Devoted to publishing, publishers and to those who craft the written word

Can a crack team of online readers replace agents?

Slush Pile Reader thinks so. They just announced a service where fledgling writers can upload manuscripts so the site's community can pick their favorites. The best books score a contract where "Slush Pile Reader will edit, publish, distribute, and market the book."

The idea sounds a little nutty, but the right combination of small print run presses and dedicated reading communities could be crazy enough to work.

Over at After the MFA, Gordon ponders a gym membership. I used to feel just like him, but now the gym is an invaluable part of my writing routine. Dig it: "up to now, I believed I had to choose one way of life or the other: make time to write and create, or make time to be fit and healthy."

Papercuts ponders the great storytelling program, This American Life, coming up with some helpful advice for anybody looking to write in this evolving genre of American fables.