[Linkage] Z is for Zombie Apocalypse

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

Z is for Zombie Apocalypse:

What? If the zombie apocalypse happens, it'll affect the writing industry! It's not like I couldn't think of anything else to fit here... *cough* 

• The CDC actually has a page about the zombie apocalypse. I find this hilarious.
• The Huffington Post suggests "Zombie Fads Peak When People Are Unhappy".
• I got sidetracked by the Google results for "zombie apocalypse," and let me just say, there is some weird stuff out there. Let's skip the third link and have an end-of-the-challenge dance party!

 

A-to-Z is over! Who's ready for a nap?

[Linkage] Y is for YA, NA, adult, etc. (Categories)

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

Y is for YA, NA, adult, etc. (Categories):

• Tristina Wright's "Another 'That's Not a Genre' Rant" - As the title implies, this is a full-on rant, but she makes some excellent points.
• L.G. Kelso's "NA is a Category, Not a Genre" - Another rant, driving the same point home.
• Lynley Stace's "Category v. Genre" - This one isn't a rant, but it supports the same notion.

Where do you stand on the category debate?

P.S. I've got a homemade infographic on the topic scheduled for May 20th at NA Alley. ;) Speaking of which, our blogiversary week starts today!

www.naalley.com

Monday: Agents on NA

Tuesday: Editors on NA

Wednesday: Authors on NA

Thursday: #NAParty Twitter Party (with Prizes)

Friday: Rafflecopter Giveaway Day

[Linkage] X is for X-Factor

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

X is for X-factor: 
No, not the TV show. Today, we're going to talk about the hard-to-describe quality that makes writing and/or promotions stand out. 

• “Making Your Book Launch Stand Out” by Angela Ackerman (via C.S. Lakin)
• “How to Make Yourself and Your Writing Stand Out” by Suzannah Windsor Freeman
• “Make Your Book Stand Out: It’s a Big, Scary World Out There” by Nick Stephenson (Infographic)  

What do you think makes certain writing/promotions stand out?

[Linkage] W is for Writing Craft

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

 

W is for Writing Craft:

• Chicago Manual of Style - I love their FAQs.
• 1000 Verbs (via Kimberly Killion) - I love this list.
• The Bookshelf Muse (Descriptive Thesauri/Thesauruses) - I love these women.

Honing your craft? Which sites do you love?

[Linkage] V is for Virtual Book Tours

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

V is for Virtual Book Tours:

• #NALitChat Archive 03/21/13 - We discussed virtual book tours for an hour. There's ton of information.
• Dana Lynn Smith's "What Authors Need to Know About Virtual Book Tours" - A nice overview of the concept.
• Maria Dismondy's "How to Host a Virtual Book Tour." -  Some great tips!

 Have you ever gone on (or participated in) a virtual book tour?

[Linkage] U is for Ugly Truths

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

U is for Ugly Truths:

• Chuck Wendig's "25 Hard Truths About Writing And Publishing" - If you don't follow Chuck's blog, Terrible Minds, be warned that his posts are heavy on profanity.
• Patrick Wensink's "My Amazon bestseller made me nothing." - Depressing, but worth a read.
• Alison Flood's "Stop the press: half of self-published authors earn less than $500." - Again, not the cheeriest article, but today's theme is ugly truths.

 Have you faced any "ugly" truths since you started writing?

[Linkage] T is for Twitter Chats

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

T is for Twitter Chats:
Need to keep up with a hashtag chat/event on Twitter? Try one of these options:

• Tweetchat - This one works right in your browser, and it adds the hashtag to your tweets.
• Tweetdeck - This is the app I use on my desktop. It's easy to keep track of different lists and manage multiple accounts.
• Hootsuite - Some people swear by this one. I haven't played around with it much.

Do you ever participate in Twitter (hashtag) chats?

[Linkage] S is for Synopsis

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

S is for Synopses:

• Susan Dennard's "How to Write a 1-Page Synopsis" - A good point-by-point guide
• Writer's Digest: "Synopsis Writing" - A listing of synopsis examples
• Adrian V. Diglio "How to Write a Synopsis for Your Novel" - Good tips!

Update, ten years later: Blogger flagged a link in this one, so I removed the hyperlinks. I assume, of the three, Writer's Digest is the most likely to have stood the test of time.

Have you ever written a synopsis? *mandatory hiss* Do you know of any helpful articles?

[Linkage] R is for Research

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

R is for Research:

• All Experts - This is a fantastic place to find a "real life" expert for your toughest questions. Just be sure to check out their credentials.
• TV Tropes - This site reminds me of the awesome DPK. Tropes galore!
• Lydia Kang's Medical Mondays & Redwood's Medical Edge - Both have a great collection of medical facts for fiction.

How do you do your research?

[Linkage] Q is for Queries

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

Q is for Queries:

• Query Shark
• Query Tracker
• Agent Query

Have you ever written a query letter? Which resources did you use?

P.S. Did you miss Super Chat last night? Here's the recording!

[Linkage] P is for Publishers

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

P is for Publishers:

• Preditors & Editors - A good resource to check out before you query.2018 UPDATE: Preditors & Editors is no more, but Reedsy has a great page on Author Scams and Publishing Companies to avoid!
• Absolute Write Water Cooler - There's a discussion for just about every pub out there. Take all opinions with a grain of salt.
• Sharon Bayliss' "Researching Small Presses" - A reminder to do your homework. ;)

Do you have a publisher? How did you find them?

