Write About Everything!

Writing & Publishing links for May 7, 2011

2011-05-07T11:55:00.000-05:00

Top 5 Band-Aids to Apply Before Querying (about editing your manuscript)

How I Edit [my manuscript]

How To Make a Book Cover Optical Illusion

Why I Chose a Traditional Publisher (by Nathan Bransford)

Social Networking: Twitter v. Facebook

13 Reasons Why You Didn’t Get Followed Back [on Twitter]

The Interminable Agency Clause [in contracts]

Publishing Links for 4/19/11

2011-04-18T20:41:00.000-05:00

The Making of a Book Cover

Internet Book Promotion

Facebook for Authors

Social Networking and Your Picture

Hoping for a Movie Deal, Part 1 and Part Two

Pitching Effectively

What the Fiction Editor Looks For, Part 1 and Part 2

Switching Genres

The Joy of Revisions

Where “In Perpetuity” (in a contract) Might Come Back…

Book Fair Bewares

Lies (Dishonest) Fee-Charging Publishers Tell

Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Which Way Will You Make More Money?

Writing & Publishing Links for Feb. 24

2011-02-24T17:18:00.000-06:00

Phrase Frequency Counter for Writers

Characters in Denial

Action is Character

Reasons for a Rewrite: The Ugly Truth

How to Edit Your Dialogue

Editing Your Fiction Manuscript

Your Author Photo: General Tips and Posing Tips

How to Get Published (The Definitive Post) by Rachelle Gardner

You Don't Have to Blog, Tweet, or Be on Facebook

What's Your Blog Identity?

5 Ways Authors Alienate Readers on Social Media Sites

What are Remainders?

Quick & Easy Answers about publishing

Sell-in, Sell-Through, Earn-Out (and Returns)

Agency Agreements

Writing & Publishing Links for Dec. 23

2010-12-23T12:10:00.000-06:00

How to establish your characters: openings

Why less detail makes more believable characters

How to use historical figures in your novels

Using the bystander effect in your novels

How settings make or break your characters

Why smart characters make dumb mistakes

Five steps to building a believable character arc

Plot holes

Some Tips on Evaluating Literary Contests

Why a Books Subtitle is So Important When it Comes to Book Marketing and Book Publicity

As large publishers increase their expectations of midlist sellers, indie presses see an influx

Publishing Your Own Book (text of interview, audio automatically starts to download)

Bookscan Numbers on Amazon

Who decides titles and cover design?

Advertising That Works?

Comparison Doesn't Work

Importance Of Tracking World Rights

Listing of Royalty Rates

Seven Tips on Building a Following

Pick Your Marketing Strategy

Marketing Your Book

Should I Tweet?

Launching Your Career Via Kindle, the Unpublished

Building Your Career on Kindle, the Published

Reversion of Rights

Writing & Publishing Links for Nov. 18

2010-11-18T11:40:00.000-06:00

Linnea Sinclair on Deep Third Point of View

Character Building Workshop

25 Reasons Why Your Imperiled Character Can’t Call For Help

On sex and swearing in YA novels

Trans-racial Writing for the Sincere

When something isn’t working in the story

Publishing Contracts

Answering Questions on Contracts, Part 1 of 2

Answering Questions on Contracts, Part 2 of 2

Your Option Clause

The top 3 culprits regarding errors in royalty statements

The Agent-Client Relationship

How long various waits take in publishing

What Editors Won't Tell You (But We Will)

Writing Under a (Supertight) Deadline

A Few Hints on Twitter

Writing & Publishing Links for Nov. 2

2010-11-02T15:47:00.000-05:00

3 Mistakes Writers Make in the Quest for Publication

5 Reasons Nonfiction Writers Need a Book Proposal

Tuning Up Your Writing Mechanics

Middle Grade? Teen? Where Do You Draw the Line?

SF&F query letters mistakes. More mistakes.

Inner Critic vs Inner Editor

How to Use Track Changes.
When Not to Have Track Changes

You Have an Offer From a Publisher...But You Don't Have an Agent

For NaNoWriMo participants, some writing tips/reminders:
Choosing the Right Idea
Goals and Obstacles
Editing As You Go

Writing & Publishing Links for Oct. 21

2010-10-21T12:39:00.000-05:00

The ways agents don't live up to expectations

What's a Cozy Mystery?

The Great Prologue Debate

The All-Important First Chapter

Details necessary for creating vivid fiction

There's no substitute for getting your hands dirty when you research a story

Writing rules are a means of identifying how to fix a problem so that the reader remains engaged.

Novel Design: Plot Structure

Branding Leads to Landing the All-Important Second Contract

How readers empathize with characters

9 Must-Follow Manuscript Rules

Great Product Is the New Marketing

Writing & Publishing Links for Oct. 7

2010-10-07T12:47:00.000-05:00

Defeating Your Inner Critic Part I

Defeating Your Inner Critic Part II

Secrets of Better Writing: The Powers of 1, 2, 3, and 4-or-More

Book Cover Design Resources for Self-Published Authors

To Multi-book, or Not to Multi-book (on multi-book deals)

Working Social Media

Behind the Scenes... "The Call"

In it for the Long Haul

What Do Amazon Rankings Mean To Authors?

Writing & Publishing Links for Sept. 23

2010-09-23T16:58:00.000-05:00

Sorry for being absent for a while. It's been a very busy month.

Is a Writer’s Conference Worth the Money?

Post-Publication Book Marketing Activities

What Platform Means for Writers

What Do The Most Highly-Paid Authors Have In Common?

5 Tips To Polish Your Fiction

An Author’s Notebook: Reporting, Evoking, and Creating

How Deliberate Practice Can Make You an Excellent Writer

Seven Keys to Writing Good Dialogue

How To Make a Point Without Being Preachy

Getting Published is Not a Crap Shoot

How Can You Tell How Well Your Book is Selling?

11 Questions for Crafting a Pitch

Once you're a published author, you're going to have a target on your back.

Author Headshots

More on Revision Letters

Behind the Scenes at a Pub Committee Meeting

How to Deal With Contradictory Query Advice

Overview of Writing & Publishing

2010-08-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

How to Write a Novel

Do You Suffer From One of These Writing Maladies?

Some Tips for Writing a Series

How to Write a Query Letter

Moonrat's Rundown of Publishing Options

An Offer From a Small Publisher

What to Ask an Agent

The Revision Letter.

Surviving the Editorial Letter

Promote Your Book Like a Pro

Warning about a Macmillan letter to their authors.

Writing, Editing, Proposals, Self-Publishing, & Career

2010-07-22T11:55:00.000-05:00

Victoria Strauss wrote The Myth of the Evil Editor and The Importance of Self-Editing.

Rachelle Gardner wrote The Learning Curve That Never Ends.

Nathan Bransford wrote on the flow of an opening paragraph.

Chuck Sambuchino wrote The 8 Elements of a Nonfiction Book Proposal.

David Carnoy wrote Self-publishing a book: 25 things you need to know.

Jane Friedman wrote 2 Concrete Ways to Keep Your Writing Career Moving Forward.

Writing and Query Letters

2010-07-16T11:50:00.000-05:00

Joanna Penn wrote Writing Thrillers: Lessons Learned From James Rollins.

Donald Maass wrote about creating suspense: It’s Not the Cougar.

Why smart characters make dumb mistakes.

Rachelle Gardner wrote A Monkey Could Have Written That and Stuff You Pay For and Sometimes It's Not About Your Book and How Do Agents & Publishers Make Decisions?

Joyce Magnin wrote about revising your manuscript in Seeing the Forest and the Trees.

Jessica Faust wrote Query Don'ts.

