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When you spend all your working hours in front of the infernal machine (read: laptop), you find yourself eager for any distraction from the drudgery at hand. I am a sucker for well-written material on other writers, musicians, anyone at all involved in media. Bookslut is one of those distractions I must force myself to save until late in the day when the work is nearly done.

Having only recently looked into this Chicago-based site, I find plenty to keep me occupied. The author interviews alone are worth the time drain. One example: In issue 73, Jason Jones interviews author Jeff Warren about his book The Head Trip: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness. The interview is thoughtful, the chemistry between
the two is good, and it’s a joy to read. Some freelance writers shrug and say, “So what?” They are used to reading high quality material, but the context is quite different for me. With an editing background in music journalism, military reporting, and commercial writing, I’ve spent years wading through other people’s poor preparation, clumsy interview questions, and just plain hopeless work. It’s enough to make you give up the game and run screaming for the nearest Civil Service exam.

That’s why I tend to take notice when I discover another outlet for solid writing in any field remotely close to my own. Bookslut is aimed at people who love to read. That’s me, so this is more than just a case of me having respect for writers with skill; they are talking directly to ME. As an omnivorous book consumer, I have acres of tomes with subjects ranging from sexual life in ancient China to the life and times of Lester Bangs. Bookslut is my kind of people.

If you are the kind of person who writes by day and uses a pry bar to cram another two or three titles into an already-distressed set of bookshelves by night, Bookslut is definitely for you. My warning–don’t make any plans once you click the link, you’ll be there for a while.

Brett Sampson tells all. This book is about how to get listed on Amazon, how to promote your book and increase sales. We borrow a quote from Sampson’s Sell Your Book on Amazon product page:

“Penny C. Sansevieri of Author Marketing Experts says, “Finally! A book that helps you demystify Amazon. If you have a book to sell, you simply must own Sell Your Book on Amazon.”

The marketing copy for this also claims to help you “beat Amazon at their own game”, and learn how to create “virtuous circles” (as opposed to vicious cycles, I’m guessing). While I’m no fan of breathless marketing hyperbole, I have to say that any book which helps a writer properly value their work and assign a reasonable price should be worth a read. Sell Your Book on Amazon has all the right chapters, and according to the author himself, this does NOT tell you how to get on the bestseller list. Instead, it offers strategies to help your book do well over the long term. If you’re a believer in Chris Anderson’s Long Tail concept, this book should appeal.

In short, not a bad way to spend $14.95 if you have a book ready for the world, or very nearly so.

Sell Your Book on Amazon sells for $14.95

Many people will think I’ve gone completely around the bend by recommending Hagakure as a manual for freelance writers, but try reading this with your career firmly in mind. You’ll find plenty of inspiration and practical advice. Consider these quotes:

“In the words of the ancients, one should make his decisions within the space of seven breaths. Lord Takanobu said: If discrimination is long, it will spoil. Lord Naoshige said: When matters are done leisurely, seven out of ten will turn out badly. A warrior is a person who does things quickly.”

“Master Yagyu once remarked: I do not know the way to defeat others, but the way to defeat myself.”

“According to Master lttei, even a poor penman will become substantial in the art of calligraphy if he studies by imitating a good model and puts forth effort. A retainer should be able to become substantial too, if he takes a good retainer as his model.”

Sure, some of it is a stretch when it comes to the modern day lifestyle of a freelance writer, but there’s plenty to ponder here. You can apply it to being mindful of well-crafted query letters, carefully checked final drafts and keeping your determination in the face of many rejections. Hagakure was written in the early 1700s by Yamamoto Tsunetomo. It was only read by a select few in the early years after its publication, but it has endured. And yes, other writers have found much inspiration in these pages–Yukio Mishima, one of Japan’s most famous authors, was a devoted reader of Hagakure. It’s a great book even if it does sometimes bewilder 21st century minds.

Buy Hagakure for $13.57

 If you are interested in the journalistic aspects of the writing game and don’t know who Dan Poynter is, do yourself a favor and check out the Poynter Institute. You will find a whole universe of stuff you didn’t know existed. Dan Poynter has built a hell of a reputation as an expert in all kinds of journalism, and you should not underestimate the value of any writing-related material with the Poynter name on it.

That includes this self-publishing manual. To be fair, I haven’t read this one yet but the Poynter name lends enough credibility to recommend it. To those who might take issue with me on this one, spend an hour at the Poynter site and tell me if you still disagree. And if that’s the case, forget the book–you can learn a LOT just by having a go at the site and soaking up the benefit of all that experience. At the website you will find a lot of info on Poynter workshops and seminars,and I have many friends who have attended Poynter seminars, all come back with glowing reports of the massive amount you can learn about the craft in a very short amount of time.

Buy for $13.57

The Writer’s Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing covers all the bases; query letters, coming up with ideas editors will love, and developing that all-important skill of targeting your queries to just the right market. If you’re new to the magazine writing game, try out this one…you’ll get some great help to get your first batch of queries out the door in the most effective way possible.

Most appealing about this book? It draws on the experience of a large number of successful freelancers. There are plenty of books written from a single freelancer’s point of view, but the range of experience represented in this book offers more perspective. Take what works and leave the rest! With 248 pages of freelance writing wisdom, you’ll find plenty of advice to apply to your early work.

Buy for $11.55