14 Best Articles This Week for Writers 10/1/2010

After the Sale

• Creating an author's platform - part 2 [Time to Write] 4 more tips for reaching people in order to promote your book.
• How to Plan a Successful Debut Book Party [Author, Jody Hedlund] Make it more than a book signing. Use it to connect with others.
• 8 Tips on Starting Your Own Grass-Roots Campaign For Your Book [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] Make your book visible in your local area and spread the word.
• 5 Things I Learned After Publication [Writer Unboxed] Good post about the realities with survival tips.
• Coordinating a book blog tour: Dotting your Rs and Crossing your… Rs [Writer Unboxed] Book blog tours are mandatory marketing--handle them wisely and thoughtfully.

Book Reviews

• Stork by Wendy Delsol - Review [Book Crazy] 'One of the most original books I have ever read.'
• Middle-Grade Review: The Limit [Great Books for Kids and Teens] 'A suspenseful story, a good versus evil techno-thriller.'
• Banned Book Review: A Wrinkle In Time [* Fiction Groupie *] Another book that, if banned, would have made the world infinitely poorer.
• Immortal by Lauren Burd - Review [Book Crazy] A unique, fun story by an indie author.
• Bookinistas: MATCHED by Ally Condie [Laura and Lisa Write] 'This book rocks.'
• Book Review: Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] 'A thrilling, suspenseful saga.'
• Book Review: Dying Light by D. Scott Meek [Writers' Ally aka ➔ sa larsenッ] 'A must have.'
• Losing Faith by Denise Jaden [Candace's Book Blog] Mystery and unexpected twists.
• Review: You by Charles Benoit [21 pages] 'It’s is criminally hard to put down.'
• How to Keep Track of Book Series [mediabistro.com: GalleyCat] FictFact.com tells you the book order and dates of upcoming releases.
• Book Review: When Rose Wakes by Christopher Golden [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] 'An intriguing book with a unique take on a classic fairy tale.'
• Cinders: A Review [Constant Revision] 'Cinders is definitely worth a read.'
• The Ivy by Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur [Frenetic Reader] Readers who like drama and scandal will most likely enjoy this one.
• Review: Wayfarer by R.J. Anderson [21 pages] Excellent review but not much love for the cover. Based on this I'll def read the book!
• She’s done it again: Cassie Clare’s latest still no. 1 best seller [Novel Novice] Bestsellers this week, and no surprise, Clockwork Angel and Linger are both on top.
• Saturday Grab Bag: Mashup and Quotes and New This Month [Let The Words Flow] Great round-up of reviews and commentary on some fantastic books.
• Book Birthdays: DRAW THE DARK, MERMAID'S MIRROR & MAGICIAN'S MUSE [Jennifer Represents...] Three October releases you won't want to miss.
• YOU are so right! [Janet Reid, Literary Agent] Charles Benoit's excellent novel gets a thumb's up.
• BOOK REVIEW: The Eternal Ones [Oasis for YA] Great characters and a tight ending.

Contests

• AUTUMN GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA Contest #4 begins! [Claudia's Blog] Ooh, hurry! Great books await one lucky winner!
• Who wants a signed Melissa Marr book? [Personal Demons] Radiant Shadows giveaway!
• "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest Details [Where Fantasy and Love Take Flight] Deadline is October 6th!
• Mega HarperTeen 2011 Winter Giveaway [The Bookologist] So many great books up for grabs! @thebookologist
• Book Review: The Deception by Lee Nichols [Searching] 'Great book, fun read and a good ghost story!'
• Superhot Austin Authors Part 1 - BRAINS FOR LUNCH ARC Giveaway [ROOTS IN MYTH] Contest closes October 8th!
• Win Hush, Hush & Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick [Novel Novice] In advance of Crescendo 10/19 debut, a chance to win the series. Enter by 10/12.
• Will She Ever Stop Giving Away ARCs Contest [Carol's Prints] 5 Fab ARCs -- Contest ends October 4th.
• Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney Giveaway! [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Contest ends October 14th!
• Banned Book Week Giveaway! [Candace's Book Blog] Enter to win Ellen Hopkins' Crank!
• Contest Monday and SPEAK [Sisters in Scribe] Giveaway: 3 Sets of 4 YA books and more. Open internationally. Ends 9/30.
• Publishing Scams: How One Of Our Writers Got Caught [Kim's Craft Blog -- Fiction, Memoir, Creative Writing] Contestant beware. Before entering a "publisher's" contest, make sure the publisher is legit.
• Prizes for the What's the Funniest Thing you've overheard Contest [Hello Ello] Another great reason to pay attention to dialogue around you. Enter by next Monday!
• Exclusive Q&A with the Karma Bites Authors (& a Contest!) [Novel Novice] What's your most unforgettable middle school memory? Enter by October 2nd.
• Contest: Win I Now Pronounce You Someone Else [Novel Novice] Win by letting others learn from your mistakes. Enter by 10/1
• Banned Books Week – Support a Challenged or Banned Author & Giveaway! [Let The Words Flow] More links & banned book info, with a challenge and a giveaway. Take a stand and win!

