TOPIC: Being a Published Author - What's involved once you publish?

The magic words we all want to hear from an editor - we'd like to buy your book - results in yahoo'ing, happy dancing, popping of corks on champagne, squee'ing...but what happens after OBC (the offer of a book contract)?

Well, the publishing process begins, and while what I share happens roughly in this order, some of the steps are flexible and can occur at different times through out the process.

Negotiating contractual deadlines - this is where you need to know what word count you're able to produce in order to complete a book. It will determine the deadlines you set for handing in a finished product (edited & polished) to your editor. And this, in turn, will impact the scheduling of your release date, the editing process, cover art etc.

Some things to consider when working out your deadlines - daily word count x months it takes to complete your book, your regular routine, being sick, juggling work or volunteer commitments, unanticipated interruptions. And then add another month just to be on the safe side.

Writing the book - self explanatory. However you do it, get it down and drafted. One of the most bantered about phrases is "You can't edit a blank page."(coined by an author, whose name escapes me, at a writing conference). This is so, so true.

Cover conference ideas

Cover art - if you're lucky your editor will ask you for ideas about your cover. If invited, include things like character descriptions, synopsis, photo's of landscapes/hero/heroine/costumes/weapons etc.

Anything that will help convey the tone, theme or story of your book to the art department/cover artist.

Your editor and art department will come up with a brief for the commissioned cover artist.

Cover conference ideas

The cover artist will hire the models, costumes, prop etc. and do the photo shoot before photo-shopping in the background. When they send the finished product back to the art deptartment, the title, cover quote, tagline, back cover blurb etc. will be added.

Some publishing houses may not include you in the consultation process. It all depends on house policy.

Pre-Berkley work-up. Artwork: Gene Mollica

As a matter of courtesy, my editor forwarded the covers of my books to my agent and I and asked if I was happy with it.

Both times my agent and I discussed the covers and requested a couple of tweaks. They were given the nod and the final cover was approved for printing.

Back Cover Blurb/Title - between the cover copy team, your editor and you, you'll write a blurb for the book.

Cover Copy

This is the time you're likely to have the most input as the back cover blurb must accurately portray your story. If something isn't right or needs tweaking then say so.

Be prepared to submit possible titles for your book as well. One may be chosen, more likely there will be some tweaking and to'ing and fro'ing of ideas and suggestions until your editor comes up with the final product. Hopefully it will be something you like or at least are happy with.

Tag line & Cover Quote - Your editor may request you provide a 'wishlist' of authors whom you'd like to read your book and provide a quote that may go on the cover, back cover, cover pages or other promotional material.

My agent and I, as well as my editor, approached my wishlist authors for the quotes on VENGEANCE BORN. Thankfully all of them said yes to our requests.

Revisions - these are the big picture fixes suggested by your editor and may include comments on things like plot lines, characters, pacing, and scene deletions. AND you may go through multiple rounds of these before your editor signs off on them.

Deadlines for these are negotiable depending on the amount of work involved. Be honest with yourself when setting them. Don't be tempted to try and get them done ASAP. Give yourself some wiggle room.

Line Edits/Galleys - now converted to book format

Line edits/galleys - these are the nitty gritty such as spelling (for me it was changing from English to US English), grammar, formatting, punctuation etc. Every publishing house will have it's own in-house style on how they want these sorts of things corrected.

This is not the time to make massive story line changes or scene additions or deletions. The deadline for these are usually set by your editor.

Advance Review Copies (ARC's)

Advance Review Copies (ARC's) - these are printed before the line edits make their appearance in the final copy before it goes to print. It's the book printed out, usually with the words "Uncensored Proofs for Limited Distribution, Not for Sale" or something to that affect.

Most authors get several of these. They are sent out by your editor and/or publicist to book bloggers for advanced reader reviews. You might use them as contest giveaways or to build pre-release buzz.

The final product!

Final copy  - if it's written in your contract you'll get a certain amount of author copies sent to you to do with as you wish. You can give them to family or friends, or use them in contests and giveaways.

The day you get that box in the mail is an emotional one. Have a box of tissues handy.

