Looking to brush up on your technical writing skills? Whether you’re a novice or an experienced writer, these five must-have technical writing books are sure to help you take your craft to the next level. Discover how to write with clarity and precision today!
If you ask, which book should I read to improve my technical writing skills or which are the best books for technical writers, my answer would be none. You can upgrade your technical writing skills only by practice, but reading technical writing books can serve as a building block for development.
I have compiled this list of some of the best technical writing books, and some general English and communication books for technical writers to read.
Best Books for Technical Writers
Technical Writing Process by Kieran Morgan
This book explains a five-step process (plan, structure, write, review, and publish) for creating a technical document. The five-step process in this book is generic and can be applied to develop any technical document. The Technical Writing Process book also provides 12 templates to support the practices and execute them effectively.
The book is a good read for experienced technical writers, aspiring technical writers, or anyone who is creating or planning to create technical documents.
Author Kieran Morgan is a veteran of numerous technical writing and process-related projects. This book is a true reflection of his years of experience and can be a good start for writers who wish to streamline their technical writing process and add structure and discipline to their writing.
The Product is Docs By Christopher Gales and Splunk Documentation Team
Looking to learn more about technical writing? The Product is Docs offers an extensive collection of short essays on the essential aspects of creating high-quality technical documentation. Written by experienced professionals, this book offers tips, opinions, and practical guidance drawn from real-world experience. If you’re a technical writer in a small business or a manager in a large enterprise looking for insightful information to help improve your team’s productivity, The Product is Docs may be for you. Plus, all proceeds from sales go to charity!
The Insider’s Guide to Technical Writing by Krista Van Laan
The Insider’s Guide to Technical Writing explains the basics of technical writing. The best part about this book is that it can help aspiring technical writers to get their first job. Every aspirant has one problem when starting their career, recruiters are looking for experience and experience comes with a job.
According to the author, the job of a technical writer or technical communicator is to explain complex products to the users. The book focuses on the basics of technical writing and explains that every Technical writer needs to hone many skills that include knowing technology, writing, and people skills.
The Insider’s Guide to Technical Writing can help you become a successful technical writer and build a satisfying career.
Managing Your Documentation Projects by Dr. Joann T. Hackos
The Managing Your Documentation Projects provides its readers a comprehensive guide to help them manage every phase of their publication project. The book contains proven strategies and techniques to produce high-quality, extremely usable documentation and is targeted to technical documentation managers. This is the only book in our list of best books for technical writers, which is meant for technical publication project management. The book will help every technical writer to progress in their career.
Managing Your Documentation Projects is a fruit of Dr. Joann T. Hackos’s 15 years of experience. It gives you:
- Clear-cut and rational guidelines to manage every phase of the technical documentation project.
- Templates, checklists, summaries, and forms helpful to practically apply the techniques and strategies mentioned in the book.
- Real-life scenarios and case studies that are taken from the corporate life of Dr. Joann T. Hackos.
Managing Your Documentation Projects is a comprehensive guide for new technical document managers and a daily tool of survival for veterans. It is also an invaluable resource for technical writers, editors, graphic designers, consultants, and anyone who needs to produce high-quality technical documentation on time and within budget.
Technical Communication by Mike Markel
Make the leap from writing in college to writing in a variety of workplace settings and contexts with Technical Communication. Practical advice and real-world examples let you practice with the kinds of writing processes and products you’ll encounter on the job.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White
The Elements of Style is the classic text by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, revised and updated to reflect our modern writing style. This comprehensive guide covers everything from grammar and punctuation to sentence construction, usage, diction, and more. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced writer, this book is perfect for anyone who is looking to master the basics of writing with precision and clarity.
Technical Writing 101 by Alan S. Pringle and Sarah S. O’Keefe
Technical Writing 101 by Alan S. Pringle and Sarah S. O’Keefe, is one of the most essential technical writing books for beginners. This guide covers a variety of topics, such as audience considerations, language usage, punctuation rules, and more. It also provides helpful instruction on how to write clearly and avoid awkward turns of phrases. Furthermore, each chapter ends with a Summary section that quickly recaps the main points to allow for easy review.
If you want to be a successful technical writer, you need more than just writing ability. Technical Writing 101 provides an overview of the skills you need to write both printed and online content. It covers the entire development process-planning, writing, visual design, editing, indexing, and production.
You’ll also get tips on how to write information that is more easily translated into other languages. You’ll learn about the importance of following templates and about how structured authoring environments based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) streamline the content development process. This updated third edition features new information on the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) standard for structured authoring, and it explains the impact of Web 2.0 technologies-blogs, wikis, and forums-on technical communication.
Technical Writing For Dummies by Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts
Let’s face it, a lot of technical documentation reads as if it had been translated into English from Venutian by a native speaker of gibberish. Which is annoying for you and expensive for the manufacturer who pays with alienated customers and soaring technical support costs. That’s why good technical writers are in such big demand worldwide. Now, Technical Writing For Dummies arms you with the skills you need to cash in on that demand.
Whether you’re contemplating a career as a technical writer, or you just got tapped for a technical writing project, this friendly guide is your ticket to getting your tech writing skills up to snuff. It shows you step-by-step how to:
- Research and organize information for your documents
- Plan your project in a technical brief
- Fine-tune and polish your writing
- Work collaboratively with your reviewers
- Create great user manuals, awesome abstracts, and more
- Write first-rate electronic documentation
- Write computer- and Web-based training courses
Discover how to write energized technical documents that have the impact you want on your readers. Wordsmith Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts covers all the bases, including:
- All about the red-hot market for technical writing and how to get work as a technical writer
- The ABCs of creating a strong technical document, including preparing a production schedule, brainstorming, outlining, drafting, editing, rewriting, testing, presentation, and more
- Types of technical documents, including user manuals, abstracts, spec sheets, evaluation forms and questionnaires, executive summaries, and presentations
- Writing for the Internet―covers doing research online, creating multimedia documents, developing computer-based training and Web-based training, and writing online help
Combining examples, practical advice, and priceless insider tips on how to write whiz-bang technical documents, Technical Writing For Dummies is an indispensable resource for newcomers to technical writing and pros looking for new ideas to advance their careers.
Apart from the above listed best books for technical writers, there are style guides such as The Chicago Manual of Style and Microsoft Manual of Style, which help technical writers in their daily tasks.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Technical writing books provide valuable insights, techniques, and best practices that can enhance your technical writing skills, making you more proficient in creating clear and precise technical documents.
While practical experience is crucial, reading technical writing books serves as a foundational step in your development. These books offer guidance, templates, and expert advice that can complement and accelerate your learning process.
Technical Writing Process by Kieran Morgan is recommended for both novice and experienced technical writers. It covers a generic five-step process applicable to any technical document and includes templates to support effective practices.
The Product is Docs is unique as it provides short essays from experienced professionals, offering practical guidance drawn from real-world experiences. Additionally, all proceeds from sales go to charity.
This technical writing book focuses on the basics of technical writing and addresses the common challenge of gaining experience when starting a technical writing career. It offers insights into the skills needed and practical tips for success.
Managing Your Documentation Projects by Dr. Joann T. Hackos is a comprehensive guide specifically tailored for technical documentation managers. It provides clear-cut guidelines, templates, and real-life scenarios for effective project management.
Yes, “Technical Communication” by Mike Markel is designed to help individuals transition from college writing to various workplace settings. It offers practical advice and real-world examples for writing in professional contexts.
“The Elements of Style” by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White is a classic guide covering grammar, punctuation, sentence construction, usage, and more. It is recommended for anyone seeking to master the basics of writing with precision.
“Technical Writing 101” covers a range of skills needed for successful technical writing, including audience considerations, language usage, punctuation rules, and guidance on writing for both printed and online content.
“Technical Writing For Dummies” by Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts is a friendly guide offering step-by-step instructions for researching, organizing, and writing technical documents. It is a valuable resource for those new to technical writing or looking to enhance their skills.
Yes, style guides such as “The Chicago Manual of Style” and “Microsoft Manual of Style” are recommended for daily tasks and further improving technical writing skills.
Reading “Managing Your Documentation Projects” provides comprehensive guidance on technical documentation project management, including clear-cut strategies, templates, and real-life case studies for producing high-quality documentation on time and within budget.
“Technical Communication” by Mike Markel addresses workplace writing challenges by offering practical advice and real-world examples, helping readers adapt their writing to various workplace settings and contexts.
Yes, “The Insider’s Guide to Technical Writing” is beneficial for individuals without prior technical writing experience. It covers the basics of technical writing and offers insights that can help newcomers secure their first job in the field.
Yes, “Technical Writing 101” covers the entire development process, including writing for both printed and online content. It provides guidance on creating information that is easily translated into other languages and addresses the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on technical communication.
“Technical Writing For Dummies” acknowledges the high demand for skilled technical writers globally. It serves as a resource to equip individuals contemplating a career in technical writing or those assigned a technical writing project with the necessary skills to meet market demands.
“Technical Writing For Dummies” covers various aspects of technical writing, including research, organization, planning, writing, and collaboration. Specific chapters guide readers on how to fine-tune and polish their writing for maximum impact.
“The Product is Docs” includes short essays from experienced professionals, offering insights and practical guidance drawn from real-world experiences. While not specifically mentioning individual projects, the book provides tips and opinions based on collective expertise.
Yes, “The Elements of Style” is suitable for both beginner and experienced writers. It covers fundamental aspects of writing, including grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction, making it a valuable resource for mastering the basics of effective writing.
While this blog post primarily focuses on best books for technical writers, there are numerous online resources, forums, and communities dedicated to technical writing. Exploring platforms like technical writing blogs, LinkedIn groups, and forums can provide additional support and insights from the technical writing community.