Essential Reads for Aspiring Authors - Part 1: Miss Snark

Beginning today and reoccurring periodically I will share some of my favourite books and blogs that I have encountered while aimlessly wandering. My focus will be anyone of notable involvement within the publishing industry, be they agents, editors, interns, authors, publishers or anything in between. While I'm aware that some of my favourites can be seen on my sidebar, I feel that many of these are such a treasure trove of information that they warrant additional commentary.

Let's begin.

Part 1: Miss Snark

An anonymous literary agent with a host of devoted snarklings, Miss Snark offered aspiring authors essential advice about the publishing industry between 2005-2007 before announcing her blogging retirement.

Miss Snark is of special significance in my case, as she was the first person in the know within the publishing industry that I stumbled upon. She remains a personal favourite on account of her straight forward advice, no nonsense attitude and her ungodly mastery of sarcasm.

If you haven't read her material yet then the following should offer a small taste of what's to be found at her blog. If you're anything like myself or her countless supporters, you'll find yourself reading all two years of her posts in an extended sitting.

Here's but a small sampling:

Agents 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Cover Letter Critiques 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

First Page Critiques

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Query Fails

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

If time is an issue, I recommend visiting The Snarkives, which is a collection of Miss Snark's wisdom, but topically organized for easy browsing.

So there it is. I encourage you all to check her out, or if you've already read her material, read it again. Feel free to share your thoughts about this wonderful agent; at over 2.5 million hits on her blog she is obviously appealing to quite a few people.

Addendum: And just where is Miss Snark these days? Some claim the identity of Miss Snark to be remarkably similar to literary agent Janet Reid, particularly on account of the work they represent, their location and their writing style. The unconvinced claim otherwise, noting Janet's lack of Clooney love and affinity for gin that were part and parcel with Miss Snark. As for myself, I'm still on the fence about it.