Friday, December 31, 2010

Reverse Dictionary

When you can't think of a word, describe it in this reverse dictionary to find the word.
http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Overwriting

How do you spot if your writing has gotten too wordy.
http://fictiongroupie.blogspot.com/2010/11/friends-dont-let-friends-overwrite.html

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Chautaqua Scholarship

Highlights Foundation offers scholarships for their Writers Workshop at Chautauqua (deadline 2/11/2011)
http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/scholarshipNewsletters/Scholarships.html

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Returns

How do returns in book publishing work.
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2010/11/terms-to-know-returns.html

Monday, December 27, 2010

Building an Online Following

Tips to attract and keep followers for your blogs/tweets.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/11/seven-tips-on-how-to-build-following.html

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Is Your Manuscript Ready to Submit?

Items to check, including formatting, before you send in your manuscript.
http://www.terryburns.net/Submit.htm

Saturday, December 25, 2010

After the Sale

What happens between the time you sell your book and it's published?
http://ingridsnotes.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/your-manuscript-is-ready-are-you/

Friday, December 24, 2010

Wordiness

Tips on how to tighten and strengthen your writing.
http://www.poewar.com/get-rid-of-ugly-wordiness-how-to-cut-your-novel-down-to-size/

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Freelance Editors

Should you get a freelance editor to look at your work before you submit?
http://kidlit.com/2010/02/10/using-freelance-editors/

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Fantasy Novel Exam

What not to include in your fantasy novel.
http://www.rinkworks.com/fnovel/

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

First Pages

Editor Alvina Ling tells how to make a great first page.
http://bluerosegirls.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-makes-great-first-page.html

Monday, December 20, 2010

New Agent

Brianne Mulligan of Movable Type Literary Group is looking for high concept MG and YA.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/New+Agent+Alert+Brianne+Mulligan+Of+Movable+Type+Literary+Group.aspx

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Choosing a Title

Lulu has a fun app to "predict" the success of your book title.
http://www.lulu.com/titlescorer/index.php

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Negotiating Your Contract

Here are some contract negotiation hints if you are agentless.
http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/2010/11/negotiating-your-own-contract.html

Friday, December 17, 2010

Storyboarding Software

Let the computer help you visualize and sequence the events in your story.
http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/2010/11/storyboarding-on-shoestring-with.html

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Getting a Blog Book Review

How to maximize the chances to get your book reviewed on blogs.
http://www.amarketingexpert.com/5-steps-for-crafting-the-perfect-book-review-pitch/

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Writing Pitfalls to Avoid

34 things to eliminate in your writing.
http://edittorrent.blogspot.com/2010/10/writing-pitfalls-to-avoid.html

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Submitting Revisions

When is it appropriate to submit a revised version of a manuscript and how to do it.
http://agencygatekeeper.blogspot.com/2010/07/heres-my-revision-will-you-read-it-how.html

Monday, December 13, 2010

Adverbs/Adjectives to Avoid

Make your writing stronger and more precise by eliminating these modifiers.
http://www.darkangelwritingandreviews.com/2010/11/dreary-ole-modifers.html

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Successful School Visits

Author Cynthia Lord gives 6 1/2 hints to have a successful school visit.
http://donnagephart.blogspot.com/2010/06/school-visits-with-cynthia-lord-top-6.html

Saturday, December 11, 2010

How to Fire Your Agent

The proper way to part ways with your agent.
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-fire-your-agent.html

Friday, December 10, 2010

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Monday, December 6, 2010

Information Dumps

How not to give your readers the backstory to your characters and actions.
http://www.yahighway.com/2010/10/big-dumps-bob-and-other-backstory.html

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Negotiating a Contract

What is an agent most likely to negotiate?
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/11/publishing-contracts.html

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Author Photo

Photo tips to make you look your best.
http://www.stinalindenblatt.com/2010/10/tip-86-author-photos.html

Friday, December 3, 2010

Name Your Blog

Should you name your blog after yourself or come up with a clever name?
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2010/10/07/5-blog-naming-basics/

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

School Visit Blog

Everything you need to know about school visits.
http://schoolvisitexperts.com/

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Published First Pages

A place to post the first page of your novel, with buy links.
http://www.firstpagepanda.com/

Monday, November 29, 2010

Blog Checklist

Your blog needs more than just the content.
http://marianlibrarian.com/2010/09/14/the-ultimate-blog-checklist/

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Picture Book Dummies for Non-Illustrators

Making a picture book dummy (but not submitting it) will help you fine-tune your book's pacing.
http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/2010/03/who-are-you-calling-dummy.html

Saturday, November 27, 2010

School Visit Problems

How to cope and recover when things go wrong at a school visit.
http://verlakay.blogspot.com/2010/10/look-at-school-visits-part-five-dealing.html

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Point of View

Pros and cons of first, second, and third person pov.
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2010/09/povthe-magic-of-one-two-or-three.html

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Your Critique Group is not an Acquiring Editor

Ten reasons why your critique group may love your manuscript but an editor won't acquire it.
http://ht.ly/2EwpN

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Blogs for Writers

Collection of writerly blogs with the last five posts listed.
http://www.bubblecow.co.uk/blogs-for-writers/

Monday, November 22, 2010

Dialogue Problems

Seven types of dialogue problems to watch out for.
http://iggiandgabi.blogspot.com/2010/09/technical-tips-for-writing-dialogue.html

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Alpha and Beta Readers

Are you looking for a manuscript exchange partner?
http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/2010/10/alpha-beta-reader-exchange.html

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Friday, November 19, 2010

Social Media Buzzwords

From viral to meme, what do people mean when they use these social media buzzwords.
http://marianlibrarian.com/2010/09/16/12-social-media-buzzwords-redefined/

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Extra Characters

How to justify a character's existence in your story.
http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog/2010/09/07/extra-characters/

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Persistence-Good or Bad?