Craft

• Don't Overuse Names in Dialogue [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] 'A common and annoying dialogue pitfall and how to avoid it.'
• God Is In The Details [QueryTracker.net] Details telegraph to the reader things the narrator knows but doesn't tell.
• Time And Place For Backstory [Heather's Odyssey] Inciting incident up front, backstory later.
• English Class with Ms. Moskowitz--Part 2: Motif [Invincible Summer] Weaving motif into your novel.
• Lists for Inspiration [Mystery Writing is Murder] Jot down your ideas to help write your book.
• Complex sentencing [edittorrent] 'Reasons you might use the double-negative and other complicated constructions.'
• Role Play to Better Writing [The Blood-Red Pencil] Role playing can provide insight no other method can.
• Ian's site for writing action [edittorrent] WriteBetterAction.com -- check it out.
• Vistual Storytelling, Part 1 [Alexandra Sokoloff] Establishing shots, master shots, and setpieces--use them all to improve your manuscripts.
• Expansion and Contraction: The Art of Working with Scene and Summary in Your Writing [How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book] Control your pacing by planning your scene and narrative techniques.
• This is Your Book with Guns [Jennifer Represents...] Guns = mature YA and limited readership. Do you really need them?
• How writers can use setting to suggest conflict [Time to Write] Use setting as an extra conflict layer within your manuscript.
• The Best Writing Advice [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Sixteen tips to help you improve your writing.
• P.O.V.:The Magic of One, Two or Three [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] Bookmark this if you are looking for pros and cons of each possible POV for your WIP.
• Quit Wordsmithing The Opening - It will NEVER be right [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Hook the reader with tension throughout the novel, instead of worrying about single lines.
• Voice examples-- put money where mouth is [edittorrent] Interesting experiment on voice. Pitch in!
• Writing Compelling Characters [Anna Staniszewski] Very good points about making your characters care about something.
• Find Your Plot Fridays: All That Glimmers Could Be Plot [The Other Side of the Story] Great ways to wring plot from a setting, a character, a journey, or a premise.
• Bom Chicka Wah Wah: Types of Love Scenes [* Fiction Groupie *] 4 Types w/ descriptions, plus 3 tips to help you choose when and where to put them.
• Writing Compelling Characters [Where Fantasy and Love Take Flight] Five things that make your characters stand out.
• The Great Blogging Experiment [Creepy Query Girl] Reminder to write 100 facts about your characters to learn how they'd react.
• Finding just the right word [Buffy's write zone] Precision can make writing great.
• 75 Books Every Writer Should Read [Enter the Between] Fantastic link to kickstart your DIYMFA.
• How to Write Compelling Characters [Elana Johnson, Author] Exaggerate their humanness, even if they aren't human. Great advice!
• The Great Blogging Experiment [Book Dreaming] Quick summary and link to outstanding article on crafting characters.
• Writing Compelling Characters [Write About Now] Six tips to flesh out your characters and infuse them with life.
• Specificity in Setting [Kidlit.com] EXCELLENT post about bringing your story to life through detail.

Critiquing

• Being a Good Beta [YA Highway] The other side of the equation--meet the writer's expectations.
• F&FW: What To Give [www.publetariat.com] The most important thing you have to give to any writer is your honest reaction.

Inspiration

• Reinvigorating Your Writing Routine [Between Fact and Fiction] A change will do you good.
• T3 - Types of Grief, Part 3 [The Character Therapist] What kind is your character experiencing?
• Five Chapter Middle Hump [Justine Dell] It's waiting, you know it is. But you'll get through it and then it's all downhill.
• What To Write? Write What Excites You [GENREALITY] 'Emotion is more important than logic.'
• Scene by Scene, Chapter by Chapter, Book by Book [The Sharp Angle] 'Keep moving forward, even if you make mistakes along the way.'
• Brain Tricks [Robin Mellom] Changing up your environment can yield better results.
• What ever you do, don't read this post. [James Killick's Blog] Choices a compulsive creator should make.
• HOT TOPIC TUESDAY: Trust Your Gut [The Contemps] Author April Henry talks about trusting your instincts.
• Author Tips: Jussi Parikka [PhD2Published] 5 things to consider en route to publication.
• Twelve Essentials to This Writer's Life--and Sanity [Enter the Between] EXCELLENT post with links and tips.
• Letter to Myself [Anna Staniszewski] Write until your fingers are sore. Read until your eyes ache. And never think your writing is “good enough.”
• Project to Published: Three tips and Tera Lynn Childs [Emma Michaels] Read widely, write frequently, and observe the details around you.
• HIGH CONCEPT BOOKS [Help! I Need a Publisher!] Definition and examples to help you trap the holy grail.
• Writing Out [iggi & gabi] Great idea for a meet up with a writer friend.
• A Story Idea Worth Developing [The Sharp Angle] Tips to help you evaluate your hook before you write the book.
• Good advice, bad advice, and a bunch of scary clowns [Don't pet me, I'm writing] Research what’s selling, pour your heart into it, then find a backup plan so you don't go nuts.
• 7 Links To Encourage The Writer In You [www.publetariat.com] Links on time management, inspiration, self-editing and more.
• Let Your Book Be the Rice Krispie Treats, or: Six Things I Learned from [Inspiration]
  [Getting Past the Gatekeeper] Publishing- there's a creative endeavor at the heart of the machine.
• Writing Lessons – Practical Tips for Improving Writing Skills [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers] 5 pieces of advice to improve your craft.

