Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

The Business of Writing

The Importance of Style Sheets

A style sheet is a document the copyeditor prepares that lists the grammatical conventions, characters, places, unusual or made-up words, and the distinctive treatment of words (capitalization, hyphenation, favored spellings, etc.) within a particular text.

Tags: copyediting, copyeditors, Deanna Hoak, stylesheets

The Networks Around us

This article, reprinted from the Bulletin, explores the various aspects of social networking and how a writer can use them to help promote herself.

Tags: Bulletin, cat rambo, networking, social media

Conventions and writing, or Schmoozing 101

A set of six basic ideas with which to approach conventions. Networking is all about being charming and that will vary somewhat depending on the situation. So, here are the basic ideas.

Tags: business, convention, Mary Robinette Kowal

Hunting for a Literary Agent

Article by Chuck Rothman on (almost) everything you need to know about agents, including how to avoid scams.

Tags: agent, Chuck Rothman, Intermediate, Rothman, writing

Blurred Distinctions: Vanity Publishing vs. Self-Publishing

Of the many issues highlighted by the recent launch of pay-to-publish divisions by two major commercial publishers (Harlequin Enterprises’ DellArte Press–nee Harlequin Horizons–and Thomas Nelson’s West Bow Press), one of the most interesting, to me, is how blurred the distinction between self-publishing and vanity publishing has become.

Tags: self-publishing, vanity press, Writer Beware

Thoughts on Self-Promotion

As I close in on the end of my current writing project, the issue of self-promotion is much on my mind. I don’t mind admitting that it’s a prospect I contemplate with dread. I’m one of those I-just-want-to-sit-in-my-room-with-my-laptop writers who really is not constitutionally suited for a world in which the definition of “author” also includes “huckster” (or, if you want to be a bit more diplomatic about it, “entrepreneur”).

Tags: victoria strauss, Writer Beware

Victoria Strauss — The Perils of Searching For Publishers on the Internet

Imagine you’re a new writer. You’ve just completed your first manuscript, and are on fire to get it published. You don’t know a lot about the publishing world, or how to identify a good publisher for your book–but that’s okay. You have the Internet.
So you open a search engine–Google, let’s say–and type “publishers” into the [...]

Tags: Writer Beware

Thinking About Your Writer’s Platform? Consider Your Online Reputation First.

You’ve probably heard about the importance of developing a writer’s platform. Before you start thinking about your writer’s platform, consider what your overall online reputation is first.

Tags: Monica Valentinelli

The Pros and Cons of Having Your Own Website

Do you need to have you own website? It depends on what you want to use the website for. Having an online presence may or may not translate to your desired action, in part because your presence really is about “you” as a person rather than “you” the author. With today’s technology, the two are not mutually exclusive.

Tags: Monica Valentinelli, web

Resource: The Convention Finder

The Convention Finder searches a database of cons based on location, making it easy to find the convention nearest you.

Tags: convention, John Joseph Adams, Nathan Lilly, resource

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