‘The Craft of Professional Writing’ is the complete book ever written about the real-life work of writing for a living. It not only provides an in-depth description of every important job in professional writing, from PR and advertising to technical writing to journalism and fiction and non-fiction book authorship, but also includes extensive practical advice and hacks on how to report, prepare, pitch, edit and invoice your work – as well as how to successfully conduct a writing career. There also are extensive models of actual products in each of these fields.

For the student, this is the most wide-ranging and practical textbook on the subject. It is designed to be an instructional text for producing professional-level work – but also a survey of the various writing professions to enable budding writers to make career decisions. The goal is to empower graduates to hit the ground running – and to quickly establish themselves in the professional writing world.

For the professional, this book, written by an author who has been successful in almost every writing discipline, is the ultimate reference work – offering practical tips to their current field, as well as a guide to other writing professions. ‘The Craft of Professional Writing’ also offers these experienced writers work advice they can return to again and again to help them through various phases of their career.

Michael S. Malone is one of the world’s best-known business and technology journalists. In the course of his 40-year career he has produced, at the national and international levels, almost every form of professional writing, both non-fiction and fiction.

Introduction; Part One — Basics; 1. Gathering Information; 2. Words, Sentences and Paragraphs; 3. Narrative and Composition; Part Two — Corporate Careers and Disciplines; 4. Publicist; 5. Advertising Copywriter; 6. Speechwriter; 7. Technical Writer; Part Three — Writing Careers in Media; 8. Blogger; 9. News Reporter; 10. Critic; 11. Essayist; 12. Book Author; 13. Television and Radio News Reporter; 14. Screenwriter and Playwright; 15. Fiction Writer and Novelist; 16. Academic Track; 17. Miscellaneous Writing; Part Four — The Work of Professional Writing; 18. Pitching; 19. Editing; 20. Rejection; 21. A Writer’s Life.; Further Reading; Suggested Assignments; Index.

“Few places on the planet are as cutthroat as Silicon Valley. I’ve had a front-row seat for the past 30 years watching Mike build his reputation as the most creative writer and editor the Valley has to offer. He’s earned that distinction by being as innovative, thoughtful and hardworking in his craft as any of the Valley’s best entrepreneurs.”
—Ed Clendaniel, Editorial Page Editor, The Mercury News

“Ever helpful, practical and inspiring, Mike Malone offers a friendly, nuts-and-bolts approach to craft writing that makes professional writing seem wonderfully possible as a career.”
—Ron Hansen, Novelist and Professor, Department of English, Santa Clara University, USA