How to read your way to a better career

There’s nothing better than the right book at the right time. I still remember tearing through James Altucher’s Choose Yourself on a flight from Detroit to Denver several years ago. My then-publisher had recently turned down the manuscript for Life and Other Near-Death Experiences. I knew in my heart that it could be a hit; they said sales for my previous novel were too low to take a chance on another one. I was feeling incredibly deflated, and worse, was looking at my career like it was entirely in someone else’s hands. Then I opened Altucher’s book. It’s an irreverent, often-rambling manifesto of sorts, but the core message—stop waiting for someone else to pick you and choose yourself—was exactly what I needed to stop wallowing and get my manuscript in front of other publishers. (It sold a few months later and has been my bestselling book to date.)

With that in mind, I’m sharing 10 books that have made a difference in my writing career. One of them may just be the book you need to read next.

To take your writing to the next level, read: On Writing, by Stephen King

To get out of your own way and create the career of your dreams, read: The Big Leap, by Gay Henricks

To write faster, read: Take Off Your Pants! by Libbie Hawker

To stop procrastinating, read: The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield

To find more time, read: 168 Hours, by Laura Vanderkam

To stop beating yourself up over your writing, read: Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott

To make more money without working yourself to death, read Chillpreneur, by Denise Duffield-Thomas

To stop feeling frustrated with publishing, read: Choose Yourself, by James Altucher

To see an especially good example of well-paced women's fiction, read: The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, by Kelly Harms.

To get in the mood to write, read my favorite novel of last year: Writers and Lovers, by Lily King

If you get a chance to check out any of the above, I’d love to know what you think.