It came to my attention this week that Goodreads, which provides a wonderful service for both readers and authors, will let anyone add a book, and let them rate it, even if the book isn't available in anything except manuscript form. According to Goodreads, this is valid--people can use the rating system any way they wish, including adding a star or two before a book comes out as a sort of bookmark to express interest. Unfortunately, the rating system doesn't numerically distinguish between these uses. A few of us suggested to Goodreads that they add an "Available for Rating" field or some other mechanism to help separate prepub interest from post-release ratings, but they were disinclined. If you would like to see this happen to help create an even fairer rating system, please consider signing the petition to give the request more weight.
Thanks very much!
Martina
After the Sale
- Do You Need an Author Photo? [WOW! Women On Writing Blog]
- Five Tips On Being Naked In Front of an Audience [* Roni Loren - Fiction Groupie *] Welcome to being an author.
- Don't Expect The Moon With That First Book [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Important post!
- How to Market Your Book Without Paying a Penny! [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG]
- Exploring Conversational Marketing [Digital Non-Conference]
- Bookanistas: IMAGINARY GIRLS [Lisa and Laura Write] This. Sounds. Amazing.
- Blog Tour: River of Time series by Lisa T Bergern [Mundie Moms] OOOH, can't wait to read this one.
- FEATURING COURTNEY COLE! [ROOTS IN MYTH] Great interview with author of PRINCESS.
- First Page Revisited: SPLURCH ACADEMY [First Page Panda]
- Agent Ginger Knowlton Interviews Author Cynthia Leitich Smith [Cynsations]
- Blog Tour: Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #2) by Simone Elkeles [Katie's Book Blog] A++!
- Final Cover for DITCHED [Robin Mellom] It's beautiful!
- Waiting on Wednesday #98- The Carrier of The Mark [Mundie Moms] by Leigh Fallon.
- Gretchen McNeil, from Opera Diva to Fog-Bound Demons! [The Enchanted Inkpot.] I can't wait to read this!
- YA Cafe Book Club Discussion Questions: SWEETHEARTS by Sara Zarr [Iggi & Gabi] Such a great book!
- The updated cover for THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER [The Michelle Show] OMG CONGRATS, @MichelleHodkin! WOW!
- Book Birthdays! [A Blog about Nothing] Ten AMAZING #books you need to get this week!
- An Interview with Sonia Gensler, Author of THE REVENANT [YA Highway]
- in which I freak out about people reading WANDELOVE [Kirsten Hubbard: YA Author + Travel Writer]
- A SHAMELESS REQUEST [ROOTS IN MYTH] Vote for your favorite book trailer -- it is@PJ_Hoover's SOLSTICE, right? :D
- Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin [Candace's Book Blog] TEN out of 5 stars!
- Divergent by Veronica Roth [The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really)]
- My First Rewrite Request [The Bluestocking Blog] Congrats! It's one step on the road, but it's a big step closer!
- First Lines Contest!~ [YA Highway] Hurry! Enter by 8/27.
- Opportunity for Unpublished Manuscript [Ripping Ozzie Reads] AMAZING opportunity for Aussies.
- Descended by Blood Blog Tour Information [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Angeline Kace's schedule and chances to win BIG prize packs.
- Win a copy of Dragon’s Oath signed by P.C. & Kristin Cast [Novel Novice]
- FATEFUL comes out three weeks from today! Contest time! [Claudia's Blog] Enter by 9/30.
- The "Spread the Love" ARC giveaway! [Shannon Whitney Messenger] CROSSED, SHATTER ME, PERFECT, THE SCORPIO RACES. Enter by 9/3.
- Giveaway: Bargains & Betrayals by Shannon Delany [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Great change to win! @TotalBookaholic @Shannon_Delany
- Pretty Little Liars: Summer Finale Book Giveaway [Novel Novice] Enter by 8/30.
- Release Day Giveaway for This Dark Endeavor, The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel [Mundie Moms] Enter by 8/31.
- KELLEY ARMSTRONG INTERVIEW AND BOOK GIVEAWAY [Literary Rambles]
- Beautiful Creatures Series by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl [Novel Novice] Great interview and a giveaway.
- Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann--and an ARC Giveaway! [Shannon Whitney Messenger]
- Wispy Middles [Fantasy Faction] Make them count. Love --> Stretch them, deepen them, or redefine them.
- Best Advice I Ever Got: Joanne Rocklin and Clete Smith [Anna Staniszewski] So simple, so brilliant.
- Two Signs of Overwriting and Why It’s a Problem [Kidlit.com] Why simplicity is better.
- Scene Writing Tips - Part 1 [*Lynnette Labelle* @Chatterbox Chitchat] Create stronger scenes with this excellent list
- How Writing a Good Hook is like Running a Good Con [Natalie C Parker]
- How writers can use Dennis Hopper's way to get into characters [Time to Write] Tarot as characterization.
