Websites Worth A Visit

Literary Match

Who hasn't heard of Match.com? Well, now there's a version for writers seeking agents. LitMatch.com is a wonderful site. You'll find loads of information on literary agents, their backgrounds, whether they take email submissions, their location, and specialties.

Even better, you'll see feedback from other writers who have submitted to these agents. Feedback includes how long it took the agent to respond. Plus, the site offers writers support in organizing their submissions.

You can open an account, start searching for agents using LitMatch's filtering system, and develop a list of agents to whom you'll submit. Once those submissions go out, you can return to LitMatch to log your submissions – and eventual responses. Yay! This site gets a full thumbs up!

Coffeehouse for Writers

Coffeehouse for Writers is an internet-based community of writers from all genres. There are more than ten thousand members all over the world including ships at sea!

Through the workshops and e-mail groups you can connect to other writers who share your struggles, hopes and frustrations. Let group members lift your spirits when you're down and share in your celebrations when you succeed. Let seasoned writers provide you guidance and support in your quest.

Other Sites to Check Out

Agents: In Their Own Words

Did it ever occur to you that agents blog, too? Here are the blogs of agents who discuss their jobs, explain their choices and in general, give you an insider's point-of-view.

BookEnds LLC

Dystel & Goderich Literary Management

Jennifer Jackson

Jet Reid Literary

Lit Soup (Jenny Rappaport)

Stuff You Should Know About

Midlist Study: The 52-page report commissioned by the Authors Guild Foundation and the Open Society Institute and published in 2000 on the state of the publication, marketing and sales of midlist books. Click here to download the PDF file.

ISBN: As the U.S. ISBN Agency, R R Bowker is the exclusive US source of publisher prefixes and accompanying ranges of ISBN numbers for eligible publishers. It provides information and advice on the uses of the ISBN System to publishers and the book trade and promotes the use of the Bookland EAN bar code format. In addition to their ISBN prefixes, publishers also register their titles for inclusion in the Bowker Books In Print databases. Click here to get your own ISBNs.

Copyright Forms: To register a manuscript, use Form TX. (If you are the only author and copyright holder and the work is new, you may use Short Form TX.) Freelance journalists may want to register their collected work every 90 days and save registration fees. Use Forms GR/CP and TX to do this. You must file within 90 days of publication for maximum statutory protection, but even delayed filings provide valuable protection for your works. The fee for filing either TX form is $45. There's no additional fee for filing GR/CP with a TX form.
Download Forms.

TOP 10 Questions Writers Ask: New to the game? Well, Poets & Writers Magazine, one of our favorite periodicals for writers, has put together 10 essential questions that every writer should know the answer to. If you're looking for information about writing for literary magazines, getting published, finding an agent, grants and awards, avoiding scams, copyright, publicizing your book, writers' workshops and conferences, pursuing MFA programs, or literary organizations, this is a great start!