A writer must always be open to learning new things, be informed about the latest in the industry and improving his or her skill set with respect to the art of writing. In the past, they had to rely on books and other mediums to do that. But the Internet, the savior of all, has made it easy to access all the information. Having access to a proper internet connection is all that it takes to keep you up in this pursuit of excellence. Writers work on ideas, some are abstract and some are factual. Authentic and genuine content can bring more value and substance to your work. This comes in when you actually start researching on topics. For this, you have to look around in such networks. Exploring relevant spaces is what you need to do. Another aspect is marketing your work. There are different methods to do it which most of the authors are unaware of. Active blogging is one of the key aspects which an author should focus on. There are a lot of websites that  give you advice on how to go about it, how to increase your reach and viewership, the importance of quality content, etc. We have put together a list of 9 Websites every writer should know that makes the process of writing a book simpler and enriching . Not just websites, there are a few important software that makes writing much simpler. Read our ‘Top Book writing software for authors‘ here. You could also join a book club in India to draw inspiration.
Here is a list of 9 websites which is inclusive of forums and blogs worth following for an author.
This is a website which is frequently updated on news, opportunities (including competitions) and contains a large number of articles and posts on writing and tips related to it. There is a search button which enables you to search the site based on the required keyword.  Another feature is the setup which helps signed up writers receive notifications of new posts via e-mail just like your Quora or Twitter notifications sent to your e-mail ID. The biggest advantage is the frequency of the updates of the sites as well as the articles which keep you posted about related events, awards, contests, etc. In short, you know about what is happening in the world around you. The site is divided into different sections titled books, images, resources ,news , writing tips and videos. Each section brings its own value to the table. The tips section includes articles which give you basic information related to writing to be taken care of when you are writing fiction . The books section gives you insights into the books written around the world and has infographics in the images section. This is a website which has the potential to become a favorite of yours in no time.
This is a website dedicated to help authors promote their books. Their blogs help you with the ‘how-to’ s related to your book marketing, publishing, social media strategies and they also have an ‘uncategorized’ section for the miscellaneous information related to writing. With this blog, you will have access to a regularly updated website with posts and data from the year 2009 till date. This is owned by a full-time service marketing and publicity firm. They also help you with the promotion of your book, ranging from social media help to reviews. Once you let them know the packages and your requirements, they will respond with the pricing for the campaign as per your requirement. Later on, you can take a call as to whether you need to seek help from their strategies.
The website gives you knowledge on various aspects of writing. For example, if one article is the inspirational story of an author from the author himself, another would be about whether you need a distributor for your book. The articles cover varied topics ranging from tips, information, reviews, social media, promotion ,design, to blogging, co-authoring, etc. The owner of the site has authored 35 books and is a professional speaker, podcast host, and an author coach. Once in a while, it is always fine to check this site for the blog posts or pin it to the bookmarks and tab.
This website will help you know how good your first impressions are. This is a writer’s forum where you can post the first 10 pages of your book to be anonymously reviewed by industry’s established insiders. This will give you an idea how well your book strikes a chord with the audience from the very beginning. They have an active twitter handle as well. They have a good amount of people subscribing to their blogs via e-mail notifications. They also have blog repositories since 2008 to till date at your disposal. They have links to the other associated sites which posts on writing and related topics. This is like a page which gives you what you want and then re-directs you to other useful websites as well.
As the name signifies, the website gives you writing tips on a daily basis! They have writing tips under various categories like freelance writing, idioms, grammar, mistakes, expressions, fiction writing, style of writing, etc. The entire team behind this blog includes writers who are fiction writers and freelance writers. To make the process of finding the right article easier, they have a search tab which checks for keywords that you enter and displays related articles. Adding on to this, you can send in your topic suggestions to them via e-mail. For example, if you would want to see a writing tip related to non-fiction writing , you can mail them on the given e-mail Id requesting for the same which they shall consider working on.
This website will help you loads, especially, if you are into blogging. They have a repository of free e-books, blogs and forums. This acts as a key resource provider for personal blogging. You can strengthen your skills and aptitude in content marketing, SEO and community building. They let you create an account and then have access to it by logging in as and when required. You will get to know more about the importance of contents and blogs and other online elements which a writer should know to boost his or her viewers and attract quality audience and leads.
If you are a person who doesn’t want to clutter your feed with too many writing blogs, just follow this one. Nimble’s Notebook is your all-in-one resource for writing advice, writing resources, a provider of links to research materials, etc. This is a hosted by Tumblr. The blogger finds time to answer questions and doesn’t shy away from directing you to existing links if you have asked a question which was asked previously. This can be termed as the Quora for writers, wherein they can pose questions and seek answers. This was previously called writers café.
This website was founded by Therese Walsh and Kathleen Bolton so that they could freely publish their observations as they were frustrated in their early days to have their books and movies rejected. This is a strong community where writers of all levels and genres can contribute their thoughts on the art of writing. They have a huge number of people posting on their website every month. You can browse through the website to locate the article which you require from their catalog. There are around 40 categories to choose from and also from articles as old as January 2000. On an average, they have 30 posts up on the website. They also organize conferences for the authors. The information will be notified on the website.
Every writer should have an account on this website. It just requires your name and e-mail ID. This is the best website to find reviews of books, what is new , which are the books trending in the field to be read, and more. This is perhaps the most happening place online from the perspective of a book lover, which in itself is enough to invite the attention of writers. You can search books based on the categories. This is also a place to promote your books since it has reached to about 50 million book lovers from across the world! A goldmine for publishers and writers indeed! You can mark the books which you wish to read and rate the ones which you have already read.
The above list is just a set of website addresses to start your pursuit of excellence in writing. Consider it as a launchpad rather than the be-all and end-all of anything. Be like the explorer who travels to find new countries, land and territories. There are a lot of sites out there to help you find the proper one of your choice. Subscribing to a large number of sites and filling your news feed with relevant information is the best gift to give yourself. The more you explore the sites, the more options will come up. Now that you know about these websites, take a look at our ‘Top writing tools for authors‘ infographic.