Monthly Web Round-Up

It feels like slim pickings this month, partly because of holidays and partly because my attention hasn’t been as focused this month since a death in my family. Nonetheless, here’s what I’ve found that caught my interest since last I posted:

* Here’s an explanation of returns (and how they affect you, the author).

* James Frey, in the news again. I have 2 degrees in English and (amazingly enough) was able to parley them into an excellent full-time tech writing career. I feel sorry for those who are stuck with the degree and nothing to show for it.

* Here’s an article that posits two literary worlds: MFA and NYC. I would add a third world: the real world (like, people who shop at WalMart or Target and don’t care about either MFA or NYC or reviews and critics). But that’s just me.

* Starting the “end of the year, best of the year” blogs.

* I ran across this: best last lines in novels. I saw some old favorite novels on this list.

* Thoughts on what should go into a successful book series.

* In the “Craft Tools” department: Has anyone ever used a tool like this? I wonder if it’s worth the price of yearly membership.

* Google now has an ebook store. Here’s a brief review…

* No surprise, is it? Romance novels take the e-book world by storm!

* Another view of where romance lands when compared by categories (look at previous posts for the other genres to compare, if you care).

* This gave me pause. I thought an excerpt was an excerpt. I never thought about how much, or in what format.