Covers, Writing Buddies, and More

Shrinking Violet Promotions wrote about Writing Buddies--Where, What, and How.

On Hatrack River Writers Workshop, several people discussed naming minor characters--should you name minor characters and, if you do, how do you help the reader keep the name connected to the correct character in their minds.

Nathan Bransford held another first paragraph contest. He declared the winner and comments about what drew him to the semi-finalists paragraphs and what trends you might want to avoid in yours.

Jessica Faust writes about the factors she considers before offering representation to published authors. She also talks about the author questionnaires that publishers frequently send out to help them create and plan their publicity and marketing campaigns. And she also explains The BookEnds Author-Agent Agreement for those who'd like to see what such an agreement might include.

The Book Deal posted on Designing the perfect book cover: turf battles over art, fonts & money.

Marianne Mancusi wrote a post on how to create a successful book party.