My Follow Friday

Following in the giant footsteps of Twitter, each week (more or less) I have my own Follow Friday, blog style. I nominate a writing blog I've just started following or have followed for some time. I give a short description of the site and explain why I follow it and how it could be helpful to you. Simples! Below, you will find the original FF post in its entirety. At the bottom of the page, I've added links and short descriptions to each of the subsequent post. Enjoy!

                                                  

Follow Friday - The Man Who Painted Agnieska's Shoes

Twitter has its own follow Friday (ff). You nominate someone you think others should follow and give a reason why. Lately, people have been merely recommending friends or sucking up to the ‘celebrity twits’ (sorry if that sounds a bit rude), so I decided to start my own ff here. Perhaps I just wanted an excuse to copy ff, or maybe the reason I gave is genuine. Either way, welcome to A Blogger’s Books ff. I hope you like it here.


I follow The Man Who Painted Agnieska's Shoes not only because the writer, Dan is a fantastic author. He’s done an amazing amount of work in indie publishing and is extremely active in helping other writers to acquire the skill to face the publishing industry on their own.


Dan is a co-founder of the writer’s co-operative Year Zero and has organised a Free-e-day Festival to be held on the first of December, 2009. Artists of various genres are going to give away their work for free.


Dan’s blog offers help and advice for struggling authors, book reviews and guest blogs from established and new writers. Follow Dan’s blog if you’re a writer. Happy Follow Friday!

And now, here are my other Follow Fridays: Just click on the underlined headings to go to the original posts to continue reading the ones you want.

Social Blogging Tracker 

I follow Social Blogging Tracker because this blog has been very helpful to me personally. For any new blogger/writer seeking to make it in the social networking arena, this site is one worthy of your subscription. Tips and advice on promoting yourself and your site, and 'how-to' tutorials on using social media sites are aplenty.

A Reader's Respite

A Reader's Respite is different from most of the blogs I follow. For me, as a writer, it’s really a blog of rest because it caters for readers. There, a writer can breathe easy. After all, the more we read the better we write, right?

Author Jody Hedlund

As the name suggests, this is an author’s blog. Unlike many blogs managed by authors, (the temptation is to rattle on about your own work) it gives general information about the entire writing process. It also provides vital tips and advice to anyone involved in the industry. The blog engagingly tells of the remarkable journey through acquisition onto the rewriting stages of a manuscript.


Nathan Bransford

I follow this blog and included it on my 'Best Blogs About Writing And Publishing' section because it showcases vital reading material for writers, agents and publishers alike. If you’re a writer starting out in the business, this is a page you must bookmark.


Write And Earn A Living

I follow Write and Earn A Living because I know that the blogger gives workable advice that she has already tested and proved. This writer earns money from publishing material on several online sites, and has done so for years. She shares the information she’s learned the hard way, by creating tutorials specifically aimed at people seeking to make money writing online.

James Moran

I follow The Pen Is Mightier Than The Spork mainly for personal reasons. As some of my readers know, I work in TV and have done quite a lot of work on Dr Who and Torchwood. This blog’s owner, James Moran, has written some of the very work I’ve done. Isn’t that amazing? Well, now you know why I have to follow this blog.

How Publishing Really Works

I Follow 'How Publishing Really Works' because of the wealth of writing tips and publishing advice the blog stockpiles. Not only are there definitive articles like ‘How to find a good literary agent’ or ‘How to test a copy editor.’ There are also vital grammar lessons for those in the writing world and beyond.


This site may not be a very ‘personal’ blog or what is construed as a ‘friendly space,’ but it’s the result of a lot of hard work by talented and professional people (there are posts by a few guest writers as well).


Lulu Blog


Lulu is an online printing/publishing company that publishes novels, calendars, cook-books, picture albums and a number of other print paraphernalia. If you wanted one copy of a personal calendar professionally printed as a gift for someone else, or you required 200 copies of your carefully edited novel, Lulu will print and supply these for you. The print on demand service means that anything from hard copy novels to picture books can be printed at a relatively affordable price.


A Book Inside, How to Write and Publish A Book



I follow ‘A Book Inside - How To Write And Publish A Book' because it’s crammed full of tips and expert advice for writers. There are tutorials on writing fiction and non-fiction; finding a publisher; or marketing your book in a way that’s right for you. 


Viperchill


I follow ViperChill for the thrill it injects into my blogging experience. There’s a two-fold aspect to this site: it uniquely targets the marketing and promoting needs of both bloggers and writers. I’ve come across a sea of Internet marketing blogs so filled with jargon, only a small amount of niche followers could decode the seemingly secret messages. 


Authors Promoting Authors



As writers we're aware of how difficult it is to get your foot on the first rung of the literary ladder. This impossible 'feat' never happens for most potential writers. For the few who've made that first step, it wasn't without the help of colleagues and well-wishers who helped to promote them and their craft. 
I follow Authors Promoting Authors because this is a blog set up to specifically support and promote other writers. 


The Write Worship



I came across The Write Worship some time ago by accident. The striking thing that first impressed me about this blog was the charming and peaceful way in which the writer conveys her thoughts. I follow theblog, not only because it beautifully outlines the path to being published, but because of the way the author demonstrates her talent in weaving the most beautiful phrases and sentences.


Dragos Roua - Brilliantly Better



This is the first time I'm featuring a non-writing blog on my follow Friday. However, it has more than earned its place here because it showcases some seriously useful blogging tutorials even though the focus is on self-improvement and personal development. 
I've listed Dragos Roua - Brilliantly Better on my relationship blog list because the posts are similar to my particular niche there. 
Dragos Roua is not just for writers, even though we can benefit tremendously from his informative articles (have a look at his 'top posts' list, accessible from the header panel on the home page). 


Year Zero Writers



I follow Year Zero Writers because there is simply no other site on the Internet where one could read such fascinating, rich, professional, free and well-written pieces. Year Zero showcases work from some of the most talented, contemporary writers around (and I'm not just saying this because I'm part of Year Zero). 


What are some of your Follow Fridays? Which blogs do you follow and why? Please share some of them with us so we too can benefit.