P.S. #NALitChat is going to be a Google+ hangout tonight--kind of like a New Adult panel. You can find details here. :)

[Linkage] O is for Online Searches

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

O is for Online Searches:

• How to Use Google Search More Effectively [INFOGRAPHIC]
• Google: Search by Image
• The Top 25 Fun Google Tricks

Which search engine do you use?

P.S. For those of you who couldn't get a copy of the article yesterday, here's a photo... *faints*

[Linkage] N is for Nom de Plume

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

N is for Nom de Plume:

• Rachelle Gardner's "Should I use a Nom de Plume?"
• Essortment's "Using a Pen Name: Myths & Realities"
• Howard G. Zaharoff's "A Rose by Any Other Name: Pros and Cons of Pseudonyms"

Do you use a pen name? How did you make your decision?

P.S. You'll have to excuse the poor timing, but it's not every day I get to say this: I was interviewed by USA Today! Check it out. :)

P.P.S. Apparently, the print edition has my face and cover. Ahhh!

[Linkage] M is for Marketing

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

M is for Marketing:

• Seth Godin - This guy is a marketing maven, and you know I have a business crush on him. Check out his blog.
• Caitlin Muir's "89 Book Marketing Ideas That Will Change Your Life" - My life didn't change, but maybe yours will!
• Joanna Penn's "Marketing Your Book" - A directory (of sorts) for The Creative Penn's marketing posts.

What's your favorite source for book marketing info?

[Linkage] L is for (Bestseller) Lists

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

L is for (Bestseller) Lists:

• Publications like the New York Times and USA Today
• Retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble
• Research giants like Nielson

Any obsessive list-checkers here?

Not me. I have no reason. I just couldn't think of anything else for this letter. LOL Have a great weekend!

[Linkage] K is for Keeping Your Sanity

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

K is for Keeping Your Sanity:

• Virtual Bubble Wrap - It's more satisfying than you think. I recommend "manic mode".
• Rainy Mood - You guys know how much I love this site.
• Aquarium Web Cams - You can visit the aquarium without the crowds (and smells)!

How do you relax online?

[Linkage] J is for Job

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

 

J is for Job

• Kari Wolfe's "Why You Should Get Serious About Your Writing Schedule"
• Ali Luke's "Seven Habits of Serious Writers"
• Susan Kaye Quinn's "Creating a Five Year Plan"

Do you have any tips for treating this like a "real" job?

[Linkage] I is for Industry

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

I is for Industry:

• Kristen Lamb's Blog - This woman is brilliant, and the "voice" in her blog posts is second to none.
• Shelf Awareness - I look forward to this e-newsletter every weekday.
• GalleyCat - This site is touted as "The First Word in the Book Publishing Industry".

Where do you go for industry news?

[Linkage] H is for HTML & CSS

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

H is for HTML & CSS:

• "w3schools.com" - This is my favorite HTML resource.
• "A Beginner's Guide to HTML & CSS" - As the title suggests, this is a beginner's guide.
• "Make an HTML Grab Button for Your Blog" - Remember how we made blog buttons during "D is for Do It Yourself"? Now you can share it!

Do you use HTML and/or CSS?

P.S. Lynn Rush and I are having a Twitter party tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST! Check out the details here. :) 

[Linkage] G is for Grammar

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

G is for Grammar:

• Melissa Maygrove's Grammar Police Files - There's a reason I refer to my critique partner as the Goddess of Grammar.
  
• Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips ™ - Mignon Fogarty's brilliant podcasts.
  
• English Grammar for Dummies Cheat Sheet - Back to basics!

How do you brush up on your grammar?

P.S. "G" also stands for giveaway! ;)

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Strength

by Carrie Butler

Giveaway ends April 20, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

[Linkage] F is for Forums & Communities

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

F is for Forums & Communities:

• Nathan Bransford's Forums
• Google+ Writers' Discussion Group

Do you participate in online forums/communities?

[Linkage] E is for E-books

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

 E is for E-books:

• Pixel of Ink - A regularly updated list of (promotionally) free/discounted Kindle books.
• "Why E-Books Cost So Much" by Nathan Bransford - This is an interesting article by a former-agent-turned-author-slash-tech-guru.
• The Gutenberg Project - Ebooks that are free in the United States because their copyright has expired.

Have anything interesting about e-books buried in your favorites folder?

P.S. Speaking of e-books (and paperbacks), STRENGTH is finally up on all major retailers' websites! Better late than never, right? :)

• (E-book) KINDLE,  NOOK, KOBO, SONY READER STORE, and iTUNES/iBOOKSTORE.
• (Paperback) AMAZON,  BARNES AND NOBLE,  DIESEL,  BOOKS-A-MILLION,  POWELL'S, and THE BOOK DEPOSITORY.

[Linkage] D is for Do It Yourself

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

D is for Do It Yourself:
I'm going to cheat today and use some of my own recent guest posts. ;)

• 10 Things to Consider When Making an Author Website
  
• How I Made my Book Trailer (for Free)
  
• How to Make Your Own Blog Button

Do you have a useful guide to share with us?

[Linkage] C is for Contest

Note: My A-Z theme is linkage. Every day (at 7:00 a.m. EST), I'm going to list three helpful industry links per letter, and then I'll ask for suggestions in the comments—that way, we can pool our resources! :)

C is for Contests:

• Yelena Castle's "Contests & Giveaways in the Writing World" - This is an author who takes the time to list opportunities every other Monday. Definitely worth a follow.

• Poets & Writers' Writing Contests, Grants & Awards - These are more traditional contests, and many of them require an entry fee, but the listing is helpful and kept up-to-date.
  
  
• Cupid's Literary Connection - You know who hosts a ton of pitch contests? Cupid! 

   

Where do you hear about writing contests?