Issues

• The Power of Mentors, Community, and Relationships [There Are No Rules] 'Getting published is much easier when you know a few people.'
• Query Stats vs Query Blast [Neverending Page Turner] Insight into the #queryfail SPH discussion from an ethical and employment perspective.
• Paranormal Heroines vs. Paranormal Heroes [Supernatural Underground] Sophie Jordan asks why so many paranormal figures are male.
• Should You Self-Publish, Then Get a Literary Agent? [Write It Sideways] Some excellent questions following up on Alan Rinzler's recent article.
• Ten Ways to Get the Most from a Writers’ Conference [The Blood-Red Pencil] Unique tidbits of advice for maximizing the conference experience.
• Can a Plotter or Pantser Change Their Stripes? [* Fiction Groupie *] Can using one technique over another kill creativity?
• Banned Books Week [Dystel & Goderich Literary Management] Are there ANY well-written books that don't deserve to be published?
• If you're feeling rebellious... [Confessions From Suite 500] 10 ways to celebrate banned books week.
• E is for Everyone [The Other Side of the Story] Low-cost e-books are the front of the bookstore books of digital publishing. Consider your options.
• Bloggers Speak Out: List Of Giveaways + Posts! [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Links to all the bloggers speaking out against censorship, including contests!
• A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: The Acquisitions Editor [jakonrath.blogspot.com]
• I love commercial fiction! [The Publication Follies of Alexandra Shostak] There's a lot to be said for popular greatness. And a lot we can learn from it.
• 5 Trends I Want to Happen [Frenetic Reader] What would you like to see in YA?
• Celebrating Banned Books Week at Novel Novice [Novel Novice] Recap of links to catch you up on Banned Books Week and resources for supporting freedom of expression.

Just for Smiles

• 5 Totally Weird Techniques for Dealing with Writer-Stress [YA Highway] Who knew that quoting Lady Gaga can reduce stress?
• Publishing Tip of the Day! 7 Signs that It May Be Time to Find a New Literary Agent: Whenever he... [SlushPile Hell] Too funny to pass this one up!
• THE TEN PHASES OF REJECTION [Grab a Pen] From zero to partial request.

Self-Editing

• A Rose By Any Other Name is Still Too Flowery. And Purple. [The Other Side of the Story] Examples of the difference between purple and overwritten.
• Revisions: What Every Writer Should Know [Guide to Literary Agents] Why revise? Four compelling reasons.
• Fun With Hyphens [Magical Words] If you can rearrange the phrase using just the word “of,” you need the hyphen.
• How To Make The Unlikable More Digestable [Author, Jody Hedlund] Zuccini as a metaphor for criticism, backstory, and narrative. Mix carefully with the good stuff.
• Colons : Quick and Dirty Tips [Grammar Girl] Only use them after complete sentences.

Social Media, Twitter & Blogging

• New Twitter, New Rant [Inspired by Real Life] Some pros and cons of the new and improved Twitter.
• Blog Touring [Mystery Writing is Murder] Great run-down on all the considerations.
• Are Bloggers the New Gatekeepers in Publishing? [There Are No Rules] How Kindle Nation garnered attention for Michelle Black's novel.
• Basic Writing Principles Across All Media [There Are No Rules] 'Keep cutting until you get the message across with the lowest possible word count.'
• How fiction writers (& other creatives) can develop into badass bloggers [Tribal Writer] Use your blog to combine 2 or 3 of your passions to make connections, develop insight, and develop a rich, unique platform.
• Working Social Media [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Twitter can help you motivate, celebrate, and create book buzz, but beware it doesn't backfire.
• Focus on creating value for readers to build and retain an audience online [OJR] Create with sharply focused intent to make readers excited about your work.
• How Authors And Writers Can Build An Email List For Marketing [The Creative Penn] Start now so you're ready for your book release.
• why you should blog to build your writing career even if you don’t think you need to [Tribal Writer] Blogging as content marketing--necessary regardless of your publisher or the size of your advance.
• Banned Books & Round Ups [Pimp My Novel] Amazing round-up and something to look forward to.
• Two BIG Announcements! [Let The Words Flow] Live chat on 9/30 and a great opportunity to join LTWF.

