Special Feature

Why Famous Authors Use Pen Names – And Why You Should Consider Using One

By Rod Martinez JD Robb, Richard Bachman, Robert Galbraith, Mark Twain. You’ve heard of them; they are renowned names in the literary world – pen names of famous authors. But what causes an author to not want to use his or her real given legal name when writing? Authors have many reasons why they do…
Issue Four Hundred Fifty Six Special Feature

The Importance of Knowing What You Want from a Publisher

Authors seeking to get their first manuscript published all have different goals. For some authors, any press will do, even if they have to pay for publication to happen (although I highly encourage you to self-publish through Amazon or another print-on-demand company, if that is the case). Other authors are interested in presses that have…
Issue Four Hundred Fifty Five Special Feature

Two New Resources to Find Literary Journals to Submit to

If you are seeking different literary journals to submit to, there are two great new places to find journals to submit to. One of these is a database, and the other is a Substack newsletter. A database: chill subs chill subs is a new sortable database of places one can submit to. As the name…
Issue Four Hundred Fifty Four Special Feature

Literary Journals: A Great Way to Promote Your Book

A literary journal is an online or print periodical devoted to literature. Literary journals usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays. Most focus on general literature, but there are others with more specialized interests such as science fiction, children’s literature, horror, and mystery. Some are just focused on a specific subject matter. For example, there…
Issue Four Hundred Fifty Four Special Feature

3 Absolute Musts for Every Self-Published Author

By TC Marti Self-published authors often struggle to find a readership. And it’s not uncommon to see them drop out of the industry after they find few readers willing to take a chance on their work. Therefore, they must use strategies to build their audience months, if not a year, before they publish their first…
Issue Four Hundred Fifty Three Special Feature

31 Magazines that Publish Literary Fiction

These magazines publish literary fiction, and many of them publish other genres also, like nonfiction, and poetry. Some of them pay writers. Most, but not all, are open for submissions now. Upstreet They want fiction and creative nonfiction; send up to 5,000 words of prose. They aren’t looking for unsolicited poetry, but do accept queries…
Literary Journals Special Feature

Making the Jump: Transitioning to Writing for Children

By Rumbidzai Whena They say no matter how grown up we are, we will always be kids inside. So when I was offered a book contract for writing children’s books, it seemed easy; all I had to do was reach inside and think like my inner kid, right? Wrong. Staring at a blank screen made…
Issue Four Hundred Forty Eight Special Feature

How to Start a Writing Podcast

By Aliya Hall Creating a podcast is one more tool authors can utilize to get their name out there, find an audience, and promote their work. Although there are many writing and fiction podcasts available already, you will still offer listeners a unique perspective — especially when you find your niche in the market. Writing-related…
Issue Four Hundred Thirty Eight Special Feature

5 Paying Literary Markets to Submit to in October 2021

These magazines pay for submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They are a mix of literary and genre markets. Unnerving Magazine This magazine accepts short story and poetry submissions of horror and suspense, generally leaning toward horror. Their guidelines say, “Sex, gore and violence are welcome in moderation. Action over emotion, every time. Please no…
Issue Four Hundred Thirty Six Special Feature

9 Spooky Places to Submit Your Writing this October

— By Kallie Falandays  If you’re like us, the chill air has you reaching for the spookiest books on the shelf. And as the pumpkins, skeletons, and ghouls make their way out this October, you may even find them creeping into your own poems. We may not be able to gather round the fire for…
Issue Four Hundred Thirty Six Special Feature

How to Successfully Encourage Preorders

By Aliya Hall Preorders are an integral part of the publishing process, whether you’re publishing traditionally or indie. That said, it can be a challenge to encourage readers to order your book early instead of waiting until after its release. Preorder incentives are one way to not only draw more hype around your book, but…
Issue Four Hundred Thirty Four Special Feature Uncategorized

Easy Character Creation Through 25 Core Elements

Sarina Byron Have you ever discarded manuscript after manuscript owing to a lack of that special something? Everything you write seems to be missing that special zest, that soul and you don’t know what it might be. Well, let me assure you that you are not alone. Every writer has gone through this and there…
Issue Four Hundred Thirty Three Special Feature

What Writers Need to Know About Newsletter Service Providers

By Olaitan French Many contemporary writers build their audience and supplement their income by creating a newsletter and sending it through a subscription service.  Newsletter service providers allow content creators and individual writers to carve out a revenue program either as a side hustle or as a full-time business venture. Very little technological knowledge is…
Issue Four Hundred Thirty One Special Feature

What an Author Needs to Know (from the Editor’s Perspective)

By Colin Newton It’s perfectly understandable. An author, hot on the high of getting their work published and their online presence in shape, might start to keep a tally of how many clicks to affiliate links they’re registering. And while their click count goes up, their sales do not, at least not as much. “I’m…
Issue Four Hundred Twenty Seven Special Feature

Not Your Typical Book Launch

By Kathryn Haueisen Anyone who’s published a book knows the hard promotional work starts even before typing “The End” on the last page of the manuscript. Ideally, marketing the book starts months before the book is published. One major item on that “to do” list is planning a book launch, or ideally a series of…
Issue Four Hundred Twenty Five Special Feature

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