Promotion - publishers are likely to send out information to their booksellers in a seasonal catalogue, or they may distribute excerpts/promotional material on your behalf. Promotion of your book will vary author to author, publishing house to publishing house.

I took the view that there would be no one as keen as me to promote my book, so I planned, budgetted and organised a lot of complimentary promotion, on top of what my editor and publicist provided. Take on only what you feel comfortable doing and stick to your budget.

So, basically, this is the publishing process you'll go through with each book. Something to keep in mind is that amidst all this you could juggling the following (particularly if you have negotiated a multiple book deal):

• writing the next book
• editing a previous book as per the publishing process mentioned
• promoting another of your books
• life outside writing

All these things will affect deadlines. After you've gone through the process with your first book and experienced the demands of time, work and effort required of you, then you'll be better equipped to handle the next book and so on.

Just remember, every author's experience will be different and that some of the things I've explained here may vary depending on your editor, agent, and publishing house.

The most important thing though is to learn and enjoy the process. :-)

GUEST AUTHOR: Sue Moorcroft

Sue Moorcroft writes romantic novels of dauntless heroines and irresistible heroes for Choc Lit.

Combining that success with her experience as a creative writing tutor, she’s written a ‘how to’ book, LOVE WRITING – HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM WRITING ROMANTIC AND EROTIC FICTION (Accent Press).

Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles and courses and is the head judge for Writers’ Forum.

She's a Katie Forde Bursary Award winner and her book LOVE & FREEDOM has recently been shortlisted for a Romance Reader Awards (UK’s Festival of Romance).

Sue, welcome to my blog!

So, tell us about the book, LOVE & FREEDOM... 

Honor Sontag leaves her home in west Connecticut and travels to Brighton, on England’s south coast, to search for the mother who left her as a baby. She loves Eastingdean, near Brighton, where she rents a bungalow from Clarissa Mayfair.

Clarissa’s “little brother” is 6’4” mysterious Martyn Mayfair who doesn’t seem to have a proper job but does have a stalker.

Honor goes to work for the stalker, which is unfortunate, and finds herself drawn into several eccentric English lives, including that of Ru, the stalker’s fourteen-year-old son, and Frog, Ru’s bully. Ru really needs somebody, so I’m glad it’s Honor, because she’s lion-hearted.

Martyn Mayfair is fascinated by Honor – but she’s exactly the kind of woman he’s sworn off. So he has to find a way past that.

The action also travels to Connecticut for a few chapters because when people get in trouble, they go home. And Honor gets in trouble …

And, I’m thrilled to say, it was announced a couple of days ago that LOVE & FREEDOM has been shortlisted for the inaugural Romance Reader Awards run by the UK’s Festival of Romance. 

Congratulations, Sue, what great news!

 

Title – LOVE & FREEDOM
Setting – Brighton, on the south coast of England, and Connecticut, USA.
Hero – Martyn Mayfair. In the movie, Martyn would be played by Jared Leto, when Jared has long hair brushed forward, and stubble. Not a beard. This is an important distinction, as I hate beards! Nobody with a beard, in my books, ever does well. 
Heroine – Honor Sontag. Honor could be played by the fabulous Julianna Moore – but she’d have to get her hair crimped and be a lighter auburn. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. It’s a good cause. 

Scene you would never cut – Wow. That’s like being asked which body part you’d hang onto. The truthful answer is I wouldn’t want to lose any! But, I have to choose then I’ll go for Martyn and Honor’s first kiss. It’s an eighteen-carat, teetering, ‘will they, won’t they?’ moment, with a lot of subtext. I love it. 

Something your hero or heroine would never do or say – Martyn would never say, ‘I don’t care if you’re married.’ 

What's one quirky thing about your hero/heroine? When Honor feels she has to intervene in ‘a situation’, it always seems to turn into a food fight.

What do you think the readers will like about this book? Apart from the ssssssssizzle between Honor and Martyn? The plot twists. I had a lot of fun with this plot! 

LOVE & FREEDOM 
New start, new love.
That’s what Honor Sontag needs after her life falls apart, leaving her reputation in tatters and her head all over the place. So she flees her native America and heads for Brighton, England.
Honor’s hoping for a much-deserved break and the chance to find the mother who abandoned her as a baby. What she gets is an entanglement with a mysterious male whose family seems to have a finger in every pot in town.
Martyn Mayfair has sworn off women with strings attached, but is irresistibly drawn to Honor, the American who keeps popping up in his life. All he wants is an uncomplicated relationship built on honesty, but Honor’s past threatens to undermine everything. Then secrets about her mother start to spill out ...
Honor has to make an agonising choice. Will she live up to her dutiful name and please others? Or will she choose freedom?


What's next for you? I’m about two-thirds of the way through the first draft of a new book, which has the working title of Dream a Little Dream.

It’s about Liza, who readers might have met before, as she’s the younger sister of Cleo from ALL THAT MULLARKEY.

Liza is way too naughty and fun to be condemned forever to secondary characterland so, although I left her safely loved up with Adam at the end of ALL THAT MULLARKEY, between the two books, I’ve arranged for her to have messed that up.

She’s making a new life but clashing with Dominic Christy, who has to make a new life of his own as he’s had to leave his job as an air traffic controller after developing narcolepsy. (If I’d realised the complexities of narcolepsy, I probably would have chosen something easier to write about. But, now, I’ve turned into a complete research junkie on the subject!) 

About you...

Favorite movie of all time – Star Wars. But, oh, that was a hard choice! What about The Blues Brothers, Lord of the Rings, Top Gun …? Please may I have more than one? 

Favorite fairytale – Y’know, I don’t think I have one. The most interesting is Rumpelstiltskin because nobody in that fairytale acts honourably. I always wonder what it’s meant to prove. That it’s OK to lie and cheat in order to protect your family? (I don’t disagree with that, now I’ve thought about it.) 

Favorite TV program – Any good Formula 1 race. I’m an F1-aholic (I know it’s sad, and I’ve refused all treatment, too). As well as all the other things I do, I write a column after each race for www.girlracer.co.uk called ‘A Writer with a View’. 

First book you remember reading – literally, the first ‘Janet and John’ school reading books, I suppose! But, in my heart, A TOWN LIKE ALICE by Nevil Shute.

Dog or cat person (or other) – Dog. I’ve just been to a lecture about medical dogs, the kind that tell diabetic people when their sugars are too low, and was blown away.

Author (living or dead) you'd most like to meet – Nevil Shute. I own every book ever published with his name on the spine and, although they are dated, now, the relationships grip me every time I read one. 

Favorite story to disappear into – Are you sick of hearing about A TOWN LIKE ALICE, yet? 

A romantic retreat for you would be... Somewhere sunny, by the sea, with a lot of space to walk in. And a good hotel. None of that cooking for oneself nonsense.

What do you do to unwind or relax? I read a lot. A lot. I watch Formula 1, walk, attend yoga or zumba classes, and I play the piano (in a beginnerish way). 

What era would you like to time travel and visit? And why? The 80s. I was twenty years younger. 

What does love mean to you? Intensity and pleasure. 

Sue, thanks so much for visiting today and sharing more about yourself and your latest release, LOVE & FREEDOM.

You can check out Sue's website and her blog for news and writing tips. You’re welcome to befriend Sue on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
All of Sue’s Choc Lit novels and LOVE WRITING are available as paperbacks and ebooks. Her early novels are available in ebook format.

Some of Sue's other books include:

GUEST AUTHOR: Cathryn Hein

Today I have an Aussie author visiting, a lovely woman I've know for a few years now. She writes contemporary women's fiction (aka Aussie rural romances). Please say hi to Penguin Australia author, Cathryn Hein.

Welcome, Cathryn, it's great to have you here! 

Hi Kylie, and thanks for having me on your blog.

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty - tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in rural South Australia and fell in love with horses probably about the same time I took my first breath.

My parents caved in and bought me a horse when I was ten and from that point on I didn’t think about much else. At 18 I headed off to uni and did a Bachelor of Applied Science (Agriculture), after which I worked in the pasture and turf seeds industry for several years.

