The Freelance Writer’s Bookshelf

If you were to visit the home of a professional in most any field, chances are they have a bookshelf of books relating to their line of work. For some folks, these books are merely the dusty textbook relics of college days past. For others, the books are obviously well used and in fact may be spread throughout the house. A freelance writer should have a collection of books. Here are my suggestions.

The Writer’s Market (Most Current Edition) – Every year you want to spend the money to update this most important book of your bookshelf. There is information for nearly any writing market and it is an excellent place to begin your search for folks to query about your writing project ideas.

The Elements of Style – Strunk and White’s is an absolute must have for any of the grammatical queries that do pop up from time to time. Know it. Live it.

The Chicago Manual – A bit on the thick side, but useful as cross reference for style questions. Some institutions live by this thing.

On Writing – Some say it’s the best thing Stephen King ever wrote. Perhaps. While it may not be particularly helpful in terms of writing long-tailed keyword articles, it certainly is inspirational and some of the writing hints may help you in your freelance work.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves – Punctuation on the lighter side. A #1 best seller that helps to put punctuation in a whole new perspective.

Roget’s Thesaurus – I know these kinds of reference books are available online, but hey, try and get a little unplugged now and then. I’ve found that thumbing through Roget’s looking for one word, leads me to others I never would have considered. Try THAT with a search box.

The Book of Excellence – You remember this one from a post I did last month. Snippets of wisdom that can inspire and motivate. Just the thing when the chips are down.

Quiet Mind – Okay, this one is optional but I would encourage you to open your mind a bit and let this one in. Subtitled “A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation”, it is an excellent, small book that will show you the benefits to be had by quieting your mind. I’ve found it to be useful in attaining focus.

How about you? What “must-have” books are on your shelf? Are there any titles in particular that help you in your daily freelancing? Also, which of these do you already have on your shelf?