Literary Agents Are Accessible

Anyone who finished a manuscript and edited it to perfection (well, your own version of perfection in any case) knows that finding a literary agent is a nightmare. First, you need to find out which agents are taking on your type (genre) of manuscripts, if they are taking on new clients to represent and lastly, and to me the BIG question...whom can you trust.

Call me cynical, but an agent about whom you struggle to find information, whether it is in print or online, inspires little confidence in me. I do not want a manuscript that reflects months and sometimes, years of work, to land in the hands of an unscrupulous fly-by-night agent who might disappear with my precious work.

This brings me to the agent Nathan Bransford. I mentioned him before in some blog posts, but never explained why I feel following his blog is worthwhile. Therefore, here goes:

1. He is accessible through his blog - unlike most people he actually checks his comments and responds to them.
   
2. His blog offers valuable advice to aspiring writers, including everything from how to write query letters (the hardest part of writing any novel), to which genre, terminology to understand the publishing world better and a lot more.
   
3. His blog is updated nearly every day with current news, views, and experiments that will leave you wondering how someone manages to produce fresh ideas every day.
   
4. Reading through the comments makes you realize you're not alone in the struggle to get your first book published.
   

In short, don't take my word for it. Check out his blog for yourself.

What Makes You Stop Reading?

Whether you read fiction or non- fiction books, some books you just can't seem to read to the end. What makes you stop reading? This must be the most prominent question in a writer's mind along with the question: "What makes you keep reading?"

Consider the following: