Now it’s time for links!

First up, Laura Fraser explores the politics of Chick Lit and Dude Lit at The Daily Beast. This is a FANTASTIC post. Read it!

Agent Nathan Bransford warns of the “pernicious momentum of first ideas”.

Agent Rachelle Gardener gives tips on author headshots (Remember Monday I said I thought every writer/blogger needed one?)

Both Jodie Renner and Simon L. Carter wrote excellent posts on how to format dialogue and write dialogue tags.

Jessica at Book Ends asks what makes a classic?

Jenn posits that playing World of Warcraft will make you a better networker (don’t tell my husband that!)

Michael Hyatt offers four surprising conclusions about author websites (be sure to have your own website graded on WebsiteGrader.com).

Writer’s Digest’s digital Big 10 Issue is out. I have yet to read a magazine on my iPad, but I’m going to download this one.

Chilean artists released a bomb of poems on Berlin Tuesday, so I’m going to bomb you with a poem, too. Written by my friend Matthew Zapruder, I give you Pocket.

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

As you’ve probably heard by now, according to Jeff Bezos, e-book sales have surpassed hardcover book sales at Amazon (but I’m curious to know how e-book sales compare to paperback sales).

And from The Nation, the trouble with Amazon.

From my friend Connie Hale over at Sin and Syntax (have you bought her book by the same name yet?), an A to Z on e-books.

On NPR, writers reveal why they write.

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks like I have, you may not have heard about 16-year-old pop sensation Justin Bieber’s memoir deal.

Great posts, as usual, from Alan Rinzler: one on the author background check and how important it is to present yourself professionally online (does that mean I shouldn’t be posting vidoes of myself doing backflips?) and one on how to boost your book sales with niche marketing.

If you live in the Bay Area, you’ll love Ian Tuttle’s flash fiction restaurant reviews at Stretchy Head (I love that name).

And from Sierra Godfrey, four tools for going paperless. (And while you’re over there, don’t forget to enter her fabulous character contest for a chance at winning an Amazon gift card!

And here’s a hilarious clip sent to me by my friend Ani from the documentary about SF sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison Dreams With Sharp Teeth on why writers shouldn’t work for free:

Agent Nathan Bransford has a post on creating a Series Bible. A Series Bible is to a book (or series of books) what a script supervisor is to a movie—the person who makes sure a character’s hair looks the same in each scene and that they’re wearing the correct blouse, etc. to give the illusion of continuity.

And via Nathan, a post from the Gatekeeper on whom to thank in your acknowledgments.

Agent Rachelle Gardner asks what do you give up in order to write? And she has another great post about what goes into a publishing contract.

As usual, editor Alan Rinzler has a great post on eavedropping on conversations to help you write authentic dialogue, a practice I highly recommend. And another on building courage as a writer. His advice? Go skydiving!

Intern gives her thoughts on book trailers for unpublished books, which I found intriguing since I was considering making one myself.

Samuel Park writes about the future of books and why he thinks they’re around to stay. And he has another great post about the power of coincidence, or, how much luck plays a role in your getting published. I love Samuel’s blog. If you haven’t yet subscribed to it, go do it right now!

Roni at Fiction Groupie has a post on e-publishing and whether you should go that route.

Jane Friedman at No Rules talks about managing multiple identities online.

Last but not least, from Literary Agency Upstart Crow, can you boil your book down to 25 words or less? These people did.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you writing moms out there! I hope they serve you breakfast in bed!

KRISTAN!

Kristan, e-mail me your address and to whom you’d like the book addressed (Kristan, Kristan the Magnificent, etc.) to meghan (at) meghanward (dot) com. Then, whenever you’re ready, send me 20 pages of your manuscript or a short story, and I will critique it and send it back to you within a week.

And now for a few links. My list is going to be short for the next few weeks because I have DEADLINES.

Alan Rinzler has a great post on shelf wars at bookstores, including an interview with agent and former owner of Cody’s bookstore, Andy Ross.

Chris at Upstart Crow reminds writers to have patience, which I blogged about not long ago, but I think some of us need more patience than others!

Via Shelly at Market My Words, a post from Bubble Cow on how to find and keep your readers.

According to Kristin at Pub Rants, there’s a rumor that several of the six big publishers are coming out with new boiler plate contracts soon.

Anne over at Piedmont Writer discusses the drawbacks of having too many followers.

Sierra has a fabulous story about the word fortitude.

You can save the earth by changing your font.

And last but never least, from Galley Cat, how to make an iPad cover out of an old book, the Library of Congress is going to store ALL tweets, and a cat who loves his iPad:

Happy Weekend!

Last week, Publisher’s Weekly announced that Vook is releasing 19 titles for the iPad. I’m very happy about this because my husband owes me an iPad and because as I said back in November when I bought my first (and only) Vook, I want an e-reader device with video. Steve Jobs heard my prayers and answered them.

And while we’re on the topic of ebooks, Galley Cat reports that author John Scalzi defended Randy Cohen after Cohen wrote a controversial column in the New York Times stating that it’s okay to pirate an e-book once you’ve already purchased the hardcover. Scalzi says once you’ve bought one copy of the book, you’ve fulfilled your contract with the author. I wish I’d known this the last time I purchased multiple hardcovers of an author’s book. I could have just bought one and stolen the others. Damn.

For those of you who are disappointed that you’ll never get to be on the Oprah Winfrey Show, there’s hope. Also via Galley Cat, there’s rumored to be a book club show on Oprah’s OWN cable channel: the Oprah Winfrey Network.

I wrote last night about elevator pitches and Nathan Bransford’s vlog, but I forgot to include these great tips on crafting your pitch by Alan Rinzler.

