Inspired Links – May 15, 2011
In my "Inspired Links" feature, I provide links and brief descriptions of thought-provoking articles. I hope you enjoy these little treasures 
- I've long-been suspicious and reluctant to utilize Facebook as an integral component of my author platform. It's risky relying on a platform over which you don't have complete control. There is some inherent risk in every platform, but with this blog, for example, I own the domain name and I contract with my hosting company for the server and I am responsible for all the content. Facebook recently came out with a new policy restricting the ability for authors to hold contests which is a serious blow and it leaves many authors wondering why they should bother with Facebook at all. Here's the article from Galleycat with more specifics.
- And another goody from Galleycat, here are some quick links to do-it-yourself style guides for e-books including Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, and Calibre.
- With respect to writing craft, there are few thornier issues than showing vs. telling. In this insightful post from author Jody Hedlund, she explains why going too far in either direction – showing OR telling – can be detrimental to the story.
- In "A New Mission for Literary Agents," author Roz Morris proposes that agents should take on the role of author advocate and start new "discovery" imprints to provide a proving ground for new writers. These imprints would be pre-screened by the agents and would provide added exposure for new writers to the big publishing houses. It would also be a win for readers who could enjoy pre-screened books. Interesting food for thought.
- Nathan Bransford's post "The Case for Putting a Manuscript in a Drawer" makes the argument that not every story and not every novel can be saved even with exhaustive editing. Sometimes it's best to simply move on.
- If you're considering life as an indie author, then you certainly need to spend time reading J.A. Konrath's blog. And he has a guest post up from Scott Sigler that explains in wonderful, exhaustive detail just how he made it from newbie writer to having a multi-book deal with Crown Books by using the bootstrap method of writing. You won't want to miss this post.
- In "How Will Ebooks Change the Author Experience," Jason Pinter provides a bit of nostalgia for being an author of printed books and what we might be missing out on if printed books become endangered species.
- Evelyn Lafont shares some terrific insight as she's analyzed the details of her book sales trends in this post "Reasons behind Self-Published Book Sale Spikes and How I Was Wrong."
If you're wondering about my methodology for choosing links for inclusion in this post, rest assured there isn't one. It's just a collection of things that I found interesting and I thought you might too. Please let me know what you think!
