Writerly Links to Useful Resources for Writers · FAQs

Writing Descriptions of People
writeshop.com/how-to-describe-a-person-descriptive-words/
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/11-secrets-to-writing-effective-character-description

​Writing Scenes
​https://janefriedman.com/your-first-scene/

Fantasy Name Generator
http://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/

Writing Fantasy Battles
http://fantasy-faction.com/2016/writing-fantasy-battles-a-look-at-strategy
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/writing-epic-battle-scenes/

Character gestures
http://www.bryndonovan.com/2015/04/10/master-list-of-gestures-and-body-language-for-writers/

Writing emotion
​kidlit.com/2018/06/04/writing-emotional-meaning/?mc_cid=07362865e6&mc_eid=14440e30a7

Writing 3-Dimensional Characters

 5 Ways To Create Three-Dimensional Characters

 Three Dimensional Characters and How to Write Them

 How to Create a Relatable, Three-Dimensional, Unforgettable Character

 https://www.well-storied.com/blog/write-stronger-characters

​​I actually don’t know how “frequently asked” these questions are. But they were asked by me at some point during the writing process. Some are related to agent submissions, and some are related to actual writing topics. All of these are links to things that other people have said on the topic, and do not necessarily reflect my opinion. But I’ve used many of these sites for my own writing development, and so am providing them here. Yes, I can easily Google all this again, but some of this may be things I wouldn’t think to look up again. Plus, since I like having things in one place, why not provide it to others too?

This list will grow over time, and I will try to keep it up to date. But for those who use these links, if you find them stale or not what I listed them for, drop me a quick note at Info@steverodgersauthor.com. Thanks!

How many words should a query letter be?
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2008/09/query-stats-by-word-count.html
My opinion: Take these numbers with a grain of salt if writing Fantasy or Science Fiction, which often require more words.

Does the first novel in a series have to be standalone to be accepted by agents? What does standalone really mean?
https://ellenbrockediting.com/2015/03/30/ask-the-editor-how-do-i-make-the-first-novel-in-a-series-stand-alone/

What are some examples of good query letters?
(this first one is highly recommended–a free book on queries. What more could you ask?)
http://www.lukeman.com/greatquery/
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/successful-queries
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-write-the-perfect-query-letter
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/23-literary-agent-query-letters-that-worked/77310
There are a LOT of websites dedicated to this; I’m just showing three that were helpful to me.

What kind of novel beginnings do agents NOT want to see?
http://thewritelife.com/the-worst-ways-to-begin-your-novel-advice-from-literary-agents/

What are the traits of a good fictional protagonist?
http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/06/10-traits-of-great-protagonist.html

What are the traits of a good fictional antagonist?
http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/07/10-traits-of-strong-antagonist.html

What is a list of possible character traits?
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/character-trait-examples.html

What are some ways to physically describe a character?
http://writeshop.com/how-to-describe-a-person-descriptive-words/
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/11-secrets-to-writing-effective-character-description

Creating conflict in fiction:
http://thewritepractice.com/creating-conflict/
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative1/crisis-vs-conflict/
http://www.nownovel.com/blog/therefore-keep-conflict-plot/
http://www.tameri.com/write/conflict.html

How do I start my first scene?
https://janefriedman.com/your-first-scene/

What are some tips for creating great stories?
https://www.fastcompany.com/3019333/8-tips-for-creating-great-stories-from-george-rr-martin-junot-diaz-and-more-of-the-worlds-to

For those who are seeking agents, or will be soon, perusing agent blogs is a good way to get a feel for what’s required. I culled these from various sources, some of which were very old, then updated with the latest links. I’ve also weeded out agent blogs that don’t really talk about writer topics, just book releases and such. And I’ve checked every one of these to make sure there is at least one blog post in 2016.

BookEnds (Jessica Faust, Jacky Sach, Kim Lionetti)
http://bookendsliterary.com/index.php/category/blog/

Nathan Bransford (of Curtis Brown)
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/

Dystel & Goderich
http://www.dystel.com/

Jennifer Jackson
https://arcaedia.wordpress.com/

Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency
https://luciennediver.net/

Laurie McLean (Larson Pomada Agency)
http://www.agentsavant.com/

Kristin Nelson (Pub Rants)
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/

Janet Reid (of FinePrint)
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/

Agent Sydney (Australian agent) [No updates since 2014, but some interesting topics]
http://callmyagent.blogspot.com/

Nephele
http://nepheletempest.com/

The Zack Company
http://www.zackcompany.com/news/

Rachelle Gardner
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/

Carly Watters
https://carlywatters.com/blog/

Andy Ross “Ask the Agent”
https://andyrossagency.wordpress.com/

Book review sites. Use these links at your own risk.

Indie Book Review Site
Contains websites and links to blogs that review indie books
http://indiebookreviewer.wordpress.com/

Another Indie Book Review site with links
http://www.theindieview.com/

Indie reviewers
https://indiebookreviewers.com/

Kirkus Indie Reviews
This will set you back a pretty penny, but Kirkus is one of the leading names in the industry.
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/indie-reviews/

Books Butterfly
These guys will send your (discounted) book out to lots of readers. Good for getting initial reviews.
https://www.booksbutterfly.com/

Info on Amazon review policy
​http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/2015/10/all-about-reviews-and-amazon-a-quick-guide-and-rules/

Book Review Brokers
http://bookreviewbroker.com/

Kindle Reviews
http://www.kindlebookreview.net/

Weatherwax review match–match reviewer to author
​https://weatherwaxreport.blog/2018/04/29/announcing-tbrindr-an-indie-author-and-reviewer-matching-service/

http://www.quiethouseediting.com/betareading.html

​http://www.frostbitepublishing.com/beta-reader/

Review of the differences between three major book marketing sites, BookBub, BookGorilla, and The Fussy Librarian
https://www.standoutbooks.com/bookbub-bookgorilla-fussy-librarian/

Link for Netgalley, a book promotion tool
https://www.netgalley.com/

Advertising on Amazon KDP
https://janefriedman.com/using-amazon-kdp-ads-sell-ebook-amazon/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JaneFriedman+%28Jane+Friedman%29

How to use Amazon Sales Rankings
http://selfpublishingadvice.org/amazon-sales-rank-taming-the-algorithm/

Cameron Book Marketing
I’ve come across several positive independent reviews of their service
http://www.cameronpm.co.uk/

Site which rates different promotion websites and methods
http://www.jasonbladd.com/indielisters/

Great step-by-step book marketing info
Highly recommended
http://nicholaserik.com/start/

Bookbub New Release Feature
This allows you to feature a new release with no discount
​https://insights.bookbub.com/introducing-featured-new-releases/

In no particular order:

Awesome Gang
B Knights Fiverr
Book Bub
Ereader News Today
Free Kindle Books & Tips (FKBT)
ENT
Bargain Booksy
Free Booksy
Robin Reads
Digital Book Today
Booksends / eReader IQ
eBook Soda
Bookgoodies / authorad network
Book Barbarian
Books Butterfly
Riffle
eBooksHabit
BookRaid
Genre Pulse
Books Go Social
Fussy Librarian
Pixel Scroll
Booktastik
eBook Stage
Book Raid
Choosy Bookworm
eReader News
Book Runes
eBook Soda

​Tax information for authors
https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Self-Employment-Taxes/A-Tax-Cheat-Sheet-for-Kindle-eBook-Self-Publishing/INF29515.html