February 27, 2017
I was a reader long before I was a writer. As a child I fell in love with books like The Balloon Tree, A Wrinkle in Time and Ramona Quimby, Age 8. That love of books has never left me. When I was a teenager I remember being shocked by the fact that most of…
February 23, 2017
UPDATED April 16 2021: Writer’s Beware has additional details in depth and substantiated about the issue. There is a later update on the post that makes it clear some authors received payment but it’s not clear if the issue was fully resolved. UPDATED April 11 2021: International Thriller Writers has suspended Diversion from its list…
Updated June 23rd 2024 – We were just alerted to serious issues with Bottlecap Press, which we reviewed initially in 2017. During the first few years we got positive feedback about them, then radio silence, and just now we were alerted to issues with the press that seem to be ongoing for some time. You…
February 16, 2017
January 2019: Loveswept announced over Twitter, that they are going to close. Website not updated yet. No updates on Flirt, but they are not included in the 2019 Manuscript Publishers Guide. Loveswept and Flirt are Random House’s digital only imprints focused on romance and women’s fiction. They are accepting queries for submissions in contemporary romance,…
Grey Borders Magazine publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and artwork that challenges social norms. Founded in 2002, this Canadian magazine has been published in print and online for over a decade. They seek work that invites discussion about untold stories, stories about mental illness, race, sexuality, radicalism, and social justice. They like work that considers these…
Submissions, or certain categories of submissions, for these literary magazines close within a month. They accept a wide variety of writing; fiction, non-fiction and poetry of various kinds. Some have themed calls, including fantasy stories on fascism and writing on Islamophobia. A few pay writers. Here they are, arranged by deadline The Matador Review This…
February 15, 2017
By Wesley Thomas Whether you are a new writer or a seasoned author, it is crucial to prepare for your novel. But how exactly does an author prepare? Does the mere concept overwhelm you? Do not fear, once upon a time I felt the same way until I developed a list. With time the preparations will change…
February 13, 2017
A common complaint: It takes too long to publish a novel via traditional publishing. First you have to find an agent, then that agent has to find you a publisher, and none of the publishers or agents take simultaneous submissions, so all this takes years. In fact that is not true. You can use an…
February 9, 2017
UPDATED: They appear to be no longer open to unagented submissions. St Martin’s Press is an imprint of Macmillan, one of the big 5 publishers. SMP Swerve is the digital first romance publishing imprint of St Martin’s. ‘Digital first’ is a term applied to publishers and imprints that initially publish eBooks and then depending on…
These are anthology calls for a variety of genres and themes: from real stories about radios, to cowboy-themed fiction, to science fiction and horror. Most of these pay writers, and have deadlines coming up in February. 1. Bundoran Press’s 49th Parallels: Alternative Canadian Histories and Future In honor of Canada’s 150th birthday, they seek SF…
Every Pigeon is a brand new online magazine of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art, and photography celebrating the beauty in the banal. Every mundane pigeon is welcome there, that is, everything ordinary is invited to showcase its extraordinary subtleties. At Every Pigeon, minutia is a meditation. To get a sense of what they like, you can…
February 6, 2017
When I talk to agents, writers, and editors I always hear them complain of the same mistakes over and over again. The other day I was reading a back issue of Poets & Writers, and based on the question “What kind of submissions do you not take seriously?” (I am paraphrasing here) I was able…
February 2, 2017
Updated January 2019 – They have not been open to direct submissions for over a year and their web page is down. I do not think they are going to re-open to direct submissions at this point. Alibi is Random House’s digital first imprint that focuses on publishing mysteries and thrillers. This is a great…
Theme of Absence publishes speculative flash fiction and the occasional longer piece. All styles are welcome, including humor, as long as the story includes elements of horror, science fiction, or fantasy. Spine tingling ghost stories are just as welcome as robots and spaceships. Theme of Absence is an online literary journal that is approachable. They…
The Next Great Horror Writer Contest is a fee free competition running this spring. It is being hosted by the HorrorAddicts.net podcast. Think of The Next Great Horror Writer Contest as Project Runway for horror writers. Except it is a podcast, so there is no need for anyone to be on camera. Writers are put…