Writers and Editors
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Getting published (starting out)Authonomy, publisher HarperCollins attempt to use online popularity as a guide to choosing which books from the slush pile to read. (The slush pile is unsolicited manuscripts, not represented by agents or asked for by editors.) In Is Authonomy Authentic?, Kate Eltham quotes others on whether HarperCollins site has moved from "potentially innovative to concretely exploitative," with its offer to publish titles from the online slush pile as POD books (for a fee).
When and Whether to Hire an Independent (Consulting) Editor or Book Doctor • Book Doctors: The Real Deal (Susan A. Schwartz on what to look for in an editor) • The Doctor Will See You Now (interview with Lisa Rojany-Buccieri, who explains the difference between book doctors, editors, and ghostwriters and offers practical insights into what a book doctor can and cannot do) • Common Rates for Editorial Services (Editorial Freelancers Association) • Frequently Asked Questions about Editors (Tara K. Harper, who doesn't put much faith in book doctors) • Independent Editors and Assessment Services (Writers Beware's excellent article and links, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) • A Professional Critique: What Should You Receive for Your Money? (Margot Finke) • Ten Signs of a Scam Book Doctor (Jerry Gross, an old hand in the business!) • What a Good Editor Will Do for You (Jerry Gross interviews Viking editor Beena Kamlani on what to expect from an editor in a publishing house, Writer's Digest, 2-11-08) 18 strategies for brainstorming a title, an excellent synthesis of approaches to creating great titles, from Developmental Editing: A Handbook for Freelancers, Authors, and Publishers by Scott Norton, posted on Scrib'd
Free downloadable e-books on writing, from Michael Allen:
On the Survival of Rats in the Slush Pile by Michael Allen: http://www.kingsfieldpublications.co.uk/rats.PDF The Truth about Writing ("an essential handbook for novelists, playwrights, and screenwriters" by Michael Allen, free on Scribd):http://www.scribd.com/doc/17414179/The-Truth-about-Writing How to Write a Short Story That Works (by Michael Allen, via Scribd) http://www.scribd.com/doc/18092726/How-to-Write-a-Short-Story-that-Works Discovered throughJohn Kremer's Book Marketing Tip of the Week: http://www.bookmarket.com/ Information in a Nutshell Radio. Felice Gerwitz interviews experts about writing and publishing (including marketing).
What advice do you give a writer? Mike Shatzkin writes: "...when we discussed with a leading agent a panel we’re planning for our January Digital Book World conference called 'Stalking the Wild Blogger: Scouting Blogs and Self-Published Content for Fresh Voices,'which is about agents and editors finding authors through blogs and self-published books, he said that is now something that 'every agent does.' He explained: 'it is now the standard way to find new clients.' That means that blogs and self-published books using ebook and print-on-demand models are now part of the overall commercial structure of publishing. They are not something separate and inferior, as 'vanity publishing' was in the past." ~ The Shatzkin File, 8-25-09
Harlan Ellison, the Great Ranter, writer of "speculative fiction"
Harlan Ellison: A Kind of Twisted Fantasy, Kurt Andersen's interview with Ellison on Studio 360 radio program (and check out the Bonus Track: "Harlan Ellison uncut") http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2009/05/29 Click here: http://www.sundancechannel.com/digital-shorts/#/series/20958611001/20977196001 for readings and film clips starring Harlan Ellison, a series of Sundance "digital shorts (breakthrough Web videos for progressive minds)." Most ranters get boring; Ellison's rants are as verbally creative as his "speculative fiction." BEGINNING WRITERS: In particular watch this one: Pay the Writer http://www.sundancechannel.com/digital-shorts/#/series/20958611001/20972302001 "I have never written science fiction...What I write is a kind of twisted fantasy." ~ Harlan Ellison |
Websites, organizations, and other resourcesA GREAT READ
A+ blogs
Blog roll, too Books for book clubs
Best reads and most "discussable" Great search links
Fact-finding, fact-checking, and news and info resources Memoirs (a reading list)
Recommended reading BOOK AND MAGAZINE PUBLISHING
Acquiring, swapping, or selling books
New and used books, Amazon.com and elsewhere Communicating and marketing online (Web 2.0)
Blogs, social media, podcasts, ezines, survey tools and online games Job banks, publishing marketplaces
And finding freelance gigs Marketing, publicity, promotion
Blogs, video promotion, intelligent radio programs Publishing (and e-publishing)
See also Self-Publishing Self-publishing and print on demand (POD)
Indie publishing, digital publishing, POD, how-to articles So, You Want to Write a Book!
Includes original text by Sarah Wernick WRITERS AND CREATORS
Awards, grants, fellowships
Plus contests and other sources of funding Corporate and technical communications
Copywriting, speechwriting, marketing, training, and the like Fiction writing
Literary and commercial (including genre) Mastering art and craft
Writing, reporting, multimedia, equipment, software Media pros and other allied professionals
Translators, indexers, designers, photographers, artists, illustrators, animators, cartoonists, image professionals, composers Specialty and niche writing
Groups for writers who specialize in animals, children's books, food, gardens, family history, resumes, sports, travel, Webwriting, and wine (etc.) ETHICS, RIGHTS, AND OTHER ISSUES
Copyright, work for hire, and other rights issues
Google Books Settlement (Pro and Con) Ethics, libel, freedom of the press
Plus media watchdogs, FOIA EDITORS AND EDITING
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