Pub Rants
No, this isn't a post where I do my best Dennis Miller imitation and rant about the publishing industry. Quite the opposite. I wanted to point you to a great blog that I've been following for the past couple of weeks. It's called Pub Rants and it's written by Kristin Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency.
Anyone who knows me very well would probably be astounded to hear that I'm giving props to an agent. Yes, I tend to be critical of agents, or at least ones that I don't think are adding any value to the publishing equation. To be fair, I've never met Kristin and all I know about her is what I've read on her blog. I'm not saying every author should run out and see if she'll represent them! I'm just making a public service announcement saying that I've found her blog to be extremely insightful and entertaining.
I also appreciate the personality that comes through in her posts. She starts each one with a status (what she's doing or did that day) and what's currently playing on her iPod. I wish I were that clever, but my posts tend to be pretty dry and void of personality. Sorry about that.
She offers some interesting links from the blog, such as this one entitled 20 Worst Agents. Yeah, I know you'll be clicking on that one! Be sure to sign up for her agency newsletter as well...I just did.
I'm no fan of the agent blog, as you can see from my own blog (www.literaryrejectionsondisplay.blogspot.com), but I have to agree with you that Pub Rants is okay.
Posted by: Writer,Rejected | July 18, 2007 at 09:11 PM
Thanks for sharing that one... just added it to Google Reader.
Posted by: Thomas | July 18, 2007 at 11:13 PM
Glad you found an agent blog you like... Like 'em or not, we writers have a really, really hard time staying away from them. It's such a tough business - any tips, advice, and warnings we can get make us feel a bit less isolated and a bit more in the loop. Miss Snark was the queen of the blogs, but there are a lot of them that I (and probably a nice heap of writers) keep up with. Pub Rants is good. And quite a few on her list of agent blogs are worthwhile. www.deannakentmcdonald.com
Posted by: Deanna Kent-McDonald | July 20, 2007 at 04:50 PM
Pub Rants is loaded with useful info for writers. And Kristin has a stellar reputation. Nathan Bransford also has a blog worth checking out. Of course, no one will ever replace Miss Snark for sheer reading enjoyment.
Glad Kristin linked to you, Joe. My first published piece is in a Jossey Bass anthology due out next spring about my three girls with autism.
KS
Posted by: Stagmom | July 22, 2007 at 07:37 AM
Hi Kim, yes, the more I learn about Kristin the more impressed I am with her and her agency. In fact, we're working on an interview with her that I hope to post on my blog shortly. I'll check out Nathan's blog.
I'm thrilled that you'll soon be published through our Jossey Bass group -- they're a great bunch of people with a fantastic list. Congrats on being part of that team!
Posted by: Joe Wikert | July 22, 2007 at 09:14 AM
Glad to know about PubRants... a bit difficult at first, but there are real gems there. Thanks
Anne Wayman
www.thegoldenpencil.com
Posted by: Anne Wayman | July 22, 2007 at 11:48 AM
Hi,
I also just discovered her blog and I find it extremely well done, so much so that I put a link to it on my website. I also recommend it to fellow writers.
Posted by: Anthony S. Policastro | July 23, 2007 at 12:54 PM