I just received my email from Writer’s Digest for their 101 Best Websites for Writers – a very different list from past years. For those of you in the world of self publising that don’t follow the Writer’s Digest list, this venerable magazine puts together a list of what they feel are the absolute best-of-the-best sites for aspiring writers and self publishers.
“This year we sifted through more than 2,700 nominations and pulled the best of the bunch. The list, which features more blogs and free market listings than in years past, has been divided into eight sections: Creativity and Challenges, General Resources, Agent Blogs, Publishing Resources, Jobs and Markets, Writing Communities, Genres/Niches and Fun for Writers. We’ve also included symbols… with each listing so you can quickly scan to see if the site offers what you’re seeking: blogs, chatting, critiques, classes/workshops, contests, forums, jobs, markets, e-newsletters, podcasts and content for young writers.” writes editor Brian A. Klems.
I found the list interesting this year in that many more ‘non-commercial’ sites were listed – and a number of the ‘commercial’ sites didn’t make the list. (the 2008 list is currently not linked – at least in any way I could find it – on the Writer’s Digest site… though they show links they don’t go the the ‘old’ list)
My favorite in this years list -and for many years – has been Angela Hoy’s Writers Weekly. While Ms. Hoy owns a self-publishing company, BookLocker, her articles and advice are pretty much spot-on. I was disappointed to see that Dog Ear Publishing didn’t make the list -but if you don’t nominate, you can’t get chosen… I’ll keep that in mind for next years list. I thought Dog Ear Publishing might have made list after being described in Jane Friedman’s artcle in the April issue, Straight Expectations, as “…offer[ing] excellent information to help you compare various [self publishing] services.”
A great list – full of value – though for those interested in self publishing a bunch of sites were left out:
Morris Rosenthal’s Self Publishing 2.0 – this guy is brilliant… about just about everything…
Writing-World.com – the site is courtesy of author Moira Allen – and I’ve linked to her self publishing resource page
Midwest Book Review – they have a great section of advice – not just on self publishing, but also writing
Book Publishers Compared – the site of Mark Levine’s book that reviews self publishing companies
Publetariat – people who publish… very cool site / indie author / indie publisher community
Weber Books – Steve Weber’s ideas on marketing and selling books
Send me your thoughts and sites / lists – maybe it’s time I created one here!
Filed under: self publishing, Self Publishing Companies Tagged: | Dog Ear Publishing, publishing a book, self, self publishing, Writer's Digest
Thought it was interesting that they would waste the space by listing sites like facebook and twitter. Yes authors should know about and use them but who doesn’t?
They could have done a little better by listing this blog and some others you mentioned.