As empathy fatigue sets in and life presents challenges that are geographically closer to each of us, please let’s take a few moments to recall the perhaps hundreds of thousands dead, and even more still suffering. And please let’s all spend the time and energy it takes to help, in whatever ways we possibly can. … Read more
A rather silly and inaccurate article from WSJ proclaiming The Death of the Slush Pile. An excellent post on agent Janet Reid’s blog, Slush Works. A discussion on the AW forums, that references both essays. This stuff comes up every now and then. Every week it seems like some new Website goes up, announcing that they’ll … Read more
By Larry M. Lynch During a slow period in my writing career, I found myself writing only queries. With article assignments temporarily in a slump I soon started losing the “edge” that kept my writing tight, sharp, and crisp. As a new or practicing writer, it is important to establish and maintain good writing habits. … Read more
By Gloriana Susan Stites Bays publishes under the name of Susan Bays, and writes as Susan Stites. She owns and operates Arbutus Press, a small independent company that publishes nonfiction subjects relating to Michigan and the Midwest only. Arbutus Press flourishes due to Susan’s skills, resourcefulness and drive. Here, Susan shares some of her secrets—how she began, … Read more
Writer Robert B. Parker died this morning at his desk, apparently of a heart attack. He was 77. I’ve loved his books for decades. I’ll miss his work, and his unique voice, very much.
Google and the Google Book Settlement might be one of the biggest concerns of the entire decade for published writers. Ursula K. LeGuin resigned from the Authors Guild, because of their capitulation. So very much has been written about this wrangle and Google’s rather blatant attempt to completely revise copyright law, and I won’t try … Read more
Just a reminder to those of you thinking about attending Backspace Writers Conference in May, you’ll get an early registration discount if you register before February 1. (In the interests of full disclosure, Backspace does advertise with AbsoluteWrite on occasion, but this is not a paid post, and I’ve personally heard really excellent things about … Read more
Just wanted to let you guys know I’m down with the flu, right now. On the mend, but still not anything like functional. In the meantime, just in case you didnÆt realize these resources are out there, let me direct your attention to these two writing-related and markets-listing sites that can save you hours of … Read more
By Gary Blake As a freelance reporter, first for a local weekly newspaper and then a daily, I found out that I was an incorrigible procrastinator. Most news stories were written shortly after the fact to meet the paper’s deadline. It’s the nature of the beast. There were a few feature stories that I let … Read more
Internships are a standard part of how people learn the publishing business. When you work at a major publisher, you’re gaining experience, insight, and making contacts that can eventually serve you for your entire career as a writer, editor, or even as an agent. If you’re interested in working in publishing, and you’re in the … Read more