When is it time to abandon a manuscript and move on?
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2010/09/when-persistence-becomes-vice.html

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Blog Bio Pages

The About Me page is usually the most visited one after the home page. Make it better.
http://michaelhyatt.com/10-ways-to-create-a-better-about-page-for-your-blog.html

Monday, November 15, 2010

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Grass Roots Marketing

Unusual real-world ways to spread the word about your book.
http://blog.marketingtipsforauthors.com/2010/09/8-tips-on-starting-your-own-grass-roots.html

Friday, November 12, 2010

First Drafts

Ten hints to help you finish your first draft.
http://elspeth-itsamystery.blogspot.com/2010/08/10-ways-to-finish-that-danged-first.html

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

What's an Idea Worth?

According to agent Mary Kole, it's all about the execution, not the idea.
http://kidlit.com/2010/09/17/all-about-execution/

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Cost of Book Store Events

How much does it cost the bookstore and publisher to have a book signing?
http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2008/09/pimpin-your-book-economics-of-average.html

Monday, November 8, 2010

Prepositions

Tighten up your prose by eliminating unnecessary prepositions.
http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2010/08/re-write-wednesday-golden-oldie.html

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Early Readers and Chapter Books

Definitions and market analysis by agent Mary Kole.

http://kidlit.com/2010/10/22/early-reader-chapter-book-market/

Thursday, November 4, 2010

100 Writing Blogs

100 blogs that provide inspiration, motivation, creativity and new techniques from experts, freelancers, and editors.
http://universitiesandcolleges.org/top-100-blog-to-improve-your-writing-in-2010/

Offers From Multiple Agents

What do you do now?
http://agencygatekeeper.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-do-i-reject-agent-and-how-do-i-let.html

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

YA Contest

Grand prize is a full manuscript reading and editorial consultation from Regina Brooks (Serendipty Literary) plus a free 10-week writing course courtesy of the Gotham Writer's Workshop. (entry deadline Nov. 30, 2010)
http://scbwi.blogspot.com/2010/11/serendipity-literarys-ya-novel.html

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Cliches

How to spot and fix your language, character, and plot cliches.
http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2010/08/it-was-dark-and-stormy-night.html

Monday, November 1, 2010

New Agent

Elena Mechlin of Pippin Properties is looking for picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/New+Agent+Alert+Elena+Mechlin+Of+Pippin+Properties.aspx

Sunday, October 31, 2010

PiBoIdMo

Picture Book Idea Month starts November 1st.
http://taralazar.wordpress.com/piboidmo2010/

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Picture Book Queries

What do you write when your manuscript isn't much longer than a query letter?
http://kidlit.com/2010/09/27/picture-book-queries/

Friday, October 29, 2010

Thursday, October 28, 2010

School Visits

Alexis O’Neill's blog about getting and putting on the best school visits.
http://schoolvisitexperts.com/

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Is Your Manuscript Finished?

How to decide whether it's ready to query or needs more work.
http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-can-writer-know-if-their-writing-is.html

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Recommended Books

Books from different genres that everyone should know, recommended by the New York Public Library.
http://kids.nypl.org/reading/recommended_2009.cfm

Monday, October 25, 2010

Middle Grade or Young Adult?

It depends on the themes, scope, and depth/breadth.
http://hannahmosk.blogspot.com/2010/09/mg-vs-ya.html

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Pronouns

When should you use them and when use the character's name.
http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com/2010/08/are-you-benefiting-from-intimacy-of.html

Saturday, October 23, 2010

New YA Imprint

Sterling Children’s Books will launch a new teen fiction imprint, Splinter, in January 2011.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/44900-sterling-to-start-teen-fiction-imprint.html

Friday, October 22, 2010

Writing Resources

Agent Mary Kole suggests resources, both online and in the real world, for children's writers.
http://kidlit.com/resources-for-writers/

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Character Motivations

Whether your protagonist or an agonist, your characters must have a reason for their actions.
http://www.superheronation.com/2010/08/17/15-interesting-motivations-for-villains-and-heroes/

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Multiple Manuscripts

How to choose which one you should query with.
http://www.annastan.com/2010/10/choosing-which-manuscript-to-query/

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Teacher Resources

Literature-based lessons, interactives, calendar activities, and more.
http://www.readwritethink.org/

Monday, October 18, 2010

Questions for a Prospective Agent

What you'd like to know before you sign with an agent.
http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/2007/06/02/239/how-to-interview-an-agent/

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Present Tense

What are the pros and cons of writing in present tense?
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2010/07/some-very-quick-thoughts-on-present.html

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Social Media Timesavers

Tips to help you get the most out of social media while spending the least time.
http://nouveauwriter.blogspot.com/2010/09/guest-post-10-ways-to-rock-on-social.html

Friday, October 15, 2010

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Pacing

Things that will ruin your novel's pacing.
http://writerunboxed.com/2010/08/24/telegraphing-and-other-pace-killers/

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Multicultural Blogs

Blogs that focus on ethnic and cultural diversity in children's literature.
http://www.mitaliblog.com/2010/09/ten-great-multicultural-blogs.html

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Children's Literature Residency

Information about the Thurber House Children's Writer in Residence Program.
http://www.thurberhouse.org/childrens-writer-in-residence.html

Monday, October 11, 2010

New Agent

John Rudolph has joined Dystel and Goderich and is interested in middle-grade, young adult, and author-illustrators.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/New+Agent+Alert+John+Rudolph+Of+Dystel+Goderich.aspx

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Story Structure

How should you break your novel into scenes and chapters.
http://kidlit.com/2010/08/30/chapters-and-scenes/

Friday, October 8, 2010

Misused Words

An extensive description of commonly misused words and phrases.
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Facebook

How to use Facebook for marketing without annoying people.
http://writerunboxed.com/2010/08/27/using-facebook-to-amplify-your-reach-and-not-annoy-people/

