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What I Learned While Pitching My Novel

I didn’t jump into writing my first novel blindly. I studied my favorite books in similar genres. I read quality books and articles on how to write, format, and sell a manuscript. I moved onto the querying process with the same diligence. I researched a lot, followed agents’ blogs and Twitter accounts. By the time…

Stupid Things Authors Believe, Part 2

In my previous post (find it here), I debunked the idea that if what you write isn’t new, you should delete it. In a crazy attempt to promote fresh, original ideas, some pundits of the pen promote jettisoning your work to the trash heap unless it’s a rare gem. My response? “There is nothing new…

4 Publishers Seeking Submissions

The following journals have interesting themed issues forthcoming with submission deadlines fast approaching. 1. Issue 12 of Workers Write! will be a collection of poems and short stories titled Tales from the Construction Site. All will be written from the tradesperson’s point of view. They are looking for works of fiction about laborers, carpenters, plumbers,…

Self E Library Journal: Pros and Cons for the Aspiring Writer

Independent authors can always benefit from new opportunities to showcase their work.  A new website, Self-E Library Journal, provides an exciting opportunity for writers to build a fan base and market themselves through a reputable venue. WHAT:  Self-E Library Journal provides a platform for independent authors to make their works available to library patrons.  This…

What Not To Do: Author Advice from the Trenches

It’s human to make mistakes; we even tend to learn from them from time to time. The problem with making mistakes as a new author is that they often come back to bite you – hard. My first mistake: impatience. I had the glorious dream that my book, my quartet in fact, was ready for…

Three Themed Calls for Submissions

Below are three journals that have themed calls for submissions with quickly approaching deadlines. SnapDragon, an online journal of art and healing is looking for submissions about “The Art of Creating”, they want you to submit unusual, abstract, over-the-top work that talks about creativity, the act and art of it, especially if it’s connected to…

10 New and Exciting Journals

In the last 6 months the following journals opened their metaphorical doors for the first time. It is great to submit to new journals as the editors tend to have more energy and enthusiasm. They also tend to be more open to new authors or authors with only a small list of past publications. Of…

3 Anthologies Seeking Submissions

Anthologies are a great way to get published. They tend to have better distribution and a longer shelf life than most literary journals. They also tend to pay their writers. Anthologies are generally focused on specific topics, so you either have to find one that matches your writing or you have to write a new…

3 Promotional Tools I’m Not Ignoring Anymore

When I first dived into the world of independent publishing, I was extremely naive about the amount of time, effort, and money needed to successfully promote my books. I started slowly, and have only recently started to pick up my pace. This is all thanks to the advice, support and shared content of other authors….

Do’s and Dont’s For A Successful Facebook Author Page

Famous Authors On Rejection Not everyone enjoys Facebook, but it does have the potential to be a very useful tool when it comes to building your author platform. Facebook is huge and many different types of businesses use it to reach and sell to customers. As an author, you are trying to promote and sell your…

Top 12 Mistakes of Amateur Writers

When I was a new writer, I wondered why I kept getting rejection letters. I was tired of never making it past the slush pile. I wanted to get an acceptance letter from one of my ‘dream markets.’ Doubt started creeping in, making me question my ability as a writer. Fortunately, I kept at it….

Three Common Submission Mistakes

I have been a contest reader, a magazine editor, a literary journal editor, and an e-book editor. In that time I have rejected thousands of poems, articles, short stories, and a couple hundred book manuscripts. In this time I have also accepted a small number of exceptional work. This of course is nothing compared to…

Increase Your Productivity With A Writing Routine

There’s a particular nugget of wisdom about writing that, over the past few years, I’ve stumbled across again and again. This oft-repeated bit of advice crops up in books, blogs, websites, manuals and articles. It’s even at the heart of the ever-more-popular annual frenzy that is National Novel Writing Month. You’ve almost certainly heard it…

8 Essential Articles for Self Published Authors

This collection of articles contains comprehensive, thoughtful advice for self published authors by self published authors. The articles in this collection focus on giving concrete advice and encouragement for self published authors. Eleven Ways to Build an Audience for Your Writing Eleven concrete steps to take to develop an audience for your writing, not just…

7 Articles You Should Read Before Self Publishing

Self Publishing has been around since the dawn of writing. In the last century it has been mostly been frowned on. It was a field dominated by vanity presses that charged their authors a lot in order to be published. It was considered something that authors should do as a last resort. It was not…

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