I’d always wanted to write and made a number attempts over the years to complete a novel, but it wasn’t until my partner was posted to France that I had the opportunity to knuckle down and really reach for that dream. I finished that first manuscript in late 2005 and wrote several more before finally selling PROMISES to Penguin in 2010.

What do you think it is about your genre that readers find so fascinating?
The reality is that most Australians live urban lives but that doesn’t mean they don’t harbour great affection for the Australian countryside. The “bush” is iconic, part of our national identity, and people want to read about it. I know I do. Throw in a heart-warming love story and you have all the ingredients for a feel-good book.

Now, I'm always fascinated by another author's writing style. Are you a pantster, scener, or plotter? Is it your characters or plot that influence you most? What’s your writing process from start to finish when writing a book?

I started out as a complete pantster but with each book I’ve refined the process and now plot quite a bit.

When brainstorming a new book the number one thing I look for is a character who has been deeply affected by an event, something life-changing that affects his or her view of the world.

After that I form a list of possible conflicts that could relate to that event. We can’t have our heroes and heroines having an easy time of it! They need to work hard, suffer emotionally, and triumph over what seem like impossible obstacles before they earn their happily ever afters.

I also nut out the black moment(s) very early on because it’s imperative to know what I’m building to.

Once I have those major things in place, I put one sentence outlines of events, scenes and turning points onto scraps of paper and mix them around until I have them in the order I want. They go up onto a white board along with quick character and setting descriptions, which I expand on as I write. Then it’s bum in seat and away I go.

An evolving pantster - I've discovered that I'm reaching that stage in my writing journey, too. Sounds like you're enjoying that process (as much as you can, that is!).

So, what is the premise for your latest release?

PROMISES is a love story set in rural South Australia which follows the relationship between two neighbours.

We have Aaron, a sexy but struggling racehorse trainer, and Sophie, a farmer and talented equestrienne who’s determined to overcome her troubled past. Despite deep family enmity they come together when Sophie wants to buy one of Aaron’s racehorses, but secrets overshadow their blossoming love. Secrets so dark that, if revealed, they could destroy everything Sophie and Aaron have worked for.

Check out the great opening tag line for PROMISES. I love it!

PROMISES

A father with something to hide, a jockey with a taste for blackmail, a man with an agonising secret ... and a young woman in love, defying them all.

Sophie Dixon is determined to leave her tragic past behind and forge a bright future on her beloved farm. While looking to buy a new horse, she is drawn into her neighbour Aaron Laidlaw’s orbit, despite the bad blood between their families.

As the racing season unfolds, Sophie and Aaron’s feelings for each other deepen. But Aaron is torn, haunted by a dark secret he fears can never be forgiven – especially by Sophie.

Sophie believes herself strong, but the truth behind her mother’s death will test her strength, and her love, to the limit. She’s been broken once. No one wants to see her broken again. Least of all the man who has grown to love her.

From an exciting new Australian voice comes this compelling story about love, loyalty and forgiveness.

If you're keen to share, what’s the worst writing mistake that taught you a valuable lesson?
The worst thing I did was push myself to finish a book when my heart wasn’t in it. The writing was good quality but I didn’t have any empathy for the characters, nor did I think much of the plot and, boy, did it show.

When I sent the draft to my girlfriend to read (who acted as my crit partner back then) she hated it. Really, really hated it. She said it was as if I was writing by numbers, trying to please everyone else instead of writing what I loved.

Five months work went down the drain because I didn’t keep faith in the stories I wanted to tell. I’ll never forget the lesson of that book. This isn’t an easy business. You need to believe in yourself, your voice, and your stories.

So, what’s next for you? What are you working on?

Right now I’m madly promo-ing PROMISES, which has proved enormous fun so far.

As for writing, while I’m waiting for the edits on my second book to arrive, I’m working on a third. The synopsis is done, the characters are firming up nicely, and I have the first five or so chapters and their scenes sorted out. A few more tweaks and a bit more tuning of the conflicts so I don’t end up with one of those hair-tearing “saggy middles” and I’ll be ready to start writing. Then it’ll be backside in chair with my fingers flying across the keyboard and my head in ga-ga land until the end of the year.

