Not much to do this weekend, given the Snowpocalypse besieging the East Coast.  I certainly will attempt to “write my ass off” but otherwise I strive to pick up where I left off posting a few writing and publishing links now and then.

So, let me start with commentary by Lydia Sharp, which I took to heart, that writing & publishing bloggers have been discussing the Amazon v. MacMillan conflict far too much.  Hear, hear.  I (think I) am done.  And, if the links in this post seem a bit light, it’s because I’ve purposefully skipped over any possible links dealing with ebooks or their attendant rights and royalties.

Also on the subject of beginnings, agent Kristin Nelson provides some good advice on why prologues often do not work, and why action often does.

Author Kelly Morgan describes what happens when a book “clicks,” while author Jade Smith offers some advice on authenticity which I whole-heartedly endorse: Let your fictional world be itself.

Agent Nathan Bransford tells us why it’s a great time to be an author, while agent Rachelle Gardner outlines the Top Ten query mistakes, discusses book trailers, and invites guest blogger Sandra Bricker to explain how a writer finds his or her niche.

Jessica at BookEnds answers writers’ questions about novel series (a subject newly dear to my writers’ heart) and querying as a youthful writer (a subject long far from my interests) as well as addressing the professionalism displayed by readily accepting the need for revisions (on which I completely agree with her).

I would be remiss not to direct you to three entries (1, 2, 3!) in Jennifer Jackson‘s “Letters From The Query Wars,” or Alan Rinzler‘s tips from 3 top agents about how YA fiction is “red hot.”

Enjoy!