Romance Writers on the Journey

These are books on my shelves, which have been recommended by successful authors and contest judges. Those in green are the most highly-recommended and would be the first I’d purchase if I were starting to build my library. In the case of books on romance writing, I buy them all and glean something from each.

Books on Craft

Beginnings, Middles and Ends – Nancy Kress

Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint – Nancy Kress

Description & Setting – Ron Rozelle

Dialogue – Gloria Kempton

The First Five Pages – Noah Lukeman

GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict – Debra Dixon•

How to Grow a Novel – Sol Stein

How to Write and Sell a Christian Novel – Gilbert Morris

Immediate Fiction – Jerry Cleaver

Plot & Structure – James Scott Bell

Stein on Writing - Sol Stein

Techniques of the Selling Writer – Dwight V. Swain

Word Magic – Cindy Rogers

Word Painting – Rebecca McClanahan

Writing Dialogue – Tom Chiarella

Writing for Emotional Impact – Karl Iglesias

Writing the Breakout Novel – Donald Maass

Books on Romance Writing

The Art of Romance Writing – Valerie Parv

How to Write Romances – Phyllis Taylor Pianka

Improve Your Romance Writing Skills – Geneviéve & Michael Montcombroux

On Writing Romance – Leigh Michaels

The Romance Writer’s Handbook – Rebecca Vinyeard

Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies – Leslie Wainger

Writing the Christian Romance - Gail Gaymer Martin

Writing the Great American Romance Novel – Catherine Lanigan

Writing Romance – Vanessa Grant

Writing Romances – Edited by Rita Clay Estrada and Rita Gallagher

You Can Write a Romance – Rita Clay Estrada and Rita Gallagher

Books on Editing and Marketing

Book Proposals That Sell - W. Terry Whalin

Revision & Self-Editing – James Scott Bell

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers – Renni Brown and Dave King

Writing the Fiction Synopsis – Pam McCutcheon*

Books on the Writing Life

Writer’s First Aid – Kristi Holl

Writing for the Soul – Jerry B. Jenkins

* These are available directly from Gryphon Books and are not sold new on Amazon.