Professional Organizations to Join
International:
Academy of American Poets www.poets.org
American Fiction Christian Writers http://www.acfw.com/
American Crime Writers League www.acwl.org
Horror Writers Association www.horror.org
The International Women’s Writing Guild www.iwwg.com
Mystery Writers of America www.mysterywriters.org
National Writers Association www.nationalwriters.com
National Writers Union www.nwu.org
Nonfiction Authors Association www.nonfictionauthorsassociation.com
Poetry Society of America www.poetrysociety.org
Romance Writers of America www.rwa.org
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America www.sfwa.org
Sisters in Crime www.sistersincrime.org
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators www.scbwi.org
Western Writers of America www.westernwriters.org
Rocky Mountain Region:
Northern Colorado Writers www.northerncoloradowriters.com
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers www.rmfw.org
Wyoming Writers, Inc. www.wyowriters.org
For Self-Published Authors:
Colorado Independent Publishers Association www.cipabooks.com
Small Publishers Association of North America www.SPANnet.org
Writing Contests and Awards:
The easiest place to find information on Contests and Awards is still the Writer’s Market Books (Writer’s Market, Children’s Writer’s Market, Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market, etc.) Check the sections in the back on Contests and Awards
Writers Conferences to Attend:
For a complete and updated list of writing conferences, visit Shaw Guides.
For a breakdown of conferences by region, visit Writer’s Digest and look under “Find Resources.”
A few of my partner conferences:
Colorado Gold Conference
Northern Colorado Writers Conference
Pikes Peak Writers Conference
Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators Conferences
Nonfiction Writers Conference
Great Websites for Writers:
New websites and blogs for and about writers appear and disappear daily. Keep your eyes and ears open for sites your friends and colleagues enjoy and recommend. In the meantime, here are a few to get you started:
Visit Writer’s Digest’s website for a list of their 101 top websites for writers at www.writers.digest.com under “Find Resources.” I recommend many of the sites they have listed, and they update their list annually.
Preditors and Editors: A Guide to publishers and publishing services for writers at: www.anotherealm.com
Poets and Writer’s Magazine Website: www.pw.org. Subscribe to their free newsletter for up-to-date information on contests and events, etc.
Publisher’s Marketplace www.publishersmarketplace.com.
Subscribe to their free daily newsletter on happenings in the publishing industry. For an additional fee ($20 per month) you can get access to their marketplace, where you’ll find updated information on who’s selling what to whom. This can be very helpful when you’re looking for an agent or editor, so I recommend subscribing at least during that time period. For the member’s price you will also get a more thorough daily newsletter.
Children’s Book Insider
www.cbiclubhouse.com
This is an excellent resource for children’s book writers. It is full of advice, recommendations, and guides from successful professionals in the field. There is a small monthly membership fee that grants you access to a community of writers, a step-by-step writing course, video instruction and commentary, current publishing news, and much more.
Picture eBook Mastery
This highly efficient course from the creators of Children’s Book Insider walks you through how to create a fully illustrated children’s e-book using Amazon Kindle’s Kids Book Creator software. The course demystifies the entire process, from finding illustrations through publishing and marketing your book.
Smart Blogger
www.smartblogger.com
The foremost site on how to start, maintain, and grow your blog. Get the free beginners guide to how to start your own blog here.
Masters in English
mastersinenglish.org
Check out their “100 Essential Sites for Voracious Readers,” page for some awesome websites to help readers and writers.
Online Learning
Writing Blueprints
This website provides writing blueprints to walk you through the writing, publishing, and marketing of your books. Whether writing for children or adults, each blueprint provides instructional video, tips, resources, and interactive PDFs to help you determine the best routes for you!
Agents:
Association of Authors’ Representatives
The Association of Authors’ Representatives is a not-for-profit organization of qualified literary agents and dramatic representatives of authors, dramatists and other creators and owners of intellectual property.