Ahh, I know that feeling, Cathryn, LOL.

Just one more questions, do you have any advice/handy tips/craft skills you’d like to share with unpublished authors?

Write, write, write, and not just the same book(s). While some talented authors sell their first novel, for the majority, it’s the 4th, 5th, 6th or even 10th novel that sells. Be prepared to put in the work. It takes time to learn your craft and the more you write, the better you get.

I’ll also repeat some wonderful advice from best-selling Australian author Anna Jacobs. She’s written over 50 books so if anyone is qualified to give advice, it’s Anna.  Write your book then stash it away for as long as you can, and get on with writing another. You’ll be amazed how much you discover when you come back to it. Distance is a great provider of perspective.

Also read, in your genre and outside of it. Pick apart books you love to identify why you love them. Suffer through books you hate or think are appallingly written and do the same.

Join a writers’ organisation. I wouldn’t be published if it weren’t for the Romance Writers of Australia and the Romance Writers of New Zealand.

Lastly, get yourself good critique partners. You need them and not just for writing craft. They’ll help you through tear-filled times and crack champagne with you in the good. They understand. They’re gold.

Cathryn, you've shared some great insights and experiences with my readers. Thanks so much for giving up your time to join me today and answering my questions. It's been great having you here!

You can visit:
Cathryn Hein's website
Cathryn's Facebook page
Follow her on Twitter

TOPIC: Writing Terms (part 3)

This is part 3 in my series on writing terms, with particular attention to terms used by published authors and publishers.

The Call – receiving a phone call or email from an editor asking to buy your book
advance – a percentage of the money paid to the author by a publisher prior to publication of the book; advances are paid against future royalties, and are paid back to the publisher once the book starts earning royalties
royalties - the percentage of the cover price of a book paid to the author; only paid after the book has earned out and are usually paid on a monthly or quarterly basis
cover quote – quote provided by an author or reviewer that appears on the cover of a book
back cover blurb – the brief outline of the story on the back cover of a book
cover copy – the front, back and inner cover content sent to an author by an editor, usually to check for errors
proposal – a short summary of a book not yet written
outline – a list of short sentences that describe the major ideas in a book synopsis - a summary of a story told in present tense which can be anything from a page to multiple pages long
vanity publishing – a form of publishing where the author pays to have their work published
traditional publishing – work printed in book format by a publisher
e-publishing – electronic publishing
self publishing – a type of publishing where the author publishes their own work
deadline – due date of a contracted piece of work
galley – initial typeset of a manuscript sent to the author for checking before it’s printed
line or copy edits – errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and word usage that need to be corrected by the author
beta reader – someone who reads the author’s work with a view to spotting errors or making suggestions for improving the work

Bec Skrabl - a book deal and an agent!

A huge shout out for my fellow BILD'er (Book in 50 Days), Bec Skrabl who has crossed over into the world of publishing! Yay!

Bec is now represented by Jessica Faust of BookEnds LLC, and and she's secured a 3-book deal with Sourcebooks. Woohoo!

Bec writes paranormal romance , and the book that caught their eye was The Devil of Whitechapel, a steampunk novel.

Congratulations, Bec!

INDUSTRY: Romance Rocks!

I received my RWA® Romance Writers Report magazine* in the mail the other day. There was a very eye-opening article called 2009 ROMSTATS about how romance fiction sales are holding steady in a weak US economy.

What continues to astound me is the market and selling power of romance fiction. To many non-romance readers some of these facts might astound and even surprise you. Let me quote some facts from the article for you.

• Book sales increased slightly to $10.274 billion in 2009 as compared to $10.223 billion in 2008 (and this is despite the struggling economy)
• Romance fiction sales in 2009 were $1.36 billion as compared to $1.37 billion in 2008

Those figures defy comprehension, don't they? And think about just how many (US) consumers enjoy reading romance fiction. Holy love stories, Batman!

