10 New Books on Writing & Creativity You Should Order Right Now
Plus the big announcement I promised last week!!
Alright, announcement first. I’m jittery writing this, but here it is:
Hungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Creating, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book is publishing on August 6 and is available for pre-order NOW!
In the last couple months, we’ve been refining the title, book cover, and marketing copy. We’ve signed off on the final copyedits and we’re looking forward to seeing the page proofs any day now.
THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!
For both me and Liz, Hungry Authors is the culmination of so many years of learning, practicing, and codifying the principles of book structuring and helping hundreds of authors make decisions about publishing. To date, I’ve personally worked on over 200 traditionally published books—and who knows how many more that for whatever reason weren’t published, haven’t published yet, or have been self-published. Distilling all I’ve learned over 13+ years into this book was incredibly difficult at times, and yet I am so freaking proud of what we’ve accomplished.
But I’m not going to tell you to order my book because I’m proud of it and I think it’s awesome (although I am and I do). No, if you are a nonfiction writer of any kind, then here’s why I think you should order it:
It’s full of real stories of books and authors who are making their dreams come true, and fills you in on the Hungry Author mindsets that all of them have in common.
Everything we know about book mapping is here in this book. All of the principles we teach in our Map Your Book cohort can be found here. So if you’ve wanted to do 1:1 coaching with me or the cohort but for whatever reason haven’t been able to, voila! The most affordable, accessible option is coming soon.
We take you behind the scenes into how we write books as ghostwriters, including how we set writing goals, how we find content when we have no idea what to write, and how we edit our own writing.
It offers the most practical, down-to-earth advice on picking the right publishing route for you. You might just find yourself convinced to self-publish. Or you can polish your pitch with all of the advice we’ve learned from working with agents and editors over the years. Or you can take the third path: hybrid publishing, which just might be the best of both worlds. The choice is yours!
If you like what I share in this newsletter, then you will love Hungry Authors even more.
Here’s what you can look forward to in the coming months from us:
We’re finalizing our pre-order bonuses right now, and I’ll be able to share those soon. So if you pre-order, hang onto your receipt because we’ve got gifts coming your way!
We’re hosting TWO in-person book launch parties for VIPs and at least one in-person book signing event. Locations and dates are being confirmed right now.
We’ll be hosting a special Map Your Book cohort in October, where participants will all receive signed copies of the Hungry Authors book. (Registration for that will open in August, but you can register for our next cohort in May right here!)
And more!
Of course, I will keep you updated as our plans solidify and I can invite you to some of our events.
I’m truly so pleased to be able to send this book to you soon. I hope it feels like the massive gift to you in your writing and publishing life that I really want it to be.
And now, without further ado…
10 New Books on Writing & Creativity You Should Order Right Now
Look, obviously I want you to order my book. But there are SEVERAL great books on writing and creativity coming out this year, and I’m excited about all of them. Here are ones publishing in 2024 that are already available for order or preorder (that I’m aware of!). There are actually several more books on writing/creativity that have been signed in the last couple of years that aren’t available yet, so perhaps I’ll be able to do an update of this list in the fall!
As an author on this list myself, I love looking at how the Hungry Authors book compares to what else is coming out this year. Most of the books on this list focus on personal narrative writing and creative expression. There’s not a lot on the craft of writing and publishing, which makes me feel really good about our unique contribution to this conversation! Of course, there are plenty of other books that have been published in years past on publishing and craft, but we have something unique and timely to say right now.
Honest Creativity: The Foundations of Boundless, Good, and Inspired Innovation by Craig Detweiler, published February 20, 2024
CEO of the Wedgewood Circle and dean of Grand Canyon University's College of Arts & Media Craig Detweiler's HONEST CREATIVITY: THE FOUNDATIONS OF BOUNDLESS, GOOD, AND INSPIRED INNOVATION, a guide for fostering genuine personal expression and the courage to share our most meaningful work with others—all without pretense or artifice.
Writing by Heart: A Poetry Path to Healing and Self-Discovery by Meredith Heller, just published February 27, 2024
California Poet in the Schools and author of WRITE A POEM, SAVE YOUR LIFE Meredith Heller's WRITING BY HEART: A POETRY PATH TO HEALING AND WHOLENESS, the author's second book on poetry instruction and inspiration.
The Magic Words: Simple Poetry Prompts That Unlock the Creativity in Everyone by Joseph Fasano, publishing March 26, 2024
Poet Joseph Fasano's THE MAGIC WORDS, a collection of 50 fill-in poetry prompts, along with examples submitted by people of all ages and walks of life, pitched as inspired by the author's viral tweets about this simple yet powerful creativity and teaching tool.