Daniel Friedman wrote about query letters in The Rejection Ballet.

Kristin Nelson wrote Why You Can’t Buy An eBook In English Outside The U.S.

Eric wrote about Co-ops and cover art.

Writing and Self-Promotion Advice

2010-07-07T17:29:00.000-05:00

Jeannie Campbell wrote Character Stereotypes: The Cynic.

Robin Parrish wrote The Power of Mystery.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Keeping Track of Details.

Nathan Bransford wrote Balancing showing and telling.

Alicia Rasley wrote 9 Questions to Ask Your Main Character.

Mike Duran wrote The Dilemma of Self-Promotion.

Writing, Branding, and Twitter.

2010-07-01T15:14:00.000-05:00

Mary wrote about writing for children: Know Your Category and Manuscript Length.

Bryan Russell on the Architecture of Revision.

R.L. LaFevers wrote Does Branding Make Sense?

List of publishers on Twitter.

Advice on Writing and Book Contracts

2010-06-25T15:21:00.000-05:00

Kristin Nelson wrote about bok deals: One Book or Two? Maybe Three? and The One-Book Deal and One Possible Peril Of A Multi-book Deal. She also wrote about average advances for a debut novel.

Nathan Bransford wrote Why I Write Vague Rejection Letters.

Lynn Viehl wrote about Fighting Fatigue.

Delia Cabe wrote about cliches to avoid in your writing.

William Cane summarized Stephen King's 3 Steps to Create Suspense.

Writing advice, social networking, and what agents do

2010-06-17T16:56:00.003-05:00

Rachelle Gardner wrote Dealing with Contradictory Feedback.

Jessica Faust wrote How Does Social Networking Work for You.

Christie Craig wrote Five Pieces of Well-Meaning Writing Advice That I’m Glad I Didn’t Take.

Nathan Bransford wrote Agents Are Not Just Gatekeepers.

More advice about publishing and writing

2010-06-09T16:43:00.000-05:00

Victoria Strauss wrote about Copyright Protection Service: Another One You Don't Need.

Maureen Johnson wrote I am not a brand.

Jessica Faust wrote The Style Sheet and Selling Foreign Rights.

Lauren wrote How the Intern Reads Your Proposal.

Ellery Adams wrote Establishing an Online Presence.

Susan DiMickele wrote No Good Time To Write.

Nathan Bransford wrote about creating suspense/tension in the opening paragraphs of your story.

Rachelle Gardner wrote One-Sentence Summary Critiques & Tips.

Writing and the Business of Writing

2010-06-01T15:57:00.001-05:00

Sally MacKenzie wrote about The Business of Writing.

Nathan Bransford wrote about What Makes a Great Setting.

Pitches, Promotion, Contracts, and Technology

2010-05-26T11:28:00.000-05:00

Nathan Bransford wrote How to Write a One Sentence Pitch.

Jessica Faust wrote Using Your Galleys to promote your book.

Kristin Nelson wrote eBook Royalty: Another Way To Protect.

Alan Rinzler wrote How an iPad App can add sizzle to your book.

Joanna Penn wrote 5 Reasons Writers Need To Embrace Technology.

Pitches, Writing, and Other Publishing Stuff

2010-05-18T11:43:00.000-05:00

Nathan Bransford wrote The One Sentence, One Paragraph, and Two Paragraph Pitch.

Rachelle Gardner wrote What if My Agent Doesn't Like My Next Book? and The Value of the Verbal Pitch.

Kristen Nelson wrote Age Is Just A Number and How Enhanced Ebooks Will Cause Havoc.

Sue Collier wrote about Non-Traditional Publishing.

Eric wrote about various departments (and their functions) that make up a publishing house.

kt literary had a post about Can you know TOO MUCH about an author?

Nancy Ancowitz wrote Public Speaking for Introverts.

Jody Hedlund wrote How Essential is an Online Presence to a Writer's Career?

Karen Holt wrote Digital Case Study: Can Goodreads Ads Help Unknown Authors Find an Audience?

Lisa Tener wrote about How to Set Up Book Signings…Strategically.

Jerry B. Jenkins wrote 8 Basic Writing Blunders.

Publicity, Pitches, and Writing

2010-05-11T15:10:00.000-05:00

Yolanda Johnson-Bryant wrote about Using Promotional Material to Boost Publicity.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Secrets of a Great Pitch.

Kristin Nelson wrote about Starting A Novel In The Wrong Place and POV—Which Is Best?

Karen Witemeyer wrote The Benefit of Hindsight.

Dave Cullen wrote Writing Wisdom.

Nathan Bransford wrote How to Craft a Great Voice.

Mary wrote Know Your Category.

Agency Gatekeeper wrote On Acknowledgments.

Marketing and Contracts

2010-05-03T11:40:00.000-05:00

Jessica Faust wrote Author-Agent Agreements.

Rachelle Gardner wrote What's in a Publishing Contract?

Eric wrote Terms to Know: Non-Compete Clause and other Terms to Know.

Christa Allan wrote Journaling Your Way Out of Writer’s Block.

Editorial Anonymous wrote differences in presenting Children vs Adults books.

Alyx Dellamonica wrote Self-Promotion--Starting Too Soon?

Jane Friedman wrote What, Me Market? (Book Marketing for the Clueless)

Trade Shows, Critique Groups, and Buzz

2010-04-27T09:19:00.004-05:00

The Rejecter wrote about going to trade shows.

Becky Levine wrote about Choosing a Critique Group That's Right For YOU.

Kristin Nelson wrote an ISBN That Could Hurt about giving out free work to build a following and about self-publishing.

Nathan Bransford wrote The Science of Buzz.

Chip MacGregor wrote Estimating a Book's Size.

Queries, marketing, and the publishing business

2010-04-20T11:31:00.000-05:00

Rachelle Gardner wrote It's Not Like Other Businesses and Query Critique: Carey On.

Penny C. Sansevieri wrote Why (Some) Authors Fail.

Abigail Goben wrote How Libraries Choose Books to Purchase.

If you're looking for someone to critique your query, Phoenix will do so on her blog.

Query Letters and The Business of Being an Author

2010-04-13T14:31:00.005-05:00

Jessica Faust wrote Getting Reviews and about Making Comparisons in your query letter.

Rachelle Gardner wrote The Tax Man Cometh and Keeping Track of Things.

Nathan Bransford wrote All About Co-op and The Importance of the Pitch.

Advances, Self-publishing, Timing, Editors, & Cussing

2010-03-30T12:12:00.004-05:00

Victoria Strauss wrote First Novel Sales: The Data on Advances.

Nathan Bransford wrote Should You Self-Publish? Ten Questions to Ask Yourself.

Rachelle Gardner wrote How long does this process take, anyway? and Should I Hire a Freelance Editor?

Natalie Whipple wrote the Real Problem with Constant Cussing.

Writing and query letters

2010-03-22T14:22:00.000-05:00

Writer's Relief Staff wrote How To Do Research For Historical Fiction.

Moonrat answered what's a standard submission process like?

Nathan Bransford wrote a great post on how to format an e-mail query letter. He also wrote The Secret Strength of Killer Queries: Specificity.

Various agents shares Querying Blunders: One, Two, Three.

Jenny Bent wrote Rookie Query Mistakes.

Rachelle Gardner talks about elements needed in nonfiction queries.

Queries and Writing Advice

2010-03-16T11:02:00.004-05:00

Jessica Faust wrote Query Pet Peeves.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Common Questions Answered about the querying process and related topics. She also wrote Think Hard Before Self-Publishing.

Jane Friedman wrote The Biggest Bad Advice About Story Openings.

Jennifer R. Hubbard wrote Tension: Desire and Obstacles.

