Welcome to another link round-up!
Happy book birthday to friend of the blog Tiffany Schmidt, whose YA book BRIGHT BEFORE SUNRISE is available now!
It’s also Black History Month, and Kelly Jensen has put together a Black History timeline of YA fiction.
Hugh Howey, author of WOOL and co-founder of AuthorEarnings.com, has been calling for “author advocacy” and uniting authors against the power of the traditional publishers. Porter Anderson takes a closer look at Howey’s call for author advocacy.
The Maass-Konrath dust-up from last week spawned a lot of sniping from both sides, as the issue of self vs. traditional seems to always do. Jim C. Hines and Chuck Wendig try to find the middle ground in the Publishing War, with Wendig finding out that even neutral parties can find themselves in the line of fire.
Julie Bosman of the New York Times examines the new trend of bringing books out faster and faster. Good marketing or too much pressure on authors?
Upon the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tasha Brandstatter takes a look at Hoffman’s best bookish roles.
Flying libraries! Philadelphia Free Library opens a Hot Spot in the Philadelphia Airport.
I’d love this much shelf space: The Bodleian Library’s books and materials are held at their Book Storage Facility in Swindon. It has 153 MILES of shelving.
Valentine’s Day has passed, so maybe you can get some half-priced deal on these great Valentine’s-themed picture books. And check out these heart-shaped books…from the 15th-16th centuries.
CRAFT
Most of us have heard about the 10,000 hours of practice we need to put in to become really good at something. Martina Boone qualifies that by saying it should be 10,000 quality hours of work—and that a great place to put in the hours and get valuable feedback is in the world of fanfiction.
10,000 hours?! Angela Scot posts 3 reasons most writers give up, and 3 reasons why you shouldn’t.
Got a book idea? Mark Huntley Parsons lists 7 steps to help you evolve your best version of your book idea.
Getting the reader emotionally involved with your character is key to creating a page-turning read. Mary Kole says having a character make a choice is the best way to hook a reader; Mooderino points to the emotional impact of a protagonist’s moment of realization; and K.M. Weiland uncovers the lie your character believes. Mya Kay shows us 5 ways to fall in love with your character all over again, while Elizabeth S. Craig talks about changing murderers in midstream.
Point of view and body language are two techniques authors use to create connection with the reader. Marcy Kennedy hands us 5 keys to writing successful first person POV; Fiona Quinn lays out the body language of attraction; and Margie Lawson shows us how to use body language to make our writing fresh.
Janice Hardy asks: are you missing opportunities to make your writing stronger?. L.Z. Marie shares all the ways “blood” can play a role in imagery and metaphor in your writing, and Wise Ink shares tools to help identify your crutch words and highlight your style.
Chuck Sambuchino compiles literary agent advice on overused openings in fantasy, sci-fi, romance and crime novels; Writer’s Relief points out 3 grammar mistakes you might be making; and Jason Hough compares the book and film of Casino Royale.
Roz Morris warns that when revising a work that’s been a long time in the making, beware clashing tones. Emily Wenstrom lists 4 steps that will give an editor no choice but to publish your story, and Katie Axelson has 3 life-tips that will make you a better writer.
A lot of obstacles stand in our way as we struggle to be writers. Sometimes friends and family are a big one. Leanne Regalla tells us how to become a successful writer despite your friends and family. Time is another problem, and Edie Melson explains how to write in bits and pieces of time. Sometimes, we simply lack internal motivation. Sarah Banse shows us how to keep our mojo going.
Kate Mosse celebrates National Story-Telling Week with excellent tips for writers; Sean Cummings shares what he’s learned in the 2 years since his book deal; and Chuck Wendig tells us what to do on those days where we don’t want to write.
BUSINESS
Amid the rumors of the death of the book industry, Aaron Pressman says the book industry is actually thriving, and Canadian indie bookstores report an encouraging 2013.
Benjamin Leroy reminds us that not all publishers are big, and no one owes you anything.
Alex Palmer shares what every indie author needs to know about ebooks. If you’re a print indie author, try raising your local profile to get your title into the independent bookstores.
Got a memoir to query? Janet Reid explains how to query a memoir in the post-Frey era—and that the real question you should be answering in your query is not what you think. Meanwhile, Katie Reed of Andrea Hurst Associates seeks YA, commercial fiction, literary fiction, sci-fi, women’s fiction, thriller, memoir, fantasy, parenting.
Marketing eats up a large part of modern writers’ time. Joshua Graham discusses finding a balance between writing and marketing; Cynthia D’Alba wonders if promotion is a necessary evil; and Stina Lindenblatt shares 5 steps to surviving your book release.
Blogging is a large part of many authors’ platforms. Corey Eridon explains how to write a blog post in an hour.
THE UNIQUE SHELF
Think it’s easy to record an audiobook? Ice-T found recording a Dungeons & Dragons audiobook “impossible.”
Want to visualize your characters? Facial Claim Directory will help you find the actor/actress you’re looking for.
Take a look at the original handwritten manuscript of an early version of ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND.
As writers, we love language. Read how experts decipher lost languages–and maybe use a lost language in your next story!
Check out this digital library of Armenian manuscripts, and this useful map of digitized Medieval manuscripts around the world.
That’s all for us this week!
The Author Chronicles 
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