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

First Pages

Twelve dos and don'ts for the beginning of your novel.
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2010/08/act-first-explain-later.html

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Monday, October 4, 2010

Kid Lit Related Twitter Names

Name and profiles of editors, publishers, and agents.
http://ingridsnotes.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/tweet-tweet-tweet/

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Interview Your Characters

"Ask" them questions that pertain to their lives.
http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2010/08/shes-such-character.html

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Historical Figures

What you need to think about if you use real people in your historical fiction.
http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/show/how-to-use-historical-figures-in-your-novels

Friday, October 1, 2010

Promote Your Debut Book

Aaron Shepard gives hints on how to market your first book.
http://www.aaronshep.com/kidwriter/A48.html

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Senses

Two lists to help you describe your character's sensations.
http://larae.net/write/senses.html
http://www.msgarrettonline.com/descripwords.html

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Twitter

Ten ways you can use twitter to promote your book.
http://publishingguru.blogspot.com/2010/07/top-ten-ways-authors-can-use-twitter-to.html

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Newspapers

Research local information from over 6,000 newspapers.
http://www.thepaperboy.com/

Monday, September 27, 2010

Grounding the Reader

How to avoid pulling your reader out of the story.
http://kidlit.com/2010/08/04/grounding-the-reader/

Sunday, September 26, 2010

High Concept

What do editors and agents mean when they talk about high concept?
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/08/what-high-concept-means.html

Saturday, September 25, 2010

First Sentences

What to include in a good first sentence.
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2010/08/guest-post-what-makes-good-first.html

Friday, September 24, 2010

Headshots

Why you need a professional picture of yourself.
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/09/author-headshots.html

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Pre-Agented Revising

Agent Joan Paquette discusses why a prospective agent might request a revision and whether or not you should do it.
http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2010/04/agent-requested-revisions-interview.html

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Common Grammar Questions

Dr. Grammar's alphabetical listed of frequently asked grammar questions.
http://www.drgrammar.org/faqs/

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Nonfiction in Your Fiction

How do you insert facts into your novel without sounding like a textbook.
http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2010/08/23/inserting-nonfiction-into-your-novel/

Monday, September 20, 2010

Secondary Characters

Make sure your secondary characters really earn their keep.
http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/2010/09/secondary-characters-or-plot-devices.html

Sunday, September 19, 2010

New Agent

Joan Slattery has joined Pippin Properties and is interested in children's and young adult's books.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/44482-slattery-to-become-agent-with-pippin.html

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Friday, September 17, 2010

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Designing a Novel

How to use the "snowflake method" to write your first draft.
http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Picture Books and Agents

Why is it so hard for a picture book writer to find an agent?
http://upstartcrowliterary.com/blog/?p=921

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Racism

Why a book with a MC of color isn't only for children of color.
http://www.hungermtn.org/color-me-perplexed/

Monday, September 13, 2010

Writing Terms

Important and interesting words for writers to think about.
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2010/08/words-to-think-about-from-to-v.html

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Computer Backups

You don't want to lose all your hard work, so back up your data! Here's how.
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2010/08/guest-post-honey-i-deleted-your-novel.html

Friday, September 10, 2010

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Questions to Ask a Prospective Agent

Keep this list handy for when you get the call.
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/08/what-to-ask-agent.html

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Monday, September 6, 2010

Voice

How to craft a great voice from agent Nathan Bransford.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/05/how-to-craft-great-voice.html

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Friday, September 3, 2010

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Random Acts of Publicity

Encourage fellow book creators to help publicize one another's work September 7-10, 2010.
http://scbwi.blogspot.com/2010/08/participate-in-random-acts-of-publicity.html

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Promote Your Books

100 promotion ideas from Raab Associates
http://www.raabassociates.com/index.php/learning-the-ropes-of-pr.html

Monday, August 30, 2010

Sunday, August 29, 2010

KidLit Con 2010

A conference for children's literature bloggers on October 23, 2010 in Minneapolis, MN.
http://kidlitcon2010.blogspot.com/

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Poetry

Though this post is about contests, the advice holds for any poetry collection.
http://dianelockward.blogspot.com/2010/07/some-thoughts-about-poetry-book.html

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Blogging Before Publication

Should you blog even if you don't yet have a published book?http://kidlit.com/2010/07/21/should-unpublished-writers-blog/

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Practice Novels

Are your early novels salvageable, or should you just think of them as practice?
http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2010/07/can-writer-salvage-early-manuscripts.html

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Marketing Your Book

Links to articles, audios and inspiration for marketing your book.
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/marketing/

Monday, August 23, 2010

Nonfiction Proposals

What do you need to include when querying for a nonfiction book?
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/The+8+Elements+Of+A+Nonfiction+Book+Proposal.aspx

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Friday, August 20, 2010

Slang

American, English, and urban slang, including words used with social media.
http://onlineslangdictionary.com/

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Rights Lists

Publishers and agents listed their available titles at the Bologna Book Fair.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/The+8+Elements+Of+A+Nonfiction+Book+Proposal.aspx

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Cover Art

What it should accomplish and what you should do if you don't like yours.
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2010/07/year-in-review-part-2.html

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Author Background Checks

What might a potential agent or publisher check out about you.
http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2010/07/12/the-author-background-check-cautionary-notes/

Monday, August 16, 2010

Character Names

How do you choose or create the perfect name.
http://writersdigest.com/article/how-to-give-your-character-the-perfect-name/

Sunday, August 15, 2010

New MG/YA Agent

Jason Pinter joins the Waxman agency and will represent middle-grade and young adult novels.
http://www.waxmanagency.com/about_bios.html

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Your Financial Responsibilities

Sometimes there are legitimate costs associated with your book, even if it's not self-published.
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/07/stuff-you-pay-for.html

