Writing and Illustrating Books on Craft


Over the years, after going to countless SCBWI Children's Books Writing and Illustrating Conferences and Workshops, I have assembled this large list of books on craft. Please share with me your favorite books on craft in the comments. Check out my blog post: Paths to Publication on the different ways to get your book produced for readers.

Writing Craft

A Kick in the Head, by Paul B. Janeczko

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott

Characters and Viewpoint, by Orson Scott Card

Crafting Stories for Children, Nancy Lamb

Picture Writing, Anatasia Suen

What’s Your Story: A Young Person’s Guide to Writing Fiction, Marion Dane Bauer

Writing it Right, by Sandy Asher

Writing Picture Books, by Ann Whitford Paul

Illustration Craft

Cartoon Animation, by Preston Blair

Children’s Picturebooks–The Art of Visual Storytelling, by M. Salisbury and M. Styles

Comic and Sequential Art, by Will Eisner

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards

Drawn to Life, by Walt Stanchfield

Expressive Anatomy for Comics and Narrative, by Will Eisner

Film Directing—Shot by Shot, by Stephen D. Katz

Illustrating Children’s Books, by Martin Salisbury

Picture Book Primer, by Denise I. Matulka

Picture This! by Molly Bang

Prepare to Board! Creating Story and Characters for Animated Feature Shorts, by Nancy Beiman

The Art of Animal Character Design, by David Colman

Writing with Pictures, by Uri Shulewitz

Author and Illustrator Platform and Social Media

Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market

Create Your Writer Platform, by Chuck Sambuchino

Get Known Before the Book Deal, by Christina Katz
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