Wednesday links: Books on writing, a book launch plan, writing a trilogy, and advice for young writers

I love regularly reading tips and advice articles in certain subjects — particularly writing and publishing. I don’t always need the information right then, but I know that it’ll eventually come in handy. Or at least, I hope it will.

I know there are a lot of other people out there who feel the same way I do, but sometimes it can be difficult to find every useful advice article that’s out there. So I thought I’d bring you a few. Here are the tips and advice articles that jumped out at me the most over the past week.

1. 15 Books for the Writing Life, from Hachette Book Group: Reading is a key part of any writer’s life. While reading within whichever genre or category you write is important, it’s also a good idea to read books about writing. Here, Hatchette Book Group provides a list to get you started. Excerpt: “But putting all these tips in place and actually becoming a writer isn’t the end of the story. If you’re looking for books to enhance all kinds of aspects of the writing life, here are a few suggestions.”
2. A Book Launch Plan for First-Time Authors Without an Online Presence, from Jane Friedman: If you’re approaching your first book launch and don’t have a big online presence, Jane Friedman has some advice to help you get started. Excerpt: “I recommend authors who are starting from “online zero” to look at their strengths and opportunities that exist outside of their own newly started (or nonexistent) website, blog, or social media. If done well, the book launch will help draw people to you online because they’ve read your book and enjoyed it, not because you’ve tweeted at them to buy it.”
3. Writing a Fantasy Trilogy with Michelle Hauck, from Dan Koboldt: Do you know what goes into writing a fantasy trilogy? Michelle Hauck has some thoughts to share. Excerpt: “In a certain way, a series is a mark of success and there’s such a historic tradition behind a trilogy. So many famous authors decided on trilogies—agreed that three was the perfect number of books. Who was I to disagree?”
4. “Read big and WRITE.” Advice for young writers from Danielle Younge-Ullman (EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IS NOT RUINED), from Inkygirl: Here, Danielle Younge-Ullman shares some thoughts on reading, writing, and her outlining process. Excerpt: “Read like crazy, and read everything. You might have a favourite category or genre, but the more widely you read, and the more you challenge yourself by reading different kinds of books (and plays, and poetry, et cetera) the more you’ll have to bring to your own writing.”