Announcing the Best Agent Blogs of 2011…

Every year, Writer's Digest puts out its amazing brainbomb of information called "The 101 Best Websites For Writers." It's in the May/June 2011 issue this year. (By the way, if you're not subscribed to WD yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up here.)

My contribution to the list of 101 sites is picking the best agent blogs on the Internet. This year I got to pick seven, and in no particular order, here they are!

RACHELLE GARDNER

Gardner’s “Rants & Ramblings On Life as a Literary Agent” blog makes our short list again. The reason it appears again is that Gardner continues to provide interesting columns about craft, and even better—the business—of writing day after day. It makes you wonder if she ever sleeps. This blog has four full years of amazing archives that writers can read to get an understanding of how to succeed.

MARY KOLE

Kole’s “Kid Lit” blog burst on to the scene in 2009 with oodles of helpful columns regarding how to write books for children. Lucky for us, Kole has not slowed down, and still tackles relevant subjects as how writers sell themselves, the ins and outs of writing young adult fiction, and the delicacy of resubmitting your work to a literary agent. This blog is a must for writers of juvenile fiction.

MICHAEL LARSEN

Larsen is a guru of nonfiction writing and he sticks to his strengths with this blog. Though his blog switched URLs in 2010, the content stayed the same, and Larsen constantly breaks down complicated topics with bite sized tips for writers—e.g., “12 Steps to Writing Success,” and “8 Opportunities to Write About Something Great.” If you’re looking for a focus on the business end of books and selling your work, add Larsen’s site to your blogroll today.

KRISTIN NELSON

Nelson’s “Pub Rants” blog is an absolute treasure trove of inside information for writers, which is a darn good reason it ends up on our list again. Among the annals of the blog, you will find real queries from her clients, as well as an 11-part pitch workshop (covering multiple genres), and that’s just the tip of the blog-berg. The fact that Nelson has represented several fiction bestsellers over the years just makes her posts more exciting to read.

SCOTT EAGAN

Eagan, the founder of Greyhaus Literary, is a blog workhorse, churning out multiple columns each week on the exact types of subjects writers want to read about. His straightforward advice touches on query tips, defining your genre, and the pros and cons of social media, among many other subjects. Of all the agent blogs that have yet to break it big, this one is definitely the one to check out.

BOOKENDS LITERARY

Run by agents Jessica Faust and Kim Lionetti, the first thing you need to check out on this blog is the site’s most popular posts (listed conveniently down the right side) on proposals, contracts, pitching, editing, story conflict, and so much more. After that, delve into the years of columns and helpful advice. Since it popped up in 2006, the BookEnds blog has remained one of the best agent resources to read.

HARTLINE LITERARY

Not one but four agents blog on this agency site, and their posts—combined with a healthy amount of guest posts from their authors—make this a great roundup of advice for scribes. Although the agency leans toward Christian and inspirational work, every writer can enjoy blog columns on topics such as whether formatting can get a submission rejected, or how ebooks and ereaders are shaping the layout of publishing. With so many contributors, there’s a lot of great material here to peruse month after month.