Author Resource Directory

So, You’re an Author…

No matter where you are in your process, here are suggestions for your next step.

Follow links to these resources (which may involve leaving this site)
or ask us how we can help.

Association of American Literary Agents (AALA)

Literary Marketplace

Publishers Marketplace

In the indie world you don’t need an agent. But if you want to pitch to agents to get access to mainstream publishing houses, here’s where to start. Research agents and genres in these directories. Then go to their agency websites and read Submission Requirements carefully. Follow those instructions to the letter. Most accept e-mail submissions. Allow 2-6 weeks for a response, then move on. (And come back here!)

Step Resource Why and How?
Editorial Services Words a la Mode (www.wordsalamode.com)

Quinn’s Word for Word (www.writingandediting.biz)

Or send us a Request for Services

Recommended toolset: Grammarly.com

GetPublished! Radio Affiliates

Developmental editing, copyediting, proofreading, indexing, and more.

 

Facing the Blank Page Insight Timer

 

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Download the app and some guided meditations. The answer is inside you– nowhere else!

Lamott coaches painlessly with anecdotes.

Storytelling The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Egri had advice for playwrights in the 1930s, but still the best book on character and conflict.
Outlining Storymill 4 by CDSC

Dramatica Story Expert

Scrivener by Literature and Latte

Software tools for creating and manipulating story outlines. (As an alternative, buy a stack of index cards. One card per plot step. Then drop them all on the floor and reassemble. Not quite fun for the whole family.)
Genres and Comparables Book Industry Study Group (BISG) – BISAC Codes Bookstores assign space by BISAC code which correspond to Categories on Amazon. Use categories to research comparables and to specify where your book belongs in a store and on booksellers’ sites.
Expository Writing Stein on Writing by Sol Stein

The Elements of Journalism by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel

Expository Writing: Writing to Explain by Barbara Doherty and Charlotte Jaffe

This is a HUGE topic.
Research, Memoir, and Biography See our Research Tips page This is another huge topic.
Editorial and Support Services Request for Services Submit this online form to La Puerta Productions to describe your project needs to us, and we’ll respond with a proposed solution.
Support Network Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC) Writers helping writers since 1984.
Photos and Graphics Wikimedia Commons Images Even though many images in the Commons are in the public domain, read Licensing information carefully and adhere to those guidelines.

Permissions

LegalZoom Article This is a big topic, and while we’re not lawyers, we expressly reserve the right to play one on TV.