Special Feature

Three Unusual Ways to Market Your Books

By Phil Bowie If you’ve exhausted all the usual ways to promote your books—having a nice-looking website, presenting an energetic social media presence, taking part in blog tours, seeking reviews, giving talks to civic and writers’ groups, doing traditional bookstore signings, and so on, here are three easy low- or no-cost unusual promotions that have…
Issue Three Hundred Thirty Six Special Feature

Three Reasons To Kill Your Darlings

By Ben Graff As writers, we have a natural tendency to like and feel protective toward our work. What appears to flow on the page when it is finally read by others, is actually the result of many desk hours, false starts and significant re-drafting. Still, perhaps for all the care we already take, there…
Issue Three Hundred Thirty Four Special Feature

What To Do About Imposter Syndrome

By Wendy S. Delmater Is there anything a writer can do about “Imposter Syndrome,” that feeling that you are just faking it and you’re not really who everyone in the writing community thinks you are? Yes. Let me use myself as an example. Back when in 2005, I started running Abyss & Apex, I used…
Issue Three Hundred Thirty Three Special Feature Uncategorized

5 Paying Literary Markets to Submit to in October 2019

These are a mix of literary and genre markets that are open in October 2019, though not all are open throughout the month. All of them pay writers. Translunar Travelers Lounge The editors of this speculative fiction magazine want stories that are “fun”. Their guidelines say, “A fun story, at its core, is one that…
Issue Three Hundred Thirty Two Special Feature Special Issue

A Professional Editor’s Perspective on Novelettes and Novellas

Wendy S. Delmater You may be one of a number of authors who finds themselves writing at the novella or novelette length. What is a novella or a novelette? Here are the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s definition of what constitutes a short story, novelette, novella or novel. It is based on the…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty Nine Special Feature

What Not to Do: Who, What, Or Why?

Wendy S. Delmater As a writer you want your readers fully immersed in your world, as seen through the eyes of a character that they fully identify with. The very last thing you want to do is break the reader’s trance state.  This is the first in a series of articles where I’ll use the…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty Nine Special Feature

5 Paying Literary Markets to Submit to in September 2019

These literary markets are open during September 2019, although not all of them are open throughout the month. They’re a mix of literary and genre markets, and they all pay writers. Broken Pencil This is a Canadian publication of zine culture and independent arts. They are currently open for fiction submissions via Submittable, and for…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty Eight Special Feature

I’m Not Playing On My Phone… I’m Selling Books!

As a mother and a writer, I often feel guilty when I am working because it means time away from the family. However, I decided long ago that I needed and deserved time to write and I guard it fiercely, whilst making sure it does not intrude on family life too much. In recent years…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty Seven Special Feature

Genre: A Novel’s Flavor

By Modupeh Duncan Writing a novel comes with many challenges: finding time to write on a busy schedule, developing a consistent and intriguing plot, navigating character threads, creating well-rounded, realistic characters, etc. But something that most people do not spend enough time thinking about is genre. Selecting a genre seems almost intuitive; however, there is…
Issue Three Hundred Thirty Five Special Feature

Three Reasons To Work With An Editor On Your Book

Ben Graff For any writer, knowing how to make your book the best it can possibly be, is not an easy question. For the new author it is even more acute. What you have written matters. You have lived with the story for so long in your head. All those desk hours later something real…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty Five Special Feature

Five Literary Journals that Publish Social Justice Writing

By Uma Menon The following is a list of five literary journals and magazines that encourage and publish submissions of social justice writing. Glass: A Journal of Poetry Glass: A Journal of Poetry includes a special feature, Poets Resist, dedicated to resistance poems on current events. They are looking for work that engages with political…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty Four Special Feature

How to Reach International Readers With Your Books

by K.A. Wiggins The US is (still) the largest English-language book market, but the gap is rapidly shrinking. China’s publishing industry is taking off. India’s millions of English-speakers spend twice as much time reading as Americans. Italy and Germany have strong translation markets. Whether independent or traditionally published, authors who overlook the value of connecting…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty Four Special Feature

Inside an Independent Bookstore: What Writers Should Know

By David Perez I’m a writer and published author working at Op. Cit., a locally owned, independent bookstore in Taos, New Mexico. Formerly called Moby Dickens, the shop has been in business for thirty years. From my decade of employment there, I’d like to offer a few insights. First, the sheer volume of books published…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty Three Special Feature

Keeping a Writing Career On Track With Query Tracker

Karen McGeorge Sanders Need an agent? Can’t remember which agents or publishers were queried for which project? Query Tracker may be the solution.   Query Tracker (QT) is an online query tracking system that allows users to find agents and publishers in English speaking countries, list those they are querying, and track responses. It was…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty Two Special Feature

How to Engage Your Readers By Editing for Who, What, Where, When Why, & How

— Wendy S. Delmater This is the second article in a series, the first can be read here. As a writer you want your readers fully immersed in your world, as seen through the eyes of a character that they fully identify with. The last, the very last thing you want to do is break…
Issue Three Hundred Thirty Seven Special Feature

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