YA Sunday Morning News: This Week for Writers 3/12/17

Sunday, March 12, 2017

0 YA Sunday Morning News: This Week for Writers 3/12/17

Good morning! Welcome to your Sunday morning news. This week features a slew of author interviews, as well as all the best writerly links across the blogosphere. Happy reading!

Writing for Publication: Before the Sale:

Taking Yourself Seriously as a Writer—Before Anyone Else Does via Writers in the Storm: A few steps to take that signal you’re serious about being a writer.
Three Things to Consider Before Talking with an Agent… via MacGregor Literary: Guest post about questions to ask yourself in preparation for speaking with an agent.
10 Questions to Ask Before You Accept a Traditional Publishing Deal via Writers in the Storm: The explosion of independent publishing houses in the U.S. and abroad makes it vital for authors to investigate publishers carefully before signing a contract.
So, should you query a young agent? Via Janet Reid, Literary Agent: The benefits of querying a younger, unknown agent.

Writing for Publication: Book Marketing and Social Media:

Mistakes Were Made & The HIGH Cost of Free via Kristen Lamb: Kristen shares her social media mistakes and how you can avoid them.
Hints from the Pros: Book Tour Tips via Writer Unboxed: Guidance from authors on how to handle book tours.
How to Grow and Nurture a Facebook Group via Create If Writing: A free training on engaging with your audience through a Facebook group.
10 Ways First-Time Writers Can Get Noticed on Social Media via Writer’s Digest: Tips to stand out among a crowded Internet.
Tax Tips for Writers with Writer and CPA Lisa London via Adventures in YA Publishing: Tax tips and deduction information for writers.

Author Interviews:

The Hate U Give Author Angie Thomas Talks Starr, Stars, and More with Becky Albertalli via The B&N Teen Blog: Angie Thomas and fellow author Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda) discuss book buzz, readers, and what’s next.
Confessions of a High School Disaster Author Emma Chastain on the 9 Most Embarrassing Things About Her High School Diaries via The B&N Teen Blog: Debut author Emma Chastain shares the pain of revisiting her teen diary.
Interview with Whitney Gardner, author of You’re Welcome, Universe via The B&N Teen Blog: interview Whitney Gardner about her book, her own illustrations within the book, and what’s next in her career.
The Way I Used to Be Playlist via Riveted: Amber Smith shares the playlist to accompany her novel, The Way I Used to Be.
Authors Roshani Chokshi and Sarah Nicole Lemon Talk Unlikely Friendships, Ghosts, and Their New YAs via The B&N Teen Blog: The two authors discuss myths and tales, unexpected armor, and balancing the light and the dark.
Before I Fall Author Lauren Oliver on the Book’s Journey from Page to Screen via The B&N Teen Blog: Lauren Oliver shares the story of how her 2010 novel Before I Fall made it to the screen seven years after its initial option.
Emma Chastain on the Top 3 Reasons It’s Still Important to Keep a Diary via Riveted: Reasons to keep a paper diary over a digital format.

Adventures in YA Publishing Author Interviews:

WOW Wednesdays: Rin Chupeco on Writing on Purpose: The Bone Witch author shares her unique perspective on the risks and rewards of writing.
Whitney Gardner, author of YOU'RE WELCOME, UNIVERSE, on emailing herself her first page: We chat with Whitney Gardner about her debut novel YOU'RE WELCOME, UNIVERSE.
Emma Chastain, author of CONFESSIONS OF A HIGH SCHOOL DISASTER, on working twenty minutes a day: We sit down with Emma Chastain and hear some of her confessions about writing her debut novel.
Kirsty Murray, editor of EAT THE SKY, DRINK THE OCEAN, on the futures of young women: Kirsty Murray shares the inspiration for her latest novel.
Samantha Shannon, author of THE SONG RISING, on the different flavours in The Bone Season series Samantha Shannon talks about the third book in The Bone Season series, THE SONG RISING.
Rin Chupeco, author of THE BONE WITCH, on defining your own beauty: Rin Chupeco on what she hopes her readers will take away from THE BONE WITCH.
Casey Griffin, author of SECRETS OF A RELUCTANT PRINCESS, on the difference between writing a book and being a writer: Casey Griffin shares her inspiration for writing SECRETS OF A RELUCTANT PRINCESS.
K.M. Walton, author of ULTIMATUM, on being rejected by 148 agents: K.M. Walton stops by to give us the scoop on her latest novel ULTIMATUM.

