writers_loft | Marketing, Networking, and Writerly Resources (Reply)

Hello, writers! Forgive me if this has been done before, but I wanted to post a thread where we can exchange links and tips for writer resources. What have you used? What works and what doesn't?

There are about a million websites and forums purporting to be helpful to writers, but frankly there's so many of them, I don't know where to start. I really don't want to sign up for a dozen different forums, make a profile, and just let it languish. I'd like to invest in just one or two helpful communities and really put down roots. What communities (outside LJ) are you part of? What's the emphasis of the site and how has it helped you?

For those serious about getting published, I highly recommend a subscription to Writer's Digest magazine. The magazine gives lots of tips on the industry, marketing, finding an agent, the craft of writing--every stage of the process. Not an issue has gone by where I haven't learned something of value that I've applied to my writing life. If you're still just dabbling or having trouble getting started, give it a pass, but if you're ready and selling, or ambitiously writing and need to learn more about the publishing side of the industry, I'd definitely check it out. There's an offer for a cheap subscription ($13/year) here.

The other tool I highly recommend is AgentQuery.com. If you're looking for an agent, this resource is free, up-to-date, easy to search, and it's filtered out all the sharks and scammers so you're only applying to legitimate agents. I tried buying The Writer's Market 2009, but found it to be a waste of money. I got the deluxe edition that allows access to online resources, looked at it, but never used it. Really, all I needed was AgentQuery.com and in-depth Google search for which agents are best in my genre.