Since the title of this blog post is completely self-explanatory, let me just take a quick moment to express my appreciation for this season of The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman. Not only is the officer and the gentleman THE SAME PERSON (I was stunned), but he drives in one of those funny cars where the door goes up into the air when you open it. Plus, he is a doctor, but he misdiagnosed one of the bachelorettes who sprained her ankle in the last episode, telling her she had a displaced fracture. She was so excited that she got a rose that she didn’t seem to mind that her potential future husband apparently skipped the part of medical school where they teach you about broken bones.
Also, if you are the drinking type (I’m guessing you are, if you take the time to read this blog), watch the Bachelor and, ahem, raise your glass every time someone says “amazing,” references a fairy tale, or questions whether one of the bachelorettes is in it for the “right reasons.” I don’t actually play this game, becuase if I did my liver would stop functioning and I would end up in the hospital, where Dr. Bachelor would probably tell me I was suffering from a hangnail.
Anyway, on to the actual part of the blog where we talk about publishing. My Google Reader is just itching for some more feed adds, so You Tell Me: what are the best writing and publishing blogs out there?
This blog is officially ineligible for votes, and this isn’t one of those “Oh, PLEASE don’t VOTE FOR ME” type of things, I’m serious, I want to hear about the other blogs out there. And if you were even thinking of voting this blog, I encourage you to re-read the first two paragraphs and promptly seek help. Preferably not from Dr. Bachelor.
Discuss!
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h says
Andy (Mr. Bachelor) needs to stop drinking. Why doesn’t anyone tell him that it’s embarrassing to be the sloppy drunk bachelor?! And as for the diagnosis, well that’s because he’s a Navy doctor – they perscribe Advil for EVERYTHING. š
Watching that show is like, amazing!
Maya Reynolds says
Miss Snark
Anonymous says
Miss Snark
Pub Rants
Lit Agent X
Scott says
I read several blogs. In the last few weeks, I think Kristin Nelson’s Pub Rants has been my favorite (since we can’t include the-blog-which-can’t-be-voted-for), although it’s a close race with Lit Soup and, yes, Miss Snark.
And, just so you know, I wasn’t the drinking type until I started reading your blog, thanguverimuch.
As for the Bachelor, all I know is that it’s some kind of TV show, a so-called reality show, I think. That’s really enough for me. (Although, of course, I *love* your intelligent and witty commentary about it.)
Lauren says
The kidlit blogosphere has exploded in recent months. There’s a lot of interlinking among the blogs in that arena, so I’ll just put a few URLs in here:
Brooklyn Arden, Scholastic editor Cheryl Klein’s blog: https://chavelaque.blogspot.com
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast: https://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/
(Fab content all around, but their interviews are particularly top-notch.)
Chasing Ray:
https://chasingray.com
(Great discussion and analysis by a Bookslut reviewer. YA discussed a lot.)
Also, not a kidlit blog, but very good:
Jenny Davidson’s Light Reading:
https://jennydavidson.blogspot.com/
Roxan says
Parenthetically Speaking where you can read Twisted Linguistics and perhaps if you can’t spell see your own words in it.
Probably not the type of blog you were looking for, but you need to expand your horizons boy! At least I didn’t say my own. LOL
brian_ohio says
When I heard about The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman… I was stunned! Why did Richard Gere argree to this?
Turns out… it’s not him!!!! That’s false advertising.
Good Blogs…
Fangs, Fur & Fey – as well as the authors who run that particular show. Lots of great info/insights
Agent in the Middle – Lori Perkins
Evil Editor
Writer Unboxed
to name a few.
Nienke says
I simply have to check out PaperBack Writer every day. That, and Flogging the Quill, although he only posts once a week. I also enjoy Writer Unboxed. They do fabulous interviews.
https://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/
https://floggingthequill.typepad.com/
https://writerunboxed.com/
ithaca says
Miss Snark
Joel on Software (www.joelonsoftware.com)
Amazing site. Brilliant guy. And one day some lucky publisher will stumble on the idea of using the Fog Creek co-pilot to get around last-minute typesetting glitches, and many many writers will be very very happy.
