Resources

Looking to Get Published? Getting Started

• The 3 Streams of Publishing & What Each Entails, by Jane Friedman
• How to Get Your Book Published (Fiction & Nonfiction) by Jane Friedman
• Planning Your Nonfiction Book’s Timeline (how long you’ll need to write the manuscript)
• How to Find a Literary Agent for Your Book (Jane Friedman)
• Do You Need a Literary Agent? The Definitive List of Pros and Cons
• Pros & Cons of Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing

Literary Agencies & Publishers

• Literary Agents at Poets & Writers (U.S., Canada, & some International) *an excellent database
• The Writers’ Market 2020 Edition (Print)
• Canadian Writers’ Union Literary Agent Database
• Canadian Writers’ Union Guide to Publishing in Canada
• Complete list of Canadian Book Publishers (large house & independent)
• The Literary Marketplace
• Association of Authors’ Representatives
• Another Realm– reference of legitimate and scam literary agencies

Submissions, Contests, Residencies

• Poets & Writers– full submission calendar for contests, conferences, residencies, and awards
  • Poets & Writers: Small Presses Guide
• New Pages– full guide to literary magazines, contests, submissions, conferences and residencies
• Magazine Awards– for Canadian literary magazines
• Places for Writers– calls for submissions, contests, publishers & literary journals
• Organizations and residencies for mothers/parents
• Canadian Literary Magazines & Journals
• Canadian Major Newspaper Editors

Self-Publishing Resources

• Comprehensive Guide for Self Publishing
• The Self-Publishing Checklist: Editorial, Production, Distribution, by Jane Friedman
• List of Resources for Self Publishing– Lisa Poisso, Editor & Book Coach
• The Cost of Self-Publishing a Book
• Book:The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide: Every Indie Author’s Essential Directory—To Help You Prepare, Publish, and Promote Professional Looking Books
• Draft2Digital: free self-publishing on all online bookseller platforms (except Amazon)

Support for Parent Writers

• Pen Parentis: a non-profit organization for writers who are parents

Grammar, Style & Usage

• The Elements of Style, William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
• The Copyeditor’s Handbook, Amy Einsohn
• Grammarly
• Library Spot– comprehensive resource list for grammar, style and usage guides and websites
• Chicago Manual of Style ONLINE
• Conscious Style Guide (an excellent resource for conscious language usages)

Writers’ Guides (Creative & Academic)

• Glimmer Train Writers Ask
• Academic Resources for Writing Essays
• Purdue Online Writing Lab- Scholarly Papers
• Ethical Guidelines for Editing Student Texts (undergraduate and graduate)

Academic Support (Journal Articles & Dissertations)

• How to Write a Literature Review

Marketing & Social Media

• A Complete How-To of Using Facebook
• The Best Times of Day to Post on Social Media
• A Comprehensive Guide: How to Start Your Own Blog *sponsored by WordPress & Bluehost
• How to Newsletter, by Ann Handley (PDF)
• Book Marketing Ultimate Author Toolkit (from the Nonfiction Authors Association)

Website Building (DIY)

• The Complete Guide to Creating an Author Website (everything you need to include, why, and how!)
• The Write Practice: 10 Steps to Building an Author Website
• How to Build an Author Website- Jane Friedman (excellent resource!)
• How to Make a Website (Squarespace)
• A Comprehensive Guide: How to Make a Website- a Beginner’s Guide to Getting Your Own Site Online* sponsored by WordPress & Bluehost
• 5 Reasons Why Fresh Content is Critical for Your Website and SEO

Software & Writing Platforms

• A review of the 25 best apps & software
• Evernote (free)
• Scrivener (paid)

Independent Self Publishers

• CanamBooks– self publishing for Canadian authors

Literary Websites & Magazines

• Lithub– New books, lit news, articles, and excerpts
• Poets & Writers– News and articles on craft and nitty gritty of publication, agents, and being a writer, full guide to contests, submissions, conferences and residencies
• AWP (Associated Writing Programs)
• CCWWP (Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Programs)
• Aerogramme Studio– contests and submissions, literary magazines, prompts, books, items of general literary interest
• The Millions
• Tin House
• McSweeney’s
• We Got Story

In the Press

• The Independent
• New York Times
• Huffington Post
• The Times Literary Supplement
• The Guardian

Articles

Advice from Writers

• Writers of Color Discussing Craft (a comprehensive list of craft essays, lectures, and books)
• The Guardian
• 10 Tips from Rebecca Solnit
• The Atlantic– on Academic Writing
• The First Rule of Novel-Writing Is Don’t Write a Novel 
• Famous Women Writers Share Their Daily Writing Routines
• The Art of the Final Sentence
• “You Don’t Know Anything” and Other Writing Advice from Toni Morrison
• A Writer’s Toolbox
• Great Kids’ Books Don’t Always Need Morals
• How to Write a Fellowship Essay When Surrounded by Chaos
• What Beyoncé Taught Veronica Chambers About Self-Motivation
• Why You Should Aim for 100 Rejections a Year
• The Audacity of Prose
• 11 Books That Prove There’s Nothing Wrong with Self-Publishing
• The Writer’s Singular Service to Humanity
• Making the Time to Write a Book

Excerpts

• Biblioklept

Reviews

• black girl lost… in a book
• Alice Walker: By the Book
• 3 Award-Winning Latina Writers
• Obama Shares His Summer Reading List
• All 80 of Oprah’s Book Recommendations So Far
• Literallife (Canadian focused)

Writing Lifestyle

• The Medium
• The Joy of Writing
• The Importance of Play
• Alice Walker on Writing, Dancing, and Bursting into Song
• Working Mothers, Let Go of Your Guilt
• On Rejection and Persistence 
• On Poet Novelists
• The Liminal Act of Writing
• On Learning to Enjoy Annotating
• How I Found Love One Literary Event at a Time
• The Wandering Writer
• How to Create the Perfect Green Space
• Make A Difference: Read Local Authors
• On Silent Book Clubs
• The Value of Writing Letters in a Digital World
• 4 Reasons Why You Need a Work Wife
• The Making of a Poetry Reader
• Joan Didion on Keeping a Notebook
• Writing During Naptime, A Parent’s Practice
• Why Physical Exercise Might Be the Best Way to Keep Your Mind Sharp

Short Stories

• 10 Free Short Stories by George Saunders 
• Leading Authors Recommend 50 Great Short Stories

Essays

• FlavorWire

Lectures

• The Atlantic
• George Saunders’ convocation speech to the graduating class of Syracuse University, 2013
• Ted- a selection of 11 Author Talks

Videos

• AEON

Podcasts

• KCRW
• Late Night Library- features first-time authors
• The Allusionist with Helen Saltzman
• The New York Times Book Review Podcast
• The Lonely Writer’s Podcast, with Eden Boudreau

• Got questions about how you can get support, mentorship, and guidance with your writing process or projects? Reach out with the below form, and we can talk about how we can help!