The Millions has a great essay on what it’s like to cease to exist (on the Internet).

Eric at Pimp My Novel gives his two cents about self-publishing, and a guest blogger for Intern, Lindsey Carmichael, writes a fantastic post about how to make your book jump off the shelves of bookstores. READ this post. It’s fabulously informative.

Don’t forget to enter the latest Writerland contest to win a copy of the hot-off-the-presses Secret Miracle: The Novelist’s Handbook and a critique of 20 pages of your work. I’m dying to know where y’all are from and what kind of ice cream you like!

And now, just for fun: If you’re a fan of Death Cab for Cutie, as am moi, and you’ve always wondered where they got their name, here’s a video sent to me from RJ Squirrel by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (duh), who performed this song for the Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour” movie.

My favorite link this week is an incredibly inspiring post that all aspiring writers must read.

From Nathan Bransford, 10 questions to ask yourself if you’re considering self-publishing as more and more authors turn to web and POD publishing.

Also from Nathan Bransford, all about co-op, “a catchall term for, among other things, that magical (not really) process by which books non-magically appear at the front of the store.” And more about co-op over at Pimp My Novel.

Also from Pimp My Novel, a list of abbreviations of publishing terms that you should know.

GalleyCat reports the latest in e-book news on the eve of the arrival of the iPad. And Borders repays its loan on time. In other words, the bookstore giant will remain in business for the time being.

According to YA literary agency Upstart Crow, queries by writers with MFAs are taking more seriously than queries by those without.

Agent Jenny Bent has a great post on confidence and how writers can maintain it despite all the rejection.

For insights into the teen reader mind, check out Market My Words’ Teen Panel Part I and Part II. (Hint: They judge books by their covers!)

And if you’re looking to combine a publishing and platform building workshop with some yoga, massage, and Balinese dancing IN BALI check out The Creative Penn for details.

Two great posts from Alan Rinzler. One about Kristen Tracy, a YA writer with book deals for two series and how she did it, and another on how you can turn your academic paper into a book deal.

Via 80,000 Words, T-shirts for writers like this one: “Never Wrong a Writer. They Get Their Revenge in Print.”

And Sierra Godfrey has two great posts, one that questions whether we should use expletives in our writing and another on how to give feedback when you hate the person’s writing.

How about you, what was your favorite link this week?

For Bay Area Literary News, Frances at Ghost Word
For hilarious vlogs, Kiersten at Kiersten Writes
For overall great humor, Kristen at A Rocket in My Pocket
For general awesomeness, Kristan Hoffman
For fabulous advice from an editor, Alan Rinzler
For the How I Got My Agent and 7 Things I’ve Learned So Far series, the Guide to Literary Agents.
For more general awesomeness, Sierra Godfrey
For fabulous photos combined with insights on the writing process, Christine Lee Zilka at 80,000 Words
For book marketing advice, Shelli at Market My Words
For more great insights on the writing process, Elizabeth at Fog City Writer
For an overall great writing blog, Debra at Write on Target
For all the best publishing news, Media Bistro’s Galley Cat

Of course, there are a gazillion other deserving blogs, and I will link to all of them some day! If you received this award from me, congrats! If you feel like posting it in your sidebar and passing it on, go for it! If you don’t, that’s fine, too.

From the Guardian via Elizabeth at Fog City Writer, is crowfunding the way of the future?

Also from the Guardian, is your reading suffering from multimedia overload?

Agent Rachelle Gardner warns writers to think hard before self-publishing while editor Alan Rinzler gives four reasons self-published books get picked up by traditional publishers.

From Galley Cat, the National Book Critic Circle Award Winners, which were handed out last night.

Also from Galley Cat, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is writing the score for the movie adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood.

And a glimpse at Apple’s iBooks store.

Guide to Literary Agents guest blogger Peta Jinnath Andersen has a post on what to do once you’ve set up your writers’ blog.

Intern puts out a call for guest bloggers. This is your chance to MOCK Intern while garnering tons of new followers. Get on it!

And before I disappear for the weekend, what were your favorite links these past couple of weeks? Any one in particular?

The Guardian’s Ten Rules for Writing Fiction Part One and Part Two.

A fabulous article on the future of publishing from Jason Epstein in the New York Review of Books.

Editor Alan Rinzler quotes James Scott Bell’s advice on using a voice journal to make sure your character’s voice is not your own.

If you’re looking for people to follow on Twitter, here is Galley Cat’s list of the best book editors on Twitter.

Also from Galley Cat, as Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland premiered today (I can’t wait to see it!), here is a brief history of Alice in Wonderland book reviews.

Tribal Writer explores what makes a story go viral.

And Jessica at Book Ends Literary Agency, posts her updated Publishing Dictionary.

Happy Weekend!

Here is some recommended reading for writers considering an MFA.

A great post from Rachelle Gardner reminding writers that no one said the road to publishing (and beyond) would be easy.

Query advice from Sierra Godfrey and Jessica Faust. Also from BookEnds, don’t quote your rejection letters. And from Rachelle Gardner, why an agent may pass after requesting your manuscript.

Over at Guide to Literary Agents, Seven Things Tia Nevitt Has Learned about writing.

Frances Dinkelspiel gives us the low-down on The San Francisco Writers’ Conference, and Shelli at Market My Words interviews author Carolyn Howard-Johnson on how to promote your book for cheap.

If you haven’t done your taxes yet, Guide to Literary Agents has a great post on Tax Tips for Writers.

And if you HAVE and you need a good laugh, check out these hilarious videos at Kimberly Franklin’s site.
Enjoy!