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Below you'll find (and hopefully be able to add to) a list of resources.
It's a technological world and more literary agents and agencies are available on the web. In addition to blogs that report on important industry information, the state of the publishing world as well as tips and tricks on success, being aware of what's out there can answer many questions you might have.
Nathan Bransford is a popular agent through Curtis Brown.
Janet Reid is an east coast agent whose blog focuses more on trouble shooting and what notto do.
Agent in the Middle is a New York agent with 20 years of experience who has some great words of advice and tools on how to query.
Jill Corcoran is an associate agent whose blog features industry bloggers, industry news, resources and articles.
Lit Soup is a hodge podge of information, both professional and personal, by Jenny Rae Rappaport.
Miss Snark's blog is designed for aspiring authors.
The enigma Moon Rat provides comical relief and insight on the day in the life of editors and the challenges they face. Great insight into that side of the industry.
Editorial Anonymous offers insight into what not to do, what todo, and the first things you can do to irritate an editor if you're in the children's books genre. A must read for how to query, how to behave, what it means to be a professional and tips and tricks on how to stay positive.
There are so many web sites about the industry. A simple Google search will generally lead you in the right direction. Here are some examples:
Not always up to date, but Preditors and Editors can point you in the direction of the literary agent you're searching for, or provide research for an agent you're considering. Also, they have literary lawyers here too.
Query Tracker, already a well-known resource, is free and available online. It helps you find agents, organize and track your queries, and view agent statistics. It's also helpful when you're doing multiple submissions! Paying the annual $25 for a premium membership is worth it!
Similar to Query Tracker, Litmatch is more than just a directory. It's a free source of literary resources such as agent information, tracking queries, submissions and insight into how to approach your agent of choice.
Looking for a workshop or conference but just don't have the inside track to find out what's happening around you in the industry? Shaw Guides provides an event calendar you can sort by location or date of events.
Agent query lists agents by various selection criteria (including if they accept email queries). Most are US. It also has some valuable advice on writing query letters and emails.
A tool you can to use to polish your manuscript is a macro that searches for passive words and adverbs that can weaken your writing. This link is for a macro in Microsoft Word.
Looking to get into some contests? Visit Creative Writing Contests for some suggestions.
Most industries have a lingo or set of buzz words. Writing is no different. Follow this link to learn the terms you need to know:
http://www.rightreading.com/publishing/publishing-glossary.htm