Here are some of my favorite resources — people, books, blogs, magazines, and/or websites — that have added to my knowledge of the craft of writing and the business of publishing.
Magazines
Writer’s Digest Magazine (www.writersdigest.com)
I maintain a subscription to the magazine (the old-fashioned paper version), and I subscribe to the online newsletter as well.
Blogs & Websites
The Kill Zone Blog
The Kill Zone is the home of 11 top suspense writers and publishing professionals and covers the publishing biz, marketing how-to’s, and the craft of writing.
Jane Friedman
Jane Friedman is a former publishing and media executive with 20 years experience in the publishing industry. Jane knows is an expert on almost anything related to publishing and digital media. Her blog is packed with extremely useful information.
Writer Unboxed
This website is devote to the craft and business of fiction. Best-selling authors and industry leaders are regular contributors.
Dan Blank, We Grow Media
The tagline on We Grow Media is “Helping Writers and Publishers Make an Impact and Build Their Legacies,” which is exactly what Dan does. He offers consulting for anyone who wants to make a living doing creative work, and he also runs very popular mastermind groups for creatives.
Kristine is a bestselling author and editor who has a great deal of experience in and knowledge of the publishing industry. She has some very useful information under Business Resources on her website, including posts under the heading of Overview of the Publishing Industry. For additional wisdom, you can check out the website of Kristine’s husband, author Dean Wesley Smith.
Query Shark
Query Shark is a blog maintained by literary agent Janet Reid, of FinePrint Literary Management. On Query Shark, Ms. Reid will (with permission) post real query letters, then critique them, with her comments (which are very straightforward and honest).
If you plan to go the traditional publishing route, you’ll need to know how to write a killer query. Query Shark is an excellent resource for learning what a quality query looks like. When you go there, start on the right sidebar with How Query Shark works. Even if you don’t plan to publish traditionally, it’s still an excellent resource for perspective from someone who knows good writing.
Nick Stephenson’s Your First 10,000 Readers
Nick Stephenson is a bestselling fiction and non-fiction author who also teaches other authors and online entrepreneurs how to find their first 10,000 readers.
The Creative Penn
Website of bestselling thriller author Joanna Penn, who also writes, speaks, and teaches on the subject of self-publishing and book marketing. Joanna is a prolific blogger with lots of great resources on her website.
Tim Grahl’s Book Launch Blog
Tim is a popular expert on book marketing, book launches, and author platform and his client list includes bestselling authors like Hugh Howey, Chip and Dan Heath, and Daniel Pink.
Books
Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
The Breakout Novelist: Craft and Strategies for Career Fiction Writers by Donald Maass
Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass
Plot & Structure (Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish), Part of the Write Great Fiction series from Writer’s Digest, by James Scott Bell
Elements of Fiction Writing – Conflict & Suspense by James Scott Bell
Business for Authors by Joanna Penn
Reader Magnets: Build Your Author Platform and Sell More Books on Kindle by Nick Stephenson
Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Building an Audience by Dan Blank
Writing a Killer Thriller by Jodie Renner
Book Launch Blueprint: The Step-by-Step Guide to a Bestselling Launch by Tim Grahl
Other Resources
Scrivener
Scrivener is the go-to app for ANY writing project, from full-length fiction novels to blog posts. This powerful software is the app of choice for every writer I know, and at $45, it’s a steal for the number of features you get with this product.
Knockout Fiction Writing
Self-paced, online course by author and writing teacher James Scott Bell. This course is an expanded version of Bell’s popular writing workshops.
Author Accelerator
Book coaching program founded by book coach/author/editor Jennie Nash.
(Full disclosure: the book links are links to Amazon, and if you purchase a book while you’re there, I get a small monetary reward, which will most likely be spent on Amazon.)
