As I’ve been talking about on my Twitter, yesterday afternoon I finally caught up on all queries as of February 1, 2015. Writers: if you submitted a query to me before that date and haven’t received a response, please re-send. It may have been lost in the cosmic Internet shuffle!

I’ve also been hearing back from many writers who are looking for a bit more guidance about how to build their platforms, so here’s a quick round-up of resources and articles you might find helpful:

What is an author platform?
When is the right time to build a platform?
The 5 Most Important Numbers for Building Your Online Platform
How to Write a Book Proposal
Is Your Author Website Doing Its Job? 6 Things to Check
Why Design Matters for Your Website
3 Secrets to Convert a Casual Blog Visitor Into a Customer

Also, Jane Friedman’s incredible, comprehensive article, How to Get Your Book Published, provides invaluable insight into how the publishing business works. Two of the best tidbits of advice from that article:

Publishing is a business, just like Hollywood or Broadway. Publishers, editors, and agents support authors or projects that will make money and provide a good return on investment. It used to be that this return on investment could happen over a period of years or several books. Now, it needs to happen with one book and in less than one year.

For nonfiction authors: Don’t go looking for a publishing deal because you need the authority or platform that a book can give you. Rather, you must already have the platform and authority, and thus be qualified to write a book. YOU bring the audience to the publisher, not the reverse.

Writer’s Digest is also a fantastic trove of resources and guidance for writers–I recommend all writers sign up for their newsletters.

Publishing, just like any worthwhile endeavor, requires a huge amount of research, preparation, and perseverance to succeed. But publishing professionals are here to help you, and there has never been a time in our industry where there have been more free resources and articles online to help writers. So go explore them, and have fun!