If you only read “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman, for that one quote, it will have been worth it. The book is glorious.

“For example, on the page listing your followers, Twitter now shows a check mark of the people you follow back. There’s also a pull-down menu that includes options for direct messaging them, sending them an @ mention, or following them (if you’re not already doing so).”

Here’s the link to do it (she says in her clean up your room voice.)

Ok, I’m pasting this for now and a link to the story about Alice Hoffman and the Twitterboxing and then I’ll be back. Talk amongst yourselves. I will say in reference to the above image, you can take down a Twitter page (which has now been done with AliceHof) but the cached page is still available!

I also referenced Neil Gaiman whom I’m a giant fan of and wanted to put a link to his blog as well.

By the way, if you’ve never read, “Good Omens” by Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, you absolutely should.

Here’s one of my favorite excerpts from the book, “It wasn’t a dark and stormy night. It should have been, but there’s the weather for you. For every mad scientist who’s had a convenient thunderstorm just on the night his Great Work is complete and lying on the slab, there have been dozens who’ve sat around aimlessly under the peaceful stars while Igor clocks up the overtime.”

9. What’s a query? Can you define it?

8. I have no experience in that subject, but I know I could write an amazing book about it.

7. I don’t need no stinkin’ editorial suggestions.

6. When you say, “That’s not funny,” are you kidding?

5. Couldn’t you just take this book idea because you like me, you really like me?

4. It’s like we’re on a first date, and my Southern accent is overwhelming you.

3. But if you just spent a day with me - you’d know how funny I am.

2. If you don’t take this book I WILL FIND YOU.

1. It’s just like Eat, Pray, Love but less eating, much less praying and bereft of love.

Will post several tips, snippets and links during the week to catch you up on the conference and all the really great wisdom the agents were willing to impart!

The conference due to Cyndi Hughes and her staff just was phenomenal. Do not let people tell you that publishing is dead, agents don’t care about you and that you’ll never get your book published! These are definitely tough times, but stay true to your goals, work really hard, write tons and keep forging ahead!

“May the force with be with you.”

Social Media Must-Haves:

1. HARO.com - Peter Shankman’s site - free to subscribe to and well worth it!

2. PitchEngine.com - everything you need to know about the social media release. Fantastic resource.

3. Wefollow.com - Wonderful Twitter app for keeping track of all things “following”.

4. Twellow.com - register on it! Don’t ask questions, just register!

5. Pressreleasegrader.com - Free your PR releases of gobbledygook and empower them with keywords!

6. Friendfeed.com - get all your tools on speaking terms!

7. Mashable.com - amazing content all the time to keep you up on social media.