Ronnie Kendig wrote about writing suspense novels.

Steven James wrote Crafting Killer Thrillers.

Writing and Titles

2010-03-09T15:44:00.000-06:00

Rachelle Gardner wrote How To Title Your Book.

Nathan Bransford wrote What Writing and Lying Have in Common.

Cheryl Klein wrote about emotional plots and action plots, especially in children's picture books (though it's good information for everyone to think about).

Writing and eBooks

2010-03-02T10:10:00.001-06:00

Laura Miller wrote A reader's advice to writers: A word to the novelist on how to write better books.

Jay Asher wrote about negative reviews of your novel.

Jessica Faust wrote New and Updated Publishing Dictionary.

Motoko Rich wrote the Math of Publishing Meets the E-Book.

Kristin Nelson wrote eBooks and Royalty Statements, Bonus Clauses—Another Item to Re-evaluate With eBooks?, and Redefining Net Receipts Where eBooks Are Concerned.

Writing, Marketing, and Agent Communication

2010-02-23T08:52:00.003-06:00

Kathi Lipp wrote about the differences in writing your second novel after the first is published.

Shelli Johanes-Wells wrote Marketing Stages for after the deal and after the book comes out.

Rachelle Gardner wrote about Communicating with Your Agent.

Marketing, Writing, Why Rejection, etc.

2010-02-17T09:06:00.003-06:00

Shelli Johanes-Wells wrote about Marketing Stages.

Rachelle Gardner wrote A Day in the Life and Saying No After I've Requested Your Manuscript.

Jessica Faust wrote about Obtaining Permissions and Formatting Guidelines.

Suzette Saxton wrote How to Plot (or Revise) Your Book.

Writing advice and queries

2010-02-09T16:38:00.003-06:00

Kristin Nelson wrote Why Prologues Often Don’t Work.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Craft, Story, and Voice.

Brandilyn Collins wrote Ten Ways To Create Character Empathy.

Shawn Grady wrote He Wouldn’t Have Lived If I Hadn’t Shot Him, about good opening lines.

Janet Reid wrote What you need before you query.

eBooks, queries, and more

2010-02-03T14:12:00.004-06:00

Craig Morgan Teicher wrote The Making of an eBook: Part 1 and Part 2.

Kristin Nelson wrote about how ebooks and iBookstore are changing how the publishing game is played.

Nathan Bransford wrote What Should an E-book Cost?

Jessica Faust wrote about Writing Series and Trilogies and about how you handle revisions.

Rachelle Gardner wrote The Top Ten Query Mistakes and Should You Have a Book Trailer?

A Lot of Writing Advice

2010-01-27T11:36:00.003-06:00

Becky Levine wrote about Critique Groups.

Kristin Nelson wrote about no-no's for the first few pages of a story.

Jessica Faust wrote about using Poetry and Music in Books.

Nathan Bransford wrote Think About What Everyone Else Would Do: Then Do Something Different.

Suzannah Windsor Freeman wrote Are You a Word Nerd or a Grammar Rebel?

Gordon Silverstein on Humorous Reminders of Common Writing Mistakes.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Email Protocol.

Book Marketing

2010-01-18T14:36:00.002-06:00

Nathan Bransford wrote The Key to Marketing Your Book: Time Well-Spent.

Myrlin A. Hermes wrote How to Make a Book Trailer.

Yen wrote Why authors shouldn’t contact journalists directly.

Writing Advice and Publishing Answers

2010-01-11T13:24:00.001-06:00

Candace Calvert wrote Writer 911: “Help, my character’s fallen and can’t get up” about correctly describing medical problems in our novels.

A.J.Barnett wrote 20 Top Tips for Editing that Novel.

Jessica Faust answered Questions on Mysteries and A Discussion of Sell-Through.

Distributor, Wholesaler; Rejection; and Cover Art

2010-01-05T09:41:00.003-06:00

Cathy Clamp wrote about Distributor vs. Wholesaler--Getting Your Book on the Shelf.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Why Didn't I Say Yes to Your Novel?

Irene Gallo gave information about free Famous Artists Courses.

Writing Advice

2009-12-29T16:21:00.001-06:00

Nathan Bransford wrote about 1st person narratives.

Rachelle Gardner wrote about lessons learned in the gym about writing.

Contests and eBooks

2009-12-21T11:31:00.003-06:00

Nathan Bransford wrote All About Writing Contests.

Rory Maher and Henry Blodget wrote an article at TBI research on eBooks and who's making a profit on them.

Kristin Nelson wrote about a new Random House policy on eBook rights.

Rachelle Gardner wrote about self-publishing.

Writing advice, pen names, and advances.

2009-12-14T14:49:00.003-06:00

Nathan Bransford wrote What's In a Name: All About Pen Names.

Jessica Faust wrote Negotiating Your Advance.

Paul Robertson wrote Using the Climax Moment.

The Book Deal wrote Lighting up your reader’s brain: Can neuroscience teach you to be a better writer?

Book designs, likable characters, and critiques

2009-12-07T14:57:00.003-06:00

Nathan Bransford wrote How to Respond to a Manuscript Critique/Editorial Letter.

Jessica Faust wrote about Likeable Characters.

Peter Ginna wrote about The Publisher's Secret Weapon: Book Designers.

Money Making and Marketing

2009-11-30T15:06:00.003-06:00

Nathan Bransford wrote The Economics of Publishing.

Jim Rubart wrote Four Major Marketing Principles: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Writing and Promotion

2009-11-23T10:41:00.005-06:00

Rachelle Gardner answered questions about the Finances of Publishing.

James Scott Bell wrote Tips for Revising Your Manuscript.

Donald Maass wrote 4 Techniques to Fire Up Your Fiction.

Gail Carson Levine wrote about adding suspense to your story and about self-editing.

Camy Tang wrote about How to Plan a Blog Tour.

Stacy Deanne wrote about Online Book Promotion for Novels.

How Publishing Works

2009-11-16T11:51:00.006-06:00

Jessica Faust wrote Trusting Your Editor.

Kristin Nelson wrote Publicists Help Those Who Help Themselves and Bring Back Term of License? and Sales Thresholds in OOP Clauses and When The No-Compete Clause Comes Into Play.

Rachelle Gardner wrote How Book Royalties Work (including for CBA authors) and more about the costs of publishing for the publisher and Sell-in, Sell-through, and Earn-out and Returns.

Writing, Queries, and your Rights.

2009-11-09T11:40:00.005-06:00

Jessica Faust wrote about Licensing Your Rights and Fixing a Stalled Career.

Victoria Strauss wrote Rights and Copyright.

Kristin Nelson wrote Why I Don’t Like Net Amounts Received.

Janet Reid posted Notes from the Effective Query class at SCWW.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Giving Your Characters Life and Foreshadowing vs. Telegraphing.

Writing, Author Websites, Deadlines, and Critics

2009-11-02T12:08:00.003-06:00

Rachelle Gardner wrote All About Backstory.

Matilda McCloud wrote about avoiding predictable or cliche writing.

Jessica Faust wrote about things authors should consider including on their web sites and about Deadlines.

Cynthia Leitich Smith wrote Note to Debut Authors About Hurtful Online Reviews.

Royalty Statements, Writing, and Self-Publishing

2009-10-29T13:00:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the late post; I've been sick.

Kristin Nelson wrote Royalty Statements: Lack Of Detail and Sales By Accounts.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Back to the Basics of writing.

Jessica Faust wrote Which Tense Is Best.

Maya Reynolds wrote Should You Self-Publish?

More on Writing, Publishing, and Promotion

2009-10-19T09:39:00.006-05:00

Mary DeMuth wrote What It Takes to Become a Master Writer.