Friday, August 13, 2010

Revised Manuscripts

Should you resubmit your manuscript if you've extensively revised it?
http://agencygatekeeper.blogspot.com/2010/07/heres-my-revision-will-you-read-it-how.html

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Artist Communities

Descriptions of national and international artist communities, including grant information.
http://www.artistcommunities.org/

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Branding Yourself

Does it make sense to concentrate on a single genre/age group?
http://shrinkingvioletpromotions.blogspot.com/2010/06/does-branding-make-sense.html

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Monday, August 9, 2010

Point of View

How to choose the correct POV for your manuscript.
http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/show/19

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Blog Backups

If you don't want to risk losing all your posts, you need to back up your blog.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/How+To+Back+Up+Your+Blog+And+Save+Content.aspx

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Revising Your Character

How to strengthen your characters during revision.
http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/show/47

Friday, August 6, 2010

Detailed Critiques

The more details you provide, the more useful the critique.
http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2010/06/providing-better-critiques-being.html

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Taxes

Basic tax information for writers, including self-employment issues and deductions.
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2010/07/taxing-profession.html

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Middle-Grade Blog

Lists, author interviews, market news, and a behind-the-scenes look at publishing for writers and lovers of middle-grade books.
http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/

Monday, August 2, 2010

Reasons for Agent Rejections

Most rejections have nothing to do with the writing quality.
http://agencygatekeeper.blogspot.com/2008/04/life-of-pie.html

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Jewish Children's Books

The Whole Megillah is a helpful resource for writers of Jewish-themed content for young readers.
http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/about/

Friday, July 30, 2010

Sales Kits and Co-op

How your publisher sells your book to bookstores.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/07/guest-blog-week-book-sales-demystified.html

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Monday, July 26, 2010

Setting

Questions to ask about the setting of your book.
http://www.yingleyangle.com/2010/05/20-questions-to-enrich-your-setting.html

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Friday, July 23, 2010

Fiction Basics

Notes from a class taught by author Jennifer Crusie.
http://www.arghink.com/2010/06/21/the-basics-of-fiction/

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Multi-Book Deals

One thing to watch out for in your contract.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2010/06/one-possible-peril-of-multi-book-deal.html

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Picture Book of the Day

Author Anastasia Suen chooses picture books to highlight.
http://picturebookday.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Query Stages

Guidelines to manage the five stages of querying.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/The+5+Stages+Of+Querying.aspx

Monday, July 19, 2010

Editor Profiles

Harold Underdown profiles editors and their houses.
http://www.underdown.org/cig-editor-profiles.htm

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Characters

Links to blogs containing tips for crafting characters.
http://the-writing-bug.blogspot.com/2010/05/best-of-blogs-crafting-characters.html

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Publishers Weekly News Blog

Keep up with the latest news from the publishing industry.
http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/

Friday, July 16, 2010

Blogger Book Reviewers

Anastasia Suen provides a list of bloggers who review kids' books.
http://www.asuen.com/blog/blog.central.kid.lit.shtml

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Agent Move

Michelle Andelman has joined Regal Literary, representing middle-grade and young-adult authors, as well as author/illustrators of picture books and graphic novels.
http://www.regal-literary.com/About.html

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

School Visits - Why Bother?

Author Verla Kay tells why you should do them.
http://verlakay.blogspot.com/2010_05_22_archive.html

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Line Editing

Ten steps to tighten up your prose and improve your final product.
http://www.deepgenre.com/wordpress/craft/line-editing/

Monday, July 12, 2010

Prologues

Why you might (or might not) need a prologue.
http://www.learntowritefiction.com/why-you-dont-need-a-prologue/

Sunday, July 11, 2010

The Hero's Journey

Descriptions of the many steps of the hero's journey.
http://justusrstone.com/?p=135

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Query Fails

Examples of what not to do in a query letter.
http://slushpilehell.tumblr.com/

Friday, July 9, 2010

Marketing Ideas

How to make your book live in readers' awareness and keep it that way.
http://marielamba.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/marketing-outside-of-the-box/

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Twitter Hashtags

40 writer-related twitter hashtags.
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/40-twitter-hashtags-for-writers/

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Readers and Self-Publishing

A Salon article on what self-publishing means to us as readers.
http://www.salon.com/books/laura_miller/2010/06/22/slush/index.html

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Writing Secrets

Author Ami Hendrickson shares twenty lessons she's learned along the way.
http://museinks.blogspot.com/2010/06/20-writing-secrets-my-english-teachers.html

Monday, July 5, 2010

First Pages

What agents do and don't want to see in a first page.
http://stiryourtea.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-81-of-agents-expect-on-first-page.html

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Word Frequency

See if you're overusing certain words by creating a word cloud.
http://www.wordle.net/

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Lead Titles

What does it mean if your book is a lead title on a publisher's list?
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2010/06/terms-to-know-lead-title.html

Friday, July 2, 2010

Hero's Journey

What are the steps for a classic hero's journey story?
http://justusrstone.com/?p=135

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Blog Comments

What's the best way to get people to post comments on your blog?
http://constantrevisions.blogspot.com/2010/06/generating-comment-traffic-through.html

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Four Sentence Synopsis

That's all it takes to present the most important information about your manuscript.
http://meganrebekahblogs.blogspot.com/2010/06/4-sentence-synopsis.html

Monday, June 28, 2010

Blogger ARC Reviews

Get your advanced reader copy (ARC) into the hands of online book reviewers.
http://princessbookiearctours.blogspot.com/2010/05/arcbook-donations.html

Sunday, June 27, 2010

From Idea to Story

Ten steps to turn your brainstorm into a viable manuscript concept.
http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-have-idea-now-what.html

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Friday, June 25, 2010

Series

Some points to remember if you're writing a series.
http://victoriamixon.com/2010/05/28/4-dos-4-donts-for-writing-series-fiction/

