Based on recent dialog in the NAIWE discussion group, publishing professionals use references (and many prefer to have them in hard copy, rather than digital). While some of our references may differ, depending on the services we offer, a lot of the references mentioned were the same no matter the services (or perhaps many of us offer several services).
With that in mind, here are some of the references mentioned that NAIWE members like to have:
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition. ISBN: 978-1328841698
- The Associated Press Stylebook, 55th edition. ISBN: 978-1541647572
- Bernstein, Theodore M. The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage. ISBN: 978-0684826325
- Butterfield, Jeremy. Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage, 4th edition. ISBN: 978-0199661350
- The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. ISBN: 978-0226287058
- Dreyer, Benjamin. Dryer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style. ISBN: 978-0812985719
- Einsohn, Amy. The Copyeditor’s Handbook. ISBN: 978-0520306677
- Garner, Bryan. Garner’s Modern English Usage, 4th edition. ISBN: 978-0190491482
- Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition. ISBN: 978-0877798095
- Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage. ISBN: 978-0877791324
- MLA Handbook, 9th edition. ISBN: 978-1603293518
- Strunk, William, and White, E.B. The Elements of Style, 4th edition. ISBN: 978-0205309023
- Walsh, Bill. The Elephants of Style: A Trunkload of Tips on the Big Issues and Gray Areas of Contemporary American English. ISBN: 978-0071422680
- Walsh, Bill. Yes, I Could Care Less. ISBN: 978-1250006639
- Zinsser, William. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. ISBN: 9780060891541
Software mentioned include
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Today’s 
December: National Write a Business Plan Month. As a freelancer, you are a business owner, so consider writing a business plan this month!
