This is a list of courses I’ve done and recommend, and books on writing, publishing and business that I have read and recommend.

Those in green I highly recommend, those in orange I definitely suggest giving them a go, and those in black you can use for a to-read list if you’re interested. There are books I’ve read that will not be on the list. They are ones that were so bad I would never recommend them. So you’ve got the best. And, I will always recommend the Dummies guides.

The courses are linked, but the books are not.

 

COURSES 

WEA Adult Learning – If you’re in South Australia and can give them a go, do so. If you have an alternative learning centre in your area, then check them out and see what you can do.

Australian Writers’ Centre – I’ve done seven courses with them now and would highly recommend any to do with writing. If you wish to do other types of writing there are courses in Content, Opinion, Profile, Real Estate, Copywriting and more.

Self Publishing Formula – I’ve done several courses with them now and would highly recommend them if you’re just starting out and need help with where to start.

aftrs.edu.au (Australian Film and Television School)

nyfa.edu.au (New York Film Academy Australia)

writerstudio.com.au (Sydney Australia)

linkedin.com/learning (you might be able to get this free through your local library or writers’ group)

udemy.com

masterclass.com

Masterclass Articles on Writing

BBCMaestro.com

domestika.org (Mainly in Spanish but does have subtitles and new ones in English)

Don’t forget your state’s writing centre

 

WEBSITES

StudioBinder Articles on Writing

nycmidnight.com

tvtropes.org

 

BOOKS ON

 

SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITES

• Social Media Commerce for Dummies
• Social Media Marketing for Dummies?
• Linkedin For Dummies
• WordPress For Dummies
• Blogger for Dummies
• Facebook for Dummies
• Myspace for Dummies
• SEO for Dummies
• Zoom for Dummies
• Complete Idiot’s Guide to WordPress
• Create Your Own WordPress Website – Alannah Moore
• Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now – Jaron Lanier

 

BUSINESS

• How to Be an Author: The Business of Being a Writer in Australia – Georgia Richter, Deborah Hunn
• The Business of Being a Writer – Jane Freidman
• Author 2.0 Blueprint: Writing, Publishing, Book Marketing and Making a Living with your Writing – Joanna Penn (free from her website)
• Business for Authors. How To Be an Author Entrepreneur – Joanna Penn
• Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives and Other Introverts – Joanna Penn
• Starting A Business for Dummies
• Public Speaking Skills for Dummies
• The Entrepreneur’s Starter Kit: 50 Things to Know Before Starting a Business – Paul J Christopher
• Secrets of Online Entrepreneurs: How Australia’s Online Mavericks, Innovators and Disruptors Built Their Businesses…and How You Can Too – Bernadette Schwerdt
• Freedom Is Blogging in Your Underwear – Hugh MacLeod

 

BRANDING

• Fame 101: Powerful Personal Branding & Publicity for Amazing Success – Jay & Maggie Jessup
• Engage! The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, And Measure Success in The New Web – Brian Solis
• The Business of Being YOU: Personal Brand Secrets of CEOs and Celebrities – Fleur Brown
• Branding Yourself: How to Use social media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself – Erik Deckers and Kyle Lacy
• Brand Now: How to Stand Out in a Crowded, Distracted World – Nick Westergaard
• Obsessed: Building a Brand People Love from Day One – Emily Heyward
• The Rare Find: How Great Talent Stands Out – George Anders

 

MARKETING

• Amazon Decoded: A Marketing Guide to The Kindle Store – David Gaughran
• Following: A Marketing Guide to Author Platform – David Gaughran
• Newsletter Ninja Tammi Labrecque
• Marketing Books to Australian Libraries: Get Your Books into Australian Libraries, Sell more books, earn more royalties – McKenna, Ebony
• How To Market a Book – Rachael Birmingham
• Celebrity Leverage: Insider Secrets to Getting Celebrity Endorsements, Instant Credibility and Star-Powered Publicity, or How to Make Your Business – Plus Yourself – Rich and Famous – Jordan McAuley
• How To Success! A Writer’s Guide to Fame and Fortune (Gifts for Writers, Books About Writing, How to Write Well Books, Writing Prompts) – Corinne Caputo

 

CREATIVE (concerning writing, artists, etc.)

• Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away – Annie Duke
• How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices – Annie Duke
• How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices – Annie Duke
• Real Artists Don’t Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age – Jeff Goins
• Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear: Creative Living Beyond Fear – Elizabeth Gilbert
• Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic – Lisa Congdon
• Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist – Lisa Congdon
• Written by Hand: Techniques and Tips to Make Your Everyday Handwriting More Beautiful – Erica Tighe
• The Artists’ Way: A Course in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self – Julia Cameron
• The Vein of Gold – Julia Cameron
• The Multi-Hyphen Method: Work Less, Create More, and Design a Career That Works for You – Emma Gannon
• The Success Myth: Letting Go of Having it All – Emma Gannon
• Social Psychology for Dummies
• The Creative Act: A Way of Being – Rick Rubin
• An Audience of One: Reclaiming Creativity for Its Own Sake – Srinivas Rao
• Steal Like an Artist – Austin Kleon (I personally don’t condone stealing as an author or artist)
• Show Your Work! – Austin Kleon
• Keep Going – Austin Kleon

 

ENGLISH

• English Grammar for Dummies
• The Infographic Guide to Grammar: A Visual Reference for Everything You Need to Know – Jara Kern
• To the Point: A Dictionary of Concise Writing – Robert Hartwell Fiske
• Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation – Lynn Truss

 

PRE-WRITING

• Fire Up Your Writing Brain: How to Use Proven Neuroscience to Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Writer – Susan Reynolds
• The Right Word: A Writer’s Toolkit of Grammar, Vocabulary and Literary Terms – Writers & Artists
• Writers & Artists Handbook 2023 – Writers and Artists
• The Australian Editing Handbook – Wiley
• From Big Idea to Book: Create a Writing Practice That Brings You Joy – Jessie L. Kwak
• Write For Life – Julia Cameron
• So You Want To Be A Writer: How To Get Started While You Still Have Your Day Job – Valerie Koo & Alison Tait
• The Hero Is You: Sharpen Your Focus, Conquer Your Demons, and Become the Writer You Were Born to Be – Kendra Levin
• The War of Art – Stephen Pressfield
• Do The Work – Stephen Pressfield
• 21 Days to Awaken the Writer Within – Lisa Fugard
• This Is Not a Writing Manual: Notes for the Young Writer in the Real World – Kerri Majors
• Welcome to the Writer’s Life: How to Design Your Writing Craft, Writing Business, Writing Practice, Reading Practice – Paulette Perhach
• The Productive Writer: Tips & Tools to Help You Write More, Stress Less & Create Success – Sage Cohen
• The Writer’s Hustle: A Professional Guide to The Creativity, Discipline, Humility, & Grit Every Writer Needs to Flourish – Joey Franklin
• Write A Must Read: Craft A Book That Changes Lives – Including Your Own – AJ Harper
• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life – Anne Lamont
• How Words Get Good: The Story of Making a Book – Rebecca Lee
• The Bestseller Code Paperback – Jodie Archer, Matthew Jockers
• Storynomics: Story Driven Marketing in the Post-Advertising World – Robert McKee

 

SCREENWRITING

• Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need – Blake Snyder
• Screenwriting for Dummies
• Crash! Boom! Bang! How to Write Action Movies – Michael Lucker
• Screenwriting is Filmmaking: The Theory and Practice of Writing for the – Brian Dunnigan
• 27 Essential Principles of Story: Master the Secrets of Great Storytelling, from Shakespeare to South Park – Daniel Joshua Rubin
• Writing and Selling Thriller Screenplays: A Screenwriter’s Guide for Film and Television – Lucy V Hay
• Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting – Syd Field

 

POETRY

• Poetry Writer’s Handbook – Writers and artists
• Write a Poem, Save Your Life: A Guide for Teens, Teachers, and Writers of All Ages – Susan Wooldridge
• How To Grow Your Own Poem – Kate Clanchy
• Slam Your Poetry: Write A Revolution – Miles Merrill
• The Magic Words – Joseph Fasano

 

ESSAYS

• Writing Essays for Dummies
• Plan Your Essay – Philip C Shon
• Nail Your Next Essay: Plan, Research and Write Your Essay – Bronwyn Hall
• Essay Savvy – Robin Taylor
• Level Up Your Essays: How to Get Better Grades at University – Inger Mewburn

