Google Reader Roundup Friday Oct. 9

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

On a side note, I got to attend an event last night that Nick Hornby spoke at, a sort of Inside the Actor's Studio for authors. Mr. Hornby was engaging and funny and has some very interesting things to say about ebooks vs. traditional books, which I'll post next week. I feel it necessary to say that Nick is dear to my heart for writing Fever Pitch, a most wonderful book about soccer football. (Regrettably, Nick isn't a Hibs fan.)

Now, on with the weekly Roundup.

• Holy Krakow! This angel has a rage-raising story of being plagiarized. Not good. Happy place. Happy place! Don't do it, people. Be above that. Be better. BE A WRITER, NOT A THIEF! And I ask this question: doesn't "writing" someone else's work take all the fun out of the process? Why bother if you're not going to do it yourself?

• Here's Moonrat's indispensable list of publishing posts.

• Fiction Groupie had a great post on Crit Groups-- how to find them and what to get out of them.

• Carrie has a nice discussion of book marketing using a specialized site, like a character's web site.

• Little Kettle-head is quite possibly the most bizarre and heinous childrens book ever about a little girl whose head burns off and then she replaces it with a kettle...but wait, there's a happy ending for all. This is by way of Editorial Anonymous, who recommends, quite rightly, that this sort of book is PSYCHO.

• Here is Wil Wheaton's open letter to the guy who is providing links to rip off free copies of his book. Read it.

• AWESOME discussion of the high concept blurb via Fiction Groupie again.

• Star Wars: the Query. Via JM Diaz.

• And finally, putting a new spin on old plots via Janice Hardy. As usual, she's got a fantastic checklist of ideas.