- Why Writers Should Let Readers Fill in the Blanks [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors]
- Characterization Moment: Embarrassment [YA Author Elana Johnson]
- Layering: The Hunger Games [Musings of a Novelista] Nice post!
- Three ways to give your characters True Grit [Julie Musil] Good tips!
- Characters: Bigger Than Life [Fiction Notes]
- 10 Tips for Attacking First Drafts [It's a Mystery] These are really good.
- Character Clinic: Vianne Lawson and "Save the Cat" [The Character Therapist] Quick 'save the unsympathetic character' tip!
- 101 of the Best Fiction Writing Tips, Part I [Write It Sideways] Top 25. WOW!
- Dialogue as Weapon [Writer Unboxed] Four brilliant tips to sharpen your characters' words.
- Outlining a Novel - Step By Step [Writing Fiction Right from novelist Gail Gaymer Martin]
- A Method in the Madness: Outlining As You Write [Author, Jody Hedlund]
- What Does Your Character Want? [Mystery Writing is Murder]
- Writing Tips From Best Selling Writer Dorothy Koomson [BubbleCow]
- When You Need Backstory And When You Don't [YA Author Elana Johnson]
- Regrets and What They Say About Your Character [The Character Therapist]
- A Bunch of Articles on Plot [Writer Musings] Available in PDF. Great stuff!
- Preaching in Picture Books [Kidlit.com]
- Wait For It...Waaaait For It: The Nuance of Suspense by Joan Swan [* Roni Loren - Fiction Groupie *]
- Captain America’s 10-Step Guide to the Likable Hero [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors]
- It took me years to write my first book. Does it get easier? [Nail Your Novel]
- Lost Interest in Writing Your Novel? How to Love Your Characters [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers]
- How to Hire an Editor [Daily Writing Tips]
- How Intuition Can Enhance Your Writing [The Creative Penn]
- Character Trait Entry: Impulsive [The Bookshelf Muse]
- Forty-five more flaws that expose your lack of storytelling experience, part 4 [Show Some Character!]
- Tease Your Reader With Joking Clues [Harry Potter for Writers]
- QOTW! Describing Characters [Let The Words Flow]
- Villains: Cardboard Cut-outs Need Not Apply [The League of Extraordinary Writers]
- Tips on Self-Destructive Protagonists [Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels, comic books and graphic novels]
- Friday 5 – My highlights from WriteOnCon [Laura Pauling]
- Deadly Sin of Writing #5–P.O.V. Prostitution [Kristen Lamb's Blog]
- How to Deal with Unconstructive Criticism [Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels, comic books and graphic novels]
- How to Critique Works That You Find Awful [Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels, comic books and graphic novels] Important post!
- Advanced Novel Writing [Writers Digest University] Workshop!
- Lost the Ability to Write? How Writers Get Their Grooves [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers]
- Do You Write for Yourself or Your Readers? [Jami Gold, Paranormal Author]
- Where Good Ideas Come From [The League of Extraordinary Writers] Hunch + Hunch + Time to Incubate = IDEA Bigger than Sum of Parts
- An Interview with Alissa Grosso [Class of 2K11] Love this --> Have patience. It takes a long time to hone your skills.
- Road Trip Wednesday #93: Writer's Block [YA Highway] Great collection of ideas.
- The Difficulty of Finding Story Ideas That Publishers Like [Author, Jody Hedlund]
- WOW Wednesday: Julie Musil on the Power of "Going for It" [Adventures in Children's Publishing] Lovely post.
- So, What If Your Book Doesn't Sell? [Jennifer Represents...]
- There Is No Such Thing as an Overnight Success Story [Nathan Bransford, Author]
- 5 Brainstorming Strategies for Writers [Daily Writing Tips] Get unstuck. Fast.
- Holding Yourself (and Your Writing) Accountable [Let The Words Flow]
- 3 Writing Lessons Learned While Backpacking Europe [YA Highway] Yes: Fearing mistakes = mistake.
- Setting Goals [Paranormal Point of View] Love this --> The higher you aim, the higher you reach.
- Nine Ways to Find the Time and Achieve Your Creative Goals! [Ingrid's Notes]
- 12 1/2 Rules for Writing [Unedited] Can we get this in poster size?
- How to deal with people: Advice for the shy & socially awkward [Steph Bowe's Hey! Teenager of the Year]
- WFMAD Day 24 – Overcoming the pain [Mad Woman in the Forest] "Take a minute to dream your secret dream of artistic or athletic triumph."
- Help for Writers—in Case You Missed It [Mystery Writing is Murder] The Insecure Writers Support Group. LOVE IT!
