Special Feature

An Argument for Writing Short Stories

“Write a short story every week. It’s not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row.’ — Ray Bradbury “A good [short story] would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit.” -David Sedaris Writers who are serious about improving and developing their…
Issue Three Hundred Special Feature

The Pros and Cons of Publishing with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing

By Logan Stoves Recently, I just published my first book with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and I couldn’t be prouder of myself. After my experiences, I believe KDP is one of the easiest ways to publish your book if you’re looking to self-publish. However, I would recommend you do your research on Amazon while…
Issue Two Hundred Ninety Nine Special Feature

Common Mistakes Authors Make when Promoting their Work

By Gary Roen Often authors who are new to marketing make mistakes while promoting their book. The most important among them is not treating publishing as a business. Having been in the industry in many different capacities for a long time, I’ve seen many blunders, made a few myself, and now know better how to…
Issue Two Hundred Ninety Seven Special Feature

Four Letterpress Chapbook Publishers

Stephanie Katz Old-fashioned letterpress chapbooks are making a comeback as writers and readers appreciate handmade books as true pieces of art. Many famous poets, such as Walt Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe, self-published letterpress chapbooks. Though many letterpress companies will print self-published chapbooks for a fee, the list of letterpresses below are actual publishers that…
Issue Two Hundred Ninety Six Special Feature

Three Ways To Write With Minimal Time

I am a mother of two small children. One of them can more honestly be described as a baby. I also have a job, and various other commitments beyond that. My free time is minimal, yet I’ve found ways to ensure that I always find ways to write, in spite of this. Part of this…
Issue Two Hundred Ninety Four Special Feature

Self Promotion For Introverts

  “Writing is something you do alone. Its a profession for introverts who want to tell you a story but don’t want to make eye contact while doing it.”  ― John Green As an introvert, a writer, and a very reluctant self-promoter, this quote has always struck me as being particularly profound. Not just because…
Issue Two Hundred Ninety Three Special Feature

How to Create a Good Author Facebook Page

Creating a Facebook author page is easy. It involves already having a personal Facebook account, and just creating an author page to go along with that. Creating a good author Facebook page is a whole different beast. It takes time, thought, hard work, and consistent effort. The first strategy most writers rely on to get…
Issue Two Hundred Ninety Two Special Feature

Why Writers Need To Be Readers

“You have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so. It’s hard for me to believe that people who read very little (or not at all in some cases) should presume to write and expect people to like what they have written, but I know it’s true. If I…
Issue Two Hundred Ninety One Special Feature

The Most Common Mistake Writers Make When First Submitting to Publishers

There is one mistake that most authors make when submitting their work to literary journals and magazines for the first time. It is a mistake I made when I first started submitting work. It is a mistake that most of the serious authors I know made. What is that mistake? Is it a terrible cover…
Issue Two Hundred Ninety Special Feature

Using Scrivener to Play the Submissions Game

By John Burnham As an aspiring writer, I make regular submissions to literary journals. It’s an enjoyable activity, full of challenges and satisfaction. But, it creates an admin task that’s not so much fun. I have to keep track of what pieces I’ve submitted, what journal the submission went to, and what the response was….
Issue Two Hundred Eighty Eight Special Feature

3 Reasons Imitation is a Gateway to Originality

By Katey Schultz Imitation, at first mention, is often shunned in writing circles. Admittedly, it can be confused with plagiarism, although in my work as a teacher and author, I see the two as very, very different. Think about classical painters who spend years imitating Monet before beginning original works of their own. Consider some…
Issue Two Hundred Eighty Seven Special Feature

How to Use Facebook Live to Promote Your Writing

— Jen Kolic Did you know that a whopping 78% of Facebook users view live content? And there are ten times more comments on livestream videos than regular videos—that’s an amazing level of engagement! These were just some of the astounding facts shared by Phylecia Jones, budgetologist at Keeping Up With Mrs. Jones. Jones and…
Issue Two Hundred Eighty Six Special Feature

Four Guidelines for Writing (and Publishing) Without an Agent

You do not need an agent to write and sell books. Since 2006, I have written and found publishers for three nonfiction books and two novels. While the publishing path for each book has varied, my approach to writing remains steadfast (and may help you find publishing success, too). 1. First and foremost, if you…
Issue Two Hundred Eighty Five Special Feature

How to Improve Your Writing Practice with Composting

By John Dorroh Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones, a book that all writers need to own and use, convincingly suggests to develop the habit of using timed writing practice on a daily basis. These warm-up sessions can last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, whatever works. Along with timed writing…
Issue Two Hundred Eighty Four Special Feature

The Shame List: Manuscript Publishers Who Always Charge to Submit

All of the publishers included on this list are traditional publishers. They are not vanity or assisted presses that charge their authors in order to publish their books. Many are respected publishers with good distribution. Most primarily publish poetry manuscripts. We have written at length before about why this problem affects poets the most. We…
Issue Two Hundred Eighty Two Special Feature

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