Writers' Resources

Whether you’re a beginning writer seeking basic self-education or a mid-career professional in need of specific information, this page contains a variety of resources that may be useful to you, in both the traditional and indie publishing worlds.

This is not a comprehensive list of all viable resources, but rather a selection of personal recommendations and referrals. I update this page regularly, and I’d like to know what you found useful here, as well as what resources you recommend that aren’t listed here. You can email me at LauraResnick666@gmail.com.

Topics

Informative Blogs

BookBub
http://insights.bookbub.com/
This marketing company, which sells ads to authors and publishers for its reader-targeted daily mailing list, also publishes a blog full of excellent information about indie publishing strategies, as well as about using BookBub’s services.

Copylaw
http://www.copylaw.org/
Attorney Lloyd Jassin, who focuses on publishing, entertainment, and intellectual property law, maintains this interesting blog.

The Creative Penn
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/
Entrepreneur and bestselling author Joanna Penn offers various resources on this website, aimed primarily at writers interested in the indie world of self-publishing.

Jane Friedman
http://janefriedman.com/blog/
Consultant, editor, publisher, and speaker Jane Friedman focuses her blog on educating writers in the digital age.

Guide to Literary Agents Blog
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/
This blog interviews quite a few agents each month, which is a good opportunity to see what a variety of agents are saying about the market, about agenting, and about queries and submissions.

Let’s Get Digital
http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/
David Gaughran is an indie writer who does some of the most informative blogging about the publishing industry and the writing profession.

The Ninc Blog
www.ninc.com/blog/
Novelists, Inc. (Ninc) is a national organization for professional, multi-published novelists in all genres of popular fiction, both indie and traditionally published, many of whom post on this blog. The blog also regularly hosts interviews with editors, agents, booksellers publishers, distributors, etc.

The Passive Voice
http://www.thepassivevoice.com/
This indie-oriented blog, which has developed a big following and often has lively discussions, posts a daily round-up of interesting items about publishing and writing from around the Internet.

Pub Rants
http://nelsonagency.com/pub-rants/
Literary agent Kristin Nelson’s blog offers nuts-and-bolts business advice, as well as her perspective on current industry news and events.

Writer Beware
http://www.accrispin.blogspot.com/
This publishing watchdog group—sponsored by the Science Fiction Writers of America—exposes literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls. To avoid being scammed and to learn more about how publishing works, read their blog.

Writer-In-Law
http://writerinlaw.com/
A law professor specializing in intellectual property law created this blog to educate writers. Offerings include a multi-part free class on copyright law for authors.

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Useful Websites

Advanced Fiction Writing
http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/
Author Randy Ingermanson, creator of the “Snowflake Method” of writing, offers many free resources on this website, as well as a few products for sale.

Agent Query
www.agentquery.com
A “one-stop writer’s resource” about literary agents and publishing, with a huge searchable database.

Author Earnings
http://authorearnings.com/
This team gathers data from (so far) Amazon and B&N to analyze book sales and author earning across indie and traditional platforms, which information they release in free reports.

Book In A Week
http://www.book-in-a-week.com/
This online community focuses on achieving writing goals via the Book-In-A-Week methods. They’ve also got a blog, a newsletter, a long list of writing-book recommendations, and a good resources page.

Cindi Myers Market News 
http://cindimyersmarketnews.wordpress.com/
This blog posts news about calls for submission, open slots in anthologies, and new markets.

Duotrope’s Digest
www.duotrope.com/
This subscription-based service offers an extensive, searchable database of current fiction, non-fiction, and poetry markets. The site also has a tracking tool to help you keep updated records of your submissions.

Freelance Writing Jobs Network
www.freelancewritinggigs.com/
An online community focused on freelance writing and editing.

The Indie Voice
http://theindievoice.com/for-writers/
Ten bestselling writers in traditional and indie markets offer writing and business advice.

A Complete Guide To Publishing Your Own Book
https://www.stinkyinkshop.co.uk/book-publishing-guide/
This free online book is an excellent and succinct introduction to publishing and self-publishing. A good starting place for the (understandably) bewildered.

Verla Kay’s Website for Children’s Writers and Illustrators
www.verlakay.com
On various portions of this website, authors and illustrators share information about the craft and business of writing children’s books.

Preditors and Editors
www.anotherealm.com/prededitors
Aimed at providing information and helping writers avoid scam artists.

Publishers Marketplace
www.publishersmarketplace.com
This website that tracks deals, agents, editors, reviews, and publishing news. Their “Publishers Lunch” newsletter is widely read.

Ralan’s SpecFic & Humor Webstravaganza
www.ralan.com
Author provides extensive listings of sf/f and humor markets.

The Review Review
http://www.thereviewreview.net/
Good resource for writers of literary short fiction. Provides reviews, descriptions, and submission info of hundreds of litfic mags.

Show Me the Money!
http://brendahiatt.com/show-me-the-money/money-talk/
On this site, novelist Brenda Hiatt collects and analyzes data about income among writers in traditional and indie publishing.

Douglas Smith’s Foreign Markets
http://smithwriter.com/foreign_market_list.htm
This sf/f writer maintains an enormous online list of foreign markets for short fiction.

The Submission Grinder
http://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/Default.aspx
Created by the online Sci-fi/Fantasy ‘zine Diabolical Plots, this is a free submission tracker and market database, currently in beta form.

Tax Tips For Authors
https://taxtipsforauthors.wordpress.com/
This site offers a blog and newsletter with tax information specific to writers, as well as an online class (which I have taken). There’s also a book.

Writer Beware
http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/
This watchdog group educates writers about the publishing industry, particularly with regard to dubious practices and unscrupulous businesses.

Writing In The Margins
http://writeinthemargins.org/
This site is aimed at mentoring and facilitating underrepresented authors and encouraging stories that have been silenced by history. They also manage a specialized service wherein a beta reader with a specific personal background can evaluate your manuscript for authentic representation and unidentified bias.

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Workshops & Classes: Online & In-Person


Authors First: The Virtual Writing Conference
http://www.authorsfirst.com/
Founded by an impressive team, Authors First offers online workshops at basic, intermediate, and master levels. The site also has articles, videos, a discussion forum, and an annual contest.

April Kihlstrom
http://aprilkihlstrom.blogspot.com/p/coaching.html
The author of more than 30 books, writing both fiction and nonfiction, April Kihlstrom also offers coaching to published writers (I am one of her clients).

Clarion
http://clarion.ucsd.edu/index.html
This prestigious, long-running sf/f workshop operates in San Diego.

Clarion West
http://www.clarionwest.org/
This prestigious, long-running sf/f workshop is held in Seattle.

Critters Workshop
www.critique.org
Online workshop run by sf/f writer Andrew Burt.

In Your Write Mind
http://inyourwritemind.setonhill.edu/
This summer workshop, which welcomes all writers, is an extension of the alumni association of Seton Hill University’s MFA program in writing popular fiction.

McDaniel College
http://www.mcdaniel.edu/graduate/your-plan/distance-learning
Offers graduate-level online programs in romance writing and in writing for children and young adults.

Odyssey
http://www.odysseyworkshop.org/
Offers online classes and a also six-week on-site workshop in fantasy, science fiction, and horror.

Savvy Authors
http://savvyauthors.com/main/index/
This site offers online classes, mentoring, discussion groups, and webinars for writers at all levels.

Taos Toolbox
http://www.taostoolbox.com/
Writers Walter Jon Williams and Nancy Kress host this advanced science fiction/fantasy writing seminar in New Mexico.

Viable Paradise
http://viableparadise.net/
A one-week residential workshop in writing and selling science fiction and fantasy.

Write About Dragons
http://www.writeaboutdragons.com/brandon_w2012/
This site hosts a series of filmed writing lectures taught by bestseller Brandon Sanderson.

The Writers Center
www.writer.org
Offers online and face-to-face classes and workshops.

Writers College
www.writerscollege.com
Online writing courses.

Writers.com
www.writers.com
Online writing courses.

Writers’ Police Academy
http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/
A hands-on, interactive and educational experience for writers to enhance their understanding of all aspects of law enforcement and forensics.

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Literary Lawyers

I work with a literary lawyer rather than an agent, and other writers often ask me to recommend an attorney to them. So I created this directory. The people listed below are all attorneys whom I have dealt with myself or who have been referred to me by writers I know. You can read more about these lawyers on their websites.

Before contacting an attorney, I recommend you read these FAQs About Literary Lawyers.

Daniel N. Steven
http://www.dsattorney.com/attorneys/daniel-n-steven/
(Contact form on website)

David P. Vandagriff
http://www.contract-counsel.com/
(Contact form on website)

David B. Wolf
http://davidwolflaw.com/
david@davidwolflaw.com

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Freelance Editors

Editors only get on this list if I know them or if someone who I know has recommended them to me.

Before hiring a freelance editor, I recommend that you read Writer Beware’s advice on Independent Editors and Manuscript Services.

Editorial Freelancers Association
www.the-efa.org
A good place to research services, standards, and fees for freelance editors.

Blue Otter Editing
http://www.blueotterediting.com/index.html
Novelist Amy Knupp offers copyediting and proofreading services for fiction of all lengths, from short stories to epic novels, as well as for non-fiction.

DYMK Productions
http://dymkproductions.com/
With decades of experience in publishing, the editors at DYMK offer editorial support Including (but not limited to) proofreading, copy-editing, and digital layout and production.

Joshua Essoe
http://www.joshuaessoe.com/
Experienced in working with traditionally-published and self-published writers, Essoe focuses mostly (though not exclusively) on speculative fiction (sf/f/h).

David Gatewood
http://lonetrout.com/
Gatewood works with both self-published and traditionally published authors, including a mixture of beginners and experienced novelists.

Megan Harris
http://mharriseditor.com/
Experienced at working with self-published authors, editor Megan Harris offers one-on-one help to improve your writing and storytelling through developmental editing, line editing, and proofreading.

Good Stories, Well Told
http://www.goodstorieswelltold.com/overview/
Mary-Theresa Hussey, a former Executive Editor in traditional publishing with 25 years of experience, edits romance, YA, fantasy, and urban fantasy.

Betsy Mitchell Editorial Services
betsymitchelleditorial.com
Mitchell has more than 30 years of experience as a science fiction and fantasy editor, and she has worked at publishing houses such as Baen, Bantam, Warner, and Del Rey. The writers she has worked with include Dan Simmons, Mary Jo Putney, Octavia Butler, Michael Chabon, and Naomi Novik.

The Queen of English
http://www.queenofenglish.net/index.html
Noël Kristan Higgins offers proofreading and copy editing services.

The Red Pen Coach
http://www.theredpencoach.com/editing/
This business has several editors and offers a variety of editorial services to writers in all genres. Their site also has a good Authors Resources page.

Hilary Ross
www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/hross/
Ross was an editor as Penguin USA for over 25 years. The writers she edited include Stephen King and Ken Follett, as well as Catherine Coulter, Mary Jo Putney, Patricia Rice, and the late Edith Layton.

Stray Cat Productions
www.denisedietz.com
In addition to being a novelist, Deni Dietz is a professional editor. She also gives workshops on self-editing and a variety of other subjects.

Leslie Wainger, Book Doctor
www.lesliewainger-bookdoctor.com
Wainger has spent almost thirty years as an editor at Harlequin-Silhouette, and now she’s also editing freelance.

Lucky Bat Books
http://luckybatbooks.com/services/edit-your-book/
Writer and editor Cindie Geddes co-founded Lucky Bat, which offers a variety of services to writers, including editorial services offered by experienced professionals.

Write By You
http://www.writebyyou.com/
Detailed website, with list of services, prices, and affordable initial consultation by novelist and writing coach Kathryn Jensen.

The Write Touch
http://writetouch.ca/
Editor Marsha ZInberg has over 30 years of professional experience, having edited many bestselling and award-winning authors.

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Indie Business Services

BB eBooks
http://bbebooksthailand.com/
Formatting, design, conversion, and aggregation services available for ebooks and print-on-demand (POD) books.

Blasty
https://www.blasty.co/
Monitor Google for illegal copies of your content and remove them with one click.

Blurb Copy
http://www.blurbcopy.com/
Would you rather eat ground glass than write your own promo copy after finishing your novel? This service can create copy tailored to your needs.

Blurb Bitch
http://www.blurbbitch.com/
A novelist and English teacher uses her skills to whip your book blurbs into shape, either editing the one you’ve written or creating one from scratch.

The Booknook.biz
http://www.booknook.biz/
This company provides formatting and conversion production services from almost any format to almost any format for almost any sort of book (poetry, novels, textbooks, graphic novels, children’s books, etc.). See their website for production details, services, and pricing.

BookTrakr
https://www.booktrakr.com/
A great tool for indie authors, this service can track your sales and earnings across multiple vendors and send you a daily report that collates all the information it has collected.

Draft2Digital
https://www.draft2digital.com/
Created by self-published writers for self-published writers, this company provides tools for formatting and converting ebooks, uploading them to multiple vendors via one sole portal, and tracking sales through the dashboard.

eBook Prep
http://ebookprep.com/
Billed as “The Author’s Backlist to eBook Solution,” this company offers a variety of formatting and production services.

Formatting4U
http://formatting4u.com/
A range of editing, formatting, and design services are listed on the services-and-price menu.

Lucky Bat Books
http://www.luckybatbooks.com/
This company provides a wide range of self-publishing services to clients, including editing, formatting and conversions, uploads, and book covers.

Muso
https://www.muso.com/online-services-publishing-industry/
Use Muso’s anti-piracy dashboard to automatically discover, validate and remove infringing links and search results from billions of pages online. 

Novel Publicity
http://www.novelpublicity.com/
Established in 2011, Novel Publicity provides marketing, editing, and design services for authors. They’ve also published a series of reasonably-priced ebooks on the business and marketing aspects of self-publishing.

TrackerBox
http://storyboxsoftware.com/index.htm?i1
This site offers a 45-day free trial of the downloadable (and affordable) software it sells for importing and collating your sales and earnings reports from multiple vendors. They also offer a writing software called StoryBox.

Visual Quill
http://visualquill.com/index.htm
A range of services are available here, including formatting, design, book covers, and book trailers.

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Indie Design Services

DIY

Book Boxed Set
http://bookboxedset.com/
This site offers low-cost templates (currently, $5 apiece) for creating box-set packaging for your ebook box sets.

The Book Cover Designer
https://thebookcoverdesigner.com/
They offer more than 6,000 low-cost pre-made covers which can be customized with your own text, and they guarantee that the cover you choose will not be used for any other books.

Canva
https://www.canva.com/
Canva offers templates, tutorials, and all sorts of tools for creating your own design projects–including book covers.

PicMonkey
https://www.picmonkey.com/
Online tools for graphic design and image editing. Basic package starts at $3.99/month.

 


Images

Period Images
http://www.periodimages.com
This is a source for Regency, Victorian, Edwardian, medieval, fantasy, paranormal, Western, Civil War, Highlander, Georgian, contemporary, military, science fiction, and 1920’s stock photos, pictures, and images. Licensing rights and fees detailed on site.

 

Professional Artists & Designers

Extended Imagery
http://extendedimagery.com
This designer offers both custom covers and pre-designed covers. He has done covers for books by J.A. Konrath, L.A. Banks, and others.

Jeroen Ten Berge
http://jeroentenberge.com/
With 30 years of experience in art and design, Jeroen Ten Berge has created more than 1,000 ebook covers and 400 paperback covers, and worked with hundreds of indie authors.

The Killion Group
http://thekilliongroupinc.com/
Run by designer Kim Killion, this company provides high quality book covers, as well as a range of other design services, and a straightforward pricing menu. The company’s emphasis is primarily (though not exclusively) on romance novels.

Phatpuppy Art 
http://phatpuppyart.com/
This digital artist has designed nearly 500 book covers for writers, including bestsellers Amanda Hocking, Kami Garcia, and Courtney Milan.

Streetlight Graphics
http://www.streetlightgraphics.com/
This experienced business offers numerous design services to writers, including creating book covers.

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Indie Promotional Services

(Note: The promotional services that my colleagues recommend seem to change rapidly, with their thumbs-up or thumbs-down based on their most recent experiences of sell-through and customer service. So your mileage may vary.)

Author Buzz
http://www.authorbuzz.com/index.shtml
Founded by novelist M.J. Rose, this marketing service puts authors in touch with readers, reading groups, booksellers and librarians. Process and price packages explained on the site.

BookBub
https://support.bookbub.com/
In addition to a very successful program of promoting free and deeply discounted ebooks to readers who subscribe to the free daily newsletters, BookBub also publishes an excellent blog aimed at indie authors.

The eReader Café
https://theereadercafe.com/promote-your-books/
Promote your book to “up to 80,000 readers,” using one of their promotional opportunities for free and discounted ebooks. Pricing and plans details on the site.

Free Booksy
https://www.freebooksy.com/for-the-authors/
This company circulates newsletters to a large audience of readers looking for free and discounted ebooks. The page linked here details different services for authors and links to pricing information.

One Hundred Free Books (OFHB)
https://ohfb.com/advertise/
This Amazon-focused service promotes free ebooks to readers.

Robin Reads
http://robinreads.com/author-signup/
Promote sales of a temporarily free or deeply-discounted ebook to 120,000+ readers via this free newsletter. Application process, pricing, and audience breakdown detailed at this link.

Story Finds
https://storyfinds.com/promotions-for-authors
This page details the range of services and prices that this promotional service offers.


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For Teenage Writers

Aaron Shephard’s Young Authors Page
http://www.aaronshep.com/youngauthor/
Advice about writing and publishing for kids and teens.

Alpha Youth Workshop
alpha.spellcaster.org
Annual workshop for young people (age 14-19) interested in sf/f writing

Merlyn’s Pen
http://www.merlynspen.org/
This resources for teachers, writers, and readers offers fiction, essays, and poems by teens.

MSU Young Authors Conference
http://youngauthor.wide.msu.edu/
During this one-day seminar at Michigan State University for writers in grades 5-12, you’ll meet with published writers and workshop your current story. Their site also maintains an excellent resources page for young writers.

Shared Worlds
http://sharedworlds.wofford.edu/
An on-site summer creative writing workshop for teens.

Teen Ink
http://teenink.com/
A national magazine for teens, featuring writing and art by teens.

Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy
www.writesf.com
Free online writing course in sf/f, aimed primarily at teen writers.

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Miscellaneous

Galleycat
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/
Good general publishing-news site.

Read Me A Story, Ink
http://readmeastoryink.com/
For 20+ years, bookseller Robert Topp’s hobby has been reading stories aloud to public school kids. He created this online resource of stories, reading lists, and additional links for teachers, parents, or anyone else who enjoys reading to kids.

The Readability Text Tool
http://www.webpagefx.com/tools/read-able/
Free online tool which analyzes text for you. It tells you what grade/age level the text targets, as well as some other fun facts.

Tom’s Glossary of Book Publishing Terms
http://www.rightreading.com/publishing/publishing-glossary.htm
Amusing glossary by longtime author, editor, and translator. On his learn page, there are also some good essays and links.

Will Write For Chocolate
http://www.willwriteforchocolate.com/
Author and illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the creator of this comic strip about writers and the writing life.

The Word Wenches Blog
http://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/
About half a dozen historical novelists blog regularly on the Word Wenches. Many of the essays they post are about fascinating aspects of their research. I’m an Honorary Wench, and this blog is a personal favorite of mine.

The Writer’s Drawer
http://www.thewritersdrawer.net/
Editor Beryl Belsky founded this intercultural site for various kinds of drawer writers, people who’ve been reticent about sharing their work before. The site also has links and resources for writers.

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Books On Writing & Publishing

A few of these are my recommendations, and the rest have been recommended by writers I know.

* Also, check out the excellent list (which has some overlapping titles with this one) of recommended books which grew out of a discussion on bestselling novelist and writing teacher Jennifer Crusie’s blog:

http://www.arghink.com/2012/03/31/the-argh-writing-craft-reading-list/

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Writers’ Organizations

I am a longtime member of Novelists, Inc. (as well as a past president and a current columnist there). The other organizations listed here are ones where you may find information pertaining to your interests.

Alliance of Independent Authors
http://allianceindependentauthors.org/

Broad Universe
http://broaduniverse.org/

International Thriller Writers
http://thrillerwriters.org/

Mystery Writers of America
http://mysterywriters.org/

Novelists, Inc.
http://www.ninc.com/

Romance Writers of America
http://www.rwa.org/

Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America
http://www.sfwa.org/

Sisters In Crime
http://www.sistersincrime.org/

Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators
http://www.scbwi.org/

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