Let's break it down further to genres of fiction in 2009. (Source: Simba Information)

• Romance fiction: $1.360 billion
• Religion/inspirational: $770 million
• Mystery: $674 million
• Science Fiction/Fantasy: $554 million
• Classic Literary Fiction: $462 million

Romance fiction outstrips any other genre with the largest share of the consumer market at 13.2%. That's all good for romance writers, eh?

And now, let's check out the Romance Subgenres published in 2009 (of the romance releases tracked by RWA® in 2009).

• Contemporary (series) 22.83%
• Contemporary 18.55%
• Paranormal 17.16%
• Historical 15.66%
• Romantic Suspense 9.45%
• Inspirational 7.56%
• Romantic Suspense (series) 4.28%
• Young Adult 2.28%
• Other (erotic & chick lit) 2.21%

The article went on to say that romance fiction dominated the best-seller lists such as the NY Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly and that romance fiction ranked as second only to movie tie-in books on the best-sellers lists.

The top 10 romance imprints on the best-sellers lists in 2009 were:

1. Mira
2. Berkley
3. Avon
4. Little Brown
5. Pocket
6. Dell
7. Grand Central
8. HQN
9. Ballantine
10. Zebra

The top performing romance sub-genres included history, suspense, fantasy and horror titles, while some of the biggest challenges to the romance fiction industry were quoted as being - competition from other entertainment sources, book piracy, book selling into non-bookstores and online retailers and the perceived value of a book.

These figures all indicate continued good news for romance writers. It seems the appeal of a good love story, no matter the sub-genre, is a great form of entertainment and is valued by a huge readership market.

Romance rocks!


Reference material and statistics taken from:
* RWR magazine (November 2010, Vol.30 No.11) published by the Romance Writers of America® - The Voice of Romance Fiction

Agents, editors & book deals...oh, my!

Ever get the feeling you've been overwhelmed by something big and by the time you stop to take stock of yourself it's too late and you find that it's swallowed you whole?

Does the avalanche analogy springs to mind?

Well, these last couple of weeks have been a bit like that. Without boring you with too many details, I'm VERY pleased and excited to announce that I now have an agent - Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency; an editor - Leis Pederson, and a three-book deal with the Berkley Publishing Group (in the USA).

Anyone who knows a writer and the time and effort they go through to break into the publishing industry will understand just what a HUGE thrill it is and just how EXCITED I am in being able to share this news.

So, what's in the near future besides more writing? Definitely some steep learning curves and the start of an exciting career as a published author. Wow, wow, wow!

Hi world, I'm Kylie Griffin - Berkley's newly discovered paranormal romance author!

RWA® Conference - Part 1

The Literacy Book Signing was the first event of the RWA® Conference. It was two hours of noise, thousands of people lining up for books and "OMG, there's so-and-so author!" The event raised US$55 000 for various literacy organisations in the Orlando area - a huge effort!

Doing the fan-girly thing I wandered the rows and rows and rows of tables and look who I discovered from DownUnder!

Sandra Hyatt

CCCoburn (love the Mickey Mouse antennae!)

Christine Wells (with the Banditas chicken & Tim Tams!)

Kandy Shepherd

Anna Campbell (with chocolate!)

Golden Heart/RITA® Awards

What can I say about the most amazing week of the year so far other than WOW! To all my fellow-Unsinkables finalists, congratulations, and I'm so glad I got to meet so many of you!

To win a Golden Heart® (in the paranormal romance section) for BLOODBORN - Bk1 in the Light Blade series was truly a great honour and deeply moving. I'm still pinching myself!

A mega-thank you to everyone who rang or emailed me with congrats or posted their woo-hoo's on the various e-loops I'm a part of - it's what makes being a part of three incredible organisations - RWOZ, RWNZ, RWA - so, so, so special.

Here's a few photos from the night for those of you who couldn't be there.

Just as I reached the podium there was a distinctive "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" from the left side of the audience. The timing was perfect - it helped me relax and not sound like a complete dweeb as I made my speech. Thank you to those Aussies - you know who you are! :-)

The lights were so bright you couldn't see the 2000+ strong audience (thank goodness - it was nerve racking enough!).

 There were four huge 7m high Jumbotron screens placed around the room - just so everyone could see how much you were shaking and trembling behind the podium!

