Best Authorship Reference Books of 2025

The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition is a must-have reference book for anyone who works with words. With updated guidelines on electronic workflows, web accessibility standards, and effective use of metadata, abstracts, and keywords, this edition recognizes the needs of those who are self-publishing or following open access or Creative Commons publishing models. The citation chapters reflect the ever-expanding universe of electronic sources, including social media posts and comments, private messages, and app content. The book also includes an expanded glossary of problematic words and phrases and a new section on syntax. This edition continues to reflect expert insights gathered from Chicago’s own staff and from an advisory board of publishing experts from across the profession.

The Emotion Thesaurus (Second Edition) is an essential reference guide for writers seeking to create more personalized and evocative character expressions. This book is packed with body language cues, thoughts, and visceral responses for 130 emotions, providing limitless options for individualizing a character's reactions. The authors, Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, also offer advice on overcoming the biggest emotion-related writing problems, and how to show hidden feelings and emotional subtext through dialogue and nonverbal cues. This book is a must-have for writers seeking to improve their craft and create more emotionally engaging stories.

On Writing Well by William Zinsser is a valuable resource for writers and anyone who wants to improve their writing skills. The book provides fundamental principles and insights from a distinguished writer and teacher. It covers a wide range of topics, including writing about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, and the arts. With its clarity, sound advice, and warmth of style, On Writing Well has stood the test of time, selling over a million copies since its first publication. This book belongs on any shelf of serious reference works for writers.

Abigail Thomas' latest memoir, "Still Life at Eighty: The Next Interesting Thing," is a contemplative reflection on aging during COVID-19. With her signature mix of humor and wisdom, Thomas shares valuable writing tips and memories that fall like confetti. As she sits in her chair with three dogs for company, Thomas reflects on her past, including her twenties in Washington Square Park. Sometimes dread arrives, but she writes it away and focuses on what keeps her in the moment. This book is irreverent, wise, and generous, and a must-read for those looking for insight on the art of living and writing.

Writing Archetypal Character Arcs: The Hero's Journey and Beyond by K.M. Weiland is a must-read for any writer looking to take their character development to the next level. Weiland explores six important archetypal character arcs that represent key moments of initiation in the human experience, going beyond the popular Hero's Journey. From The Maiden to The Mage, Weiland delves deep into each archetype, providing real-story examples and teaching readers how to best use them in their own writing. The book also covers shadow archetypes, resting archetypes, and archetypal antagonists. Overall, this book is a valuable resource for any writer looking to create unforgettable characters and stories.

A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver is a concise guide to writing and understanding poetry. Oliver, a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning poet, covers technical aspects such as meter, rhyme, form, and diction, using examples from Frost, Bishop, and others. Her passion for poetry shines through as she describes the art as "a kind of possible love affair between something like the heart and the learned skills of the conscious mind." This handbook is an invaluable resource for both poetry lovers and budding poets, empowering them to tackle the good, hard work of writing poetry.

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg is a must-have for any writer or aspiring writer. This book is a practical and humorous guide that inspires creativity and helps writers develop their craft. Goldberg's advice is provided in short, easy-to-read chapters that are both insightful and witty. She emphasizes the importance of writing from "first thoughts" and listening to one's inner voice. Goldberg's writing is a testament to her knowledge and experience as a writer. Overall, Writing Down the Bones is a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their writing skills and unleash their creativity.

The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles (Volume 2) is an excellent resource for writers looking to create engaging and dynamic stories. The book provides over 100 tension-inducing scenarios that challenge characters both internally and externally, ensuring that the story is not predictable. It also offers guidance on using conflict to deepen the story, create epic adversarial showdowns, and give characters agency. The book is a must-have for any author looking to add depth and complexity to their work.

The Emotional Wound Thesaurus is a must-have resource for writers who want to create realistic and compelling characters. This book provides a database of traumatic situations and their impacts, including fears, lies, personality shifts, and dysfunctional behaviors. It also offers techniques on how to show the past experience to readers in an engaging way. With over 100 entries packed with information, this book is a crash course in psychology for creating characters that feel incredibly real to readers. Overall, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus is an essential tool for any writer who wants to add depth and authenticity to their characters.

The Only World Building Workbook You'll Ever Need: Your New Setting Bible (Series Bibles for Writers) is a comprehensive guide for novelists, game developers, scriptwriters, and anyone interested in creating unforgettable fictional worlds. This workbook provides in-depth prompts for various aspects of world-building, including geography, history, politics, religion, technology, and more. It also includes ample space for note-taking and brainstorming. The creator, T.M. Holladay, writes YA fantasy and understands the importance of keeping track of all the details that make characters and worlds compelling. This workbook is a must-have for any writer looking to create immersive and unforgettable worlds.