Language Log
(weapon of choice against copy editors)
https://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/
Stephen Parrish says
Miss Snark. But you’re no slouch, either.
Brian says
Echoing Lauren’s tally of YA lit blogs:
Bookshelves of Doom
A Chair, A Fireplace, & A Tea Cozy
Big A, little a
Niteowl says
Somewhat pessimistic, but has a good run down on several goings on in the BlogWorld:
101 Reasons To Stop Writing
Slightly Canadian slant, but in my case, taht’s a good thing. Also, best blog name ever:
Book NinjaM
Annalee says
Well, we already know you know about Miss Snark…
I’m a fan of The Rejecter: https://rejecter.blogspot.com .
And not exactly a ‘publishing blog,’ but John Scalzi discusses publishing-related (and writing-as-a-business related) things on a fairly frequent basis:
https://scalzi.com/whatever .
Anonymous says
Hmmm, I like
The Debutante Ball: http://www.thedebutanteball.com
Kristin Nelson: http://www.pubrants.blogspot.com
The Writers Group: http://www.writersgroupblog.blogspot.com
and I never miss a day of Galley Cat.
Laurel Amberdine says
I don’t read other agent blogs regularly because they stress me out too much, but when I’m feeling in need of supplemental agentyness I read Miss Snark.
I check the Crusie-Mayer writing workshop blog every day. https://www.crusiemayer.com/workshop/
I occasionally look at the Writers of the Future Blog, https://wotfblog.galaxypress.com/
Mostly I read the blogs of writerly types who are on LiveJournal.
sylvia says
Funnily enough, I just did a ruthless prune of my RSS feeds as I’m spending much too much time browsing.
The ones that survived were (in no particular order):
Neil Gaiman
Making Light
Miss Snark
…you… š
Lit Agent X
Evil Editor
101 Reasons to Stop Writing
Whatever (John Scalzi)
writtenwyrdd says
I may be wrong, but my understanding is that often a sprained ankle is a fracture. Got my foot dislocated (turned around backwards) as a kid, worst sprain you ever saw, and was told that I had to have broken the joint for that to occur. Soemthing to do with the way in which ankles are made.
My favorite writing blog is Evil Editor, hands down. I like you and Miss Snark in the top five, though, for industry blogs.
L.C.McCabe says
Nathan,
I’ll mention some blogs that haven’t already been covered:
Joe Konrath’s blog. He recently was flown to NYC by Google in order to deliver a speech authors marketing themselves via the internet. He has a lot of ideas, insights, etc., about the publishing industry and recently one of his fans did an index of all of his old posts. It is a wealth of info.
https://jakonrath.blogspot.com/
Writer Beware blog run by A.C. Crispin and Victoria Strauss. It’s nice to keep up with scam artists and things that are too good to be true.
https://accrispin.blogspot.com/
M.J. Rose’s Buzz, Balls & Hype
It’s all about marketing yourself and your work.
https://mjroseblog.typepad.com/buzz_balls_hype/
Tess Gerritsen’s blog. She has a lot of good advice for other writers.
https://www.tessgerritsen.com/blog/
The Book Design Review. It shows and critiques book covers. My friend Erika Mailman’s book A Woman of Ill Fame was featured there and mentioned on her blog. I’ve subscribed to it ever since.
https://nytimesbooks.blogspot.com/
Martha Alderson’s blog. It has great plot tips.
https://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/
I have many others that I follow, but I think the ones listed above are the ones you’d probably enjoy the most.
Linda
Carla says
My daily blog checks are:
My agent’s blog
Kristin Nelson
Miss Snark
This one
101 Reasons To Stop Writing
Agent Obscura
Lit Agent X
Writer Beware
Anonymous says
Daily hits:
Miss Snark
You
Pub Rants
Buzz, Balls & Hype
Paperback Writer
Writer Unboxed
Flogging the Quill (can also be found at http://www.floggingthequill.com)
Liz says
Seems to be a lot of agreement…my daily reads besides this blog are:
AgentObscura
BookEnds,LLC
LitSoup
LitAgentX
TheMidnightHour
MissSnark
PubRants
Marti says
If youād like an across-the-pond perspective, I would recommend Grumpy Old Bookman
Dave says
Let’s see,
For writing things:
Evil Editor
Miss Snark
For Info:
POD Critic
One Minute Book Reviews
For Fun:
Niel Gaiman
Powder Burn Flash (Mystery Noir)
And then there is politics:
Daily Kos
Americablog
Crooks and Liars
Huffington Post
Happy Days says
What, Dave? No Firedoglake? tsk-tsk!
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Author! Author!
She provides words by the pound, but the writing tips embedded in them are valuable.
And now that I have your attention: Is it true what she says, that 2 spaces after a period are indeed still the standard for correct punctuation?
Anonymous says
Lit Agent X
Writing Fiction
Flogging the Quill
Writer Unboxed
Miss Snark
GalleyCat
Stephanie Zvan says
I’ll second Making Light. There’s a lot of non-writing/editing content as well, but when they’ve got something to say about writing, they (and their heavily published commenters) are worth paying attention to. Lots of good stuff in the archives.
I also read the Wyrdsmiths blog, in part because I know them, and in part because they raise lots of interesting questions about process and craft.
Anonymous says
JA Konrath at https://jakonrath.blogspot.com/
*Because it’s from a hard working writer’s perspective who isn’t afraid to get out there and promote.
And Miss Snark at https://misssnark.blogspot.com/
*Because she must have caught snarkilitus from a gin bottle somewhere and that makes her a fun and always unpredictable read.
Jenny Maxwell
A Paperback Writer says
I read Miss Snark and Neil Gaiman every day. I also check Cynical Pen a lot. This one is also in my top five.
Mary Paddock says
I’ve only just started exploring online agents’ blogs as I’ve only just now decided I have a product worth marketing.
So far I read yours religously, Miss Snark every couple of days and Kristin Nelson’s Pub Rants when I have extra time. I think I’ll be looking up the other blogs recommended here.
sex scenes at starbucks says
https://crapometer.blogspot.com
We submit and critique work, from chapters to pages to queries. Right now we’re writing queries for submitted synopses. It’s rigorous and just plain fun.
Christopher M. Park says
I have a lot of writing-related blogs that I follow. My favorites that are updated nearly daily (in no particular order, and not including your own as per request):
Author! Author! (Author/Editor – Anne Mini)
BookEnds (Agent(s) – Jessica Faust et al)
Miss Snark (Agent – does she need an intro?)
Pub rants (Agent – Kristin Nelson)
My favorites that are updated less frequently (again in no particular order):
Agent Research (Author – Beverly Swerling)
Arcaedia (Agent – Jennifer Jackson)
Lit Agent X (Agent – Rachel Vater)
This blog I have only recently discovered, but it seems quite good:
The Rejecter (Anonymous assistant at a literary agency)
There are other blogs that I read, but these were the ones that I thought would be of the widest appeal.
Chris
Michele Lee says
A few that I don’t see mentioned…
Seriously Whacked
Heretic Spire
The famous December Quinn
Storytellers Unplugged
and…
*coughcoughminesneeze*
csinman says
My non-you suggestions have already been mentioned (Miss Snark, Evil Editor, Making Light, Neil Gaiman, Kristin Nelson’s Pub Rants, Lit Agent X).
But I wanted to point out that I am not the drinking type and yet I still somehow manage to enjoy your blog. Crazy. š
Thanks for this post, because now I have some new ones to check out.
McKoala says
I hate to be repetitive…
Miss Snark
Pub Rants
Evil Editor
Lit Agent X
Plus, like Sex Scenes above I’m also a fan of the spawn of Miss Snark’s crapometer.
Lots more procrastination possibilities for me here, though! Does anyone know if any UK agents blog anywhere?
