Happy New Year, YALITCHAT folks! Check out this article on dealing with critiques. Every writer needs them, and there's grace in learning how to accept and make the best of them. 

 How to Deal with Writing Critiques

 Believe it or not, some teens get grief for reading books. Surprised? Check out one teen's situation here:

  What's Wrong With Reading

 No surprise there, right? Check out the full article below:

 New Study: 55% of YA Books Bought by Adults

 Kid lit is the fastest growing genre on the book market today. And adults reading YA helps boost the industry. Read more  in this article from LA Times:

 Children's Literature is a Fast Growing Genre

 Due to a recent settlement with Apple, consumers who bought an eBook between 2010-2012 may be receiving a refund. Find out more ...

 eBook Buyers Will Get $$ in Apple Price-Fixing Case

Are publishers still relevant in this age of eBooks? Read this article from DBW (Digital Book World) for more on the Brave New World for authors.

  What's the Point of Publishers in a Digital Age?

This is a great article on the benefits of movie watching and screenwriting to improve our novel writing:

 What Hollywood Will Tell You

 Presenting to a group and not sure what to charge? Learn how to determine your worth. Check out this article by superstar agent, Joanna Volpe:

How to Determine Your Author Fee

 This article by agent extraordinaire, Rachelle Gardner, is a must read for any writer. Check it out:

   What Makes a Blog or a Book Compelling

 Did you know about the grants you can receive from YALit? It's true. And I would know. Recently I applied and received grant money toward my writing education with a quick learning grant. Applying is easy. Check out the link below to learn more and see if you qualify. Membership to YALitChat has its perks.

  Membership Grants

 YALITCHAT's founder, Georgia McBride, has also started her own publishing house. Read all about Month9Books here:

    Month9Books Debuts with Anthology of Dark Fairy Tales

 Check out this graph with the sales stats in kid lit:

 New Stats Show Great Gain in Children's Fiction 2011

 No one says you can't write a race other than your own, right? Just make sure you're doing it for the right reasons by checking out this article:

  On Writing Diversity

 Check out this article to make sure you know the difference:

 Action vs. Active Openings to Grab Attention 

 Just wanted to share this important movement. Two teen girls started a petition for teen magazines to stop showing airbrushed perfect teen girls on their covers. The result is damaging to young minds. Sign their petition!

 Give Us Images of Real Girls

 Find out how eReader users' reading habits are being tracked and used for vital publishing data. Interesting stuff!

 Your E-Book Is Reading You

 Check out this interesting article on ARCs and who they should be offered to. Be sure to read the comments and weigh in on the controversy.:

  Conference Decorum: Where ARC Thou?

Every writer should learn to avoid these crutches:

 4 Writing Crutches that Insult the Reader's Intelligence 

 Excellent article here on ways to strengthen your story:

  7 Simple Ways to Make a Good Story Great

 See what indie books made a splash at BEA this year:

  Children's Books at BEA: Canvassing the Indie Landscape