To Market

• Interview with literary agent, Gordon Warnock [Dark Angel Fiction Writing] He seeks YA, especially dark, true-to-life stories.
• Agent Spotlight: Matt Hudson [Literary Rambles] Casey does another AMAZING job digging up information!
• The BubbleCow Guide to Academic Book Pitching: Part V [PhD2Published] 8 important considerations.
• From Query Letter to Cover Copy [Elana Johnson, Author] 'Every single word in the query letter in crucial.'
• Define "Genre" [Oasis for YA] Categorizing your WIP.
• Talking to Agents and Editors at Conferences [Kidlit.com] An agent's perspective.
• More on the series question [Getting Past the Gatekeeper] Be sure to tell your agent you're envisioning a series!
• Resubmitting a Query [kt literary] @DaphneUn says you have 1 chance to query--make a good 1st impression.
• Guest Blog: Scott Eagan, Literary Agent from Greyhaus [Justine Dell] 'Your job is to determine what that publisher, editor or agent really wants.'
• 4 Big Reasons to be Grateful for Independent Editors [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor] Why the rise of the IE is good for you.
• The Importance of a Polished Manuscript - A Guest Blog [Chip MacGregor .com] 'Don't query until your manuscript is perfect.'
• Back to Basics: Why Am I Getting Rejected? [There Are No Rules] Deciphering those vague rejection statements.
• Picture Book Queries [Kidlit.com] Present the main characters, the main problem, and the resolution, then work in a hook and close with your bio.
• Welcome to Our House (2010 Arizona SCBWI Conference): The Quick Take-Away [Ingrid's Notes » SCBWI LA 2010 – The Quick Take Away] Overview of presentations by Francesco Sedita, Jill Corcoran, Amelia Anderson, Claudia Gabel and more!
• You Will Get An Answer - No Form Letters For Me [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Here's another reason we love Scott Eagan: he'll answer every query.
• New Agent Alert: John Rudolph of Dystel & Goderich [Guide to Literary Agents] Former acquiring editor for children's books, he's open for snail & email queries.
• #179-FTW [Query Shark] And a comparison query to show how to do it right.
• #180 [Query Shark] Fantastic analysis of a query-gone-wrong, with actionable tips many queriers can use.
• Literary agents open the door to self-published writers [The Book Deal: A Publishing Blog for Writers and Book People] Have a great book and a platform? Nathan Bransford, Rachelle Garnder, Jim Levine and others will listen.
• Query THIS! [Janet Reid, Literary Agent] How to tell if Janet Reid should be your agent.
• Agent Advice: Jason Yarn of Paradigm Agency [Guide to Literary Agents] Excellent interview by @rickischultz.
• Stop! Before You Post Your Work Online, Read This [There Are No Rules] Giving stuff away is not a strategy. You need a goal before you post.
• Super-Powered Book Proposals Secret #4: Give the Publisher Room to Negotiate [There Are No Rules] Indicate flexibility.

 Other Weekly Round-Ups:

• Favorite Tweets for Writers This Week [All About Writing] Nicole Humphrey Cook's round-up of writing tweets.
• Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest also does a wonderful list of best tweets of the previous week. 
• Alice Pope does a Wednesday Tweet Roundup for the SCBWI Children's Market Blog.
• Northern Colorado Writers do This Week in the Writing World every Friday.
• Jennifer Roland does a Writing Roundup on Fridays.
• Ricki Schultz does an "In the Blogosphere" post on Fridays where she lists posts she's stumbled across during the week.
• Elizabeth Craig has started posting a weekly list of all her helpful Twitter posts.
• And don't forget to check Nathan Bransford's blog later this morning for his weekly recap of publishing news and information.
• Saturday Link Party [Forever Young] Jessica rounds up fun and interesting links.
• Stina Linddenblatt does a Cool Links Friday. This week, she caught a lot I wish we had on ours. I know what I'm doing for the next few minutes!
• DuoLit does a weekly list of links with some emphasis on self-publishing and marketing.
• YA Highway's Friday Road Trip hits the high points of the publishing industry, writing craft, submissions process, and other fun stuff.
• Cynthia Leitich Smith at Cynsations does a Cynsational author and book news review.

Did we miss anything? Anyone? Please leave a comment!

Happy reading and joyous writing,

Martina & Marissa