There are so many useful digital craft and writing-related resources out in the world that weeding through the noise can give anyone a headache. Some resources are brilliant, and some are... not so good.
The list below comprises reference materials that those of us at Canterbury Writers have personally found useful over the years and would gladly recommend to others. This list is far from exhaustive. There are many resources out there that other writers and editors highly recommend, too.
If your favorite digital resource is missing from this list, drop us a line and we'll check it out when time allows.
Notes: This page is best viewed from a desktop or laptop web browser. Some of these resources are paid or have a premium option.
The agents of Books & Such Literary Management muse about books, publishing, and life.
Get information about various different stages of writing, from drafting your novels through to publication, and dealing with online platforms.
The blog of Joanna Penn if filled with useful information and insights into the publishing world.
Articles are on a wide range of topics on various aspects of writing.
Jane Friedman's blog is a wealth of information not to be missed.
With a wide range of articles from experts in their field, get some insights into where fiction can get it wrong.
If you are interested in writing for film and television, then Screencraft provides interesting insights into what we can learn about storytelling from the most popular films of today.
Writer Beware is THE blog to be following about the scams and charlatans willing to prey on writers. From shady contracts to fake agents, this blog points out the ugly side of the publishing industry.
Writer Unboxed is dedicated to publishing empowering, positive, and provocative ideas about the craft and business of fiction.
Jessica Faust and James McGowan from BookEnds Literary Agency talk about the realities of the publishing industry, from what it's like to go on submissions with publishers, to secrets associated with launching a book, and some of the ideas that you might want to employ for your writer's platform.
Hello Creatives, I'm Joanna Penn from TheCreativePenn.com. On my channel, I share information and inspiration about writing fiction, writing non-fiction, self-publishing, book marketing, and making a living with your writing.
Ten years ago, I started writing my first book and now I have 27 books: thrillers and dark fantasy under J.F.Penn and non-fiction for writers as Joanna Penn. I'm an Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, podcaster, and creative entrepreneur, and I make a multi-six-figure income with my writing.
iWriterly is a book publishing resource for genre fiction with how-to videos on traditional publishing and self-publishing.
- Specialties: Genre fiction, specifically adult science fiction, fantasy, and romance.
- We do NOT specialize in short stories, poetry, nonfiction, literary fiction, screenwriting, age categories younger than YA, comic books, or graphic novels.
- All information is geared toward the publishing industry in the United States. iWriterly is also a co-host of the Publishable YouTube show.
Jane Friedman has more than 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. Her expertise on the transformation of the publishing industry has been featured throughout many events and media, including NPR's Morning Edition, Publishers Weekly, South by Southwest, Nieman Journalism Lab, and AWP. She has also served on panels and advisory boards for a range of nonprofits, such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund in San Francisco.
Writing, publishing, book marketing, and making a living with your writing. This is the podcast of Joanna Penn.
The Manuscript Academy Podcast is free for everyone, and features interviews with top agents, editors and authors on the craft, business, and community of publishing.
The SPA Girls are Trudi Jaye, Cheryl Phipps, Wendy Vella and Shar Barratt: four New Zealand authors who between them have had more than 100 books published.
They’ve been self-publishing since 2013, and Wendy Vella alone, has sold more than 2 million copies of her historical and contemporary romances.
The SPA Girls Podcast (SPA = Self Publishing Authors) is one of the industry’s leading publishing podcasts globally, with over five years worth of weekly top-rating episodes.
The Writer's Detective Bureau is a podcast hosted by veteran Police Detective Adam Richardson. Adam answers questions about criminal investigation and police work posed by crime-fiction authors and screenwriters writing crime-related stories.
Writing Excuses is a fast-paced, educational podcast for writers, by writers. It airs weekly, with new episodes appearing each Sunday evening at around 6pm Eastern Time. Episodes vary in length from fifteen to twenty-five minutes, but are usually less than twenty minutes long. The tagline, “Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart” isn’t super accurate, time-wise, but it’s a haiku so we’re keeping it.
Our goal is to help our listeners become better writers. Whether they write for fun or for profit, whether they’re new to the domain or old hands, Writing Excuses has something to offer. We love to write, and our listeners do, too.
We love writing. That's why we're here. Literature & Latte was born out of a desire for tools that embrace the creativity of all forms of composition. We make software we love to use—Scrivener, hugely popular among authors of all stripes, and Scapple, crafted for free-form note-taking.
National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists.
The Manuscript Academy exists for writers who want the best aspects of a conference – the classes, the direct access to experts, the networking and the personal consultations all from the comfort of your own home.
ProWritingAid is the only platform that offers world-class grammar and style checking combined with more in-depth reports to help you strengthen your writing. Our unique combination of suggestions, articles, videos, and quizzes makes writing fun and interactive.
Be sure to check out the free webinars and mini-conferences.
Note: There are often discounts available for this software.
Hi! I'm Jessica Brody and I'm the international bestselling author of more than 20 novels for teens, tweens, and adults. I'm also the author of the #1 bestselling plotting guide for novelists, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. My books are published by major publishers like Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Macmillan and I'm frequently hired by Disney Press to write children's books based on popular Disney franchises. My books have been translated and published in over 23 countries and several of my novels have been optioned for film and TV.
I managed to accomplish all of this in less than twelve years and I'm excited to share all my strategies, tips, tricks, techniques, hacks, and templates for success with you. I started Writing Mastery Academy as a way to give back to the writing community and help writers achieve their goals and take their writing to the next level. I hope to see you on the inside!