Jessica Faust wrote about how she analyzes manuscripts when considering whether to represent them or not, if category romance authors need an agent, and What Do Publishers Bring to the Table.

Kristin Nelson wrote about Nuts & Bolts: Royalty Statements: Accounting Periods, A Look At Random House, and Reconciliation To Print.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Protocol - When an Agent Offers to Rep You.

Eric wrote Co-Opportunities.

Joe Konrath wrote about Kindle Numbers: Traditional Publishing Vs. Self Publishing.

Nathan Bransford wrote Should You Pay Someone to Edit Your Work?

On Vacation

2009-10-12T12:39:00.001-05:00

I'm on vacation for a week, so I don't have a post of interesting links for this week. I'll be back and posting links again by next Monday.

Getting in the publishing door

2009-10-05T12:18:00.003-05:00

Megan Crewe wrote about the myth of needing connections to get published in The publishing connections myth: Results!

Jessica Faust wrote Shoot for the Stars and Never Give Up and about knowing when your work is good enough to start querying.

Nathan Bransford wrote advice to Previously Published Authors who are querying agents and about Submitting to Editors Without an Agent and What Do Literary Agents Do?

The Publishing Biz and Writing

2009-09-28T12:14:00.006-05:00

Kristin Nelson wrote about Earn Out, Does The Size Of The Advance Equal Success?, and Not Lost In Translation.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Tell Me the STORY and Is Your MC Proactive or Reactive?

Jessica Faust wrote When to Update Agents, Series Contracts, The Anatomy of a Coauthor, and talked about how much an author might make on romance novel.

Kate Elliot wrote about strategies for getting writing done.

Queries, agents, and writing

2009-09-21T11:52:00.004-05:00

Kristin Nelson wrote Response Speak about what the various types of rejection letters mean.

Jessica Faust wrote about Choosing a Title and Writing the Rules.

Nathan Bransford wrote Will Authors of the Future Need Publishers?

The Rejecter wrote about Established vs. Less Experienced Agents.

Rachelle Gardner wrote an agents view of writer's conferences and Help! An Agent Relationship Gone Bad!

Daniel Menaker wrote about the challenges faced by editors in today's publishing industry in Redactor Agonistes.

Writing, Publicity, and Publishing

2009-09-14T14:33:00.007-05:00

Victoria Strauss wrote about the Writers' Myth: "You Have To Know Someone."

Jessica Faust answered a writer asking How Close Am I? and The Importance of Writing Credits.

Janice Dunlap wrote about how One Thing Leads to Another in finding publicity opportunities for your books.

Kassia Krozser wrote about what she's learned about being a ebook publisher.

Natalie Whipple wrote about Beating Revision Fatigue.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Maybe You Shouldn't Quit Your Job Just Yet about advances and More on Advances.

Jennifer Deshler wrote In Support of Book Marketers.

Nothing! Gasp

2009-09-07T14:35:00.002-05:00

Shockingly, I didn't find any links this last week that I thought would be great to share. Then again, it's been a very busy week, so I haven't read much beyond my main-stays. Maybe you can use the extra time to read some old posts on this blog. To my USA readers, enjoy your Labor Day!

About the Publishing Process

2009-08-31T12:28:00.002-05:00

PJ Nunn wrote about things an author needs to keep in mind about what happens after the book is published.

Nathan Bransford wrote How a Book Gets Published.

Kristin Nelson wrote What Agents Talk About When We Talk about Auctions.

Margot Starbuck wrote A Few Do’s & Don’ts of Writing Memoir.

Book Trailers and more

2009-08-24T12:38:00.007-05:00

Victoria Strauss wrote Publishers' Kill Fees, and Why They're Bad For Everyone.

Rachelle Gardner wrote Myths vs. Facts of Publishing and Should You Go to a Writers' Conference?

Kristin Nelson wrote Why We Have A Marketing Director at her agency and How To Get Money Out Of A Publisher for promotion.

Jessica Faust wrote Before You Sign and answered Random Questions.

Shelli at Market My Words wrote about what authors can do to market their books.

Jennifer R. Hubbard wrote about creating tension by avoiding conflict.

Lisa Gottfried wrote about Book Trailers That Answer the Buy Questions.

GalleyCat wrote How Will Your Book Trailer Upend Readers' Expectations?

Linda Lane wrote about Powerful Verbs Bring Boldness and Vigor to Our Writing.

Peter Terzian wrote Kill Your Darlings cover designs.

Bok Market has a list of Twitter Tools for Finding People.

Writing, Publishing, and Social Networking

2009-08-17T12:24:00.005-05:00

Helen Ginger wrote about Oh, Those Details! (creating atmosphere).

Patricia Stoltey wrote about Self-Editing: How to Identify Dragging Narrative.

Kristin Nelson wrote Do You Run Your Writing As A Business? (Part 1), (Part 2), and (Part 3).

Jessica Faust wrote about Obtaining Cover Blurbs and Hiring a Publicist.

Nathan Bransford wrote a Book Publishing Glossary.

Sonia Simone wrote The 7 Deadly Sins of Blogging.

Rachelle Gardner wrote about Two Things That Don't Help a Query (Part 1) and (Part 2). She also wrote Tighten Up Your Manuscript! and Social Networking in 15 Minutes a Day.

Walt Shiel wrote about Book Design vs Typesetting and recommended some Books on Book Design.

Advice for Authors

2009-08-10T16:30:00.003-05:00

Jessica Faust wrote about Ghostwriting.

Rachelle Gardner wrote on Fiction Writing: Craft and Story.

Leon Neyfakh wrote an article in The New York Observer on Note to Author: Make Your Deadlines!

Alan Rinzler wrote Why a video will help sell your book.

Submissions and Writing

2009-08-03T12:19:00.002-05:00

Jessica Faust wrote Submissions 101 for the basics on query letters, etc. and Be True to You in your writing.

Carly Wells wrote about Working With Your Partner, The Writer for what the spouses of writers can do to help.

Publishing, Writing, and Marketing

2009-07-27T14:58:00.004-05:00

Rachelle Gardner wrote about the journey through the publishing process From Proposal to Publication: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five.

Maggie Dana wrote about How Book Design Affects Readability.

Jessica Faust write about typical word counts for various genre and I Stop Reading Your Query When...

Editorial Anonymous wrote how to tell whether a manuscript will be acquired.

Jane Friedman wrote How to Prevent Reader Boredom in Your Novel (Plot-Protagonist Secret #1).

Twitter 101 for Businesses is a guide to help people use Twitter effectively to reach people about your book, etc.

Author Blogs and eBooks

2009-07-20T17:25:00.000-05:00

Darren Rowse wrote 6 Reasons Your Blog Traffic Might Be Declining [And What to Do About It] and What is the Ideal Post Frequency for a Blog? and (I'm assuming) Search Engine Optimization Tips for Bloggers.

Nathan Bransford wrote E-Book Pricing and Publication Debate Erupts.

Writing and Promotion

2009-07-13T12:08:00.003-05:00

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen wrote 17 Reasons Book Manuscripts are Rejected.

Susan K. Perry wrote 11 Types of Bad Writing Advice: Rotten writing advice gets in the way of creativity & success.

International Thrill Writers website has several posts by debut authors on how to get published and lessons learn once published.

Victoria Strauss wrote Authorfail: When Authors Attack.

Janet Kobobel Grant wrote How Covers Can Go Wrong and What to Do About It.

Eric wrote Book Sales Demystified.

Jessica Faust wrote about what agents/editors mean when they say they're looking for a unique or different book.

Rachelle Gardner wrote 10 Things Editors Look for in Nonfiction.