- If You’re Discouraged Because Your Writing Sucks… [Writer Unboxed]
- How Booksellers Can Fight Censorship During Banned Books Week [GalleyCat]
- What’s the Difference Between an IP Lawyer and a Contracts Lawyer? Why Does an Author Care? [www.publetariat.com]
- Looking for KidLit Intern [Bent on Books] Jenny Bent is looking for an intern. Are you up for a challenge?
- Damned with faint praise. Or something like it. [The Kill Zone] A dangerous Amazon trend?
- Life as Seen Through Queries [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] LOL!
- 3-Act Structure: Solving a Top-Heavy Problem [Fiction Notes] Nice post!
- Hyphen-powered Punctuation [The Blood-Red Pencil]
- Nouns and Verbs [The Blood-Red Pencil] Look at them differently. Make the nouns carry the action.
- 4 Tricks for Improving Your Fiction in One Day [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor]
- A round-up of tricky words even writers misuse [Time to Write]
- How to Reverse-Outline Your First Draft [Daily Writing Tips]
- How Authors & Publishing Professionals Can Use Storify [GalleyCat]
- To Blog Or Not To Blog [Paranormal Point of View]
- Get Started Guide: Blogging for Writers [Jane Friedman] Great post!
- Is blogging effective? Or are we wasting our time? [Laura Pauling]
- How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Writing and Yourself – Live Webinar [Writers Digest University]
- RIP the Author Book Tour—and why you shouldn’t be sad to see it go [Anne R. Allen's Blog]
- Stop Being an “Aspiring” Writer [Jane Friedman] How to build a solid readership. by @OllinMorales at @JaneFriedman
- Agent Spotlight: Rachel Coyne [Literary Rambles] Another exhaustive collection of available info.
- Query Bombing: Your Query Timing Questions Answered [QueryTracker.net]
- Declining a Partial [kt literary] @DaphneUn translates the agent-speak.
- When to Re-Query an Agent [Rachelle Gardner] Great explanation for all contingencies.
- Workshop Wednesday [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Great query breakdown from @bookendsjessica
- Moonrat's Rundown Of Publishing Options [www.publetariat.com]
- Notes From A Query Workshop [kt literary] Hard truth.
- Gearing Up For Sept. 1 - Open Again To Submissions [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Scott Eagen outlines wants and don'ts.
- Open Letter to Agents [Behler Blog] From the editorial side of the desk.
- Things You Didn't Do [Glass Cases] Quick reminders before you query.
- Author Advances: Is There Such Thing as Too Much? [Rachelle Gardner]
- What Exactly...Does an Agent DO? [Adventures in Agentland]
- WHIPPED INTO SHAPE: Synopsis Special [Help! I Need a Publisher!]
- How Many Clients Do You Have [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] And how many is too many?
- A Safer Way To Get Noticed [QueryTracker.net] Follow directions when you query.
- Submission Formatting [Kidlit.com]
- More Publishers Looking For Superhero Short Stories [Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels, comic books and graphic novels]
- COME MEET ME--UPCOMING CONFERENCES [Jill Corcoran Books] Some lucky writers will be happy!
- Write On Con Roundup: Conference Quotes [christina lee]
- Don’t Shoot Yourself in the Foot! [The Blood-Red Pencil] The importance of the query letter.
- Q&A with Steven Malk of Writers House [WriteOnCon.com]
- Marketing Fiction-Branching Out to Fresh Blood & Bringing New Readers “into the Family” [Kristen Lamb's Blog]
- Should You Pitch (and Sign With) a New Agent? The Pros and Cons… [Writer Unboxed]
- Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest 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 enjoyed during the week.
- Elizabeth Craig posts 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.
Happy reading and joyous writing,
Martina, Marissa and Clara
Fantastic links!! So great to be back on Monday after a summer of fun with my family. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great links. And for reminding me to sign the petition. Just did it. Thanks for making it easy to do to.
ReplyDeleteSo much great stuff this week! Checking out a bunch of links now. :) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAs always, another great round of links. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteThanks for including my "10 Tips for Attacking FIrst Drafts"! However, can I ask a favour? In your sidebar, you've got me listed as "Elizabeth Antonelli". Could you change that to "Elspeth"? Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteSwimming in the linkies! Doing the backstroke! Enjoying the flow of info across my brain! Thanks a ton for your compilation. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this delicious pile of linkage, and thanks for the mention!
ReplyDeleteGreat list, as always! I also have my list of Top 15 Query Letter "Don'ts" -- http://writeupmylife.com/2011/08/24/top-fifteen-query-donts/
ReplyDeleteand a post on whether to put pitches or writing samples on your blog: http://writeupmylife.com/2011/08/25/my-new-books-page/
This is the great post here..and well good thinking of this one..
ReplyDeletesell your house fast