Book Series Guide

Author guide

Shawn Coyne Books in Order

Shawn Coyne is an American writer, editor, publisher, literary agent, and story theorist with more than thirty years of experience in book publishing. He created the Story Grid methodology, a system for analyzing and improving narrative structure, and founded Story Grid Publishing. Coyne has written and co-written books on story craft, publishing, sports history, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and masterwork analysis. His authored and co-authored books include The Story Grid, The Ones Who Hit the Hardest, Cognitive Dominance, Story Grid 101, The Four Core Framework, and Mentoring the Machines.

nonfictionwriting craftpublishingsports historymemoirneuroscienceartificial intelligence

Shawn Coyne's Newest Book

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of Story Grid 101: The Five First Principles of the Story Grid Methodology

Story Grid 101: The Five First Principles of the Story Grid Methodology

The most concise introductory overview of Coyne's Story Grid principles and tools.

Cover of The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know

The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know

The foundational full-length statement of Coyne's editorial methodology.

Read in order

Books by series

nonfiction series · complete

Mentoring the Machines

A four-part nonfiction series by Shawn Coyne and John Vervaeke examining artificial intelligence, cognition, meaning, and human agency.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Mentoring the Machines - Part 1: Orientation

    Book 1 · nonfiction · 2023

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2
    Mentoring the Machines - Part 2: Origins

    Book 2 · nonfiction · 2023

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3
    Mentoring the Machines - Part 3: Thresholds

    Book 3 · nonfiction · 2025

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4
    Mentoring the Machines - Part 4: Alignment

    Book 4 · nonfiction · 2026

    Amazon ↗

nonfiction series · ongoing

Masterwork Guide

Story Grid masterwork-analysis guides applying Coyne's narrative tools to major works of fiction.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: A Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide

    Book 1 · nonfiction · 2017

    Amazon ↗
  2. 4
    Story Grid Analysis: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum: A Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide

    Book 4 · nonfiction · 2020

    Amazon ↗
  3. 5
    The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien: A Story Grid Masterworks Analysis Guide

    Book 5 · nonfiction · 2020

    Amazon ↗

nonfiction series · ongoing

Story Grid Beats

Short Story Grid books that break writing and publishing problems into focused, practical units.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Story Grid Universe: Leveling Up Your Craft

    Book 1 · nonfiction · 2020

    Amazon ↗
  2. 3 Cover of Action Story: The Primal Genre
    Action Story: The Primal Genre

    Book 3 · nonfiction · 2020

    Amazon ↗

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (5)
  1. Cover of The Ones Who Hit the Hardest: The Steelers, the Cowboys, the '70s, and the Fight for America's Soul
    The Ones Who Hit the Hardest: The Steelers, the Cowboys, the '70s, and the Fight for America's Soul

    nonfiction · 2010

    Amazon ↗
  2. Cover of The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know
    The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know

    nonfiction · 2015

    Amazon ↗
  3. Cover of Cognitive Dominance: A Brain Surgeon's Quest to Out-Think Fear
    Cognitive Dominance: A Brain Surgeon's Quest to Out-Think Fear

    nonfiction · 2019

    Amazon ↗
  4. The Four Core Framework: Needs, Life Values, Emotions, and Events in Storytelling

    nonfiction · 2020

    Amazon ↗
  5. Cover of Story Grid 101: The Five First Principles of the Story Grid Methodology
    Story Grid 101: The Five First Principles of the Story Grid Methodology

    nonfiction · 2020

    Amazon ↗