Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent did a post today (that you can read by clicking on her name) about the deluge of information on the web about getting published (ie. the proper methods of writing, querying, etc.). She wondered, from a writer's perspective if this was too much or if it was helpful at all. I thought I would post my response here:
Personally, I agree that the amount of information on publishing on the web can be dizzying. Everyone has their own oppinion on how things should be done, down to what you should even write about. It's enough to make one sea-sick. But I do want to say that if it wasn't there I would be completely lost. I can't stress enough to people who are serious thinking about writing just how important it is to do your sesearch (market, agent likes/dislikes, writing techniques, etc).
The web is a great resource.
Sure, there are very straight forward books out there that you can read. I've listed some on this blog that were very helpful to me. But I couple them with knowledge from the web and get such a great (albeit crazy hectic) view of the literary world.
Yes, there are so many oppinions that it can make your head hurt. But for ME, knowing that each agent/author/publisher has their own oppinion makes my chances of being published that much greater. It's all about finding the right fit. I still have hope that my little book will find a home with one of these amazing people, and with what I have learned from reading the web as well as books, I will more than likely be a more rounded individual (and not just from eating bon-bons whilst I write =).
