Links to useful resources

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Blogs

The Shatzkin Files is a group of eBook and industry blogs at Idealogue that includes Kate Eltham's Electric Alphabet out of Australia and Martyn Daniels' Brave New World (UK).
Be prepared for gossip if you eavesdrop (anonymously) at the Absolute Water Cooler. Authors talk . . . and talk.

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Style guides

William Strunk, Jr.'s 1918 first edition of Elements of Style is online at Bartlesby. Its advice continues to inspire; for the active writer, the newest edition might be useful (it has pictures!).
The venerable Chicago Manual of Style is now online as well as in print, still the arbiter of correctness.
Among college writing guides, which include both style and documentation advice, the most often recommended are Diana Hacker's guides and the Allyn & Bacon guide.

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Literary reviews

New York Times Book Review, the granddaddy of reviews, has the most frequently quoted best-seller lists. The strike of '63 gave rise to the temporary New York Review of Books, which became permanent as a more in-depth alternative, now with a robust online presence.
Mystery Reader, Locus and Romantic Times are examples of genre sites. Locus, for science-fiction and fantasy, has a broader market focus; the other two target fans.
Salon.com, an innovative leader in virtual literaria, provides in its books section perhaps the broadest non-print survey of newly printed work. Salon also publishes on-line excerpts from unsigned work of interest.
The venerable PEN American Center showcases new writing and advocates for free expression worldwide, in addition to hosting a robust awards program.

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Books & booksellers

American Booksellers Association is a source for bookseller news, activity and issues.
Books in Print, the standard reference resource for finding print, audio and virtual works, is available online by subscription or free in your local library.
On line, Alibris represents a host of independent booksellers, both U.S. and foreign, while Amazon.com has both in-stock and individual offerings.
The massive Powell's Books of Portland, Oregon, maintains a robust online shop with an instant best-seller list. Most national book chains maintain online shops, including Barnes & Noble.

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Reference collections

Library of Congress has nearly every book published in the US, plus mss and foreign works as well. It has useful online access and a helpful staff.
New York Public Library is a model city library with extensive collections, easily accessed, and an expert staff.
College and university alumni associations often give access to affiliated academic libraries, including free online journal subscriptions and librarian services.
dmoz Open Directory Project has endless lists of available online resources in a broad range of fields.

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Copyright & royalties

U.S. Copyright Office is the authoritative source for information, procedures and searches, including texts of relevant laws. A perhaps more accessible online version of the code may be found at the Cornell Law School site.
Lloyd Rich, a Denver copyright attorney, presents the Publishing Law Center, copyright issues from the publisher's viewpoint.
Authors Registry assists authors in collecting royalties, generally from foreign rights.
Authors' Licensing & Collection Society is a British organization helping authors receive their due.
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts provides pro bono legal services, education and advocacy to the New York arts community.

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Resources for agents

The Association of Authors' Agents is our UK counterpart organisation. A list of AAA members is available for when you need a Great Britain connection or have a question.

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Resources for writers

The Authors Guild represents the writing establishment with a focus on business support and copyright issues.
For non-fiction writers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors provides resources and advocacy.
National Writers Union is the self-proclaimed 'labor union for writers'.
For writers of children's books, The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators provides conferences, grants and information.
For established novelists, the 'in' club is Novelists Inc, featuring annual conferences.
Genre writers' groups include Horror Writers Association and Mystery, Romance and Science Fiction & Fantasy groups.
The British Society of Authors maintain a translators' database as well as member list. Support includes contract review. The Author, a quarterly, is available to non-members by subscription.

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Resources for playwrights

For the stage, it's the Dramatists Guild, established and governed by playwrights, composers and lyricists to advance their rights.
Theatre Communications Group offers a wide array of services to strengthen, nurture and promote the not-for-profit American theatre.
The Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York serves not-for-profit Off-Broadway theatres and related organizations throughout the five boroughs.
League of Professional Theatre Women promotes women in all areas of professional theatre.
New Dramatists provides member playwrights with the resources they need to create plays for the American theatre.

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Resources for screenplay and television writers

For screen, the former Screen Writers Guild is now the AFL/CIO Writers Guild of America, West and Writers Guild of America East in New York, unions for writers of motion picture, television, radio and new media.
Independent Feature Project encourages creativity and diversity in films produced outside the established studio system.
The Scriptwriters Network, in Los Angeles, is an affiliation of film, television and corporate/industrial writers that hosts guest speakers talking about the craft and the industry.
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain focuses on scriptwriters, open to authors in all media; they provide contract review.

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Play publishing resources

Samuel French publishes full-length plays, one-acts, plays for young audiences and musicals.
Dramatists Play Service publishes and licenses full-length plays and musicals.
Playscripts publishes full-length plays and one-acts.
Smith and Kraus publishes full-length plays, one-acts, translations, adaptations, solo pieces, monologues and plays for young audiences.

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Book publishing resources

Publishers Weekly continues to be a prime source of publishing news, gossip and statistics.
Literary Market Place, the encyclopedic annual, now online, tells authors about submitting manuscripts for publication. It also lists those who publish, edit and package books.
Publishers Marketplace is both a social site and the publisher of Lunch, a daily e-letter of news, trends and gossip.
The Publishers Association is the leading UK trade organisation serving book, journal and electronic publishers. They focus on copyright and rights issues.
Publishing Perspectives, run by the German Book Office, has a welcome, independent and international focus.
The AAR International committee has distributed a list of UK publishers and imprints, Who Owns What in the U.K.

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