Editing and Publication

Agents

The Association of Authors' Representatives (in the US) and The Association of Authors' Agents (in the UK) are professional trade groups for agents. Both have rigorous screening processes, and membership in one is a sign that an agent is legitimate. Their websites contain their organizations' codes of ethics and membership rosters, and the AAR's FAQ offers explanations of what you should expect from an agent and a list of questions you should ask.

Warnings and Cautions for Writers, part of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. website, provides a through discussion of what makes a good agent - not just an honest one. Included are tools to help evaluate agents, resources for agent searches, and case studies. Particularly outstanding are the links at the end, which include contracts and advice from a writer-lawyer.

The Safest Way to Search for an Agent is a comprehensive, unintimidating step-by-step program to help even the most amateur writer feel comfortable pursuing an agent; it focuses on how to protect oneself against agent fraud. The links at the end are also excellent.

Neil Gaiman has an extensive entry on agents which includes not only good links but an exceptionally helpful letter from Tor editor Teresa Nielsen Hayden.

How Much Does a Science Fiction or Fantasy Writer Make? Though based on a statistically small number of authors and their pay, this thorough and interesting article by John W. Campbell award nominee Tobias S. Buckell provides hard data on the average genre fiction author's paycheck - and how it changes when that author has an agent. Includes statistical data and charts.

Risky Business by Paperback Writer. This author of 27 books in 5 genres (under 5 names) explains the danger of book doctors and her own narrow escape from one early in her career.

The Passionate Pen is a romance novelists' site, but its information is useful to all writers. Its agent FAQ, romance/fantasy agent listings, and agent questionnnaire are excellent.

COPYRIGHT INFO

Artists (including writers) automatically receive a copyright on any work they produce. However, U.S. authors may gain certain advantages by registering their copyrights ($30 fee). The U.S. Copyright Office provides information on how and why as well as information on copyright law (including fair use).

Cornell University's Public Domain Chart lists the copyright terms recognized by U.S. law - how long a copyright lasts before the work falls into the public domain. This includes unpublished documents, works published within the U.S., and works published outside of the U.S.

UK Intellectual Property is a guide to intellectual property law in the United Kingdom, including a specific focus on copyrights.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) provides free PDFs of the copyright laws of all United Nations member states. It also links to the relevant government websites, if they exist.

The Berne Convention is an international agreement signed by 96 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. It requires the signatories to recognize each other's copyrights and to protect the rights of authors.

Chilling Effects is a site which focuses on the legal questions which surround fanfiction.

General

The Writer's Market handbook, in its various forms, continues to be one of the most important, if not the most important, tool a new publishing author can own. We cannot recommend it too highly.

2005 Writer's Market

2005 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market

2005 Children's Writers and Illustrator's Market

Writer's Market Online At $29.99/year and $3.99/month, it's cheap if you're looking on the short time, or prefer the convenience of an electronic index.

The Writer's Market Companion The ultimate writer's guide - covering everything from the business of writing (print and online) to the craft of it, we can't recommend this book enough.

FreelanceWriting is the "website for today's working writers." The site's articles try to keep abreast with all areas of publishing, much of which will be uninteresting to a genre fiction writer, but their career center is an excellent resource for writers trying to make ends meet.

Newbie Writer's Resource Editor Raechel Henderson Moon explains everything from setting up a 'zine to basic submissions. The information on creating an e-zine is a bit dated, but the rest is still very useful.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. has dozens of articles on how to improve your writing and how to sell it, many written by well-known authors. This site is interested both in helping published authors negotiate better contracts and in nurturing new writers.

Standard Manuscript Format, by William Shunn This is an excellent outline of standard manuscript form. William Shunn's Inhuman Swill is the main website. Do note that e-zines tend to maintain different standards than print magazines - and always check out the writer's guidelines of any publication before submitting.

Uncle Orson's Writing Class - Orson Scott Card has some unusual political and religious beliefs, but his views on writing are at the very least well-considered. Agree or disagree, each of his "writing lessons" is worth at least one read. As a warning, they sometimes contain spoilers for one or more of his books.

Writer's Crossing Focuses in particular on the publication aspect of writing; also has excellent market list.



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