Press, 1975, 698 pp., $55.00, ISBN 0-674-81621-8 The Space Shuttle Operators Manual Kerry Mark Joels & David Larkin Ballantine, 1985, 145 pp., paper $19.95, ISBN 0-345-33103-6 Space Travel Ben Bova & Anthony R. Lewis Writer's Digest Books, 1997, paper $16.99, ISBN 0-89879-747-0 Starsailing: Solar Sails and Intersteller Travel Louis Friedman John Wiley & Sons, 1988, 146 pp., paper $9.95, ISBN 0-4671-62593-0 Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew Ursula K. Le Guin Eighth Mountain Press, 1998, 180 pp., paper $14.95, ISBN 0-933377-46-0 Stephen Hawkins' Universe: An Introduction to the Most Remarkable Scientist of Our Time John Boslough Avon, 1989, 168 pp., mass market $5.95, ISBN 0-380-70763-2 The Superior Person's Little Book of Words Peter Bowler & David Godine Dell, 1990, 192 pp., paper $5.99, ISBN 0-440-20407-0 Techniques of the Selling Writer Dwight V. Swain University of Oklahoma Press, 1996, $16.95, ISBN 0-8061-1191-7 Theme & Strategy Ronald B. Tobias Writer's Digest, 1989, $14.95, ISBN 0-89879-392-0 Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe Knopf, 1995, $15.00, ISBN 0-679-44623-0 Astro-Honor, 1959, $12.95, ISBN 0-8392-1113-9 Astro-Honor, 1959, paper $7.95, ISBN 0-8392-5006-1 Time Travel Paul J. Nahin Writer's Digest, 1997, paper $16.99, ISBN 0-89879-748-9 20 Master Plots (And How to Build Them) Ronald Tobias Writer's Digest, $16.95, ISBN 0-89879-595-8 The Universe Next Door Marcus Chown Oxford University Press, 2000, $26.00, ISBN 0-19-514382-5

Weapons: An International Encyclopedia From 5000 BC to 2000 AD Diagram Group St. Martin's Press, paper $18.95, ISBN 0-312-03950-6 St. Martin's Press, $29.95, ISBN 0-312-03951-4 The Weekend Novelist Robert J. Ray Dell Publishing, 1994, paper $11.95, ISBN 0-440-50594-1 Wondrous Beginnings: The Stories That Launched Careers Edited by Steven H. Silver and Martin H. Greenberg DAW, 2003, mass market paperback $6.99, ISBN 0756400988  World-Building Stephen L. Gillett; edited by Ben Bova Writer's Digest, 1996, $16.99, ISBN 0-89879-707-1 The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht Chronicle Books, 1999, ISBN The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference Writer's Digest Books, 1998, $18.99,  ISBN 0-89879-866-3 The Writer's Digest Handbook of Novel Writing Edited by Tom Clark (and others) Writer's Digest Books, 1998, $14.99, ISBN 0-89879-507-9 The Writer's Essential Desk Reference Writer's Digest Books, $24.99, ISBN 0-89879-759-4 The Writer's Guide to Creating a Science Fiction Universe George Ochoa and Jefery Osier Writer's Digest Books, 1993, $18.95, ISBN 0-89879-536-2 Writer's Market FAQS: Fast Answers About Getting Published and the Business of Writing Peter Rubie Writer's Digest Books, 2002, $18.99,  ISBN 1-58297-071-8 Writing as Adventure: A Writer's Companion Varda One Xlibris, 2001, $17.84, ISBN 1-4010-1392-9 Writing the Blockbuster Novel Albert Zuckerman Writer's Digest Books, 1994 Writing the Breakout Novel Donald Maass Writer's Digest Books, 2001 Writing the Natural Way Gabriele Lusser Rice J.P. Tarcher, 1983, paper $14.95, ISBN 0-87477-263-2 Writing the Novel: From Plot to Print Lawrence Block Writer's Digest Books, 1979 Writing Science Fiction Christopher Evans St. Martin's Press, 1988, $12.95, ISBN 0-312-01849-5 Writing to the Point: A Complete Guide to Selling Fiction Algis Budrys Unifont, 1994, paper $10.99, ISBN 1-886211-00-0 Questions? Comments? djls@djlightfoot.com Next ---> > Home > Excerpts > Readers' Comments > Author Interview > Words & Treasures > Word Games > FAQs & How-to Books > Links for Writers > Author Presentations > Inquiries & Feedback TOP Back to the FAQS On to the Links