Exit stage left, careful descending the five steps to the floor and then smile! at the professional photographer for posterity before stumbling back to your seat.

Sometime after midnight, the Aussies and NZ'ers celebrated in the lobby.
(From L to R: Naini Singh, me, Trudi & Erica Hayes)

Well after midnight we celebrated, as all good writers do with fries, Kit Kats & milk!

INDUSTRY: Helpful Links

Thought these writing links might come in handy. Most are my genre orientated (f/f/p romance) but there are a smattering of general sites.

Agents/Editors (for researching information)
Agent Query - http://www.agentquery.com/default.aspx
AuthorAdvance - http://www.authoradvance.com/
Literary Agent Verification - http://www.agentresearch.com/agent_ver.html
Preditors and Editors - http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm

Blogs (advice, opinions, industry news)
Alien Romances - http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/
All Things Urban Fantasy - http://allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com/
Bitten By Books:Paranormal Review Site with Bite - http://bittenbybooks.com/
Dirty Sexy Books - http://www.dirtysexybooks.com/Dirty_Sexy_Books/Home/Home.html
Literary Escapism:Fantasy and Paranormal Book Reviews - http://www.literaryescapism.com/
Romance Writers of Australia Blog - http://romanceaustralia.wordpress.com/
Ripping Ozzie Reads:Australian Speculative Fiction Authors site - http://ripping-ozzie-reads.blogspot.com/2010/01/some-useful-industry-links-for-spec-fic.html
SciFiGuy:UF/PR/SF/F book reviews - http://www.scifiguy.ca/
The Galaxy Express - http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/
Vampire Wire:PR/UF books and tv/movie news -  http://vampirewire.blogspot.com/

Miscellaneous Sites
Time and Date.com - http://www.timeanddate.com/
Australian War Memorial:Military Organisation and Structure - http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/structure/rank_comparative.asp
IRS:Tax Identification Numbers for the USA information - http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=96696,00.html


Organisations
Australian Romance Readers Association - http://www.australianromancereaders.com.au/
Romance Writers of America - http://www.rwanational.org/
RWA:Fantasy/Futuristic/Paranormal Chapter - http://www.romance-ffp.com/
Romance Writers of Australia - http://www.romanceaustralia.com/
Romance Writers of  New Zealand - http://www.romancewriters.co.nz/
ParaNormal Romance - http://www.paranormalromance.org/
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America - http://www.sfwa.org/

Submission Guidelines
Avon - http://www.harpercollins.com/imprints/avon/SubmissionGuidelines.aspx
DAW - http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/daw/index.html
Dorchester - http://romanticreads.net/2009/05/07/now-accepting-electronic-submissions/
e-Harlequin - http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=538&chapter=0
Hachette Australia - http://www.hha.com.au/about_submissions.html
Orbit - http://www.orbitbooks.net/about-orbit/
PYR - http://www.pyrsf.com/index.html
Tor - http://us.macmillan.com/Content.aspx?publisher=torforge&id=255#ctl00_cphContent_ctl30_lblQuestion

Web Design
Free Images for Websites - http://www.imagehousing.com/
Free Fantasy Design artwork for Websites - http://fantasyartdesign.com/free-wallpapers/best-fantasy-art.php?s=12&np=10&srt=1&best=1
Free Web Counters - http://www.freestatscounter.com/
The Three Bears Method - http://threebearsmethod.com/

Writing Related
Brenda Hiatt's Show Me the Money - http://www.brendahiatt.com/id2.html
Dictionary of Sexual Terms and Expressions - http://www.sex-lexis.com/
Gordian Plot:thesaurus technique for writers - http://gordianplot.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
Great Source iwrite - Grammar - http://www.greatsource.com/iwrite/students/s_grammar_hndbk.html
Kathy Carmichael:Story Pitching Generator - http://www.kathycarmichael.com/generator.html
The Perfect Pitch - http://samhainpublishing.com/blog/2007/04/02/the-perfect-pitch
Publishers Weekly - http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Stephanie Smith's Contest Chart for Writers - http://www.stephiesmith.com/contests.html
When An Agent Offers You Representation - http://www.agentquery.com/writer_or.aspx
Write to Done - http://writetodone.com/

(All links are current as of 22nd Feb.2010)

CONTEST NEWS!