Heart. Soul. Pen.: Find Your Voice on the Page and In Your Life by Robin Finn, publishing April 30, 2024
Robin Finn's HEART.SOUL.PEN.: FIND YOUR VOICE ON THE PAGE AND IN YOUR LIFE, based on the workshops and course of the same name, which combines writing, spiritual psychology, and self-expression for women.
Write Your Story: A Simple Framework to Understand Yourself, Your Story, and Your Purpose in the World by Allison Fallon
When you know your story, you know who you are and why you matter. You understand the many ways you can help others, and you develop a resilience over pain that can make you unstoppable.
Ally’s simple formula will help you process your life and get your whole story down—in only five pages! This isn’t a formula to teach you to write a book (although the exercises may lead to that), but it will help you understand yourself, your story, and your purpose.
The Artist’s Joy: A Guide to Getting Unstuck, Embracing Imperfection, and Loving Your Creative Life by Merideth Hite Estevez, publishing June 6, 2024
Professional oboist, creativity coach, and Artists for Joy podcaster Merideth Hite Estevez's THE ARTIST'S JOY: A GUIDE TO GETTING UNSTUCK, EMBRACING IMPERFECTION, AND LOVING YOUR CREATIVE LIFE, offering guidance for creatives at all levels (hobbyists to professionals) seeking to get unstuck and discover a sustainable and meaningful artistic practice, with a deep-dive into understanding the values and spirituality that motivates and clarifies the work.
Writing On Empty: A Guide to Finding Your Voice by Natalie Goldberg (author of Writing Down the Bones), publishing July 9, 2024
Author of WRITING DOWN THE BONES and THREE SIMPLE LINES Natalie Goldberg's WRITING ON EMPTY: REMEMBERING WHAT MATTERS, a memoir of the author's pilgrimage to beloved writers' home places and resting places to break through a sudden onset of writer's block, which she had never before experienced; including a writing guide for recovering one's voice.
Hungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Creating, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book by Liz Morrow and Ariel Curry, publishing August 6, 2024
Hungry Authors podcast hosts Ariel Curry and Liz Morrow's HUNGRY AUTHORS: A SIMPLE GUIDE TO PLANNING, CREATING, AND PUBLISHING A NONFICTION BOOK, which helps serious nonfiction writers to hone their craft with tenacity.
Crafting a Better World: A Handbook for Making Art and Creating Change by Diana Weymar, publishing September 10, 2024
Creator of the Tiny Pricks Project Diana Weymar, ed.'s CRAFTING A BETTER WORLD: A HANDBOOK FOR MAKING ART AND CREATING CHANGE, a collection of craft projects, action steps, and essays to transform anxiety into action during troubled times, featuring contributions from iconic artists and activists including Jamie Lee Curtis, Roz Chast, Gisele Fetterman, Guerrilla Girls, PEN America, Suleika Jaouad, and many other creative voices.
Writing the Wrongs: A Guided Journal for Healing Moral Injury by Dr. Michele DeMarco, publishing November 1, 2024
Mental health writer and trauma researcher Dr. Michele DeMarco, PhD's WRITING THE WRONGS: A TRAUMA SURVIVOR'S GUIDED JOURNAL FOR UNCOVERING AND HEALING MORAL INJURY, a science-backed writing program for moral trauma.
An Invitation: The Art & Business of Writing Summit
On Tuesday, March 5, I’m cohosting The Art & Business of Writing Summit with a handful of my best writing buds! The best part is that it’s ABSOLUTELY FREE.
When you join the summit, you'll have access to insightful discussions and firsthand accounts of accomplished writers sharing their unique stories and expert advice.
From freelancing to self-publishing, content creation to blogging, creative coaching to book editing, our speakers have excelled in various niches within the vast landscape of the writing industry.
This summit will offer you exclusive sessions on how to build a writing business you love and make money from your writing while maintaining your creativity and cultivating a healthy relationship with your writing life. You'll get invaluable insights and advice on pursuing your writing dreams and creating streams of income at the same time!
If you consider yourself a writer in any capacity, this summit has something for you.
Here are the sessions I’m teaching:
Navigating Nonfiction: 3 Keys to Success - with my coauthor and podcast cohost, Liz Morrow
You Can Do It: A Pep Talk for First-Time Authors
The recordings are only available for 48 hours - so if you want lifetime access to watch the replays + get over $800 in bonus material, you’re going to want to register for the VIP access, for just $47.
What’s Bringing Me Joy
By the time this lands in your inbox, I’ll be on a plane halfway to California. Although I’m thrilled about the Hungry Authors book, of course, what’s bringing me joy more than anything else is the thought that in just a few hours, I get to hug my family.
Wishing you a very happy weekend,
Ariel
Ariel, this list is FANTASTIC!! Thank you for curating it. I am literally adding every single one of these to my TBR list and planning to order a bunch of them!
Pre-ordered!! 🤩