Thursday, January 24, 2008

Agent Blogs

There are a handful of agent blogs that I check out daily & some other blogs (agents & writers) that I stop by to visit periodically. I can see where it could become an addiction & take up a ton of time - something I just don't have. Nathan Bransford is getting ready to start up another contest on his blog - poor bugger - & is looking for input on the contest type & prize. He must be a workaholic. His blog is terrific, always upbeat, usually funny & he always offers down to earth advice on publishing topics. (His taste in TV is a bit offbeat.) BookEnds is another daily stop. Jessica @ BE patiently deals with the wannabe crowd with advice that is truly helpful & has put quite an effort into offering pitch critiques (from a post a few months back). Not as funny as NB but very pleasant & personable, &, I understand, she has been granted sainthood. Pub Rants (Nelson Literary) is another good one. Kristen Nelson comments often on the submission process, deal making, & contract hurdles, using helpful samples & stats. I think agents like these (& there are others that I may mention in another post) guarantee their own success. If they're willing to take on extra work to help non clients, imagine the effort they put into representation.