Blogs to Read

OK, I know there are a ton of awesome blogs out there, ranging from funny to informative, and I know everyone has a big list of websites you "srsly must 2 read 4 the lols," but the ones I'm about to list are seriously awesome. Of course, there are probably many other seriously awesome sites out there that I haven't stumbled-upon yet. But these are all the ones I have. If you have any seriously
Also, since I am a huge book nerd, all of the blogs I'm about to list are written by writers/editors/agents. But trust me, they are all worth a gander - especially if you too love books.

Writers' Blogs:

Justine Larbalestier: Her blog is as interesting to read as her last name is hard to spell (and also features a TON of great writing advice. In January she wrote a post-a-day about writing, all in reply to style and technique questions from her readers).

Maureen Johnson: She is the Stephen Colbert of Young Adult Authors. Again, there is some great writing advice on her site - you just have to do exactly the opposite of what she tells you to (such as, for example, in her post about how to write a query letter).

Neil Gaiman: Okay, there's not too much writing advice on here that I've seen, but it's still cool to get a peak into a RFA (Really Famous Author)'s life. And he's rather amusing, too. Sensing a theme here? I like to laugh.

John Green: Another funny guy, and one who also has some very interesting ideas about the publishing industry as a whole (e.g. his very long discussion, in a couple of posts, about advances vs. royalties in the book world - are six-figure advances really better for an author and publisher than higher royalty rates might be?).

Editorial Blogs:

THE INTERN: This blog had me giggling right from the first time I read its description - "The straight dope on publishing from publishing's most fearsome figure—THE INTERN." And the INTERN delivers as promised - a no-holds-barred insight into how the editorial side of things works (want to know how tricksy editors can find out if you are querying them solely through Writer's Market?).

Editorial Ass: More straightforward pub advice, this time from an editorial assistant who is, as their profile puts it, "bitter but hopeful" (most of the posts there seem to come across as more hopeful than bitter, though).

Editorial Anonymous: Answers questions from readers about various aspects of publishing (for example, how to tell whether a manuscript will be acquired - this reply comes with a handy "Publishometer," too!).

Literary Agent Blogs:

The Rejecter: Sometimes the posts here can sound a little harsh, but only because they are true. When I want the potentially-painful truth, this is where I usually turn.

Nathan Bransford: Wonderful advice from a well-known and respected literary agent at Curtis Brown.

Pub Rants: Agent Kristin offers, in her words, "polite rants about queries, writers, and the publishing industry." Some of them can be pretty scary, but she is true to her word - very polite about the scariness.

Query Shark: Where your query letters, once submitted to the blog's email, may be used in a blog post, wherein the query shark will tear your carefully constructed letter to bits, then inform you whether or not they would give you a form rejection, a personalized one, or whether they'd ask to see sample chapters. Someday, I will get up the guts to submit a query letter there, if only for the editing advice alone. Again, potentially painful... But it's a site you should check out before you start submitting your own queries.

So, that's all for the moment... I may come back and add more if I think of any I've forgotten. And like I said, if you have some favorite blogs or websites from the industry, please mention them in the comments below! I'd love to check them out.

P.S. - Crap, I used the a-word again.