Maya Reynolds says
McKoala: Would you settle for a UK editor?
I read and link to Fifth Estate, the HarperCollins UK blog. They sometimes mention UK agents.
The link is https://www.fifthestate.co.uk/
Peter R says
Other than Fifth Estate I havenāt found any Uk agents or editors online.
The publishing industry seems to be behind the times on this side of the pond. Virtually no agents accept submissions by email either. Having said that, most Uk agents do request the first three chapters with a query letter ā non of this query letter only stuff.
B.E. Sanderson says
The writing/publishing blogs I’ve found most helpful are (in no particular order):
Miss Snark
Maya Reynolds
Pub Rants
BookEnds
Writer Beware
Murder She Writes
Romancing the Blog
Dishing with the Divas
Murderati
Anonymous says
Miss Snark
BookEnds
PubRants
Simon Haynes says
“Does anyone know if any UK agents blog anywhere?”
John Jarrold’s blog. He also has a section on the Chronicles Forum.
(The blog tends to carry more announcements, while the forum is more of a Q/A about publishing and agents.)
Len says
The only sort of writing blog I’ve spent time at other than this one (and that’s not a vote), is Phil Austin’s Blog of the Unknown, which was started by Phil, one-quarter of The Firesign Theatre. Phil started it as a writing experiment and a group of us have tagged along, telling stories, writing poems, making jokes. It’s not as active as it once was, but much of the history is still in place. I’ve learned there.
Having worked not only with the other Firesigns, but with The Grateful Dead, John Candy, and Barbra Streisand, I think Phil might have a helluva memoir in him. He took a meeting with Ringo once! How many other bloggers can make that claim?
Susan Flemming says
Following are writers’ blog I check on a daily basis. I’ve tried not to post ones that have already been mentioned.
Pocketful of Words (Holly Lisle)
https://www.hollylisle.com/writingdiary2/
The Anatomy of a Book Deal (Robert Gregory Brown)
https://www.robertgregorybrowne.com/wordpress/index.php
The Clarity of Night (Jason Evans)
https://clarityofnight.blogspot.com/
Magical Musings
https://www.magicalmusings.com/
Len says
I also participate on a blog that reviews books called Baby Got Books.
trenchgold says
Happy Days – I’ve been researching the two space after a period thing myself.
Everything I find says yes, do it.
I found this site that gives instructions on how to do it.
https://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/fixing-double-spaces-after-periods
Oh – I heart Miss Snark.
Chumplet says
What? Mine isn’t listed? Oh, well, I only have about seven posts so far — it’ll take a while to get poopular.
When I’m not writing, I faithfully check Miss Snark, Evil Editor, Agent X, BookEnds, Jason Pinter and Pub Rants. Oh, and Absolute Write, which is not a blog.
I don’t watch those reality shows. Give me fantasy every time, like those sitcoms where everyone owns gargantuan homes and seem to have money coming out their wazoos.
Besides, the Bachelor has an outie and I don’t like outies.
McKoala says
Thanks for the UK tips! I’ll check them out.
spyscribbler says
Some of my favorites, above! Has anyone mentioned these:
Mark Terry
Good Girls Kill for Money Club (Love their whimsy!)
Jason Pinter
Murder She Writers
Simon Haynes says
I was told the two spaces dates from typewriter days. I’ve read in many places that it’s only one for electronic documents.
But I wouldn’t stress it. When laying out the MS they can simply replace two spaces with one until it stops finding them.
Stargazer says
Miss Snark
Lit Agent X
Evil Editor
101 reasons to stop writing
Karin Tabke
Anonymous says
Blogs I check daily are…
Miss Snark
Lit Agent X
Bookseller Chick
Neil Gaiman (started with his)
Meg Cabot
Pub Rants
Writers Beware
Poppy Z Brite
John Crowley
Thanks for the others listed – I’ll check them out.
Anonymous says
I like some of these blogs and have learned a thing or two, but it seems like the internet always leaves you high and dry.