Literary Agent News and Interviews:

Ten Cliches That Make Agents Roll Their Eyes via John M. Cusick: Agent John Cusick shares the cliches he doesn't like to see in manuscripts.
New Literary Agent Alert: Claire Easton of Painted Words via Writer’s Digest: New agent seeking YA.

Writing and Pitch Contests:

Taking a Week Blog Break and Current Contests via Literary Rambles: Query critique contests and book giveaways throughout March.

Writing Craft:

Writing Tips from Christopher Wakling via Curtis Brown Creative: Advice on beginnings, character, and story.
Is Your Conflict Too Much Or Not Enough? via Babbles from Scott Eagan: Diagnosing plot problems—when a conflict is nearly impossible to resolve without the help of divine intervention, or there is not enough conflict in the story.
5 Ways to Improve Your Craft Inexpensively via WOW! Women on Writing: How to improve your writing on the cheap.
Token or Broken? Writing LGBT* via Fiction University: Guest columnist E.R. Ramzipoor discusses LGBT characters and how to avoid tropes.
Dealing with Genre Expectations via Go Teen Writers: Knowing the conventions in your genre before you can begin to break the rules.
What’s the Story on Backstory? Via Books & Such Literary: Tips for using backstory in your work.
What Fiction Writers Can Learn From Hamilton’s Character Flaws via Writers Digest: Four ways that Hamilton’s flaws make him a distinctive, memorable character.
How to Interview Your Characters Like a Pro, a guest post by Cindy M. Jones via Go Teen Writers: 23 soul searching questions to get to know your characters.

Writing Inspiration:

Why You Should Keep Writing When You Want to Quit via The Write Practice: The power of stubborness to keep you in the writing game.
Living with Writerly Self-Doubt via Writers in the Storm: How to work through self-doubt.
Making Lemonade Out of 100 Query Rejections via WOW! Women on Writing: Practical advice for querying and using rejections as a learning opportunity.
In Search of Inspiration and New Ideas via Books & Such Literary Management: Suggestions for writers looking for inspiration.

Publishing News & Trends:

2016 Children’s Sales in Review: A CBC Panel via Children’s Book Council: A librarian, bookseller, and publishing professional gathered to discuss 2016 children’s book sales and reading trends at a Children’s Book Council Forum.
'Before I Fall' Author Lauren Oliver: Why Don't People Take Teen Books Seriously? via Bustle: Lauren Oliver tackles the disparity between YA and adult fiction.
Publishing Industry News via The Walk of Words: A round up of news around the industry.
What new YA covers hit the web in February 2017? Via YA Interrobang: A monthly feature of the latest YA cover reveals.

New YA E-Book Deals:

New YA Book Giveaways:

YA Book Awards and Congratulations:

Waterstones Children’s Book Prize announces shortlist via YA Interrobang: Waterstones Booksellers announced the shortlists for the 2017 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Congratulations to the three YA authors who made the list!
SCBWI Emerging Voices Award Winners announced via YA Interrobang: The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) announced the winners of the 2016 On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award. Congratulations to the winners!

YA New Book Deals and Releases:

New Releases this week 03/06-03/12 plus 6 Giveaways via Adventures in YA Publishing: This week, we have six giveaways to feature and many more books to spotlight!
What new YA books release this week? (March 7) via YA Interrobang: The latest YA books to hit shelves.

Just for Fun: