I am a guru of resources–I devoured them voraciously during my writing, editing and querying process, and I enjoy sharing information with others. To that end, I will be blogging with tips & tricks, agent interviews and generally sharing my favorite resources. Note: most of these are older resources, with some more recent additions.
I offer an EXTENSIVE writing resource via my YouTube channel. I recommend checking it out (use the search tool to find videos on almost any topic) to find the most up-to-date and indepth information from me.
Writing Process
My post: On writing to YA trends
Revision & Editing
My post: Learning to Kill Your Darlings
My post: Revision Tips 1: Types of Revisions
My post: Revision Tips 2: Revision methods
Susan Dennard’s Guide to Revisions An amazing, six step guide with PDF WORKSHEETS. I used a lot of Susan’s techniques for my first, major revision.
Critique Partners
My post: Finding the right critique partners
#AMMCPMatch hashtag
Query Writing (and Agent Communication) Advice
Query Shark This is the first-place-you-must-go resource. Be patient and thorough, and read through the Query Shark archives, and you’ll get a good sense of how to write a proper query. Janet Reid’s style/preferences aren’t the ultimate… but they are a solid foundation to basic query writing.
My post: How to write a stellar query
How to write those pesky follow-ups from Mother. Write. (Repeat.) A really good primer on writing follow-up nudges to agents that have had your material for a while.
Nudging & Multiple Offers Part 1 & Part 2 by Lydia Sharp. A good two-part series on what the heck to say when you *do* get offers from agents.
When (not) to Resubmit by agent Julia A. Weber
My Query & Writing Resources
Query Form Examples
Query Basics w/ sample queries
Blake Snyder Beat Sheet for novelists (my version)
Questions for The Call
Agent Nudge Examples
Agent Tracking & Info
Query Tracker The best place to gauge agent response time, where you are in the queue, and keep track of who you want to query/have queried/responses, etc.
Agent Query Connect Lots of useful info in the forums.
Literary Rambles Their archive of agent profiles is invaluable, especially for those agents who don’t have Publisher’s Marketplace listings. A great place to crosscheck what an agent has said they want.
Publisher’s Marketplace A pay resource that is the most comprehensive place to view book deals by agents/with publishers.
Publisher’s Weekly Children’s Bookshelf News Check the Rights Report every Tuesday and Thursday to stay on top of book deals.
Manuscript Wishlist or #MSWL A resource where agents tweet/post what they’re looking for in manuscripts.
Marketing/Branding
My post: Book titles & branding
My post: How to set-up a professional author blog/website
Pitch Events & Contests
My post: How to enter contests (and stay sane)
Dahlia Adler’s How to know if a contest is right for you A common sense, must read post on entering agent contests.
On Twitter:
Mentorship Programs
Author Mentor Match (my program)