Thomas Umstattd wrote 6 Things Readers Want from Your Author Website and How to Avoid Lame Author Portraits.

An article on Microgeist discusses 10 Crucial Basics For Driving Blog Traffic.

Tim Ferriss gives 8 Blogging Tips.

And, if you want to know how Twitter users get icons into their tweets, go to TwitterKeys.

Writing, Revising, and Marketing

2009-07-06T14:41:00.004-05:00

Rachelle Gardner gave advice on creating your Elevator Pitch.

Jennifer Fulwiler wrote How to Build Traffic on Your Blog, Part 2

Alan Rinzler wrote Choosing a freelance editor: What you need to know.

On Hatrack, we're discussing articles and such on medical research that might help with writing a Sci-Fi story.

How to Have Fun on Twitter

2009-06-29T15:20:00.000-05:00

Some people don't use Twitter because they're not comfortable with computers and have trouble using the service. Others have considered Twitter and decided they don't have time for or interest in doing more social networking. For this post, I'm assuming neither is true. Instead, you simply don't understand why some people think it's so fun. Here's how to have fun on Twitter.

If you haven't already done this, you first need to sign up for Twitter. Once you've created your account and are signed in, click on "Settings" in the top right-hand corner and fill in the information. Use your real name (not your User ID) in the name section so that your friends can easily find you, and make sure to list some of your interests/hobbies in the bio section.

If you need a basic orientation to using Twitter, read The Ultimate Guide for Everything Twitter and/or The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter.

Idea 1: Click on the "Find People" link in the top right-hand corner. Search for "Mr. Tweet" and click on the "follow" button. (@MrTweet is at the top of the search results.) Mr. Tweet will recommend people to you who have similar interests. Follow other people in your industry or with similar hobbies or people who just sound interesting to you.

In "Find People," also try searching for the names of your friends or favorite celebrities. Or search for your favorite non-profit organization and follow their tweets.

Idea 2: Start networking in your industry. Try a web search for Twitter directories. For example, if you're interested in the publishing industry, check out A Directory of Book Trade People on Twitter and A Directory of Authors on Twitter.

Pick a few people that sound interesting and start following them. Feel free to interact with and occasionally ask questions of professionals doing business tweeting but don't bug anyone or they may block you.

In my case, I can rarely travel to writer/publishing conferences. I can usually find out what's going on at those conferences, though, by following an agent, publisher, or writer who's going to the conference. Conference attendees often report on what's going on. Hashtags (see below) also help with this aspect of networking.

Idea 3: Go to WeFollow. If you love to hear news as it happens, type #news in the search box at the top of the page. The search will bring up a list of news stations that are on Twitter. You can click a name to look at their Twitter feed and see if you like it. If so, you can click on the follow button (assuming you're still signed in to Twitter). You can find interesting people on WeFollow by typing in key words of topics that interest you.

Idea 4: Install a Twitter application like TweetDeck or Twirl so that you receive updates as they happen in real time. You don't have to have the application going every moment of every day, but it's so much easier to interact with people and follow events in real time.

Idea 5: Follow hashtags using Twazzup or other Twitter search engines. Hashtags are word(s) or acronyms with # attached to the front. They are a way to talk about certain topics with people who share an interest but who don't follow you.

Hashtags aren't standardized, so you'll find people tweeting using the #book or #books hashtag and #giveaway or #giveaways hashtag, etc. Search for hashtags on topics that interest you, but try several variations when randomly searching. Here are some ideas:

Have trouble coming up with things to say? Then answer other people's questions by attending a chat like #writechat or #followreader or #litchat. (You can find more chats on all subjects at Twitter Chats.

Are you interested in outer space? Search #space or #NASA. Or you can follow an astronaut, @Astro_127, who's getting ready to launch in July and who will Twitter from space.

What to see history being made? Follow #iranelection or someone like @persiankiwi or @LaraABCNews. (Though this topic is getting quiet now.)

Want to talk books? Follow #reading or #books and chime in with what you're reading.

Idea 6: Here are a few social "rules of thumb" that may make Twitter more fun for you.

(1) You don't have to follow a stranger just because they follow you. Look at their Twitter page to see if they're talking about things that interest you and update their Twitter page at a rate that you're comfortable with. If so, follow them. If not, don't follow them. You won't hurt their feelings if you don't follow strangers back. However, family, friends, and people that you've asked to follow you will probably get a bit miffed if you don't follow them back.

(2) Tweet about what interests you, not about what you're doing. (I know what the prompt says, but that's a relic from Twitter's not-so-distant past.) What interests you will probably interest others. On the other hand, people rarely care what you're currently doing unless it's interesting. Twitter isn't about entertaining other people with brilliant tweets (though it's great if you can do that). It's about talking with people who share your interests.

Since you'll probably ask: Yes, you may occasionally talk about the weather, what you ate, and other mundane topics, but try to refrain unless they really matter or are interesting. For example, "I just had the best Italian meal of my life at a local restaurant named ____" or "Wow, I just heard the tornado sirens go off. Gotta go!"

(3) Ask simple questions of your followers to get to know them and make friends. If they take the time to respond, say something back even if it's just "thanks for responding!" I discovered that what tea I'm drinking can start quite a discussion. Experiment, but try to vary things from day to day so you don't get boring.

Now, go out, experiment, and have fun.

Social Networking, Marketing, Publishing

2009-06-29T12:06:00.007-05:00

Andrew Zack wrote The Lie that is Bookscan.

Nathan Bransford wrote about querying your novel when it's like a best-seller.

Barry Eisler wrote It's The Marketing, Stupid about writing your author bio.

Chip MacGregor wrote Ten Marketing Questions Authors are Asking.

Charlotte Abbott wrote Do Twitter and Blogs Really Drive Book Sales?

Jennifer Fulwiler wrote about How To Build Traffic on Your Blog (Part 1).

Brian Clark wrote Is Commenting on Blogs a Smart Traffic Strategy?

Mr. Tweet wrote 10 Tips For Managing Twitter As Your Usage Increases.

A Variety of Topics

2009-06-22T12:29:00.003-05:00

Nathan Bransford has created a Writing Advice Database of his previous posts.

Brian Clark wrote The Inigo Montoya Guide to 27 Commonly Misused Words.

Rachelle Gardner wrote about The Dreaded Author Platform and Questions to Ask an Agent when you get "the call."

Arsen Kashkashian, a book buyer for a store, wrote Random House's Hail Mary Pass about deciding which books to purchase for the store and how many.

Beirut wrote 25 Hard Learnt Twitter Survival Lessons: Dos and Don’ts!

Promotion, Revision, and Query Letters

2009-06-15T11:56:00.005-05:00

Colleen Thompson wrote about "Secrets” of the Selling Romance Synopsis.

Alex Sokoloff wrote about Top Ten Things I Know About Editing.

Nathan Bransford wrote a Revision Checklist.

Since we're into revision/editing today, I'll include an old post of mine on How I Revise.

Jessica Faust wrote about how self-publishing affects your querying.

Rachelle Gardner answered the question: Query via Email or Wait for Conference?

Maria Schneider wrote about A Pain Free Method of Self Promotion.

Brandilyn Collins posted a bunch of respectful rants writers had about reader behavior...so now you know what to look forward to.

Booksquare University has a video explaining The Truth About Twitter (i.e. what it's good for).

Backups and writing

2009-06-08T16:19:00.002-05:00

Sarah Rees Brennan wrote Because It Really Could Happen To You about backing up your author blog/website just in case someone hacks into it.

Clarkesworld magazine has an interview by Jeremy L.C. Jones called The Story is All: Ten Fiction Editors Talk Shop.

