Around the Word

Borders Epilogue: If you are interested in getting past the teeth-gnashing about the Borders bankruptcy and understanding the broader implications, check out this excellent deconstruction in this month's Economist.  

Is there such a thing as being too social? We recently posted an item about how it's never too soon for authors to start promoting their books, even before a page is written. Over at Publishing Perspectives today, they offer a contrasting perspective about the dangers of being overly social online, questioning whether writers are too naked in front of their fans, losing their sense of mystery, and failing seduce audiences to read their work. 

Midwrite snack: Writer Dave Hakkens has done a tremendous favor for pen-chewing scribblers everywhere by creating an edible version made of candy (think sweet tarts or candy bracelets). Flavors range from peppermint to kiwi. Hakkens tells the full (if not filling) story on his site. 

Equal tip time for fiction writers: Most of the tips on getting published we posted yesterday from super agent Larry Kirshbaum applied to non-fiction writers. But we did not want our fiction-focused friends to feel left out, so we wanted to share a few inside words of wisdom from literary agent Rachelle Gardner's latest blog post about what fiction editors look for in a manuscript.