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Bookstore Chains

What happens if your book is not picked up by the biggies.
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2009/07/yall-got-serv-uh-skipped.html

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Monday, June 21, 2010

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Online Writing Conference Aug 10-12/2010

A free online conference for children's writers. Registration opens July 1.
http://writeoncon.com/

World Building

It's not just for fantasy.
http://www.yahighway.com/2010/06/world-building-little-things.html

Friday, June 18, 2010

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Author/Illustrator Teams

Can you get a publication contract if you're an author and have collaborated on a picture book with an illustrator?
http://kidlit.com/2010/06/14/working-as-an-author-and-illustrator-team-before-submission/

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

New Agent

Amanda Luedeke joins MacGregor Literary and is looking for, among other genres, children's and young adult books.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/New+Agent+Alert+Amanda+Luedeke+Of+MacGregor+Literary.aspx

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Commas

Editor Cheryl Klein discusses how commas affect the rhythm of a sentence.
http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/2010/06/squids-101-punctuation-commas.html

Monday, June 14, 2010

Style Sheets

Why you should have a style sheet for your novel even before it goes to copyediting.
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2010/06/style-sheet.html

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Book Launches

Seven tips for throwing a great book launch.
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-to-throw-awesome-book-launch.html

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Symbolism Thesaurus

This compilation of descriptions is organized by the specific message, feeling or idea they are meant to evoke.
http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/2010/02/new-symbolism-thesaurus.html

Friday, June 11, 2010

Book Titles

Things to think about when you choose a title.
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2010/06/rose-by-any-other-name.html

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Social Media Tips

Kathy Temean gives 25 tips to get the most out of social media.
http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/25-ways-to-make-social-media-work-for-you/

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Newer vs. Established Agent

Agent Mary Kole discusses how an agent's experience might affect your choice of agent.
http://kidlit.com/2010/06/02/newer-vs-established-agents/

Monday, June 7, 2010

Revision Checklist

Detailed descriptions of 15 considerations when revising.
http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1108215-Expanded-Power-Revision-Checklist

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Grammar Help

The Grammar Girl website answers all your grammar, punctuation, word choice, and style questions.
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Overwriting

How to spot if you used too many words to write your book.
http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/2009/09/big-mistake-3-over-writing.html

Friday, June 4, 2010

Stages of Revision

Author Natalie Whipple explains her revision process.
http://betweenfactandfiction.blogspot.com/2010/01/stages-of-revision.html

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Goodreads

Promote your book through, goodreads, the largest social network for readers in the world.
http://www.goodreads.com/author/program.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Show Don't Tell

The authors of Self Editing for Fiction Writers explain how to do this.
thttp://www.writerswrite.com/journal/sep01/browne.htm

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Write Your A** Off Day

Devote a day (June 22, 2010) to writing and support free creative writing programs.
http://www.nywriterscoalition.org/2010/05/nywcwriteathon/

Monday, May 31, 2010

Query Letter Basics

Eric Blank gives a salesperson's point of view about query letters.
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2010/05/some-things-i-might-know-about-query.html

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Picture Book Twitter

Transcripts of picture book lit chats (#pblitchat) on Twitter.
http://picturebooksonly.wordpress.com/

Friday, May 28, 2010

Do You Need an Agent?

Harold Underdown gives reasons why you might not.
http://www.underdown.org/agent-not-needed.htm

Thursday, May 27, 2010

The One Sentence Pitch

Agent Nathan Bransford explains what to put in a one sentence pitch.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/05/how-to-write-one-sentence-pitch.html

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Best Children's Books of 2010

The Children's Book Committee at the Bank Street College of Education chooses.
http://ht.ly/1LKTl

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Advance Reader Copies

What should you do with the galleys you get of your book?
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2010/05/using-your-galleys.html

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Manuscript Lengths

Agent Mary Kole discusses when is a manuscript too long.
http://kidlit.com/2009/11/13/manuscript-length/

Saturday, May 22, 2010

iPad Apps for Writers

Reviews of various writing-related applications for the iPad.
http://www.inkygirl.com/ipad-apps-for-writers-notetaking-writing-idea-management/

Friday, May 21, 2010

New Agency

Folio Literary Management launches a division devotes to children's and young adult books
http://www.foliolit.com/foliojunior.php

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Publishing Company Departments

What's done where and by whom in a publishing company.
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2010/05/wonderful-game-called-whats-my.html

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Odds of Getting Publishers

Harold Underdown shows how it's not all bad news.
http://www.underdown.org/publishing-odds.htm

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Website/Blog Before Publication

Should you have a website and/or a blog before you even have a publisher?
http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2010/04/26/WhyStartAWebsiteOrBlogIfYouHaveNothingToPromote.aspx

Monday, May 17, 2010

Voice

Agent Nathan Bransford explains the elusive concept of "voice."
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/05/how-to-craft-great-voice.html

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Breaking the Rules

Agent Mary Kole discusses when you can "color outside the lines."
http://kidlit.com/2010/04/07/genius-at-work-vs-working-writer/

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Friday, May 14, 2010

Book Trailers

Four tips from Writers Digest on how to create a book trailer.
http://www.writersdigest.com/article/4-simple-steps-to-creating-a-book-trailer/

Thursday, May 13, 2010

State Educational Standards

Education World provides links by state for educational standards in various subject areas.
http://www.educationworld.com/standards/state/index.shtml

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Monday, May 10, 2010

Rhyming Picture Books

Agent Mary Kole discusses the pros and cons of picture books in rhyme.
http://kidlit.com/2009/09/05/rhyming-picturebooks-a-rhyme-with-reason/

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Editorial Reviews

Post editorial reviews on your Amazon Author Central page.
https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/help?topicID=200436740

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Writing Children's Books-FAQs

Answers from SCBWI to frequently asked questions.
http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/Top-10-FAQs

