I've been a long time follower of both of your blogs, and I've even emailed you in the past thanking you for the help since it was instrumental in my publishing success. So, here is my question.
I've continued reading both of your blogs, but do you have any suggestions for blogs to follow once you've managed to get your book published? I love your blogs because in a lot of ways they taught me how NOT to make a fool of myself while pursuing publishing. Now I need to know how NOT to make a fool of myself once I actually have a few books on the shelves.
(As a long time blog reader, I've obviously read Dana Kayes book because if you give advice I know enough to follow it, but I'm wondering if there is a blog equivalent?)
I'm not a reliable source here cause I don't read much other than client blogs, and Instagram cat pictures.
But my guess is that readers of this blog might have some good ideas!
Readers, help a writer out, will ya?
18 comments:
Jane Friedman's blog is packed with great information covering the gamut from pre- to post- publication.
https://www.janefriedman.com/blog/
Janet, I want to add that even though I've been happily represented for years, I continue to glean fresh insights from your blog. I also recommend it as a key resource to all my writing students.
[D'oh! Deletion was me]
I agree with Ellen about Jane Friedman (and also about Janet's invaluable and generous contribution). I also like:
Betsy Lerner (an editor), The Forest For The Trees
https://betsylerner.com
The Passive Voice, an interesting-links site alerting you to stuff you might miss otherwise.
https://www.thepassivevoice.com
Chuck Wendig, Terrible Minds (be warned, he doesn't mince his words.)
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/blog/
There are a fair number of others too, which - of course - don't spring to mind identifiably at the moment. But we can always come back later and add names to this list. What a great resource this post is.
Yes, this is a good question. It would be good to know if there is blog life after publishing. It seems already a couple of Reiders have chimed in with some good suggestions. Congratulations, OP. Please let us all know who you are so we can greedily consume your books from the other side of the query gauntlet.
Opie: First, congrats for your publishing success! May it be long and rewarding. :)
Of course, you want to keep coming back to Janet's blog. You may not need the agent and querying advice, but the kale tips are invaluable.
Seriously, I'm not sure about web sites, but some published writers (e.g., Susan Dennard) have been posting some very insightful and sometimes uncomfortable information on life after publication on Twitter. Things about sales, and what it means and doesn't mean to have your book in a bookstore, international publication, and the truth behind how much published authors make and why many of them depend on a second source of income.
A lot of that info ought to go on a website somewhere. And maybe it is. But that's what I've got. :)
Same kudos to JR and her wealth of information and camaraderie here! Ditto on the sites mentioned already.
Congratulations OP on your success. Although I’m still unagented I’ll have @ ten books for kids out by the end of next year—small, and educational publishing work-for-hire. I’m finding the best support of the kind you mean isn’t through blogs, but interaction through Facebook and other writer support groups, like SCBWI.
Best of luck with marketing and sales. Be visible!
Congratulations on your success, OP! And thanks for asking the question--now I'm going to check out a couple of the recommendations you received.
Writer Unboxed is a great site for published and pre-published writers. Agents, editors, and authors all contribute, so the information is varied and tends to cover several angles of the industry. Recommend.
OP
Congratulations. What a wonderful achievement. I wish you much success.
Joanna Bourne is an award-winning and bestselling romance author. She doesn't post frequently, but she's a gem.
Rachelle Gardner who is another top agent always has something pertinent to say in her blog posts. Plus, she is the sweetest thing.
Jessica Faust, aside from torturing literary assistant James McGowan, she's pretty awesome. Well, maybe torturing him makes her more awesome. I mean, who doesn't like glitter bombs? That's the Bookends blog, but she posts frequently.
The Writer's Digest Podcast.
TheLitForum TheLitForum isn't really a blog, but rather a writers forum, but a lot of published authors hang their hats there as well as brand spanking new people who want to write and people who just enjoy reading. Barbara Rogan, Diana Gabaldon, Lori Benton, Joanna Bourne, Linda Grimes, Helene Boudreau call(ed) it home among others, though Linda and Jo and Helene aren't around as much now. Too busy being fabulous. A lot of successful authors have started there.
So many good blogs have gone dark of late, so my go to's are Scalzi and Wendig.
If you want to search old news just plug in Authors blogs in Google and start digging.
You are smart enough to do that, after all you are starting in the right place: here.
Thank you friends! This was my question to Janet. I've been following her blogs for YEARS, but I'm definitely a quiet lurker since the comment section of this blog is SO good it can be a bit intimidating at times!
I am a middle grade author with three books out at the moment with HarperCollins, Edge of Extinction-The Ark Plan, Edge of Extinction-Code name Flood, and FLOAT. And NONE of that would have happened with out Janet's blogs. I can promise you that. So no worries, I will continue to be an avid reader here, but I appreciate all the suggestions for where to go next. While I feel like I navigated the query trenches pretty successfully thanks to Janet's advice, I feel like I've been on the "learning lessons the hard way" track now that I've entered the world of published authors. Thank you everyone for taking the time to chime in.
Writers groups have been excellent resources for me once I was published/agented. Like my debut group. Also my in-person writing friends, although I'm lucky enough to live in an area with other writers. Look for relevant local organizations.
I saw a YouTube interview of Barbara Poelle where, when asked how an author should handle being published in a social media world, she said, “Be kind. And when you are famous, be even kinder.””
I'm hesitating because you ask for blogs to help you not make a fool of yourself (rather than, for instance, craft or marketing advice), and I'm not sure I know of any such place. I second many of the suggestions already mentioned, but especially Barbara Poelle's advice.
Make friends, talk to people. Follow people on twitter (or other SM) who are different from you and listen to what offends them (and then don't do that). Go where your readers are and be available to chat with them (your blog, facebook, goodreads?). Oh wait, you write MG. Hmmm. Well, maybe find librarians and parents instead.
A couple other resources:
In addition to following her blog, consider signing up for Jane Friedman's newsletter, Electric Speed, in which she provides links to all sorts of helpful services for writers. https://www.janefriedman.com/free-newsletter/
Another newsletter I enjoy and value is from Mel Jolly, professional author assistant. It's a short weekly email in which she provides "tips and tricks for getting organized and reaching more readers" (generally, one tip a week). https://authorrx.com/weekly-newsletter/
Oh, another blog, JT Ellison has a cool blog where she does a round-up every Sunday of links to things she found of interest to writers on the internets that week, often tips on inspiration or productivity. https://www.jtellison.com/tao-of-jt/
But mostly, stop worrying about looking foolish. It's inevitable; we all take turns doing that. What really matters is the grace with which you recover.
[Facepalm] How, even for a moment, could I have overlooked Miss Snark? The blog is archived now, but what a treasure-trove. Reminds me that it's about time for a re-read:
http://misssnark.blogspot.com
Writer's Block Party is a great resource. It includes information for both published and unpublished authors.
I can't believe nobody mentioned Anne R. Allen's blog yet! I love her posts. http://annerallen.com
Thanks for all the other tips! I spent many very pleasant evenings re-reading the entire archives of Miss Snark's blog. :) Going to check out the other ones mentioned that I don't know yet.
Also hello everyone, this is my first comment here because that's how long it took me to get Blogger to start displaying the correct information. Probably correct. Mostly. Sometimes...
I read the blogs of, and am subscribed to the newsletters of, my comp authors--one of the best ways of seeing what's on my potential audience's mind
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