Books

Book people on the Web are a passionate bunch. Many book bloggers are opinionated and good writers, so their sites are a pleasure to dip into.

Book News and Publishing Gossip

Beatrice

http://www.beatrice.com/

Ron Hogan runs an invaluable blog about the book industry. He also includes original interviews with interesting writers.

Booklust

http://storms.typepad.com/

Patricia Storms runs this site from her home in Canada. The blog features her cartoons and comments about books and the literary life.

The Elegant Variation

http://marksarvas.blogs.com/elegvar/

Mark Sarvas blogs literary news and reviews from a West Coast perspective (see Figure 4.1).

Figure 4.1. Mark Sarvas writes The Elegant Variation from Los Angeles, providing a West Coast perspective on the book world.

Grumpy Old Bookman

http://grumpyoldbookman.blogspot.com/

Michael Allen lives in the United Kingdom and provides literary news and reviews from a British perspective.

The Literary Saloon

http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/index.htm

This blog provides news about upcoming books and tracks U.S. and international publishing gossip.

Just a Reader

http://adelaide.typepad.com/justareader/

This is a quirky blog that posts quotations from books that the blog owner is currently reading. We like it because it shows how blogs can be used as a quotation diary and help book lovers track down passages or sentences that they really liked.

Maud Newton

http://www.maudnewton.com

Maud Newton, who lives in Brooklyn, created her blog to avoid working on a novel. She regularly posts the latest book news and literary scene in New York City.

Moby Lives

http://www.mobylives.com

Dennis Loy Johnson founded his web log, Mobylives.com, in 2000 after a number of newspapers cut their coverage about books. He posts clippings from newspapers in the United States and abroad and writes a weekly column about the book business.

Moorish Girl

http://www.moorishgirl.com/

Moorishgirl.com, run by Laila Lalami of Portland, OR, focuses primarily, though not exclusively, on fiction from the Arab world and South Asia. Her other site, www.complete-review.com, dedicates a specific blog to literature in translation.

The Reading Experience

http://noggs.typepad.com/the_reading_experience/

Daniel Green's blog is mandatory reading for fans of serious fiction. He writes honest book reviews and commentary that are read by everyone in the book business.

Tingle Alley

http://www.tinglealley.com/

This blog covers book news and reviews in a more personal manner. The tone of the blog is conversational and funny. Tingle Alley's author covers books you want to read rather than the books you should be reading.

Faking It

Should you find yourself in the midst of a group of book lovers who blog, here is a handy cheat sheet of a few book blogs that you can mention in the conversation, and everyone will just nod their heads in agreement.

Beatrice

http://www.beatrice.com

Ron Hogan posts literary news and reviews on a daily basis.

Booksquare

http://www.booksquare.com

An opinionated site that shares literary news and writing tips for authors as well as readers.

Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind

http://www.sarahweinman.com/confessions/

Sarah Weinman is a columnist for the Baltimore News. Her blog focuses on crime and mystery fiction.

Galleycat

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat

Galleycat is a blog about the book business maintained by Mediabistro.com, a website and portal for writers looking for professional development workshops and media job postings. Many book bloggers claim that they don't respect the site, yet everyone seems to read it.

The Litblog co-op

http://www.lbc.typepad.com/blog

Several influential book bloggers got together to create a collective for using all their sites to promote worthy books that may not receive mainstream media attention. The venture, called The Litblog co-op, tests the perception that book bloggers can influence purchasing patterns among book buyers. The venture is too new to yield conclusive results, but the endeavor is an exciting development for using the power of blogs to help authors market their books.

Blogs by Published Authors

Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise

http://www.therestisnoise.com/

The music critic of the New Yorker maintains this blog to clip interesting articles and excerpts from his book-in-progress.

Buzz, Balls & Hype

http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/buz_balls_hype

MJ Rose is an author on a mission to expand the ways books are promoted in the U.S. Her blog is an excellent resource for writers seeking ways to promote their work.

House of Mirth

http://housemirth.blogspot.com/

James Marcus is a writer, translator, critic, and editor who lives in New York City. He posts interviews with his fellow authors and provides a view into the life of a working nonfiction writer.

Backstory

http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/backstory/

This is a chatty blog run by MJ Rose that lets writers share stories about writing and their experiences publishing a piece of work. Backstory is a new and innovative way to find out about new books.

Neil Gaiman

http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/journal.asp

The author of Neverwhere and other fantasy/horror novels keeps an online journal.

Snark Spot

http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Weiner, author of Good in Bed and In Her Shoes, keeps in touch with fans though her frequently updated blog.

Southern Comfort

http://www.livejournal.com/users/karin61/

Writer Karin Gillespie, author of the Bet Your Bottom Dollar series, blogs about her life writing books and marketing them.

Blogs by Book Business Insiders

Agent 007 on Publishing

http://agent007.blogspot.com/

Agent 007 is a book editor who has become an agent. The anonymous blogger shares his/her perspective on the book trade, working with authors, and silly query letters.

Book Angst 101

http://bookangst.blogspot.com/

An anonymous blog by a New York book editor, Book Angst 101 may not be frequently updated, but it provides writers a look into the mind of editors and publishers. You can learn a lot about the current state of the business by reading older posts.

Flogging the Quill

http://www.floggingthequill.com/

Editor Ray Rhamey runs this blog, which is dedicated to teaching writers how to produce better work and how to market the finished results successfully.

Foreword

http://www.ospreydesign.com/foreword/

Foreword is a blog about book design. It provides fascinating information about the details of book designing and typography.

Fresh Eyes: A Bookseller's Journal

http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/shire15/

Bookseller Robert Gray gives readers a view inside the inner workings of a bookstore. He has been a bookseller and buyer for the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT since 1992.

Miss Snark

http://misssnark.blogspot.com/

Miss Snark is a literary agent specializing in mystery fiction. She lives in Manhattan. She shares her thoughts about the industry and gives blunt advice to would-be writers hoping to score a publishing contract.

Book Review Blogs

Beatrix

http://www.artsjournal.com/beatrix/

If you want to know what all the book reviewers are saying about a particular book, head to Beatrix, a spin-off of Ron Hogan's Beatrice blog. Beatrix covers the book review sections found in most of the daily newspapers in the United States.

Complete Review

http://www.complete-review.com/

This site covers reviews of new and older books.

Book Buds

http://dadtalk.typepad.com/book_buds_kidlit_reviews/

Anne Boles Levy, a journalist and a mother, provides parents with informative reviews about the latest children's books. This is an invaluable site for the busy parent or well-intentioned but childless adult looking to buy a child a gift.

Readerville

http://www.readerville.com/

Readerville is a forum for book lovers to discuss the latest books, share literary gossip, and organize book groups. You have to register and pay dues to participate.