» A Guest Author

The Benefits of Building a Street Team

By Aliya Hall Now that your book’s release date is on the horizon, how do you promote it while balancing those last minute publishing details? Marketing is always a challenge and it’s even harder to do if you’re an indie author, which is why creating a street team is crucial to getting eyes on your…

Issue Four Hundred Twenty One Special Feature

The Key to Effectively Utilizing Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs)

By Aliya Hall Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) are a helpful tool for authors to jumpstart the reader review process, which is crucial to help get new releases noticed. Traditional publishers often release a set number of ARCs to book bloggers or reviewers to help raise awareness and hype for upcoming books, and for indie authors…

Issue Four Hundred Twenty Six

Leveraging Goodreads as an Author

By Sandra Sealy Even if you’re not an author chances are you’re already a member of Goodreads.com – relishing the big ol’ pile of books you’ve read, and the ones you’d like to read. According to Goodreads.com’s co-founder, Otis Chandler, “Our recommendation engine analyses 20 billion data points to give suggestions tailored to your literary…

Issue Four Hundred Twenty

28 Flash Fiction Markets That Pay

By Theresa van BaalenAre you dreaming of writing, but battling to find the time to write? Why not try your hand at something really short? Flash fiction is a genre of fiction that is defined as a very short story. They are also sometimes called sudden fiction, short-short stories, postcard fiction, micro stories, nanotales, or…

Special Issue Uncategorized

28 Sci-fi and Fantasy Fiction Markets That Pay

By Theresa van Baalen Sci-fi and fantasy appeals to a very specific loyal readership. So it is no wonder that many websites, blogs, e-zines and magazines dedicate themselves to the publication and promotion of this genre. Here are 28 markets that might be interested in your sci-fi or fantasy tale (or poetry), and are willing…

Calls for Submissions

Copyright Tips and Traps … Don’t Trust Your Intuition!

Susan Upton Douglass There is a lot of misinformation about copyrights and the protections afforded by copyright law and related areas of law. Indeed, much of the law is counter-intuitive, or simply different from the common wisdom and folklore passed around in business circles. So, to set the record straight, here are some answers…

Issue Four Hundred Seventeen

To Self-Publish or to Not Self-Publish, That Is the Question

By Holly Garcia When I first started writing my poetry collection, it didn’t occur to me to publish it traditionally. From the moment I decided I was going put it out there, I wanted to do it myself. I’d seen countless people saying their experience with self-publishing was a breeze. I’m a do-it-yourself baker, party…

Issue Four Hundred Sixteen

U.S. Copyright Basics for Authors

By Susan Upton Douglass Copyright law in the U.S. is governed by federal statute; there is no “common law” copyright. Copyright protects original (i.e., not copied from someone else) authorship in text, including compilations of text (selecting and arranging pre-existing text if you have permission to use it), photographs, illustrations and other creative expression. It…

Issue Four Hundred Fifteen

How I successfully launched a children’s book during a global pandemic

By Phillipa Warden Rupert’s Snowman is my dyslexic friendly picture book for children aged 2-6 published in September 2020 by the all-female publishing house Purple Butterfly Press. It is based on a true story about a boy who refuses to leave his snowman behind after a snow day spent with his mummy. The heart melting…

Issue Four Hundred Fourteen

Where to Submit Your Haiku and Other Japanese Poems in English

Zebulon Huset There has been a lot written about the haiku and Japanese forms in English—some love the elegant poetic forms while others find them ‘simplistic’ or too short. I like Haiku Journal’s description of what they want from a submission: “Simplicity is the key here. Keep it simple and beautiful. Haiku should seem to…

Special Issue

One Publication Is All You Need

By Olaitan French Not all publications will give you the fulfillment you seek. Not all will walk with you through your writing journey. And the fact is, you don’t need all; you need just one. That one publication is the reason most writers are more intentional in their relationships with the editors and journals that…

Issue Four Hundred Ten

Writing Letters to the Editor: A Great Exercise for Any Writer

by Ellen Levitt Savvy, enterprising writers look for publishing opportunities all over the place, and there are always opportunities for writing letters to editors. While it’s rare to receive monetary payment for this sort of writing, there are many reasons to undertake this exercise. Newspapers, magazines, journals — either online or in-print — offer many…

Issue Four Hundred Nine

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…

Issue Four Hundred Eleven Special Issue

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…

Issue Four Hundred Eight Special Feature

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…

Issue Four Hundred Eighteen

Articles by A Guest Author