Jessica Faust has posted Publishing Dictionary Expanded.

Agents, Marketing, and Good Writing

2009-06-01T12:51:00.003-05:00

Nathan Bransford wrote about Taking a Chance on a Young Agent and A Day in the Life of a Book Marketing Manager.

Victoria Gallagher wrote about why good book titles are important for good covers.

Kristin Nelson wrote about The Number One Thing important to good book openings.

Queries, publishing, and learning how to write

2009-05-25T15:09:00.002-05:00

Kristin Nelson wrote So-N-So Recommended Me about mentioning referrals in your query letter.

Jessica Faust wrote about Re-Pitching Agents.

Nathan Bransford wrote about Re-querying an agent.

Moonrat wrote about royalties, advances, and rights sales.

Rachelle Gardner wrote How Do You Learn to Write?

Hatrack River Writers Workshop has a post going about reality mistakes in books and movies.

Writing Tips and Publishing Answers

2009-05-18T11:59:00.003-05:00

GenReality wrote a post on Mistaking Action for Plot.

Writer's Digest has an article on 5 Easy Tips to Strengthen Your Scenes.

Kimberly Davis wrote Character in Fiction.

Moonrat wrote what's safe to syndicate online? about how much of your story it's safe to post online without losing electronic rights.

Kristin Nelson wrote about how agents submit manuscripts to editors.

Dana Lynn Smith wrote 7 Common Mistakes Authors Make in Social Marketing.

Victoria Strauss wrote about Agent for a Day.

Queries and Pitch Sessons

2009-05-11T12:23:00.002-05:00

Kristin Nelson wrote Get Specific Names about telling your agent which publishers you've previously submitted your query to.

Janet Reid wrote Pitch sessions suck, it's true; yet, you can make them worse on big no-no's when pitching your manuscript.

Writing and Query Letters

2009-05-04T12:54:00.002-05:00

Rachelle Gardner wrote Anatomy of a Winning Query.

Therese Walsh wrote Help for a query hater on writing query letters.

Rakesh Satyal wrote about Finding Time to Write.

The Professor wrote 10 Ways to Become a Better Writer which contains a number of excellent links for free books, free writing courses, links for research, and so on.

Publicity, Writing, and Query Letters

2009-04-27T12:48:00.004-05:00

Colleen Lindsay wrote about the differences between publicity and marketing and How to work effectively with your publicist.

The Rejecter wrote The Death of a Contract about how a publishing contract signed by both parties can still be severed.

Toni McGee Causey wrote How Do You Know When To Quit?

Chuck Dixon wrote about Stupid Gun Mistakes EVERY Writer Makes.

Jane Friedman wrote about Avoiding Red-Flag Mistakes on Your First Page.

Rachelle Gardner wrote about Giving Reasons for Rejections.

Jessica Faust wrote more on when to stop submitting a Query Letter.

Nathan Gransford wrote about Be An Agent for a Day: The Results!!

Writing and Promotion

2009-04-20T12:42:00.004-05:00

Author Matthew Cheney wrote If Only I'd Known: Writing Advice to My Younger Self.

Holt Uncensored wrote about Ten Mistakes Writers Don’t See (But Can Easily Fix When They Do).

Shrinking Violet Promotions wrote about Worst Advice for Introverts.

Michelle McLean wrote about Research Tips: How to Find Your Information Without Losing Your Mind.

Lots of Links on Lots of Topics

2009-04-13T13:32:00.004-05:00

Rachelle Gardner wrote on What Your Query Says About You and 10 Things to Expect from an Agent.

Kristin Nelson wrote about The Pain Merchants Title Saga, Guest Blog: Janice’s Editor Donna Bray On The Pain Merchants Title Change, Janice Hardy's Query Pitch, and linked to an inspiring video she called Know no limitation.

Sarah talks a bit about marketing and publicity at a publisher.

Yen describes the difference: Advertising vs. publicity.

Allison Winn Scotch wrote about the reasons To Tweet or Not to Tweet…

Shrinking Violet Promotions wrote about Workshop Proposals for giving workshops at conferences and such.

Jessica Faust wrote about Earning Royalties.

randfish wrote about 21 Tips to Earn Links and Tweets to Your Blog Post.

Agents and Writers

2009-04-06T13:06:00.001-05:00

Alexander McCall Smith on the intense personal relationships readers form with characters and the ways that complicates the lives of authors.

The Ultimate Guide for Everything Twitter.

Jessica Faust has an Authorpass and Agentpass Day where she talks about what she appreciates from an author.

Publicity and Writing

2009-03-30T16:06:00.002-05:00

Nathan Bransford wrote On Conflict in stories.

Jessica Faust wrote on What Can Authors Do to Sell Books.

Charlotte Abbott wrote about To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Twitter Basics for Publishers and Authors about promoting books in 140 characters or less.

Kristin Nelson wrote You’ve Got Google Questions? Authors Guild Has Got Answers.

Randy Ray wrote about 50 Useful Blogs for Writers.

Jay Lake started a blog discussion asking published writers How many rejections have you had?

Writing and Networking

2009-03-23T12:16:00.002-05:00

Nathan Bransford wrote about character motivation in What Do Your Characters Want?

H. L. Dyer wrote about Social Networking Basics.

And, for those using twitter, Sarah Perez wrote about a service that will explain What Does that Hashtag Mean?

Writing, Marketing, Publishing News, and Social Networking

2009-03-16T11:32:00.007-05:00

Jessica Faust wrote about Selling Yourself in query letters.

Shrinking Violet Promotions wrote about Swagology 101.

Penny Sansevieri wrote about 50 Things You Can Do to Promote Your Book.

Kristin Nelson wrote about publishing news about the company Anderson News.

Rich wrote about To return or not to return: is that the right question?

Toni Andrews wrote about Confessions of a Contest Judge, Part 3: Thinking Like a Point of View Character.

Cathy Witlox wrote about Editors' Pet Peeves.

Nick O'Neill wrote about 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know.

David Niall Wilson wrote about using the internet to promote yourself or your company.

Michael Hyatt has written The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter.

Sherice Jacob wrote about 10 Twitter Tools that Help You Work Smarter and 10 MORE Must Have Twitter Tools.

And here's instructions on how to How To Opt-Out Of Receiving Automated Welcome DMs on Twitter.

Tim Ferriss wrote about How to Use Twitter Without Twitter Owning You - 5 Tips.

Laurel Touby talked about doing online book parties and using twitter hash tags to have book parties in The Book Party in the Digital Age.

Book Design

2009-03-09T20:46:00.000-05:00

Here's some videos on book design:

Book design history:
C.S. Richardson on Book Design, Clip 1

Modern Interior Book Design:
C.S. Richardson on Book Design, Clip 2

Book Cover Design:
C.S. Richardson on Book Design, Clip 3

Queryfail, Novelfail, Marketing, and Writing

2009-03-09T11:38:00.004-05:00

Agent Rachelle Gardner wrote about Prepare Yourself for Success.

Shrinking Violet Promotions has a post about You Don’t Have To Go It Alone--Marketing Co-ops.

Kristin Nelson wrote about what to do when your book gets a bad review in So PW Hates Your Book.

Tara Lazar wrote about Query Fail: How Not to Land an Agent. (Agents shared in #queryfail specific lines from queries that turned them off from a query. Tara Lazar read these and picked out some reoccurring themes and gave specific examples from the #queryfail twitter feed. Due to complaints by authors who apparently made these mistakes, she's now diluted the post so people can't see specific lines to avoid, but the post is still helpful. The specific examples should still be available at: #queryfail mainly posted on March 5, 2009.)

