Most writers get similar questions about the business because getting published is akin to having to search through a myriad of obscure clues beginning with the naked, dead body in the Louvre. Oh, wait. That's been done before. And we know the ending. Go figure.
How did you DO that? Yeah. How did I get that book published? It seems like there's a huge gap between the writing and the publishing and how that bridge is built is a mystery that only few hold the blueprints for.
Well, if that were the case, I wouldn't be here. There's a slew ... I mean SLEW ... of information out there. Of course, it takes time to sift through and find what you need. But part of understanding HOW this world of words works is sifting through all the information. I'm putting a list of my favorite links that give great, solid information about the business. Basically, here are those mysterious blueprints.
I also write a lot about the writing process on my blog. But, at the end of the day, I really, truly believe that it boils down to great writing. A great concept. Something commercial. A novel that will take our breath away, surprise us as readers, take us on a journey -- a novel that will make a promise to change how we think about the world.
Every writer, of course, has a few rules. I have just a couple because, well, I tend to break the others that seem to be the "golden rules" of writing. (I don't write every day. I don't live and breathe writing. I haven't read Ulysses. I love bad TV shows. I don't write by word-count goals. I never had a teacher say, "You're so talented. You must write."). But here are things I DO do.
1. I write what I love.
2. Read, read, read, read. Read everything in your genre. Read every best seller, award-winner, book that's getting buzz and obscure titles only your bookstore guru has read.
2. I depend completely on BIC inspiration. (Butt-In-Chair).
3. I remind myself that books get written one word at a time.
4. I write what I love.
Here's the blueprint for writers. Keep at it. Dream big. Work harder. Magic happens when you do:
Agents:
www.agentquery.com
www.querytracker.net
Miss Snark (An agent who blogged for several years about everything from query letters to what not to do etc. Brutally honest. This was, for several years, THE BIBLE on the net. Archives are up.)
Nathan Bransford (An agent who has great information on his blog.)
Colleen Lindsay (Colleen Lindsay, a former agent with fresh ideas from the inside.)
http://www.sff.net/people/victoriastrauss/agentsearch.html (Article on way to search for agent)
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2008/01/agent-research-sites-agents-perspective.html (Article about agent research sites.)
Editors:
Dear Editor h(://dear-editor.com/ (Dear Editor)
Forums:
www.verlakay.com
Organizations:
www.scbwi.com (SCBWI)
General:
Writer Bewarehttp://www.publishersmarketplace.com/
Predators and Editors
Publisher's Marketplace
Writing the Query Letter:
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2008/09/things-i-dont-need-to-know-in-query.html (Things an agent doesn’t need to know in a query letter)
http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2008/09/personalizing-vs-kissing-up.html Personalizing vs Kissing up
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/search/label/queries What genre should is your book in? http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/search/label/query%20letters Query letter phrasing to reconsider http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2008/06/questioning-agents.html Questioning agents
http://varkat.livejournal.com/21728.html Query Dos and Don’ts
http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2008/09/quick-tip-is-your-email-program-or.html Is your E-mail program or embedded signature costing you your query letter?
http://varkat.livejournal.com/32011.html Five things that will make you more attractive to an agent or editor.
Synopsis:
http://www.sfwa.org/members/bell/writingtips/winter0102.html
http://www.sfwa.org/members/bell/writingtips/summer08.html
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2007/08/how-to-write-synopsis.html
Writer's Digest Best Websites for Writers:
http://www.writersdigest.com/101BestSites/?m_nYear=2008&m_sCategory=all
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