 

WRITING

• Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies – Victorine Lieske and Leslie Wainger
• Creative Writing for Dummies
• Writing Children’s Books for Dummies
• Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies
• Writing Sci-fi, Fantasy, & Horror for Dummies
• Memoir Writing for Dummies
• The “Everything” Guide to Writing a Romance Novel Book: From Writing the Perfect Love Scene to Finding the Right Publisher – All You Need to Fulfill Your Dreams! – Christie Craig and Faye Hughes
• Save The Cat! Writes A Novel – Jessica Brody
• Save The Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel – Jessica Brody
• Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting and Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish – James Scott Bell
• Just Write: Creating Unforgettable Fiction and a Rewarding Writing Life – James Scott Bell
• Storyville! An Illustrated Guide to Writing Fiction – Jon Dufresne
• Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time – Jordan Rosenfeld
• Writers’ & Artists’ Guide to How to Write: How to plan, structure and write your novel – William Ryan
• Writing Voice: The Complete Guide to Creating a Presence on The Page and Engaging Readers – Writer’s Digest Books
• Crafting Novels & Short Stories: The Complete Guide to Writing Great Fiction (Creative Writing Essentials) – Writers’ Digest
• Write It All Down: How to Put Your Life on the Page – Cathy Rentzenbrink
• Spellbinding Sentences: A Writer’s Guide to Achieving Excellence & Captivating Readers – Barbara Baig
• Write Everyday: Daily Practice to Kickstart Your Creative Writing – Harriet Griffey
• The Writer’s Idea Thesaurus: An Interactive Guide for Developing Ideas for Novels and Short Stories – Fred White
• Gentle Writing Advice: How to Be a Writer Without Destroying Yourself – Chuck Wendig
• Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story – KM Weiland
• Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure – KM Weiland
• How To Write Your Book – Rachael Birmingham
• The Writing Book – Kate Grenville
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Nonfiction – Christina Boufis
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creative Writing – Casey Clabough
• Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting – Robert McKee
• The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know – Shawn Coyne
• The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller – John Truby
• The Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works – John Truby
• Writing Down the Bones – Natalie Goldberg
• The Writer’s Reader: Vocation, Preparation, Creation – Robert Cohen
• How Not to Write a Novel: Confessions of a Mid-List Author – David Armstrong
• The Author Training Manual: A Comprehensive Guide to Writing Books That Sell – By Nina Amir
• Writing a Children’s Book: How to Write for Children and Get Published – Pamela Cleaver
• Writing New Adult Fiction: How to Write and Sell New-Adult Fiction – Deborah Halverson
• Get Started in Creative Writing – Stephen May
• The Kick-Ass Writer: 1001 Ways to Write Great Fiction, Get Published, and Earn Your Audience – Chuck Wendig
• Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish: A Guidebook for the Journey – Joseph Bates
• The Organised Writer: How to Stay on Top of All Your Projects and Never Miss a Deadline – Antony Johnston
• The Book You Were Born to Write: Everything You Need to (Finally) Get Your Wisdom onto the Page and Into the World – Kelly Notaras
• Writing Without Rules: How to Write & Sell a Novel Without Guidelines, Experts, Or (Occasionally) Pants – Jeff Somers
• Writing True Stories – Patti Miller
• Write Great Dialogue: How to Write Convincing Dialogue, Conversation and Dialect in Your Fiction – Irving Weinman
• Improv for Writers – Jorjeana Marie
• The Art of Creative Writing – Lajos Egri
• How to Craft a Great Story: How to Master Plot, Structure and Form in Your Creative Writing – Chris Sykes
• The Writer’s Source Book: Inspirational ideas for your creative writing – Chris Sykes
• Complete Creative Writing Course: Your Complete Companion for Writing Creative Fiction – Chris Sykes
• The Novel Project: A Step-by-Step Guide to Your Novel, Memoir or Biography – Graeme Simsion
• How To Write Your Blockbuster – Fiona McIntosh
• How To Writer Like a Writer – Thomas C Foster
• Wordcraft: The Complete Guide to Clear, Powerful Writing – Jack Hart
• The Last Draft: A Novelist’s Guide to Revision – Sandra Scofield
• The Creative Writing Coursebook: Forty Authors Share Advice and Exercises for Fiction and Poetry – Julia Bell & Paul Magrs
• Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write A Riveting Story – Lisa Cron
• Your Story Matters: Find Your Voice, Sharpen Your Skills, Tell Your Story – Nikesh Shukla
• Flash: Writing the Very Short Story – John Dufresne
• How To Write Anything: A Complete Guide – Laura Brown
• Writing And Selling Short Stories and Personal Essays: The Essential Guide to Getting Your Work Published – Windy Lynn Harris
• Novelista: Anyone Can Write a Novel (yes, even you) – Claire Askew
• The Book You Need to Read to Write the Book You Want to Write – Sarah Burton
• Howdunit: a masterclass in crime writing by members of the Detection Club – Martin Edwards
• On Writing – Stephen King
• Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft – Janet Burroway
• How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling: The Moth
• Writing the Romantic Comedy: The Art of Crafting Funny Love Stories for the Screen – Billy Mermit
• Being a Writer: Advice, Musings, Essays and Experiences from the World’s Greatest Authors – Travis Elborough
• No Plot No Problem: A Low-stress, High-velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days – Chris Baty
• The Complete Guide to Ghostwriting Paperback – by Teena Lyons
• Book In a Month: The Fool-Proof System for Writing a Novel in 30 Days Paperback – Victoria Lynn Schmidt
• On Writing Well – William Zinsser

