Happy 8th Birthday to YouTube – Yesterday was the day. Who could have ever imagined? (It also happened to be my daughter’s birthday. Happy Birthday Fiona.)

Stephen King Delays E-Book! – In an effort to support physical bookstores he has delayed the ebook edition of his newest release.

The Anatomy of a One-Sheet – Barbara NcNichol provides a simple explanation that you can use to help promote your book idea for speaking and to the media.

A Free Membership to CopyBlogger – Access to 13 major articles and a 20 part video series on how to write good copy. This is where sales are made, in the back cover copy, in the one-sheet copy, and on your web site.

5 Reasons Why Libraries Will Fail – First published in 1864.

Tsundoku – Your word for the day. Expand your vocabulary with this one illustrated below… Books purchased but left unread. Even Goodreads has an entire bookshelf of popular tsundoku titles.

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Eight Current Literary Lawsuits – Read the paragraph story about each one. May give you something to talk about at your next writer’s gathering.

You Get Great Reviews but Few Sales – An analysis of a common problem for authors. I know of an author with over 100 Five Star reviews on Amazon but less than 2,500 books sold.

Are All Book Covers Created Equal? – See what a bunch of sixth graders said when asked the question.

Cryptomnesia makes us accidental plagiarists – This article should scare you a little. This afternoon I showed a friend a new novel by a client, the friend declared, “I just read a novel with that premise last week!” Yikes!

You’ve Been Saying It Wrong (11 Famous Quotes That Have Changed Over Time) – I loved this article. Consider having a know-it-all character in your story correcting everyone around them with the “right” version. But the problem with that idea is the previous link in this post. If two of you use the idea then we’d have a problem!

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What Writers Earn – Real numbers from an author in the UK. She makes some assumptions in the article with which I disagree.

Does Book Design Quality Matter Today? – In essence the writer is saying we have talked a lot about craft but not enough about production quality.

Social Media Isn’t Just about Networking – Laure Alice Eakes has some good advice.

The Myth About Introverts & Extroverts–Could You Be an Ambivert? – Clever article from Kristen Lamb.

An Author’s Guide to Publishing – from the Huffington Post.

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How an E-Book is Like the Treadmill at the Gym – One of the better explanations regarding the question of whether you own your e-books or not. Read this and comment below if it helps you understand. It is worth your time.

With Bookselling in Deep Turmoil, Book Sales Are on the Rise – Excellent article by Peter Onos for The Atlantic.

May Holidays – Excellent list of events in May that you can use to promote your book. Thank you Edie Melson for the list!

Literary Agents: Now More Than Ever – Thank you Will Weaver for this great article on The Huffington Post.

Who Inherits Your Copyrights? – If you haven’t thought about this yet, now would be a good time!

A short (20 minute) documentary on the importance of C.S. Lewis. You owe it to yourself to watch it sometime soon. Enjoy!

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7 Reasons Your Manuscript Might be Rejected – I loved this post by Darcy Pattison

9 Things to Know Before Your First TV Interview – I would add a 10^th. Remember the Media is not your friend. – Be prepared for anything. Including being bumped because of some breaking news (like happened to a client last week…for good reasons!)

How to Market Part-Time While Working Full-Time – Excellent advice.

On Taking Criticism – David Farland addresses one of a writer’s greatest fears.

4 Ways Blogging Will Make You a Better Writer – Dan Blank provides some encouragement.

What Slush Pile Reader Look for in a Story – True confessions

Hemingway on Writing – A selection of his thoughts on the topic culled by the web site “Brain Pickings.”

50 Things We Don’t Do Anymore Because of Technology – Infographic. What does is say about me when I still do 19 of these?

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This is Your Brain on E-books – From the MIT Technological Review. Bless you David Zax.

The Non-essential Comma Quiz – A great exercise from Dianna Booher. Did you pass the quiz?

