(Actually) Useful book links

Writers being the book-creating process and readers consume the end product, but there is a whole world of books which exists in the space between writers and readers. It's a world populated with publishers, editors, critics, marketing departments, disseminated information, online giants, distributors, bestseller lists, sales representatives and the almighty dollar. It's a complex world of centuries-old traditions and constantly renegotiated dynamics. The level of mediation between writer and reader is sometimes disillusioning and always fascinating.

Here's the sites I use to keep informed:
  • Fantastic Fiction - search an author, any author. When you visit your local bookstore and say "I read book X and I want to know which comes next in the series," this is the website the staff consult. At least, it is if you live in my area. Just keep in mind that this site is produced in the UK, so listed publication dates are different to ours and Australian authors' pages aren't always up-to-date.
  • The New York Times best seller list - the most famous best seller list in existence. Book buyers around the world base their purchases on this list.
  • Inkmesh - a wonderful search engine for finding ebooks. Type in the author or title, and Inkmesh will give you a list of sites which provide the ebook, with a handy price comparison to boot.
  • Salon's book section - Salon's book reviews are always thorough, and the staff keep their fingers on the pulse of publishing as well as discussing the individual works of authors. I also appreciate Salon's acceptance of fantasy and graphic novels as important forms of fiction- I've enjoyed reading many a book reviewed here which I would never have heard of otherwise.
  • Bookseller + Publisher - the weekly newsletter specifically intended for providing (as the title suggests) Australian booksellers and publishers with the latest on their own industry.
  • The Guardian's book section - one of the world's few major newspapers to offer an extensive coverage of book news in an RSS feed.