I have too much homework to think too much. Now, isn’t that a conundrum?
Anyway, I decided I would spare you my analysis of John Donne’s The Flea, although if you have never read it, you should. It’s really funny. But I will let you analyze it yourself. Just let me suggest that you ponder the letter ‘s’ as it was written in days of yore, as you read the poem. Especially line three.
Now that I have proven my humor to be of the very lowest sort, back to more serious topics.
If you are an Indie author, or indeed, any writer with professional aspirations, I highly recommend that you read certain blogs regularly, and dip into others on a more occasional basis. This will let you keep up with what’s being recommended as wise practices, what’s the latest and greatest, and so on. Yes, it will take a little time, but it is worth it. Just like in any other business, being aware of the industry is an essential tool in your workbox, as much as the wordprocessing program you use is.
If you are really strapped for time, The Passive Voice is a great place to start. He collects in one place articles of interest to writers, publishers, and editors.
Needless to say, I think The Mad Genius Club is a fun source for writerly advice, but even before I was inducted into Mad Genius status myself I followed it daily.
For business aspects, I cannot say enough about the husband-wife pair of writers and industry dynamos Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith. The Business Rusch holds enough information to get you started, and keep you going for a long time. When you visit Dean’s site, go right to Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing, you will not regret the time spent there.
Finally, if you are pursuing a more traditional publication path, visit Preditors and Editors first. They spotlight the unethical that prey on newbies in our industry, and not only can you check out a potential market, but reading through it will open your eyes to potential problems you may stumble on.
Have a favorite blog or site on these topics? Put it in the comments and I will put a link in this post when I have a little time tomorrow.
In the meantime… I have more reading to do, and it’s not even fun.
