There are a ton of great writing books out there that are genre specific. Click on a genre for a list of recommendations:
General or All Genre Writing Books
Science Fiction/Fantasy Writing Books
Mystery Writing Books
General or All Genre Books on Craft
The Elements of Fiction Writing Series:
- Manuscript Submission by Edelstein
- Scene & Structure by Bickham
- Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Kress
- Description by Wood
- Plot by Dibell
- Setting: How to Create and Sustain a Sharp Sense of Time and Place in Your Fiction by Bickham
- Conflict, Action, and Suspense by Noble
- Dialogue by Turco
- Characters, Emotion, and Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints ** by Kress
**(The series calls for this book: Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card, but I can no longer recommend that book. If you really want it, I would get a used copy somewhere or borrow it. Better yet, just get Kress’s book instead.)
- Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Browne & King
- Character Naming Sourcebook by Kenyon
- The Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in the Middle Ages: The British Isles from 500 to 1500 by Kenyon
- Everyday Life in the 1800s: A Guide for Writers, Students & Historians (Writer’s Guides to Everyday Life) by McCutcheon
- The Writer’s Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters by McCutcheeon
- The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression by Ackerman
- The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws by Ackerman
- The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes by Ackerman
- 2014 Writer’s Market
Science Fiction/Fantasy Books on Craft
The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy Series:
- The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, Vol. 1: Alchemy with Words (The Compete Guide Series) by Darin Park and Tom Dellmond
- The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, Vol. 2: The Opus Magus by Tee Morris and Valerie Griswold Ford
- The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, Volume 3: The Author’s Grimoire by Valerie Griswold Ford
Individual Books:
- Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer’s Sourcebook: Where to Sell Your Manuscripts by Borcherding
- How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Card***
- World-Building (Science Fiction Writing) by Gillett
- Aliens and Alien Societies (Science Fiction Writing Series) by Schmidt
- The Writer’s Complete Fantasy Reference by Brooks
- A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels by Davidson
- The Dictionary of Demons: Names of the Damned by Belanger
- The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology by Guiley
- Illustrated Encyclopedia of Divination by Karcher
- The Dictionary of Imaginary Places: The Newly Updated and Expanded Classic by Manguel and Guadalupi
- Dictionary of Symbolism by Biedermann
***Again, borrow this or find a used copy. I can no longer endorse Card’s works. (If you don’t know why, here’s a good place to start educating yourself on the why.)
Mystery/Thriller Books on Craft
Howdunit Series:
- Missing Persons: A Writer’s Guide to Finding the Lost, the Abducted and the Escaped by Faron
- Deadly Doses: A Writer’s Guide to Poisons by Stevens
- Murder One: A Writer’s Guide to Homicide by Corvasce & Paglino
- Malicious Intent : A Writer’s Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists and Other Criminals Think by Mactire
- Armed and Dangerous: A Writer’s Guide to Weapons by Newton
- Scene of the Crime: A Writer’s Guide to Crime Scene Investigation by Wingate
- Body Trauma : A Writer’s Guide to Wounds and Injuries by Page
- Cause of Death : A Writer’s Guide to Death, Murder and Forensic Medicine by Wilson
- Private Eyes: A Writer’s Guide to Private Investigating by Blythe
- Modus Operandi: A Writer’s Guide to How Criminals Work by Corvasce
- Just the Facts, Ma’am: A Writer’s Guide to Investigator’s and Investigation Techniques by Fallis
- Police Procedural: A Writer’s Guide to the Police and How They Work by Bintliff
- Amateur Detectives: A Writer’s Guide to How Private Citizens Solve Criminal Cases by Chase
- Rip-Off: A Writer’s Guide to Crimes of Deception by Faron