How to get a book deal Issue #30

The accompanying resource guide to our article lists everything you need to get started — and then some (continued from issue No. 30)

By Kate Rockwood
Published: December 18th, 2006 | 2:52pm

In “How To Get a Book Deal” from issue No. 30, we wrote that half of the publishing game is doing your research. Because the publishing industry can be riddled with tricks that would boggle the mind of any aspiring writer, we’ve made it just a bit easier for you with our listing of news sources, blogs, and web sites.

Here, you can learn about the current publishing industry, get some insider advice, avoid getting conned, and just for extra measure, listen to others rant and bitch.

KEEP UP WITH INDUSTRY NEWS
Absolute Write Water Cooler (absolutewrite.com/forums)
Discussion boards kept active by aspiring, new, and seasoned writers.

Authorlink (authorlink.com)
Upcoming conferences, publishing articles, agent database, industry news and more.

Booksquare (booksquare.com)
Publishing news and commentary broken into easy-to-search categories.

Publishers Marketplace (publishersmarketplace.com)
The subscription version of Publishers Lunch, complete with access to a searchable database of deals and details.

Publishers Weekly (publishersweekly.com)
Billed as the international voice for book publishing and bookselling, updated daily.

Writers Digest Editors (wdeditors.com)
Billing themselves as “the nice people in publishing,” these editors respond to readers’ questions as well as provide industry updates and indepth info on WD titles.

Writer’s Market (writersmarket.com)
Get market updates, insider advice and track your manuscript submissions here.

ADVICE FROM THE INSIDE
Evil Editor (evileditor.blogspot.com)
Editor by day, this blogger exposes the clichéd plotlines and stilted dialogue that prevent many a hopeful manuscript from further consideration. Also a regular analysis of submission letters.

Miss Snark (misssnark.blogspot.com)
To write a really good query letter, watch a bunch of bad ones get shredded by this brutal but articulate literary agent.

Sepulculture (sepulculture.blogspot.com)
A blog penned by a marketing employee of a major New York publishing house.

Slushpile.net (Slushpile.net)
This highly relatable blog bills itself as “writing about writing.” While there are book reviews and readings announcements, this journalist’s personal experiences on getting published are gold. Learn how not to schmooze with legitimate authors.

Writer Beware (sfwa.org/beware)
How to spot literary schemes and scams, including names of recent offenders.

A GOOD AGENT IS HARD TO FIND
Agent 007 (agentoo7.blogspot.com)
A literary agent who doesn’t hold back when answering readers’ questions and giving inside tips.

Association of Authors’ Representatives (aar-online.org)
A directory of more than 375 agents, widely considered to be reputable and experienced.

Preditors and Editors (anotherealm.com/prededitors)
While the info isn’t that comprehensive, the advice is shrewd -- in particular the tips on getting an agent.

Talking Agents (the AR&E newsletter) (agentresearch.com)
A bimonthly newsletter about agents’ sales info available for $35 annually. Or, ask about a specific agent and get deal verification for free.

RANT AND BITCH
Rejection Collection (rejectioncollection.com)
A big, fun, online bitch fest for rejected writers, including a forum to air out those dirty rejection letters. If your writing can’t get published anywhere else, your personal sob story could always garner the “Reject of the Month” award here.