May 29, 2014

The “Best Memoir Title” Contest

Congratulations to the winners of this week’s writing contest! They are listed below. But first, a bit about our contest series. Every week we are going to have a contest on our Facebook Page. The contests will change from week to week, but the winners will always be published in the magazine. The contest winner…

Shotgun Honey

Shotgun Honey is an online literary journal that has very specific content. They publish only fiction that is under 700 words in length and is in the genre of crime fiction. Within that genre, they like hard-boiled and noir fiction the best. Think of authors like Hammet and Chandler. Although they will accept general crime…

Red Flags: A Guide to Avoiding the Wrong Publishers

Updated February 20th, 2016 This article is all about how to avoid signing a book contract with the wrong publisher. It is hard to find good publishers, and it involves a lot of research just to find a legitimate publisher that accepts work if you do not have an agent. However, there are great options…

Beachwalk Press: Closed

UPDATED MARCH 30th, 2021: No web presence online. Consider defunct. Beachwalk Press is an independent publisher that was started in 2011 by Pamela Tyner. They largely publish romantic eBooks, but some of their books have been released in print as well. Most of the books they publish are on the sensual side. They are open…

Writing Prompt: Mad Scientist

Mad Scientists are an established stereotype now and they appear in movies, in TV shows, and books. It is usually hard to take them seriously. Still, they manage to be an enticing theme and many people play with the audience’s expectations. In the TV show Fringe, one of the main characters, Walter, was a mad scientist….

May 22, 2014

Writing Prompt: Road Trip

I have not been on very many road trips. However I am a big fan of road trip movies. Although I must admit my favorites are all deeply unconventional. They include Wristcutters: A Love Story, Dead Man, and Paris Texas. To give you a better feel for what I mean, Dead Man is the tale…

alice blue: Now Accepting Submissions

Based in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, alice blue is an online review of poetry and prose with a hip, homegrown feel. The magazine was started in 2005 by a small group of  marble designers who took interest in literature after discovering a set of encyclopedias. In keeping with its mysterious origins, alice blue…

The One Sentence Pitch Contest

Congratulations to the winners of this week’s writing contest! They are listed below. But first, a bit about our contest series. Every week we are going to have a contest on our Facebook Page. The contests will change from week to week but the winners will always be published in the magazine. The contest winner…

Gemma Media: Open to Query Letters

Updated March 13th, 2020 GemmaMedia is an independent publisher that has managed to get a fair amount of distribution. GemmaMedia focuses on niche markets. They publish “cultural memoir for young people and adults, literary fiction from beloved Irish authors, and current affairs publishing with diversity at the heart of the story”. They are not interested…

May 21, 2014

10 Common Misconceptions About The Publishing World

The face of publishing has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. As budding writers, most of us stored away bits of information about the publishing world as we dreamed of our next story. Now, many of our early conceptions are being challenged and changed. Don’t get caught living in the past – get up…