Friday, May 7, 2010

The Acquisitions Process

Agent Jill Corcoran provides links for several different publishers.
http://jillcorcoran.blogspot.com/2010/05/acquisitions-peeling-back-curtain.html

Thursday, May 6, 2010

New Agent

Suzie Townsend is a new agent at the Fine Print Literary Agency seeking both children's fiction/nonfiction and adult fiction. http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/New+Agent+Alert+Suzie+Townsend+Of+FinePrint+Literary+Management.aspx

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Writing Nonfiction

Eleven tips for writing nonfiction from author Fiona Bayrock.
http://www.fionabayrock.com/ARTICLEeleventips.htm

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Beginnings

Why does an editor stop reading your manuscript?
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/7+Reasons+Agents+Stop+Reading+Your+First+Chapter.aspx

Monday, May 3, 2010

IPad

Check how your website looks on the iPad.
http://ipadpeek.com/

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Synopses

Ten keys to create a perfect synopsis
http://writersdigest.com/article/10-synopsis-dos-and-donts

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010

New Agent

Marissa Walsh has joined the Fine Print Literary Agency as an agent focusing on children's picture books, middle-grade and YA.
http://fineprintlit.com/about-the-agents/marissa-walsh/

Thursday, April 29, 2010

We Give Books

Donate a book through a literacy organization by reading online one of these children's book titles from Penguin and DK.
http://www.wegivebooks.org/

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Posting Work Online

Is it a good idea to put your writing up on a blog or website?
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/Be+Slightly+Afraid+Of+Posting+Your+Work+Online.aspx

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Rutgers One-on-One Plus Conference

Registration is open for this mentoring workshop (application deadline: June 15, 2010)
http://www.ruccl.org/

Friday, April 23, 2010

New Agent

Bree Ogden will be representing graphic novels, young adult, and children's books at Martin Literary
http://www.martinliterarymanagement.com/bree-ogden.htm

Thursday, April 22, 2010

SCBWI - L.A. Conference, Jul 30-Aug 2, 2010

Registration is now open. Early registration ends May 31st.
http://www.scbwi.org/Conference.aspx?Con=6

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Tips for Promoting Your Books

Publisher Simon and Schuster lists online tips and tools.
http://simonandschuster.biz/author-resources/tips-for-promoting-your-books

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Monday, April 19, 2010

Author Interviews

Over 100 author interviews on the Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast blog.
http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?page_id=1045

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Picture Book Checklist

Author Lill Pluta gives 13 reasons why your picture book may have been rejected.
http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php?topic=43380.msg555682#msg555682

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Friday, April 16, 2010

Skype Visits

Author Kate Messner gives tips about Skype author visits.
http://donnagephart.blogspot.com/2010/03/skype-with-kate-messner-top-6-12-list.html

Thursday, April 15, 2010

New YA Agent

Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown will be representing YA Authors.
http://www.curtisbrown.com/lapolla.php

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Query Letters

Agent Jill Corcoran gives the basic formula for a query letter.
http://jillcorcoran.blogspot.com/2010/04/formula-for-query-letter.html

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Book Formats and Age Levels

From Harold Underdown's book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books
http://www.underdown.org/cig_3e_ch08a.htm

Monday, April 12, 2010

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Free YA/MG Edit

Author Deborah Halverson is giving away a free substantive edit of one manuscript (submission deadline 4/14/10).
http://dear-editor.com/

Friday, April 9, 2010

Book Publicists

List of book publicists and the specialties they represent.
http://www.publishingtrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Publicists-2009.pdf

Thursday, April 8, 2010

The Times/Chicken House Competition

The winner of Chicken House's (UK publisher) annual contest for unpublished writers will receive a publishing contract. (submission window - August 2 through October 29, 2010)
http://www.doublecluck.com/submissions

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

15 Days to Stronger Characters

Author Darcy Pattison gives ideas on how to strengthen your characters.
www.darcypattison.com/revision/15-days-to-stronger-characters/

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

New Canadian Children's Book Imprint

Toronto-based Cormorant Books is launching Dancing Cat Books, which will focus on literary fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/454264-Cormorant_Books_to_Start_Children_s_Imprint.php?nid=2788&source=title&rid=17392217

Monday, April 5, 2010

Children's Literature Across the Curriculum

Patricia Stohr-Hunt blogs about using children's literature to teach math, science, and social studies.
http://ow.ly/1fjlg

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Chapters

Agent Scott Eagan discusses how to choose chapter breaks.
http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2010/03/question-from-writer_16.html

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Author Blogs

Why it's important to have a blog if you're an author.
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2009/01/24/authors-should-blo/

Friday, April 2, 2010

Carolrhoda Accepting YA submissions

For a limited time (until 4/30/10), Carolrhoda will accept unsolicited YA submissions as described in the link below.
http://carolrhoda.blogspot.com/2007/11/solicted-submissions.html

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Pitching

Agent Scott Eagan gives hints on how to pitch your manuscript.
http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2008/06/art-of-pitching.html

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

New Canadian MG/YA Agent

Alison McDonald has joined Canadian Agency, The Rights Factory, and will be representing middle-grade and young adult authors.
http://www.therightsfactory.com/index.html

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

TweetChat

TweetChat allows you to easily participate in a single chat without seeing unrelated tweets.
http://tweetchat.com/

Monday, March 29, 2010

Great Kids Books

School librarian and mom, Mary Ann Scheuer, reviews books for kids ages 4-14.
http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.com/

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Should You Self Publish

Agent Nathan Bransford gives a list of questions you should ask yourself.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/03/should-you-self-publish-ten-questions.html

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Glossary of Publishing Terms

150 definitions from Harold Underdown.
http://www.underdown.org/cigglossary.htm

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Online Platform

Do's and Don'ts from agent Mary Kole abuot your online presence.
http://kidlit.com/2010/02/26/online-platform-dos-donts/

