And there are a bunch of amatuers on here as well
. Keeping the meat cold also helps keep the fat from smearing which improves the texture on some types of sausage (unless you're doing emulsified sausage then not as much). I'd like to hear more about the knot though, I usually just do a half knot on the ends and do the twist left then twist right in the middle to form the links, but am sure there are bits I'm missing (actually the hard part send to be to get the packing right so it's not too tight and not to slack).
The easiest beginner book I have is the Ruhlman book
http://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Craft-Salting-Smoking-Curing/dp/0393058298 I have some more complete and complex books but that one was a great start and put it all in terms I could understand and follow.