Writer's Sites |
Industry Resources |
Reference & Research Tools
Watchdog and Legal Sites |
Agent & Publishing Blogs
Composition Resources
Writer's Write
An extensive and popular writer's resource, which includes links to job markets for writers, communities, resources, research tools, and newsletters.
Writer's Digest.com
Features daily market updates, a database of writer's guidelines, a ranking of places to get published, and other products, books, and magazines for writers.
Poets & Writers
A nonprofit source of information, support, and guidance for poets, fiction, and non-fiction creative writers. Includes tools, job listings, contests, forums, and features.
WritersNet
Internet directory of writers, editors, publishers, and literary agents.
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United States Copyright Office, Library of Congress
Valuable information and pricing guidelines for copyrighting material.
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Search trademarks and patents, or find information on how you can get a patent for an invention or a trademark registration.
U.S. ISBN Agency
The ISBN Agency in the United States is responsible for assigning ISBNs and providing information and advice on the uses of the ISBN system. This site lists fees and answers frequently asked questions regarding the purchase of ISBNs and barcodes.
Bowker Bar Code Service
Provides information on how to obtain a bar code that includes your ISBN.
Lightning Source
We consider Lightning Source to be the number one industry resource for print-on-demand printing. Most e-publishing companies use LS to print their books. ("IBM and Ingram Industries [parent company of Ingram Book Group] partnered in 1998 to create Lightning Print, which has now become Lightning Source, a subsidiary of Ingram.")
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Wikipedia
Free community encyclopedia - great resource for open source definitions, text, and images. While it may not always be one hundred percent accurate, it remains a wonderful resource for researching those tiny details that make a story more believable.
The Chicago Manual of Style (15th Edition Online)
The book is a must-have for any serious writer or editor, but the new online option allows subscribers to search the CMS, saving valuable time. Bonus features include adding notes, bookmarking favorite paragraphs, and creating personalized style sheets.
Bartleby
Provides unlimited access to books and information on the web, free of charge. (Includes links to encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, and English usage listings.)
The Elements of Style, William Strunk, Jr.
"Concentrates attention on the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated."
Dictionary.com
Online dictionary and thesaurus. (Common source: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Dict.org
An online Dictionary Database Query.
The Vocabula Review
The Vocabula Review strives to combat the degradation of our language.
Writer's Market
News and access to agents. (Must subscribe to receive some content.)
Project Gutenberg
Search a database of over 25,000 free books in the PG online book catalog, which are available for immediate download. (There are over 100,000 titles available via their partners and affiliates.)
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Agent Research & Evaluation
Ar&E offers agent verification services. Their free service allows you to inquire about an agent, and they will tell you if they have established a public record and whether they have any negative reports. (Most reputable agents don't charge up front fees.) They also offer more in depth services for a fee, including a list of the agents in their database.
Literary Law Guide
This is the premier legal reference site for writers and includes articles, books, blogs, and publishing resources.
Preditors & Editors
This is a great website dedicated to telling the truth about agents, publishing companies, and editors. Includes an alphabetized list of organizations/companies, along with feedback. We highly recommend this site.
The Publishing Law Center
Devoted to providing quality information for the publishing community. Includes legal and publishing articles, information on copyright registration, publishing links, and a free newsletter.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Writer Beware
"Warnings about literary fraud and other schemes, scams, and pitfalls that target writers."
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BookEnds, LLC - A Literary Agency
"A literary agency focusing on fiction and non-fiction books for adult audiences." Blog contains useful tips and insights into the submission and acceptance (or rejection) process.
Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent
The agency here is Curtis Brown, LTD, which has a number of branches. Nathan Bransford is an agent with the San Francisco office. His blogs offer a unique behind-the-scenes look and also includes his "Essentials," which are links to information you should know before you send a query.
Jennifer Jackson - Literary Agent (Et in arcaedia, ego blog)
Includes news, notes, and opinions on the industry. (Blog links also include submission guidelines.)
The Rejecter
This is the blog of an assistant at a New York literary agency. She states that she is the "first line of defense for my boss." Her blogs offer authors insight into what will probably get rejected—in other words, what not to do when you are writing your query letter.
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Adobe Acrobat 9 Professional
Create professional PDF files, templates, and forms. (Buy from $449)
Adobe Reader
Download the latest version of Adobe Reader (free). Allows you to open PDF files. (We recommend keeping up with the latest versions. This is a critical piece of software for anyone considering self-publishing.)
Adobe InDesign CS4
Design professional layouts for print and digital publishing. (Buy from $699) This program requires a fairly high skill level to operate!
Microsoft Word 2007
It's important to have a word processing program, and Word has become the industry standard. Although the latest version is 2007, the last version (2003) is still acceptable for the time being. (Buy from —149.95)
OpenOffice.org
This is a free and open source productivity suite. It is comparable in every way to MSWord, with the exception that this product is free! We can't recommend OpenOffice enough as an alternative. You can even open Word files or save to Word.
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