There is also a #novelfail where there are tweets about where and why a writer lost an agent as a reader.

Writing, Getting Published, and Making Money

2009-03-02T11:59:00.000-06:00

Angela Scheff at Zondervan guest blogged about Being Proactive about Your Cover and Title. If you want some influence on these factors, read her advice.

Jessica Faust at Bookends wrote about Quotes on Books, Query Statistics, and Error-Free Manuscripts.

Nathan Bransford wrote about The Art of Summarizing Your Work and Sympathetic vs. Unsympathetic Characters. He also wrote about the Book Revenue Breakdown (posted on Feb. 23, 2009), but the post doesn't seem to want to be linkable. To quote it:

There were also some questions about how much an author receives from a book sale, so I thought I'd provide a handy dandy breakdown. This varies greatly depending on what discounts the publisher is extending to booksellers/distributors/wholesalers etc. and what royalty the author is receiving from the publisher. I'm not going to get into what is a "typical" royalty, and please don't consider the below as such, because I can't discuss proprietary info. But here's a basic (and rough) rule of thumb to help with your calculations:

Start with a $24.95 hardcover.

Discounts to booksellers vary, but for a rough estimate figure that the publisher receives around 50%.

Let's say the author has a 10% retail royalty, and the author has an agent who receives 15% of the author's share. This works out to (again, roughly):

$12.48 to the bookseller (50%)
$9.98 to the publisher (50% minus author/agent share)
$2.12 to the author (10% of retail minus 15%)
$0.38 to the agent (15% of 10%)

For another example, let's take a $14.95 trade paperback where the author receives 7.5% retail. That translates to:

$7.48 to the bookseller
$5.83 to the publisher
$0.95 to the author
$0.17 to the agent

So there you have it. Note that the author (and agent) do not actually receive the above money until the advance has "earned out," meaning until all those little $0.95s per book have exceeded the amount the publisher paid as an advance. Subrights revenue, i.e. first serial (excerpts in periodicals), permissions, electronic, etc. also go towards paying down that advance.

Also note that this (thankfully) doesn't include rights the agent/author might have reserved, such as audio rights, foreign, and dramatic rights, which can be very important in helping authors earn enough for a new couch to sit on as they frantically write their next book in the hopes of landing the money for a new coffee table.

Kate Elliott wrote on DeepGenre about Writing Process: Writing With A Craft Goal In Mind.

Book Covers and other things

2009-02-23T11:59:00.005-06:00

Jessica Faust at Bookends wrote Networking through Submissions.

Kristin Nelson wrote advice on writing synopsis.

Orbit posted two articles on what goes into making a book cover: The Making of an Urban Fantasy Cover: Part I and The Making of an Urban Fantasy Cover: Part II

A number of agents have critiqued the first 250 words of completed but unpublished novels over at Miss Snark's First Victim.

Angela James wrote an article on the pros and cons of epublishing.

Editors Comments on Beginner Writing

2009-02-20T09:49:00.003-06:00

I just saw this article (Agents and Editors: A Q&A With Four Young Editors by Jofie Ferrari-Adler) and wanted to post this excerpt:

On the flip side of that, give me some things that you find beginning writers doing wrong.

NASH: Not listening. Not listening to the world around them.

GARGAGLIANO: Trying to sell stories that aren't really a book. They're not a cohesive whole. There's no vision to the whole thing that makes me feel like this person has a reason for writing a story collection other than that they had twelve stories.

NASH: Assuming that having an attitude equals...anything.

CHINSKI: Or assuming that good writing is enough. I'm sure we all see a lot of stuff where the writing is really good. It's well crafted and you can tell that the writer has talent. But, again, you don't really feel like the writer necessarily believes in his or her ability to open it up into a novel. I know the old adage "write what you know." I'd kind of rather somebody write what they don't know. And figure out, beyond their own personal experience, why what they're doing should matter to the reader.

BOUDREAUX: I've always wanted to give people that advice too. "Do you have to write what you know? If you know it, I might know it. Which means I've already read it. Which means that your book is the nineteenth novel about a mother-daughter relationship. And I. Don't. Care." The crudest way to put it is the "Who cares?" factor. Why, why, why do I need to read four hundred pages about this? The necessary thing, and the authentic thing, and the voice thing are all much better ways of saying it than the "Who cares?" factor, but it's basically the same thing. "What is the necessity of reading this? What are you doing that is different?"

CHINSKI: I'd rather somebody be ambitious and fail a little bit than read a perfectly crafted, tame novel.

NASH: I have published novels, especially first novels, that I knew failed on some level because of what they were trying to do. I felt that that was okay.

CHINSKI: That's more exciting.

NASH: But what would be the version of that that actually answered your question?

CHINSKI: "Have courage"?

NASH: Don't try to be perfect. Don't be boring.

CHINSKI: That's really what it is 99.9 percent of the time—good writing, but boring. And it's the hardest thing to turn down because you think, "This is good. But it doesn't do anything for me."

BOUDREAUX: That's the thing. You're like, "There's nothing wrong with this. I've got nothing to tell you to do to fix it. It's just...there."

CHINSKI: And that's a hard rejection letter to write, too. Because it's not like you can point to this, that, and the other thing that are wrong with it. It just doesn't move you in any way. It doesn't feel necessary.

eBooks, Publishing, Promotion, and Writing

2009-02-16T11:59:00.007-06:00

Kristin Nelson wrote about When An Imprint Goes Bye-Bye how it affects an author with that imprint. She also explains what Co-Op means and how it's done.

Jessica Faust wrote Rules of Writing and Post-Rejection Protocol and writing The Synopsis.

Nathan Bransford wrote about What Should (ebook) Content Cost.

Alan Rinzler wrote about How successful writers keep up their confidence.

Mike Elgan wrote Here Comes The Ebook Revolution which covers the history of and current motivating forces behind moving to ebooks.

grace_draven wrote about book covers and why their appearance matters.

CJ Lyons wrote about Building Your Brand.

Nice-Mommy-Evil-Editor wrote a post about the Epublishing Business Model.

Laurel Touby spoke about promoting your book through online avenues, which includes information on how to use Twitter to host a book party.

There's a discussion on Hatrack River Writer's Workshop on curse words in fantasy novels.

E-Books

2009-02-09T11:58:00.003-06:00

Dear Author wrote Why ePublishing Needs to Grow Up.

GalleyCat wrote Why Are E-Books So Expensive? and Experts Explain Why E-Books Are So Expensive.

Jane Friedman at Writer's Digest wrote Do Writers' Futures Lie in Indie E-Publishing Platforms? and Should Writers Worry About the Pirating of E-Books?.

Aaron Ross Powell wrote My experience selling a draft novel on the Amazon Kindle.

A Bunch of Topics

2009-02-04T10:56:00.003-06:00

Jessica Faust at Bookends wrote about What the Editors are Looking For, Sex and Fiction, Dissecting the Form Rejection Letter, and Trying to Get an Agent Just Sucks.

Nathan Bransford wrote about It's the End of Publishing As We Know It.

Shrinking Violet Promotions interviewed author Susan Wiggs about promotion and marketing from an author's viewpoint.

Evil Editor wrote about why you have to research the facts when you're writing fiction.

Twitter and Social Networking

2009-01-26T14:45:00.003-06:00

If you've heard about Twitter, Jennifer Tribe is creating a A Directory of Book Trade People on Twitter. She also describes how to use Twitter.

GalleyCat is also conducting a poll on the Best Social Networking Books Site (including such sites as GoodReads, Shelfari, and LibraryThing).

