March 29, 2021

How Strong Is Your Narrative Arc?

Holly Garcia When I first started writing fiction, I thought it was as simple as having a good idea. Sure, there would be characters involved in a particular setting. The plot I had in mind would send my readers on a journey, but once I got deeper into crafting my work, I realized how important…

34 Manuscript Publishers with Geographic Restrictions

All of the presses on this list meet all but one of our guiding principles. All of these presses only accept work from writers with a specific geographic region or nationality. Because of that, we have never reviewed these presses, but they are still good presses. This is our update of the initial list, which…

March 25, 2021

Lemonspouting: Currently Accepting Submissions

This new electronic literary journal is based in Canada. They publish fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and art/photography. They close to submissions on April 24th. They have an excellent and easy-to-interact-with layout that, at the moment, is a little confusing. They have a photo of a person and the caption “featured poet”, numerous times on the…

Interviewing for Fiction and Nonfiction Writers

by Ellen Levitt    For some authors, writing is a solitary craft; just the creator and the computer (or notebook with pen); occasionally they correspond via email or traditional mail with other people. But for others, there is necessary, frequent and important interaction with other people. Nonfiction writers in particular often must interview people for their…

March 22, 2021

How to Read Like a Published Author

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…

March 19, 2021

A Warning Against Contributory Contracts

By Rumbidzai Whena The publisher listed here is renamed, but it is one of the many publishers on Writer Beware Thumbs Down list. Contributory. An adjective, stemming from the word contribute, meaning to give something which will become part of a greater whole. Morally, contributions show a unity of purpose, a togetherness of sorts. It…

March 18, 2021

Princeton University Press: Now Open to Book Proposals

Princeton University Press is an established academic press with excellent distribution. Not only are they currently open to proposals but they just started a Supporting Diverse Voices Development Grant hoping to support historically excluded scholars from around the world with the grant. This is how the grant will work: “In close partnership with four book…

So To Speak: Now Seeking Submissions

So To Speak is an established and respected journal, publishing from a feminist perspective. The journal was founded in 1993 by a group of women at George Mason University. As the journal has grown and changed, the feminist philosophy underpinning the publication has evolved to include advocacy for all marginalized voices. So To Speak publishes…

The Plagiarism Plague

By Brian Douglas I was thrilled when I got the call. A local writer’s group, after receiving a draft of a short story I’d written, extended an invitation for me to join their circle. I showed up at the appropriate time and place and was warmly welcomed. As time went on, I came to value…

March 17, 2021

5 Magazines that Publish Strange Poetry

Kallie Falandays Writing poetry is just part of the process. After you write and edit, you have to think about—ya know—the publication process. Normally, you might group a series of poems and send them out to tried-and-true magazines. But not all of your poems fit neatly with what editors say they want. That cross-genre poem…

March 15, 2021

28 Literary Fiction Markets Seeking Submissions

These magazines publish literary fiction, or stories with a literary slant, and many publish stories in other genres, as well. Most of them publish other genres/forms too, like nonfiction and poetry. Several of them pay writers. A few of the calls are themed. They are now open for submissions, and are listed in no particular…

March 11, 2021

Guernica Editions: Now Open to Manuscript Submissions

Updated March 12th 2021: In spite of not stating this on their website, Guernica makes it clear that they need additional funds to publish books by international authors, either through pre-agreed book purchases, and/or “external funding”. They say this is to make up for the money they would lose by not receiving funding by the…

Mojo: Now Seeking Submissions

Mojo is an online journal of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction published by Wichita State University. They’re looking for boundary-breaking work from both emerging and established authors. All writing published in Mojo is also considered for Wichita State’s annual print journal, Mikrokosmos, a publication that’s been around for over fifty years. They’ve published literary giants…

8 Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Markets Open Now

Apart from the highly popular Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, there are several magazines that publish mystery, suspense, and crime fiction. They have a range of tastes and requirements, from cozies to police procedurals to gritty crime. Here are some that are open now for submissions. They are in no…

Five Lessons Writers Can Learn From Fanfiction

By Cat Sole fanfiction: fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, film, etc. Up until last year, I had completely dismissed fanfiction. From my limited exposure to the art form, I was under the impression that it was poorly written, a waste of time, and was exclusively for…