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Book Trailers Site

A site for teachers (and others) to find children's book trailers.
https://www.4shared.com/u/vgpvszst/15eb7f4e/Book_Trailers_for_All.html

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Creating iPhone Apps

Author Tom Evans explains how to publish your book in multiple formats.
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/03/13/podcast-creating-iphone-apps-for-your-books-with-tom-evans-the-bookwright/

Monday, March 22, 2010

Book Release Timeline

What to do and when in the months before your book's release.
http://lisa-schroeder.livejournal.com/320061.html

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Rookie Query Mistakes

Agent Jenny Bent shares mistakes she's seen.
http://jennybent.blogspot.com/2010/02/rookie-mistakes.html

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Critique Groups

How do you decide when it's time to leave your group?
http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/search/label/critiquing%2Fcritiques

Friday, March 19, 2010

How to Format E-Queries

Agent Nathan Bransford explains the proper formatting
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/03/how-to-format-query-letter.html

Thursday, March 18, 2010

New YA Imprint

Carolrhoda Lab will publish distinctive, provocative, boundary-pushing fiction for teens.
http://ow.ly/1kn6O

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Standard Submission Process

What happens after submission if an editor likes your manuscript?
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2010/03/whats-standard-submission-process-like.html

Monday, March 15, 2010

NJ SCBWI Early Bird Pricing

Reduced prices for the NJ SCBWI Annual Conference on June 4/5 2010 expires March 31st.
http://www.newjerseyscbwi.com/events/100604%20early%20bird%20flyer.jpg

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Friday, March 12, 2010

New Agent

Natalie M. Fischer of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency is actively seeking new clients for pb through ya books.
http://www.dijkstraagency.com/meet-the-agents.html#natalie-fischer

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Autographed Books

Author JA Konrath suggests drive-by booksignings to get more copies of your autographed books into bookstores.
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24549

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Biographies of Women

From Booklist Online, "Telling Her Stories."
http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=show_product&pid=4033490

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Pitches

Get feedback on your pitch or synopsis.
http://pitchparlour.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 8, 2010

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Best Tweets for Writers

Every Sunday, Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest posts a list.
http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Copy Editors

Questions to ask a prospective copy editors.
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1225116&postcount=16

Friday, March 5, 2010

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Cost of Publishing Ebooks

How much is saved over the cost of printing a book?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/business/media/01ebooks.html

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Book Bites for Kids

Host Suzanne Lieurance talks with authors about their books.
www.blogtalkradio.com/bookbitesforkids

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Page Proofs

Editorial Anonymous explains the different types of proofs and what's involved in making changes to them.
http://editorialanonymous.blogspot.com/2009/02/definitions-for-perplexed-proofs.html

Monday, March 1, 2010

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Saturday, February 27, 2010

New Agent

Marisa Corvisiero is joining Lori Perkins Agency and will handle some young adult and children's literature.
www.agentinthemiddle.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html#4610786406226930237

Friday, February 26, 2010

New Publisher

Nosy Crow, a new U.K. publisher, will bring out both traditional print books and apps for smart phones and other devices.
http://nosycrow.com/

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Independent Bookstores

List by state of independent bookstores in the US and Canada.
www.newpages.com/bookstores

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Amazon Sales Rank

How does it translate into number of books sold?
www.fonerbooks.com/surfing.htm

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Scary Books for Kids

Monster Library reviews books for the twelve and under crowd.
www.monsterlibrarian.com/horrorfictionlistkd.htm

Monday, February 22, 2010

Free Ebooks from Boyds Mills Press

Namelos is offering free ebooks of select titles through April 1, 2010. Enter the promo code given after each title. According to Kit (2ce4), City of Cannibals (d35f), The Dog in the Wood (3bd5), Warriors in the Crossfire (2ac4).
http://tinyurl.com/yz2owdr

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Basic Picture Book Layout

Editorial Anonymous explains the pages in a picture book.
http://editorialanonymous.blogspot.com/2008/10/basic-book-construction.html

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Ten Rules for Writing

Authors give ten (or so) pieces of advice on writing.
www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one

Friday, February 19, 2010

Twitter Chats for Writers

Use twitter and have discussions about writing.
www.inkygirl.com/twitter-chats-for-writers

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Read Across America Day

On March 2, the National Education Association calls for every child to be reading in the company of a caring adult.
www.nea.org/readacross

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Curriculum Standards

The Common Core State Standards Initiative will shortly release their K-12 standards for English-language arts and mathematics for public comment.
http://www.corestandards.org/

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Short Story Competition

Words Magazine has a contest for short stories written for kids (deadline April 30, 2010).
www.wordsmag.com/compcal10.htm

Monday, February 15, 2010

Vanity Publishers

Writers Beware shows how to tell the difference between vanity and mainstream publishers.
www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/vanity

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Writing Contests

Funds for Writers lists literary contests with no or nominal entry fees.
www.fundsforwriters.com/contests.htm

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Kidlit

Agent Mary Kole blogs about writing children's books.
http://www.kidlit.com/

Friday, February 12, 2010

New MG/YA Agent

Author Mandy Hubbard is joining D4EO Literary to represent middle-grade and young adult books.
http://mandyhubbard.livejournal.com/216998.html

Thursday, February 11, 2010

NJ SCBWI Annual Conference - June 4/5, 2010

Registration is now open for this two-day conference plus optional pre-conference intensives.
www.newjerseyscbwi.com/events/100604%20conference.shtml.

