Songwriting Books

Songwriting & Composing Books

Here are some popular books by top songwriters, composers, and music industry professionals such as
Jason Blume, Pat Pattison, Dan Kimpel, Steve Winogradsky,
Jai Josefs, Ralph Murphy, Robin Frederick, and many others.

Knowledge is power!
These books can help take your songwriting and composing career to the next level.

Writing Production Music for TV: The Road to Success

This complete guide for any composer interested in earning money writing music for television is aimed at the complete novice as well as the seasoned expert. It leads you through the steps necessary to succeed in the music business: finding music libraries; submitting music; joining a Performance Rights Organization; understanding contracts; keeping organized; networking; and even revealing how much money you can earn. Steve Barden is a production music composer for film and television. His music has been used on hundreds of TV shows that can be heard all over the world on a daily basis. His music has aired on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, plus dozens of cable networks. The book includes advice and quotes from NSAI San Diego Coordinators Tracey & Vance Marino. To order, click HERE.
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Confessions Of A Serial Songwriter

A 2017 Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Nominee! Confessions of a Serial Songwriter is an amusing and poignant memoir about songwriter Shelly Peiken's (a guest of NSAI San Diego) journey from young girl falling under the spell of magical songs to working professional songwriter writing hits of her own. It's about growing up, the creative process the highs and the lows, the conflicts that arise between motherhood and career success, the divas and schemers, but also the talented and remarkable people she's found along the way. It's filled with stories and step-by-step advice about the songwriting process, especially collaboration. And it's about the challenge of staying relevant in a rapidly changing and youth-driven world. To order, click HERE.
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One Thousand Songwriting Ideas

This fun book will literally give you 1,000 great ideas of what to write about! Author Lisa Aschmann (a guest of NSAI San Diego) believes it "all starts with an idea!" This book will help to spark the creative energy every songwriter needs now and then. It's even endorsed by Lyric Writing Instructor Pat Pattison. To order, click HERE.
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Demystifying The Cue

The complete DIY guide to creating music for Film, TV and all new media. Dean Krippaehne’s book “Demystifying The Cue” contains tips and strategies for learning to write, record and produce quality music quickly in your home studio. Learn how the pros break through writers block, create production templates, record, pan and mix their real and virtual instruments. Gain knowledge on networking and learn how to avoid the most common music biz pitfalls. Within these pages you will discover how to optimize your talents, minimize your frustration and maximize your chances for success. To order, click HERE.
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Networking Strategies For The New Music Business

For anyone who doesn't like the idea of networking, this book is a big help. This book, written by Dan Kimpel, who has been a guest of NSAI San Diego twice, is easy to read and offers great tips about what to do when meeting music industry people and making new friends. Dan is an instructor at the Musician's Institute in Los Angeles, and frequently gives lectures and writes articles. He is acknowledged as a foremost authority on popular music and songwriters. Dan contributes to books, interactive CDs, magazines, websites, documentary films, television programming, videos and new media. His recent interview subjects include Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo, Mary J. Blige, Green Day, David Guetta, Usher, Alicia Keys, Jason Mraz, Ringo Starr, Tom Petty and Jackson Browne. To go to Dan's website and to find out about his other books, click HERE. To order his networking book, click HERE.

For more books by Dan Kimpel, click on the book icons below:

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Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting and Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV

During Robin Frederick's 35 years in the music business as a songwriter, producer, author, record label exec, and recording artist, she has collected lots of useful, no-nonsense info -- and she is more than willing to share it! Her books are used in some of the top universities and music schools in the U.S. to teach all levels of songwriting. If you visit her website, www.RobinFrederick.com, you'll find great songwriting tips! You'll also find links to follow Robin on Twitter, Facebook, sign up for her newsletter, and check out her helpful blog. For more books by Robin, click HERE.

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The Journey Of A Song

Written by successful Songwriter Warren Sellers, who was a Special Guest at the May 2013 & July 2017 San Diego NSAI meetings, Warren has been doing workshop for NSAI for many years. In his new book, he takes an in-depth look at singer-songwriters from the 1960s and 1970s and gives the reader a behind-the-scenes look at what inspired their songs. These songs became the soundtrack of the times. A nice, easy read, the book is in paperback and can be purchased on Warren's website for $9.95 + Shipping & Handling HERE (and he'll even autograph it for you!) or buy it on Amazon HERE.
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Six Steps To Songwriting Success

If you haven't heard of this book, then you're probably new to songwriting. And if you're new to songwriting, there's no better teacher to learn what you need to know than Hit Songwriter and Author Jason Blume. His books and lectures are a great help to songwriters at all levels and in every genre. Jason is a regular speaker at various music conferences around the world and he writes articles for the BMI website. He also teaches workshops at the BMI Nashville office. To read one of his helpful BMI articles, click HERE. To order, click HERE.
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Music Publishing

Written by Steve Winogradsky, who was a Special Guest at the April 2014 NSAI San Diego meeting, Steve is a prominent Music Attorney in Los Angeles with over 30 years of experience in the music industry, Music Publishing: The Complete Guide is a must-have, definitive manual on music copyright. This book, published in 2013, already serves as a thorough guide for industry pros, lawyers, and music business or law students. The following subjects are covered: Copyright issues; PROs (Performing Rights Organizations); licensing; songwriter and composer agreements; and many more important topics. To order, click HERE.
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Music Business Registry Books

For the seasoned songwriter, Ritch Esra's collection of books are priceless! Mr. Esra has been publishing his helpful directories listing vital music industry contact information since 1992. His books are used by PRO reps, music attorneys, songwriters, and just about anyone who needs to find anyone having to do with music! The books are available in print or as a pdf file, which makes it easy to do a quick search. Some of the most popular books are: The A&R Guide, Film & Television Music Guide (shown), and the Music Publisher Registry. The books are a bit pricey, but they are updated each year with phone numbers, email addresses, etc. To order, click HERE.
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The Craft Of Lyric Writing

One of the oldest books around about lyric writing yet it still holds up today. Written by Sheila Davis, it offers lots of great ideas and explains the basics such as song form, the differences between a lyric and a poem, point of view, what a metaphor is, etc. To order, click HERE.
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Murphy's Laws of Songwriting: The Book

Ralph Murphy, hit songwriter, has found success in the music industry for five decades. Consistently charting songs in an ever-changing musical environment makes him a member of that very small group of professionals who make a living doing what they love to do. This book is a fun read with useful, practical information for aspiring songwriters. To order, click HERE.
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The Craft And Business Of Songwriting

No serious songwriter can go without having this book on the shelf. It's one of the most valuable tools in the songwriter's tool box. Now in its Third Edition, it answers questions such as "How long should a song be?" and "Is there any way to get over 'writer's block'?" Written by John Braheny. To order, click HERE.
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Writing Better Lyrics

Berklee College of Music Lyric Writing Professor and Author Pat Pattison keeps this book lighthearted and engaging while showing in detail the songwriting process. Pat also gives his popular songwriting lectures and workshops around the world. To order, click HERE.
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Writing Music For Hit Songs

For those who want to learn more about music theory and what makes a hit song, this book is helpful. Written by master teacher Jai Josefs, this book is not for beginners and can get musically technical. However, it is a valuable resource for advanced songwriters. To order, click HERE.
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Music Money And Success

Written by attorneys and twin brothers, the Jeffrey and Todd Brabec, this book is also known as the "Insider's Guide to making money in the Music Business." If you want to learn about music publishing, contracts, licensing, how royalties are collected, etc., this book is great. To order, click HERE.
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