Covers, Writing, Staying Published

2009-01-20T16:48:00.004-06:00

Jessica Faust at Bookends wrote a post about why Attitude Matters in staying published. She also wrote Be Careful of Assumptions about why your query letter or manuscript was rejected.

Kristen Nelson on Pub Rants wrote about author consultation on book covers and What We Say When We Talk About Covers.

On Hatrack River Writers Workshop, there's a discussion on What constitutes publishing? (specifically, if some writing was posted online, would it hurt future publishing opportunities).

Evil Editor explains backstory and how to do it well.

Madeleine Robins explains on DeepGenre why sometimes it's okay to put cliches in your writing.

Book Proposals and Book Promotion

2009-01-12T15:17:00.001-06:00

Shrinking Violet Promotions interviewed Jennifer Taber of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt about how to promote your book.

Jessica Faust at Bookends wrote about What Is a Book Proposal for Fiction Writers.

Book Proposals and Working in Publishing

2009-01-05T11:59:00.003-06:00

Jessica Faust wrote about how to write a Book Proposal for Nonfiction Writers. She also wrote about Packaged Fiction.

Nathan Bransford wrote about How To Find A Literary Agent and Word counts.

Anna Genoese wrote about How Does One Get Started in Publishing?

More on Maketing Your Book

2008-12-29T13:13:00.003-06:00

M.J. Rose wrote about how to be a gracious guest blogger.

Michael S. Hyatt wrote about Book Marketing 101: What Works and What Doesn’t . He also wrote about Four Surprising Conclusions About Author Websites, Why Every Author Needs a Powerful Online Presence, and Seven Ways to Build Your Author Brand Online.

GalleyCat wrote about Authors Creating Self-Guided Book Club Tours and How To Bring Your Book To Book Clubs, which said:

Last week, GalleyCat reported how novelists Joshua Henkin and Kelly Simmons have collectively spoken with 150 reading groups in person or by speakerphone--pioneers of the self-guided book group tour. Readers chimed in with plenty of suggestions for authors interested in created self-guided book club tours.

One reader suggested: "Webinar software such as Gotomeeting and Webex can support hundreds of listeners at a time. I'm surprised writers aren't using this more."

Mindy Klasky wrote: "I created the Book Groups Wiki, to facilitate authors getting in touch with book groups. Using simple templates, anyone can add their profile as an author or as a book group coordinator. Authors can indicate their willingness to travel, to meet with groups in person."

To which DelOrange commented:

I would suggest trying Yugma in place of GoToMeeting. Same features but for a fraction of the price...there is really no reason to spend big bucks on software in the world of web 2.0.

and another reader suggested, "Dimdim is FREE for up to 25 people I believe."

Query Critiques, Editorial Powers, Hardback vs Trade, and more

2008-12-22T10:58:00.002-06:00

Jessica Faust is currently doing a series of pitch critiques, and here are numbers one and two. She also wrote a post on how she decides which editors to submitted manuscripts to.

Moonrat talks about the advantages and disadvantages of being published first in trade paperback versus hardback.

Holt wrote about returning editorial power to editors.

Todd Longwell wrote an article about how books are adapted into screen plays.

Covers, Writing Buddies, and More

2008-12-15T12:05:00.004-06:00

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.

After the Publisher Buys

2008-12-08T12:01:00.002-06:00

Jane Lindskold talks about What Happens After the Book is Written and the publisher has bought it.

Robert J. Sawyer makes some interesting suggestions in Self-Promotion for Writers.

The Rejecter wrote about the Translation Market.

Tess Gerritsen wrote about Lost in Translation? and The Evolution of a Book Title.

Alison Morris wrote a list of everything a book buyer at a bookstore does in Fellow Blogging Booksellers.

Rachelle Gardner wrote about How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book?

Ask Editorial Anonymous wrote about book awards.

Deanna Hoak wrote about how to make the copyeditor's job easier.

On Writing and Networking

2008-12-01T12:01:00.002-06:00

If you want to go to a writing-related convention, you might find the the Convention Finder website helpful.

Lauren Lise Baratz-Logsted wrote on her blog about Getting Blurbs for your book and Giving Blurbs.

Joshua Palmatier has been gathering plot synopsis and query letters for published books for those who would find reading them useful in helping to create your own.

Jane Lindskold wrote about The Problem of Series and how to make them work well.

Jane Lindskold wrote about writing in Tail Bone to Chair: Part One and Part Two.

Kassia Krozser wrote PubWest Workshop: Thoughts on Social Networking.

Why You Need an Agent and How to Get One

2008-11-23T12:01:00.002-06:00

Author Jeff Abbott blogged about The Importance of Having an Agent. He points out several important things an agent does for an author that you might not immediately think of.

Christopher Lockhart wrote an article titled I WROTE A 120 PAGE SCRIPT BUT CAN’T WRITE A LOGLINE: THE CONSTRUCTION OF A LOGLINE which is useful for constructing novel query letters as well as screenplay loglines.

Jessica Faust wrote about what she looks for when reading a manuscript in When Reading Submissions.

Write About Everything!

Writing & Publishing links for May 7, 2011

Publishing Links for 4/19/11

Writing & Publishing Links for Feb. 24

Writing & Publishing Links for Dec. 23

Writing & Publishing Links for Nov. 18

Writing & Publishing Links for Nov. 2

Writing & Publishing Links for Oct. 21

Writing & Publishing Links for Oct. 7

Writing & Publishing Links for Sept. 23

Overview of Writing & Publishing

Writing, Editing, Proposals, Self-Publishing, & Career

Writing and Query Letters

Writing and Self-Promotion Advice

Writing, Branding, and Twitter.

Advice on Writing and Book Contracts

Writing advice, social networking, and what agents do

More advice about publishing and writing

Writing and the Business of Writing

Pitches, Promotion, Contracts, and Technology

Pitches, Writing, and Other Publishing Stuff

Publicity, Pitches, and Writing

Marketing and Contracts

Trade Shows, Critique Groups, and Buzz

Queries, marketing, and the publishing business

Query Letters and The Business of Being an Author

Advances, Self-publishing, Timing, Editors, & Cussing

Writing and query letters

Queries and Writing Advice

Writing and Titles

Writing and eBooks

Writing, Marketing, and Agent Communication

Marketing, Writing, Why Rejection, etc.

Writing advice and queries

eBooks, queries, and more

A Lot of Writing Advice

Book Marketing

Writing Advice and Publishing Answers

Distributor, Wholesaler; Rejection; and Cover Art

Writing Advice

Contests and eBooks

Writing advice, pen names, and advances.

Book designs, likable characters, and critiques

Money Making and Marketing

Writing and Promotion

How Publishing Works

Writing, Queries, and your Rights.

Writing, Author Websites, Deadlines, and Critics

Royalty Statements, Writing, and Self-Publishing

More on Writing, Publishing, and Promotion

On Vacation

Getting in the publishing door

The Publishing Biz and Writing

Queries, agents, and writing

Writing, Publicity, and Publishing

Nothing! *Gasp*

About the Publishing Process

Book Trailers and more

Writing, Publishing, and Social Networking

Advice for Authors

Submissions and Writing

Publishing, Writing, and Marketing

Author Blogs and eBooks

Writing and Promotion

Writing, Revising, and Marketing

How to Have Fun on Twitter

Social Networking, Marketing, Publishing

A Variety of Topics

Promotion, Revision, and Query Letters

Backups and writing

Agents, Marketing, and Good Writing

Queries, publishing, and learning how to write

More Social Networking Links

Writing Tips and Publishing Answers

Queries and Pitch Sessons

Writing and Query Letters

Publicity, Writing, and Query Letters

Writing and Promotion

Lots of Links on Lots of Topics

Agents and Writers

Nothing! Gasp