Our weekly roundup of links we hope you’ll find interesting and useful.

• Arthur Krystal muses in the New York Times on why you can’t have a decent conversation with some writers.
• We’ve seen many new writers online recently wondering “Do I really need an agent?” Nathan Bransford tells you what agents do, and author Jeff Abbott tells you why you need one.
• You’ve sold your first book? Awesome! Fasten your seat belt. (Seriously, every pro writer we know wishes it would always go this well…)
• You’ve survived the editing process? Awesome! Here comes the copyeditor.
• Your book is all shiny and scrubbed and about to be published? Awesome! Now get out there and market yourself.
• Barnes & Noble VP Joe Gonnella clarifies that B&N does not have a policy of punishing writers who don’t link to B&N.com. Good.
• Chuck Sambuchino’s excellent advice on word count for adult novels and children’s books.

If you have a link of interest to writers that you’d like to see in a roundup, please email us or leave a comment.

Have a great weekend. Write something wonderful!

Posted by: Kelley