The Wednesday Web Browser: When Editors Move On, Pre-Planning for the Freelance Life, and Online Book Promotion

Rachel Toor provides helpful hints on how to handle the horror of your agent/editor “leaving you.”
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Thinking about abandoning the salaried world for the freelance life? Better check out The Urban Muse’s wise suggestions of “10 Things to Do Before You Leave Your Day Job” first.
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Chris Brogan offers tips for promoting your book online. (via The Book Publicity Blog)

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunties

The Stadler Fellowship at Bucknell University is open to applications until December 6 (there’s no application fee). “Initiated in 1998, the Stadler Fellowship offers a recent MFA, MA, or PhD graduate in poetry the opportunity to receive professional training in arts administration and literary editing. The Stadler Fellowship is designed to balance the development of professional skills with time to complete a first book of poems. The Stadler Fellow assists for twenty hours each week in the administration of the Stadler Center for Poetry and/or in the editing of West Branch, a nationally distinguished semiannual literary magazine. The Fellow also works as an instructor and staff member in the Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets in June. The Fellowship stipend is $20,000. In addition, the Fellow is provided a furnished apartment on campus, office space in the Stadler Center, and health insurance.” Details here.
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Learn about literary agent Abigail Koons (and the submissions she’s looking for), in this interview on the Guide to Literary Agents blog.
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And get to know Algonquin Books editor Chuck Adams in this Poets & Writers profile.
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Sharing Memories from the ’70s with the Kids is the latest contest from the National Association of Baby Boomer Women (NABBW) and GRAND magazine. Prize includes $250 and free membership or renewal in the NABBW, plus publication on the NABBW Web site and in GRAND magazine. No entry fee. Deadline: October 31, 2008. Details: here. (NB: “Men may also submit!”) (via PayingWriterJobs)
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Writer’s Digest is looking for a new editor. See the announcement here.
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And, as always, Monday morning brings a medley of college and university jobs for writers.
Assistant/Associate Professor of Creative Writing (poetry), Roger Williams University (Rhode Island)
Assistant Professor of English (poetry/creative writing), Case Western Reserve University (Ohio)
Assistant Professor of English (creative writing/African-American experience), George Washington University (District of Columbia)
Jenny McKean Moore Writer-in-Washington (poetry), George Washington University (District of Columbia)
Assistant Professor of English (creative writing-fiction or nonfiction), Nebraska Wesleyan University
Visiting Appointment in Creative Writing (poetry), Reed College (Oregon)
Assistant Professor of English (creative writing), North Georgia College & State University
Editorial Director, Northwestern University (Illinois)
Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, Washington College (Maryland)

Friday Find: LitMatch

Yesterday I received an e-mail announcing the first anniversary of LitMatch, a site that describes itself as follows:

LitMatch was created to be the largest, most complete, and most up-to-date directory of literary agents and agencies on the Web. Created by writers, for writers, LitMatch offers unique research and submission tracking features designed to help writers of all kinds connect with the people who are best able to help them get published.

Our staff is dedicated to helping writers achieve their goals. Together, they represent over 25 years of experience in designing websites, managing information, and creating online tools.

I discovered LitMatch recently while doing some exploratory agent research for a nonfiction book idea. I liked the search features. I liked the information I found on agents and agencies. I liked the overall design.

I can’t address the site’s submission tracking system because I haven’t used it yet. But I can tell you that the site is worth a visit, especially because you can search and browse some very useful information for free. And if you decide to register with the site before December 31 (also at no cost), you can be eligible for something else: an anniversary giveaway.

Intrigued? Go to LitMatch and check it out.

The Wednesday Web Browser: Freelancing in Tough Economic Times, Q&A on Crafting a Short Story, and Tips for Querying Agents

Freelance writer John K. Borchardt shares “7 Steps to Thriving in a Tough Economy” in a Web-only offering from The Writer.
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Over the weekend I read the latest from One Story: “Foreign Girls,” by Thomas Grattan. I always love the Q&A with each story’s author on the One Story blog, and this one, in which Grattan discusses how he crafted “Foreign Girls,” is no exception.
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And still more guidance (some very basic, some a little less so) from Chuck Sambuchino: “Querying Agents: 10 Tips for Writers.”

Two Takes on Getting A Short Story Collection Published

I’ve recently stumbled on remarks from two authors of debut short story collections focusing on, in each case, the road toward that elusive prize: book publication.

Allison Amend’s book, Things That Pass for Love, will be out in October from OV Books. You’ll find Amend’s first-person tale of her road toward getting the collection published here. And there’s some seriously good advice mixed in with that lighthearted tone.

And for background on how one writer got his collection agented, read Jason Boog’s interview with Donald Ray Pollock (author of Knockemstiff, published by Doubleday in March). Pollock’s experience supports the idea that agents do indeed approach and accept clients based on discoveries within the pages of literary magazines and journals.

The Wednesday Web Browser: More on "Letting Go," Summer Reads by Debut Authors, and Musings on What Makes a Memoir Publishable

For thoughts on a topic related to yesterday’s post, see Michelle Richmond’s brief comments “On the Joy of Not Finishing What You Started.”
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Here are nine books by debut authors to consider for your summer reading list, courtesy of NPR.
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What makes a memoir publishable? See what you think of agent Jim McCarthy’s take. (Thanks to Tayari for the link.)