www.EveryonesReading.com is a new website, offering 12 free eBooks – so book-lovers can enjoy their favourite books in a free, convenient and easy format.

EveryonesReading.com has just launched this week, so I hope you’ll be interested in featuring it. There’s no catch, just 12 free eBooks for everyone to enjoy! There’s also the chance to win a new Sony Reader!

Alexander Martin
Midas Public Relations

Midas House, 10 Old Court Place, London W8 4PL
T: 020 7361 7860 | Direct: 020 7361 7877
E: alexander.martin@midaspr.co.uk
midaspr.co.uk | twitter.com/midaspr

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Mary Kole is one of the first people who donated her time to WriteOnCon. When the conference was just a thought, we went to her with questions and ideas–she answered each and every one of them, and then made suggestions of her own.

On September 23rd, she’s teaching a webinar about writing for children with the folks at Writer’s Digest.

Here’s what she has to say about it:

You can enroll by clicking here. It’s the next best thing for all of you who have been waiting to see me live…and you don’t have to leave your pajamas! If you have to miss the live event itself and can’t call in, you can always register for the webinar and have access to the recording of it for one full year.

I pledge to answer all questions posed to me, either during the seminar or later, in writing, and, as a registered student, you will get a critique of the first 500 words of MG or YA novel or the first 300 words of your picture book manuscript, depending on what you’re writing. If I get a good turnout for this webinar, Writer’s Digest will host me again, and  you know how much I love getting teaching opportunities, so tell your friends!

That’s right–if you register for her webinar, you get a 500 word critique (300 if it’s a picture book) done by Mary herself!

I spend a lot of time looking at Mary’s critique notes, (Full disclosure: She’s my agent) and let me tell you–they are amazing. When she finds a problem with your work, she doesn’t just tell you it’s bad. She tells you why, and then gives you the tools to figure out how to fix it. I’m a better writer because of Mary, and if she gives you notes on your manuscript, you will be, too.

So what the heck are you waiting for? Go sign up!

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Writers in the internet age have a tremendous depository of resources available at the click of a mouse. Sometimes it can be a whole lot of information, and if you’re anything like me, you tend to get buzzed with reading too many sites.

Nonetheless, I find I’ve learned a lot by visiting writing-related websites, and thought maybe I could share a few of the sites I’ve found useful.

The list is completely subjective and random, and reflects my own interest in the genres I like. Some are related to book reviews, some provide writing advice, others help with writing markets, some are by renowned editors and agents. This is by no means a complete list of all the sites I visit, they’re just off the top of my head.

Here’s the list, and feel free to point us towards other sites writers could find useful in the comments to this post. Happy browsing!

Guardian Books

Nathan Bransford

Stroppy Author

Alan Rinzler

Help! I Need a Publisher!

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When I was a little infant of a writer with no idea how to submit to anyone or anything, a friend of mine suggested I head on over to the querytracker website. There I met Elana Johnson. She ripped my query into about seventenn different pieces and really made me work to turn it into something I would be proud to send to a literary agent.

The best part of what she did was this: She gave me the tools to make it awesome. She TAUGHT me how to do it on my own. She’s awesome.

Now, she’s written a book that you need to own: From the Query to The Call

This book is like a one stop shop to getting an agent, and let’s be honest–that’s exactly what most of us need.

It kind of reminds me of those “What to Expect when you’re Expecting books.” There’s a lot of stuff that you don’t really want to know in there, but you REALLY need to know it in order to make it through the next 8-10 months of your life while you’re having a baby landing an agent.

Elana is the kind of person who understands that a query has to have a real hook, and this book breaks it down in a step-by-step format to really make your query stand out in the slush pile.

The part about the call was really interesting for someone who hasn’t yet received her call. She interviewed several authors who’d been through the agent call, and basically helps you get prepared for twenty minute phone conversation that could be the launch to your entire literary career. That’s kind of a big deal, people.

I want to make it clear that I’m not suggesting you read this book because I think the author is fabulous. I want you to read this book because I think it will help you take that big next step in your writing journey.

She’s giving away books here this weekend so get to it!

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Let’s first off congratulate Natalie Whipple. She got an agent, and it couldn’t have happened to a harder working gal. Awesome Sauce Natalie, but what I really want to know is–what totems did you throw to make that happen?

If you haven’t been reading Pimp My Novel (and not just because it has that awesome throw-back font logo) then add it to your reader. Now. You need to know this stuff someday for when you’re a big published author, and their post about blogging is a must-read.

If you’re into the math of query acceptance, then you should really be reading the gatekeeper agent’s blog. Seriously, it was way helpful.

If you haven’t read the Seven Stages of Query grief over at Fire Drill–go now and laugh your ass off. (And not just because I wrote number 2, k?)

Stage 1–Disbelief

Stage 2–Denial

Stage 3–Bargaining

Stage 4–Guilt

Stage 5–Anger

Stage 6–Depression

Stage 7–Acceptance and Hope

Happy Reading!

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Frank Fiore – Novelist & Screenwriter

In days of old when authors had to do research on their novel, their research options were not only limited but geographically challenged. You either had to go to the library or actually visit the places you wrote about.

Then came along documentaries and videos that an author could find that could give him or her a better idea of location for their novel or even some background information.

Today we have the Internet.

Does that eliminate the library and the need to visit an actual location? We have at our disposal Google, MapQuest, Google Earth, Google docs, first person accounts of a place, event or situation through blogs and articles – and a gaggle of other resources available on the World Wide Web.

So which resources do you use?

Frank Fiore is a bestselling author with more than 50,000 copies of his non-fiction books in print. Frank’s writing experience also includes guest columns on social commentary and future trends published in the Arizona Republic and the Tribune papers in the metro Phoenix area. Frank has a B.A. in Liberal Arts and General Systems Theory from Stockton State College and a Masters Degree in Education at the University of Phoenix. He and his wife of 30 years have one son. They live in Paradise Valley, AZ.

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