Google Reader Roundup: Friday 10/30/09

Here's my Google Reader roundup for the week, which is the best posts I read this week for the blogs I subscribe to in my Reader.

Lots of delicious snacky things for you this week:

• A discussion of self marketing at The Buzz You Have to Do Yourself by Elizabeth Zelvin

• Agent Jennifer Jackson's notes on query letters

• Tina Lynn at her blog Sweet Nibblets has an interesting question about word count being too LOW. Check the comments for some great advice. (I am TOTALLY not saying my comment had great advise in it....ack, there's no real way to get out of that is there)

• Another one from last week, but I read it this week and it's just as good. Lisa over at Fiction City has some GREAT advice for preparing for writing conferences.

• Caren Johnson Literary has a good list of the qualities agents look for in a writer (and vice versa).
  

• Marsha's Musings has a very good point about celebrities and how they should have to seek publication the way the rest of us do.

• A word on titles from agent Kristin Nelson...and, interestingly enough, her remark on how a rockin title might make her request pages from a query, even if the query isn't that strong. Oooh! "Pride and Prejudice 2" here we come! (Does anyone remember that old Saturday Night Live skit with Christian Slater in it, and Chris Farley, and they were all sitting in the attic as a band trying to come yup with a name for a band and Chris Farley is all "How about 'PEARL JAM 2!!!'" Oh it was a classic. You Tube has failed me on getting it for you.

• The Six D's of a Debut Author from Liana Brooks.

• Lisa at Fiction City, again, had a great guest post on her impressions of the agent panel at the South Carolina writing conference.

• On first drafts and having to write them (hint: you have to) from Between Fact and Fiction.

• And finally, my most useful post this week came from Roni at *Fiction Groupie*, who posted one of the most helpful things about characters I have ever seen--a psychological breakdown. I have long thought that having a degree in psychology would be very useful when writing--because it all comes down to understanding human nature, and the best writers do that, right? So well done for a timely and fabrujous post Roni. I didn't comment on it because I was in the airport being accosted by old lady line jumpers at the time.

Oh! And another thing before we go....Marian Keyes' new book hit the stands today, in Britain, Ireland, and Australia. We yanks have to wait until January (except this one, who is going to order her copy from Amazon.uk. Oh, we have ways.)

Have a happy Halloween my dears. I have some very exciting posts next week for you.