Permission to Use Copyrighted Material

What you need to do before using copyrighted material (song lyrics, poems, etc.) in your work.
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2010/02/obtaining-permissions.html

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Prologues

Agent Kristen Nelson explains when and when not to use a prologue.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-prologues-often-dont-work.html

Monday, February 8, 2010

Ten Query Mistakes

Agent Rachelle Gardner (with a little help from her friends) lists the top query mistakes.
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/02/top-ten-query-mistakes.html

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Google Alerts

Get an email whenever Google indexes a mention of you or your book (or anything else you set up.)
www.google.com/alerts

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Great Graphic Novels for Teens

A list of recommended graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction prepared by YALSA (Young Adults Library Services Association).
www.ala.org/yalsa/ggnt

Friday, February 5, 2010

New Agent

Rubin Pfeffer an East Coast office for East/West Literary.
www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6714451.html?rssid=192

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Jane Yolen's Writing Tips

Twenty tips from the NY SCBWI Conference as recorded by Kathy Temean.
http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Online Applications

50 online applications and sites related to social media.
www.chrisbrogan.com/50-online-applications-and-sites-to-consider

Monday, February 1, 2010

Feminist Literature

The Amelia Bloomer projects released its list of feminist children's books for 2010.
http://ameliabloomer.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/2010-amelia-bloomer-list

Sunday, January 31, 2010

How to Make a Book Trailer

Author Myrlin A. Hermes gives step-by-step directions.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/01/guest-blog-week-how-to-make-book.html

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Friday, January 29, 2010

Ebook Promotion

Twenty-six ways to promote your ebook from The Publicity Hound.
http://publicityhound.net/promote-an-ebook-26-ways

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Book Publicity Blog

A publicist at a large publishing house blogs on the ins and outs of book publicity.
http://yodiwan.wordpress.com/

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Black History Month

28 days of children's books recommendations by and about people of color.
http://thebrownbookshelf.com/28-days-later/

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Proofreader's Marks

Standard proofreader's marks from the Chicago Manual of Style.
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_proof.html

Monday, January 25, 2010

Creating a Website

From how to get started to how to be noticed, learn what it takes to make a good writer's website.
www.squidoo.com/writing-website

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Independent Bookstores

Independent bookstores are a great place to market your book.
http://www.indiebound.org/

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Selling Your First Novel

Statistics from the "tenners," a group of novelists debuting in 2010.
www.jennadolbooks.com/blog/?p=1158

Friday, January 22, 2010

Researching Comparable Books

Agent Jill Corcoran gives websites to use in researching published books.
http://jillcorcoran.blogspot.com/2010/01/researching-comp-books.html

New Agent

Brenda Bowen has joined the Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. agency.
www.greenburger.com/code/agents/brenda.htm

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Dictionary Searches

One look lets you search multiple dictionaries using wildcards, abbreviations, phrases, and more.
http://www.onelook.com/

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

BookTour.com

Website of of author appearances, book events, and literary happenings.
http://www.booktour.com/

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Acquisitions Process

Madeline Smoot of CBAY Books and Blooming Tree Press diagrams it out.
www.madelinesmoot.com/buriededitor/acquisitions.pdf

Monday, January 18, 2010

ALA Awards - 2010

When You Reach Me won this year's Newbery Medal.
www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/2010medawardwin.cfm

Sunday, January 17, 2010

New Agent

Lauren MacLeod has joined the Strothman Agency and is looking for middle-grade and young adult novels.
www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/New+Agent+Alert+Lauren+MacLeod+Of+The+Strothman+Agency.aspx

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Nonfiction for Kids

Community and information for nonfiction writers in this Yahoo group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NFforKids/

Friday, January 15, 2010

Picture Book vs. Short Story

Author Jan Fields tells how to tell the difference.
www.bksp.org/content/view/65/1/

Thursday, January 14, 2010

SCBWI WIP Grants

Grants to help writers complete a specific projects. (Application timing 2/15/10-3/15/10)
www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/WIP-Grant

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Picture Book Marathon

Join with others as you write 26 picture books during the month of February.
http://site.picturebookmarathon.org/Home.html

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

New Agency

Agent Jennifer Unter has started her own agency and is interested in representating all types of children's books.
www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/New+Agent+Alert+Jennifer+Unter+Of+The+Unter+Agency.aspx

Monday, January 11, 2010

Jewish Books for Children

Barbara Bietz, author and member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, shares ideas ideas and reviews about Jewish Children's books.
http://barbarabbookblog.blogspot.com/

Sunday, January 10, 2010

New Agent

Quinlan Lee, with Adams Literary, is interested in finding new authors.
http://www.adamsliterary.com/aboutus/quin/quin.html

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Revision Stages

Author Natalie Whipple gives three steps for revising.
http://betweenfactandfiction.blogspot.com/2010/01/stages-of-revision.html

Friday, January 8, 2010

New YA Agent

Kate Epstein is now accepting YA submissions.
http://www.epsteinliterary.com/pdf/YAforEpLit.pdf

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Top Ten Writing Mistakes

Author Suzanne Lieurance, an instructor at the Institute for Children's Literature, shares the top ten mistakes new children's writers make.
http://www.absolutewrite.com/specialty_writing/top_ten.htm

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Katherine Paterson was named to this two-year position created to emphasize the importance of literacy and education.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6713507.html?desc=topstory

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Association for Library Service to Children

News, issues, conferences, resources, and activities for those interested in children’s librarianship.
http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/

Monday, January 4, 2010

Multicultural Literacy Conference - 3/19-21/10

First annual conference to promote books written by and about people of color. http://mlag.web.officelive.com/2010conference.aspx

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Researching Agents

Agent Jill Corcoran provides links to sites that will help you find an agent.
http://jillcorcoran.blogspot.com/2010/01/researching-agents.html

Saturday, January 2, 2010

The Horn Book's Best of 2009

Twenty-seven books on their “Fanfare” list that "respect and nurture children’s intelligence, talents, and imagination. "
http://ow.ly/OooK

Friday, January 1, 2010

2010 Bloom Award

Blooming Tree Press is looking for a young adult, light romance in its Second Annual Bloom Award. (deadline October 31, 2010)
http://apublisherslife.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010-bloom-award-submission-guidelines.html