Ramblings-n-Writings

Last Sunday I highlighted three sites that dealt mainly with the craft of writing. This week’s sites focus on the more technical side of publishing.

1. Do writer’s need to copyright their writing? – In my opinion, one of the hardest areas of publishing to understand is copyright law. On the surface it seems relatively simple, and for some situations it is, but dig a little deeper and it can get quite complicated. The Writing Blog offers a short post about how copyright applies to an author’s writings and how to go about obtaining the copyright for a manuscript. This information is especially helpful to those considering self-publishing.
2. Stats in the Publishing Business – This is a fun post highlighting the growth of the publishing industry in the past year. I enjoy looking at stats because they help me put things in perspective. I find these particular stats intriguing because to me they show growth rather than the stagnation so many have predicated for book publishers. The eBook sales stat is interesting too – what’s your opinion about eBooks? Do you read them? Are they worth the investment?
3. Beth Jusino on Selecting an Agent – Jusino poses 11 questions to ask about a literary agent before agreeing to be represented by that agent. She covers everything from the agent’s knowledge about the market to his/her personality. This is a great post if you are in the process of finding an agent or will be in the near future.

Here’s your assignment for the week: Take some time to peruse the above sites, and then come back and leave a comment. Tell me which sites you thought were helpful, what your favorite things were about the sites etc. If you have some favorite posts about writing or publishing (whether they’re yours or someone else’s), leave a link in the comments so we can check them out! (Yes, this is the same assignment as last week, but it was a lot of fun, right?)