Additional Resources for
Writers and Self-Publishers

BELOW YOU’LL FIND a list of the best organizations for writers, plus links to recommended articles and websites that are important to serious writers and would-be self-publishers.

This supplements the many articles and resources detailed on the Writing & Publishing T/C page and those in my PDF report, “Crash Course in How to Self-Publish a Book” (which you can link to and download from its introductory article, “What Authors Need to Know before Self-Publishing a Book.”)

by Barbara Brabec

Writer’s Organizations

• American Society of Journalists and Authors. An invaluable membership organization for independent nonfiction writers who are trying to advance their careers.

• The Author’s Guild. Monthly newsletter reports on the Guild’s advocacy efforts and provides resources for your writing business.

• Independent Publisher (formed in 1996). Book Awards (six offered each year to recognize excellence in independent publishing); Reviews, Events, News, and an archive of more than 2,300 articles. (Note that this site shows as “not secure” meaning it still hasn’t invested in an SSL certificate.)

• Midwest Book Review. A major Internet resource for publishers, writers, librarians, booksellers, and book lovers of all ages and interests. Includes dozens of articles of interest to writers and self-publishers.

• National Writer’s Association. Check out the member benefits of this nonprofit organization formed in 1937.

• National Writer’s Union. For freelance writers in all areas of endeavor.

• Romance Writers of America. Advocacy, education, contests and health insurance options for members.

• Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. One of the largest existing organizations for writers and illustrators, and the only professional organization specifically for those individuals working in the fields of children’s literature, magazines, film, television, and multimedia.

• Unscrupulous Literary Agents on the Web. Read this excellent article on the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer’s Website (SFWA). It offers a list of dishonest agenting practices, explains why there are so many amateur, marginal, and incompetent agents looking for clients on the Web, and how to tell a questionable agent from a reputable one. Also included is a list of resources for authors in search of a good agent.

“Writing is one of the few professions left in which it is still possible to be really independent, self-sufficient, and successful, too. It is no wonder so many people wish to be writers. The wonder is that so few of them have the fortitude to go through with it, to work and train — as they would expect to do in any other profession — for years in order to win out. There is no short cut, and no way around; every successful writer has to go through this mill, has to fail, and fail, and fail, and try again, and do his work and endure his disappointments in silence. Successful writers are men and women of character–the salt of the earth.” – Walter Campbell’s words, quoted in a 1983 editorial by Donald E. Bower, Director of National Writer’s Club

Recommended Articles and Websites

• The Book Designer. Practical advice from Joel Friedlander to help build better books. Site includes a wealth of articles . . . (but I found the pop-ups annoying).

• “How Ingram Spark Prints Your Print-on-Demand (POD) Book” – Explains the publishing process with photos.

• “Paper for Books is Getting Harder to Come by: Why the Backbone of Publishing May Make Book Prices Rise.

• Smashwords Official Blog. Smashwords is an eBook self-publishing and distribution platform serving independent authors and publishers. Every year, owner Mark Coker keeps authors up to date on what’s happening in the eBook publishing industry, publishing both a “Year in Review” and his New Year’s  predictions. (In 2021, the summary headline was “Pandemic Reshapes Publishing, Accelerates Consolidation.” Stay up to date by visiting the site and subscribing to Coker’s blog posts.

>> “The Smashwords Meatgrinder: Not As Scary As It Sounds.” Read this article for perspective on the publishing process Smashwords uses to convert book manuscripts into an eBook or PDF book.

• Top 80 Self Publishing Blogs and Websites in 2021. Get bloggers contacts, view the latest posts, and if you’re a blogger wanting more traffic, submit your blog on this site.

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