It's not what you think !!!

...we all know writers must first be readers, and this blog talks all about about that. But it's not what you think!

What I mean today is that you not only need to be reading books in your genre, and in other genres, but you need to be reading information that will help you remain informed about the industry. Up to the minute information.

So, what are you reading to keep posted about events in publishing, the market, developing craft, ideas to improve your plot lines....

There are a few great resources for you online. First there is Publisher's Lunch. They email me things periodically and I enjoy scanning them to learn about what's new that day.

Next, I'll say it again, make sure you're reading blogs by people who are in the industry. I use my "follower" option on my dashboard at blogrush. This allows me to quickly skim the blogs I read most. I can see what is being written that day and a few sentences of that blog. If I see something helpful I jump over to the blog and read the whole thing.

That is exactly how I stumbled on this great blog by Chip MacGregor where he talks about Paulo Coelho giving away...and ending up with 100 million books sold. [If you haven't stumbled over to my free book online "A Face in the Shadow" you can click through here.] I was pretty excited to see I was doing something a wildly successful author has also done. And I came up with the idea not knowing that he did it.

Then I found out about this great idea for revising your work. Jenn talks about what to do with her "Editor Notes" but I think we authors can add some of these ideas to our own self-editing. Like the idea of outlining in revision stage. I actually do that myself so that I can braid in deeper characters.

Rachelle Gardner is a literary agent who always has GREAT information to share. I read her often.

Do you notice that I am heavily influenced by agents? Why might that be?

Also, are you reading Publisher's Weekly? Writer's Digest?

Finally, if there is a magazine you want to submit to are you reading sample issues to get a feel for the tone of the publication?

So, while writers need to be readers we also need to be informed.

By getting wisdom from key players in the publishing industry we can not only learn, but we can use their wisdom [and sometimes conflicting opinions] to develop our own long term publishing strategies.

Just as reading great books helps us develop our craft, reading great industry voices and resources will help us develop our writer savvy.

But decide who you will read and why. Don't just chase down interesting stuff. Have a reason for each blog your visit. Have take away value....or stay away!

Your Coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter.

Visit my full line of writing products at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Read my full manuscript at http://tiffanycolter.blogspot.com