Books about Writing, for Writers

The header says "Books for Writers," but note that this post isn't about books on writing how-to and technique. Rather, the following are books that will expand your knowledge of both the writing process and the publishing business.

• Another Life: A Memoir of Other People, by Michael Korda (Random House, 1999). Here's an excellent and entertaining guide to how the book publishing industry works.
• Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams, by M.J. Simpson (Justin, Charles & Co., 2005). If you have trouble finishing (or starting) a manuscript, don't panic! Adams suffered from the same problems as you do.
• Education of a Wandering Man, by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1990 Reissue). This is as close to an autobiography as L'Amour ever wrote. It provides an inside look at the writer's mind, and how he folded life experience into short stories and novels.
• How to Be Your Own Literary Agent: The Business of Getting a Book Published, Revised edition, by Richard Curtis (Houghton-Mifflin, 2003). Pretty much everything you need to know about the business end of writing books.
• Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond, by Andrew Lycett . This is an interesting biography on its own, with the bonus of covering a lot of the ins and outs of Fleming's literary dealings. You learn how Fleming got his books into print, how he promoted them, and even how much specific books earned.
• Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life, by Terry Brooks (Del Rey, 2004). An interesting mix of autobiography, writing business and how-to, and fantasy.
  

In addendum, if you are interested in writing for a living you may find my book, How to Become a Fulltime Freelance Writer, of interest. (An Ebook version will be available at Amazon soon.)
--Mike
http://www.michaelabanks.com