June 8, 2017
Writers are constantly pressured to create fresh new stories for an ever demanding and critical market. Almost every theme, plot or storyline has been used and it is next to impossible to find one that’s waiting to be written into a best-selling book. Avoiding clichés, overused tropes, and exhausted stereotypes can be difficult but it…
May 25, 2017
When readers purchase a book, they are investing their time and energy in a product they believe is worth their money. The last thing a reader wants to find in a book, especially if it is self-published, is spelling errors, poor content and a manuscript riddled with the incorrect use of punctuation. Hiring a freelance…
May 18, 2017
Self-publishing has never been easier for a writer. Today, becoming a published writer is as easy as a simple click. Writers, however, must never forget that books are products that readers pay for – and a paying market demands a high quality, value-for-money product. Before self-publishing or querying a book, writers should ensure that their…
May 10, 2017
Writing contests have grown in popularity over the last few years. The huge leaps in the development and accessibility of social media technology means that it is now easier than ever to enter writing contests. While writing contests offer writers the opportunity to catch the eye of a literary agent or publisher, they also have…
November 30, 2016
Sixteen years ago I received a request for a full manuscript from UK literary agent Laetitia Rutherford. The manuscript was my first serious complete work of literary fiction and I was blinded by excitement. Ms. Rutherford was kind enough to send me line edits on the entire manuscript. She even called me from the UK…
November 17, 2016
Every writer dreams of becoming better with each new book. How exactly do we achieve perfection when some writers, like me, are prone to repeating certain errors? One of my favorite editors advised me to compile a list of all the comments, corrections and errors that were highlighted during editing processes and compile a list…
November 3, 2016
Writing a book or even a story isn’t easy if you can’t explain it in a few words to your readers, your fans, your prospective publishers or editors. Writing isn’t just about being inspired by an event and describing imagined circumstances leading up to that particular point in time. Detailed planning is required. Ideally a…
October 27, 2016
Written By S. Kalekar Here is a list of open calls for anthologies, ranging from calls for true stories about military families and premonitions, to fiction about addiction-themed horror and sci fi/fantasy stories about submerged worlds, and more. Chicken Soup for the Soul’s anthologies They look for true stories, written in the first person that…
August 24, 2016
Writing romance is not easy. The world’s largest publisher of romance fiction receives about twenty thousand unsolicited romance submissions per year. Editors often say that they judge the potential of a manuscript based on the opening lines. It isn’t surprising then that only a handful of manuscripts get requests for a full submission. Even then,…
April 15, 2016
Updated May 30th, 2018: There have been reports by authors of non payment of royalties over a large period of time. Would avoid this publisher for the time being. Will provide updates when able. Crimson Frost is a Canadian ebook publisher that was established 2013. They state explicitly on their website that they publish ebooks…
March 17, 2016
Red Sage Publishing started as a traditional print publisher in 1995. They have a long list of published books covering diverse genres ranging from contemporary to science fiction. However, they were one of the earliest publishers of erotica. Their website is one of the best I have navigated in a long time. The landing page…
February 25, 2016
Roane Publishing is relatively new on the indie publishing scene. Their website is a bit clunky and you have to really read when looking for their submissions link. They describe themselves as a romance publisher ranging from sweet to spicy. Although new, they claim their editors have sufficient editing experience gained from other publishing houses….
February 9, 2016
A boutique publisher, Red Moon, usually publishes about 16 to 20 new titles per year. They are an imprint of World Weaver Press but explicitly state on their website that they are not owned by any major corporations. Their main aim is to bridge the gap between self publishing and traditional publishing. With that in…