E-Books Sales Growth Slowed in 2012 – From Forbes magazine. Of course it slowed. Few things can sustain over 100% growth each and every year. At some point the statistics catch up.

42 Traits of the Perfect Reader – Fun stuff from the readers of The Book Riot blog.

The Top 200 Ministry Blogs – An incredibly valuable list of the top Christian Ministry blogs ranked by audience. Use these social metrics to see where your blog might rank. An exercise in “platform” size.

How Long Should You Keep Old Documents? – Timely article considering you’ve just completed Tax time.

Why Your Cell Phone Does Not have a Dial tone – Who knew? It was a decision made back in the early days of mobile technology.

What Happens to Your Online Stuff Once You Are Gone? – Google is actually addressing this. I’d recommend you put this type of thing into your Will or at least into some family documents.

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Zondervan Launches New YA Imprint – Blink is its name. Our client Lisa Bergren will be part of its launch this Fall.

Art and Failure: Why the Two Go Together – Matt Appling writes a great post on Jeff Goins blog. Must reading for the week.

Elements of a Fiction Platform – Good article for those of you who write novels and still need a “platform.”

7 Deadly Myths and 3 Inspired Truths About Book Editing – David Kudler writes some great stuff on the Huffington Post.

Is It Time to Forgive Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea? – Jon Krakauer explains his reasons why his answer is “no.”

A Contract for Book Borrowers – Make ‘em sign this agreement before they leave your house!

Writer Meets Tax Consultant – Today’s Funny comic to enjoy. Did you try to deduct that this year?

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Plans to Sell Used Digital Music Squashed in Court – May put a damper on rumored plans for Amazon to sell used ebooks.

Goodreads + Amazon – Winners & Losers – Smart reflection from Joe Weikert

How to Become a Password Hacker – This article should scare the living daylights out of you! Rethink your password strategy today!

In 1999 You Could have Bought Google for $750k! – The story about one of the greatest lost opportunities in business history.

15 Websites to Help You with Rhyming Words – What rhymes with plethora? Maybe these resources will help?

30 Pieces of Social Media Advice to Ignore – Hooray! You don’t have to drive yourself crazy after all.

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MyBookTable WordPress Plugin – Do not wait another minute. Go right now and sign up for this KickStarter program by Thomas Umstattd and Author Media. It will make your web site so much more efficient when it comes to selling your books via your web site. At least watch the four minute video.

Care for a little debate about blogging? Read these two entries and decide:

Author Blogging: What’s Stopping You? – Joel Frielander leave little room for excuses.
It’s Time for (Many) Experienced Writers to Stop Blogging – LL Barkat leaves little room for excuses.

E-books are Not Really Books – Care to weigh in on another controversial claim?

Have You Backed Up All Your E-mail Lately? – One crash of your hard drive or a service shutdown by your email service and you’ve lost all your email. Back it up today.

How to Use Evernote as an Author’s Tool – Juli Monroe makes a great case for making this amazing tool a part of your work-flow. I use it every day.

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Happy National Grammar Day! – Yesterday was the day. But in honor of it click here and read some silly grammar jokes. Mark your calendar for next year.

Malcolm Gladwell on Literary Genius – Best-selling author looks at the nature of artistic genius and when it blooms. Be on the lookout this Fall for his new book called David and Goliath.

7 Tips for Writing Great Copy – read this when creating your “back cover copy” for your next book proposal. Excellent article.

Is Traditional Publishing in a Golden Age? - Read the highlights from this interview with the CEO of the Hachette Book Group or listen to the entire interview online.

10 Essential Questions to Ask if You are Hiring a Writer – If you are a freelance writer, can you answer these questions if asked?

A Brief History of the Typewriter – Okay, its a little geeky to find this interesting…but enjoy the article anyway.

Writing Historicals – How Accurate Must You Be? - The movie “Lincoln” has come under criticism for certain historical innacuracies. Anne Cleeland asks some good questions for those writing historical novels.

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