June 27, 2019
Updated October 2023: A reader brought it to my attention, that they have no mentions of fees on their website anymore, and I haven’t heard any reader updates, but it is run by the same editor as before Michael James, and they have an unusual requirement about copyrighting before submissions, and they stress bulk sales…
A brand-new online quarterly dedicated to creating a network of reciprocity between writers and readers, Backchannels is seeking submissions for their Fall issue. A backchannel is a hidden information pathway; in linguistics, it’s also gesture intended to encourage another to continue speaking. Backchannels literary magazine aims to serve both purposes. They hope to create a…
Vanity presses have been around for a long time. They charge writers significant amounts of money to get a book published, offering services such as editing, design, and marketing, often for many thousands of dollars. I have many problems with vanity presses in general. More recently, there has been a recent trend of vanity presses…
June 24, 2019
In 2018 and 2019, after a sustained period of growth, the romance publishing market started to see a number of changes, mostly in terms of romance publishers going out of business. A year ago this list had 40 publishers on it. It now has 33. Part of this is because of diminished eBook sales and…
June 20, 2019
Updated July 6th, 2023: They recently updated their submission guidelines and are now open to Thrillers of all types, though with an emphasis on Action, Political, and Military Thrillers. Aethon Books is a print and eBook publisher that focuses on Science Fiction and Fantasy. They are open to all sub-genres within these genres including Hard…
The Collagist is a literary journal published by Dzanc Books. It was very recently re-named The Rupture. They also got a comprehensive re-design. They are an electronic publication. They publish short fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. They are open to submissions until July 31st. They reopen to submissions in October. They publish one issue every two…
Katie Lawrence In Bring Your Fiction To Life, Karen S. Wiesner writes about a way to craft your story in a logical and comprehensive way. Writing, from her perspective, is divided into the categories of setting, plot, and, arguably the most important, character. Creating characters something every fiction writer that ever was and ever will…
I am writing this using a pen name. I write poetry, prose, and nonfiction, and only my prose is published under my legal name. That said, there are plus and minuses to pen names. I don’t think they are for everyone, and after using the same one for almost a decade I wouldn’t chose another…
June 17, 2019
“The crime novel is the great moral literature of our time.” JEAN-PATRICK MANCHETTE “Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.” MICKEY SPILLANE Mystery is…
June 13, 2019
Allworth Press is a non-fiction imprint of Skyhorse Publishing. They have major distribution, and while Skyhorse’s past reputation has been a little mixed, they seem to be doing well for a while now. They have good distribution, decent cover design, and marketing. Allworth publishes books in the following categories: Graphic Design …
An established online journal, “obsessed with ineffable connectivity,” Sweet Tree Review is seeking submissions for their Summer 2019 issue. What’s a sweet tree? Whatever you need, and whatever you least expect. You can get an idea by reading Sweet Tree Review online. Since 2016, Sweet Tree Review has been published quarterly online. Now through June…
When you read submission guidelines, which vary from literary journal to literary journal, almost all of them will require that you include a brief biographical statement (or bio). Usually they require that the bio is in the third person and to be 50 words or less. These bios are tricky to write. It is hard…
June 10, 2019
The literary journals and magazines on this list reject the vast majority of what is submitted to them. Sometimes authors’ works are rejected for years, decades even, before they receive an acceptance. But these literary journals are respected and trusted. Most have a large readership and good distribution in libraries and bookstores. Many of these…
June 6, 2019
Updated January 14th 2021, Contracts continue to ask for rights in perpetuity. This is in no way standard or acceptable practice. Updated November 3rd 2020 – The last contract I saw asked that the author surrender copyright. This means you could lose all rights to your book. This is in no way standard or acceptable…
A compact journal of twelve poems exploding from a single theme, Kissing Dynamite blows the idea of the single-story narrative apart. They publish a new online edition each month, and they select one poet from the issue to feature with front-page publicity and in-depth commentary. They publish both emerging and establishing authors, and they aim…