tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10503997433311400622009-11-24T05:25:10.178-08:00The Official Blog of the Largest, Most Complete Database of Literary Agents on the Web.Krisnoreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-47639080284121507492009-11-09T06:49:00.000-08:002009-11-09T06:57:56.939-08:00

Hi everyone,Due to a few issues that have cropped up during the transfer process (the server configuration issue I mentioned in a previous post and some quirks of the import process), I've had to push the AuthorAdvance launch back until Wednesday.It wasn't an easy decision, but the extra time is necessary, and will result in a better site in the long run. I appreciate everyone's patience, and

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-66663162596304451932009-11-04T18:55:00.000-08:002009-11-04T19:20:44.978-08:00

I had a rare free moment as a batch of submissions are being uploaded to the new site, so I decided to use it to update everyone on the status of the data migration.In short, the process is going well. Users and Titles have been converted and imported successfully. Submissions are underway, and should be completed late tomorrow. We've also made some changes to the fonts and artwork, and will

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-16053969574671726722009-11-02T10:09:00.000-08:002009-11-02T10:21:55.490-08:00

The migration of LitMatch to the new AuthorAdvance website has begun! In order to perform the migration, LitMatch will be offline for a period of about one week. Once the data is converted and moved over, the new site will be brought online.This is a busy and exciting time for me, but I realize that it can be a frustrating time as well for longtime users who have come to depend on LitMatch for

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-60063745766206242112009-10-28T09:21:00.000-07:002009-10-28T09:23:45.846-07:00

We are pleased to announce the launch date for AuthorAdvance, the next generation social network and submission tracking system for writers of all interests and experience levels.AuthorAdvance will launch on Monday, November 9th.In preparation for the launch, LitMatch will be closed in order to perform user and data migration starting on Monday, November 2nd. The migration process is expected to

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-56096673101423790892009-10-26T18:24:00.000-07:002009-10-26T20:12:14.580-07:00

In my last preview, I wrote about how you can use AuthorAdvance to accentuate the good. But what happens when you need to bring attention to the bad? The open nature of AuthorAdvance's listings might make it a tempting target to those who wish to unfair advantage of budding talent, but we've put safeguards in place to make it easy for the talent to fight back.Scenario #2: The ScammerA seemingly

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-56165352591008172832009-10-12T08:59:00.000-07:002009-10-12T09:01:44.380-07:00

So far, each of the previews I've posted here on the blog have focused on a single piece of functionality that the new AuthorAdvance site has to offer. With all the new features, it's easy to feel a little lost, and easier still to ask, "How does all this really help me?" The real power of AuthorAdvance lies, not just in the features themselves, but in the way that they all work together.In

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-21360127825328885132009-10-05T12:29:00.000-07:002009-10-05T13:25:44.724-07:00

It's been a while since my last preview. Work on AuthorAdvance has been keeping me busy, but I'm taking advantage of a momentary lull to write a little about one of the most powerful features of the new website: Groups.Groups are simply collections of user who have united around a specific topic or interest. But beneath this simple concept lies a robust way of interacting with other users and

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-82289227519074983792009-09-22T15:20:00.000-07:002009-09-22T15:28:57.706-07:00

The following is reprinted from our email newsletter, which went out earlier this morning...Two years ago, a little website called LitMatch was launched with the goal of helping writers find literary agents, and ultimately, get published. Later this year, LitMatch will relaunch with a new mission that encompasses a wider spectrum of writers and their work. With this new mission comes a new look

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-59986997441813640572009-09-09T18:45:00.000-07:002009-09-09T20:22:05.372-07:00

Now that you have an idea of what your fellow users all about, you might want to get in touch with those users. We've built a few options into the new site that make that possible, and allow each user to have as much or as little contact as he or she chooses...Private Messages: These messages are simply short notes that users can send to each other. The site keeps track of message history

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-82973693653552101902009-09-04T08:58:00.000-07:002009-09-04T10:48:51.395-07:00

In my first preview, I wrote about some of the motivations behind the LitMatch redesign. Of those motivations, one of the biggest was wanting to find a way to allow our users to find and connect with each other. It was that desire that led us to decide early on that the new site would go beyond presenting listings and tracking submissions, and become a full-flegded social network.The next series

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-88770428520679950912009-09-02T08:41:00.000-07:002009-09-02T09:47:16.568-07:00

LitMatch has always been a free service. As these previews move forward, and we get closer to launching the new site, I think it's important to note that our commitment to offering a free service will continue.That means that the new website will be free. Registration is free. The listings are free. Submission tracking is free. The social networking features are free. Simple , right?But

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-17309858472131131032009-08-26T08:11:00.000-07:002009-08-26T10:18:49.008-07:00

In last week's preview, I wrote about a major change in the way LitMatch's successor will handle updates to its listings. The new website will open those listings so that nearly anyone will have an opportunity to add or update information. While this approach offers a great deal in terms of interactivity and efficiency, it brought with it some significant challenges that we had to address in

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-6890181264807677992009-08-20T07:36:00.000-07:002009-08-20T08:58:46.885-07:00