Valentine's weekend was a particularly anxious weekend for me. Why? Because the results for the West Houston RWA Emily contest (all sections) were announced at their Awards luncheon on Saturday, 13th Feb.

Fellow RWOz members Alison Leake, Rebecca Sampson and I had all received word we'd finalled in our respective sections (Al and myself in the Paranormal, Bec in the Contemporary series sections).

Unable to sleep, I checked my emails early this morning (try 3.30am - Australian time! lol) and there were the results. I am very, very pleased to share the contents.

My ms, BLOODBORN, was awarded 1st place in the Paranormal section! And Chris Keesler from Dorchester has requested the full manuscript!

So, guess what I was doing this morning? Hmm mmm, emailing the full ASAP.

Bec placed 1st in her section and Alison placed 4th and BOTH have also had a full manuscript requests. Fantastic news all round!!!

We'll all be orbiting the moon for the next several days, I think :-) .

INDUSTRY: SF/F/P Publishing Houses

For those of you on the journey to publication I thought I’d pass on knowledge gathered over many years concerning single title publishing houses, specifically in the mainstream sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal and romance genres.
Starting out I knew of a few major houses, mostly from looking at the spine of the books on my shelf but, over time and with the help of other writers and now my agent, I’ve sifted through the information and think :-) I have a better handle on it.
A couple of great research websites include Speculative Fiction Book Publisher Markets website - they lists many print & e-publishing houses, Preditors & Editors - they have a huge listing of publishers, in alphabetical order and with recommendations and warnings, and Book Crossroads - a directory of e-publishers with submission guidelines.
I hope you find the lists useful in your quest for publication. Unless otherwise indicated the publishing houses are based in the US market and are mostly listed as Publishing House, Company and/or Imprint name. Googling the names should give you links to their websites.

Mainstream SF/F Houses
Penguin Putnam :DAW
Penguin Putnam: ACE & ROC
Random House: Doubleday, Bantam Press, Black Swan, Bantam & Corgi (UK)
(Random House)Ballantine: Del Rey & Spectra
Hachette Book Group: Grand Central Publishing: Orbit Books
Dorchester: Tor
Pocket Books: JUNO Books
Baen Books
Penguin: Viking, Sphere, Orion & Signet (UK)
HarperCollins: Voyager & Angry Robot (UK)
Prometheus: PYR
Arrow Books: Legend (UK)
Solaris (UK)
BL Publishing (UK)
Victor Gollancz Inc: VGSF & Magnet (UK)
Mushroom eBooks (e-publisher)

Romance SF/F/paranormal Houses
Harlequin: LUNA fantasy imprint
HarperCollins: EOS fantasy imprint
HarperCollins: AVON paranormal romance imprint
Penguin: Berkley Sensation & Jove imprints
Penguin: Signet novel imprint
Penguin: NAL romance imprint
Hachette Book Group: Grand Central Publishing: Forever paranormal romance imprint
Kensington: Zebra paranormal romance imprint
(Macmillian) Tom Doherty Assoc.: Tor romance imprint
(Macmillian) St.Martin’s Press: St.Martin’s Paperback romance (US)
Random House: Bantam Books romance imprint
Dorchester: Leisure paranormal romance imprint
Dorchester: Lovespell paranormal romance imprint
Simon & Schuster: Pocket Star Books imprint
Medallion Press: Jewel Imprint Sci-Fi romance
Hachette Book Group: Little, Brown Book Group: Piatkus (UK)
Wild Rose Press (e-publisher)
Ellora’s Cave: Romantica imprint (e-publisher)
Samhain Publishing (e-publisher)
Loose Id (e-publisher)
Wings e-Press (e-publisher)
Whispers Publishing (e-publisher)
New Concepts Publishing (e-publisher)

By no means is this a complete list - I’m sure I’ve missed many but it’s a place to start. You’ll have to do the leg-work to find out more about them and their latest submission guidelines :-) .
Happy submitting!