Writers Book Mall - Books on Technical Writing

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When most people think of writers, they think of fiction writers struggling to produce great novels. With the exception of those very few writers who make bestseller lists, far more writers make a living in technical writing than in any other writing job.

Technical writing is great for writers who have good technical aptitude. Technical writers these days are often software documentation writers, but many are writers documenting hardware (anything from washing machines to aircraft carriers), medical and pharmaceutical products, and other technical subjects.

Of course, you need more than just writing skills to be a good tech writer. You've also got to be able to learn technical material by reading engineering documents (specs in the software business), talk with SMEs (that's Subject Matter Experts), and work with the product (unless it's a nuclear warhead or something similar). Your goal is to acquire a thorough knowledge of the product so you can then turn around and explain it in your document.

Books on technical writing

Here are current top-selling books of interest to technical writers. You can also search Amazon for more books on technical documentation. And you might have a look at some of our related pages, including technical editing, science writing, medical writing, writing online help, document management, project management, Word, FrameMaker, Acrobat, XML, HTML, Visio, Flash, Dreamweaver, and RoboHelp for books on your specialty or preferred tools as a tech writer.


1.		The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition from Longman Price: $9.95 Customer Review: I have used this text when tutoring individual students at the undergraduate and graduate level. I have also used it extensively in my management development classses featuring writing. It is superb,clearly written with almost brazen simplicity. It is the special gift that I give to students and... more info	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


2.		The Craft of Research, Third Edition (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) from University Of Chicago Press Price: $11.56 Customer Review: Have you ever faced a blank computer screen and were at a complete loss of what you should write about for a 10-page research paper due the next week? Or maybe you knew what you wanted to write about but didn't know how to start? Or maybe you had all your sources, wrote out a draft and realized that... more info	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


3.		The Handbook of Technical Writing, Eighth Edition (Handbook of Technical Writing Practices) from St. Martin's Press Price: $26.37 Customer Review: The book is very handy. Not only does it serve as a good technical writing reference, but it is also a great general reference for everyday writing.	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


4.		Technical Communication (11th Edition) (MyTechCommLab Series) from Longman Price: $87.78 Customer Review: Other reviews seem to focus on the fact that the newer edition doesn't have enough "new stuff." The examples are updated, the listed websites are updated, there are several expanded sections. Technical writing isn't like neuroscience or some field that is rapidly expanding, so it's not going to have... more info	Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


5.		Technical Communication Today (2nd Edition) (MyTechCommLab Series) from Longman Price: $85.20	Click here for more information


6.		Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach from Wadsworth Publishing Price: $87.28 Customer Review: This book is an excellent guide to technical writing. It provides clear, organized recommendations that are supported by research. It provides practical advice for writers in situations ranging from writing reports to reviewing colleagues work to creating web pages and writing email. Although there... more info	Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


7.		The Copywriter's Handbook, Third Edition: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells from Holt Paperbacks Price: $12.24 Customer Review: If you're a practicing copywriter and don't know what a brochure is -- ummmmm...I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but perhaps you should consider another career. Yes, this book actually defines what a brochure is. I am shocked to see that experienced copywriters found it useful. The advice is... more info	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


8.		Little, Brown Essential Handbook, The (5th Edition) from Longman Price: $24.84 Customer Review: I have assigned an earlier edition of this book for an upper-division historical geography course that featured lots of writing. The Essential Handbook is compact, easy-to-use, and inclusive of the essential information needed by college-level writers. While there are larger, more detailed works... more info	Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


9.		Effective Writing (8th Edition) from Prentice Hall Price: $42.00	Click here for more information


10.		Technical Communication: A Practical Approach (6th Edition) from Prentice Hall Price: $92.99 Customer Review: If I had to learn technical writing all over again, this would be the book I would choose. It is a relevant, clear, and comprehensive guide to technical writing processes, skills and practices. It includes numerous examples and exercises in each chapter. The discussions of ethical considerations and... more info	Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


11.		A Guide to Writing as an Engineer from Wiley Price: $44.48 Customer Review: There were two required textbooks for my technical writing class, and this was the second, cheaper of the two. I am afraid to say this book went totally unused. The information in the book is important, but the internet provides all the information covered in this book as well as being more... more info	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


12.		Technical Communication: Process and Product (6th Edition) (MyTechCommLab Series) from Prentice Hall Price: $92.99	Click here for more information


13.		Reporting Technical Information from Oxford University Press, USA Price: $57.76 Customer Review: This book was a required text for an introductory Technical Writing course. I would not have purchased it otherwise. The emphasis of the book is on writing standard business reports and does not cover the full scope of modern Technical Writing. (no white papers, no procedural manuals, no scientific... more info	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


14.		A Concise Guide to Technical Communication(3rd Edition) from Longman Price: $63.60 Customer Review: Our professor chose this book not only because of its content, but also for its relatively inexpensive price. It was a great textbook: concise, easy to read and comprehend, and gave some excellent examples. If you are a technical writing student or even a practicing technical writer, I would... more info	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


15.		Writing in the Sciences: Exploring Conventions of Scientific Discourse (Part of the Allyn & Bacon Series in Technical Communication) (2nd Edition) (Technical Communication) from Longman Price: $66.78 Customer Review: Excellent Quality, Fast Shipping, As Described. Thank You For The Smooth Transaction!	Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


16.		Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century (MyTechCommLab Series) from Prentice Hall Price: $92.99 Customer Review: I received the book I ordered faster than I had expected and it was brand new. I couldn't be happier. Would do business with this seller without any hesitation.	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


17.		Technical Editing (4th Edition) (Technical Communication) from Longman Price: $79.20 Customer Review: This was a required text for my tech writing class. Decent book. Not life-changing.	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


18.		How to Get Ideas from Berrett-Koehler Publishers Price: $12.89 Customer Review: This book is a great book to read, the best thing it includes are quotes of famous people, which are mainly funny. Personally I do not believe that this book provided me with any new ways or measures of thinking to get more ideas, it's more of a different theories of people on how to think!!!!more info	Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


19.		Technical Communication from Wadsworth Publishing Price: $107.95 Customer Review: I am using this book for my technical communication course and I am very impressed. Being an engineer, I am usually weary of English classes, but a good teacher and this book have made my tech com class very worth my while. The book does a very good job of providing outlines for various types of... more info	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


20.		Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications from Microsoft Press Price: $19.79 Customer Review: ...but not a proper textbook for undergraduate "Technical Writing" course. Definitely an excellent reference book for such course, though. Dr. Sunil Samanta	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information