In the last preview, I wrote about the new listings that will be part of the redesigned website. The new listings will expand the site's size from its currently respectable 2500-or-so listings to an estimate of over 15,000! That's a lot of data to maintain, and keeping the site up-to-date would be a challenge, even for a full-time staff. So, early in the process, we had to figure out a

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-89923948017206232152009-08-13T12:00:00.000-07:002009-08-13T12:45:51.396-07:00

In my first preview, I mentioned that the scope of LitMatch is expanding to better represent the breadth and depth of the entire publishing industry. Keen-eyed readers of preview #2 may have noticed an inadvertent hint at that expanded scope in the teaser image of our new submission form. So, when I talk about expanded scope, what do I mean, exactly?The full answer is too much to cover in a

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-25855563816498027002009-08-10T13:10:00.000-07:002009-08-11T17:33:19.141-07:00

Once the path to a new site was decided, the next task was arguably the most important one: in building a new site from the ground up, using new technology, we needed to make sure that nothing from the current site was lost. The site would have a lot of new features, but we had to take care that none of the existing features disappeared.So we started development with the web version of the

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-24420364532739043732009-08-06T13:50:00.000-07:002009-08-06T15:36:16.829-07:00

Next month marks the two-year anniversary of LitMatch.net. In that time, it has grown beyond all expectations, both in terms of the information it presents and the number of people who use it. By all indications, the site has been a great success, and I'm incredibly proud of what it has achieved.So, why make a change? And why now? Well, answering that question requires a little history...

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-64560658516277468662009-08-03T12:27:00.000-07:002009-08-03T12:31:53.894-07:00

As of this writing, we are in the final stages of a complete redesign, rebuild, and expansion of the LitMatch site. More than just a patch or a version 2.0, this project represents a complete, ground-up redesign of the entire site, using cutting-edge web technologies that greatly expand the features that we have to offer.The end result will be a site that is larger and more interactive, with

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-78950122180818523872009-07-28T19:28:00.000-07:002009-07-28T20:35:23.512-07:00

If you've been following this blog...well, let's face it: if you've been following this blog, you're one heck of an optimist because there hasn't been a lot to follow. But if there's one thing I've learned as a father of two boys is that when things get too quiet, it's time to pay attention.And guess what? They get that from me.So, what have I been up to these past months? Quite a bit,

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-87175917338165540032009-04-15T07:51:00.000-07:002009-04-15T07:55:05.395-07:00

In the March Newsletter, we asked for your feedback about the recent QueryFail event that took place on Twitter. We've posted some of our favorites below.Thanks to everyone who submitted comments. If you don't see yours listed, or you didn't receive our email, please feel free to add your own feedback below.In case you missed the first QueryFail day, another is planned for April 17th. You can

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-55506848157502242412009-03-17T12:20:00.000-07:002009-03-17T12:29:20.867-07:00

In last month’s newsletter, I asked you, our users, to give us your take on the future of the publishing industry. You certainly didn’t disappoint! We received dozens of thoughtful, well-reasoned replies, and if your opinions are any indication, one thing is certain: the publishing industry will live on, regardless of what form it may take.Thank you to everyone who replied. I’ve included a few

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-36576417944028819992009-02-24T21:31:00.000-08:002009-02-24T21:39:41.170-08:00

If you’ve been using LitMatch for a while, then you already know exactly what it is that we’re all about. But, if you’re new to the site, or perhaps new to how the traditional publishing system works in general, a quick overview may be in order:What We’re Not: A Literary Agency. We don’t represent authors directly, nor can we accept submissions on their behalf. Despite that, we get a fair

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-55025784522646078092009-02-18T10:58:00.000-08:002009-02-18T11:24:36.758-08:00

We always look forward to getting your feedback here at LitMatch, and we get a lot of it. But from time to time, we like to ask you specific questions about your experiences in the publishing world, and your thoughts about our site and our services. That's why we put together surveys: to learn more about you, and how we can best tailor our site to fit your needs. Where last summer's survey

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-82353934905268945732009-02-09T10:54:00.000-08:002009-02-09T11:10:33.242-08:00

Back in September, we announced the LitMatch Anniversary Giveaway as a way to say thank you to everyone who helped make our first year such a great success. The winners were drawn at the end of last month, and if you're a newsletter subscriber, you already know who they are. But just in case you missed it (and because good news bears repeating), here is the list of the lucky winners:Free

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-24284065703448331462009-01-28T12:49:00.000-08:002009-01-28T13:19:50.856-08:00

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a LitMatch member who was having trouble getting started in her search for publication. Like a lot of writers, she found the whole process daunting and a little scary. This, paraphrased slightly, is my response to her. It seemed to help at the time, and I'm posting it here in hopes that it might help someone else who's in the same position...First of

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1050399743331140062.post-11753368424534396352009-01-22T13:31:00.000-08:002009-01-22T13:32:50.318-08:00

The economy is awful right now. Unless you’ve been living under that proverbial rock these past months, that much is obvious. If you’ve been following the publishing world lately, the dire state of things is even more apparent. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt put a stop to buying new manuscripts, Borders is cutting jobs, and publishers are having to make more hard choices just to stay afloat.

Christopher Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08019150453606634046noreply@blogger.com0