 

PUBLISHING

• Self-Publishing for Dummies
• Building Your Book for Kindle – Amazon (free)
• Smashwords Style Guide – Smashwords (free)
• Look – It’s Your Book! Write, Publish & Promote Your Non-Fiction Book: A Self-Publishing Guide for Australian Writers – Anna Featherstone
• Writers’ & Artists’ Guide to Self-Publishing: How to Edit, Produce and Sell Your Book
• Successful Self-Publishing: How to self-publish and market your book in eBook, print and audiobook formats – Joanna Penn
• How To Self-Publish in Oz – Donna Munro
• Let’s Get Digital: How to Self-Publish, And Why You Should – David Gaughran
• Let’s Get Visible: How to Get Noticed and Sell More Books – David Gaughran
• Self-Printed: The Sane Person’s Guide to Publishing – Catherine Ryan Howard
• Think Like a Publisher: 33 Essential Tips to Write, Promote, and Sell Your Book – Randy Davila
• Indie Publishing: How to Design and Produce Your Own Book – Ellen Lupton
• Publish It Yourself! A Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Self-Publishing Non-Fiction – John Stacpoole
• How to Sell, Then Write Your Nonfiction Book – Blythe Camenson
• Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book (Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print, & Sell Your Own Book) – Dan Poynter
• Your Book Publishing Options: How to Make and Market eBooks and Print Books – Euan Mitchell
• The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote and Sell Your Own Book – Marilyn Ross
• Publishing Your E-Book – Daniel E Harmon
• Understanding Publishing – Tracy Marsh
• The Publishing Business: A Guide to Starting Out and Getting On – Kelvin Smith
• 100 Ways to Publish and Sell Your Own eBook – Conrad Jones & Darin Jewell
• Get Started in Self-Publishing: Write, Publish, Market and Promote Your Own Book – Kevin McCann & Tom Green
• How NOT to Get Published: Fifty Mistakes to Avoid If You Want to Publish Your Creative Writing – Claire Gillman
• Publishing Means Business: Australian Perspectives – Monash Uni
• Stand Out: 7 steps to self-publishing a book that will build your profile, promote your business and make you stand out – Michal Hanrahan
• How To Self-Publish Your Book – Dr Jan Yager
• Self-Publishing for Independent Authors – Ian Andrew
• Cover to Cover: An easy-to-follow guide with expert advice on making a print or e-book in Australia – Andrew Watson
• The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Self-Publishing: How to Write, Publish and Leverage Your Business Book – Ann Wilson
• The Fine Print of Self-Publishing – Mark Levine

 

 

These lists will be added to through the years as I read new books, or even some old ones I haven’t heard of or come across.