Special Issue

17 Themed Calls for Submissions

These are calls for fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Some of the themes are knowledge, monsters in women’s lives, connections, disabled people, portals, mechanical miscreants, camouflaged horror, women’s fury, and children’s fiction. Most of these pay writers, from token to pro rates. Also see this list – some deadlines are coming up. Speculative City: Knowledge The…
Calls for Submissions Special Issue

The Six Month Novel Writing Plan for 2018/2019

Most authors have heard of National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo. It is a novel writing challenge where participants try to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. Many famous authors, including John Green Rainbow Rowell have participated. But for many writers that work full time writing a novel in…
Special Issue

14 Major Book Publishers Always Open to Submissions

Some publishers open and close their doors to submissions on a routine basis. It can be hard to determine if they are open or shut to submissions, and when you should submit. The following 14 publishers, however, are always open to submissions from writers without agents or previous publishing experience. They are all respected publishers…
Special Issue

19 Themed Calls for Submissions

There are themed submission calls for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of the themes are urban crime, American gothic, breaking with tradition, winter holidays, coffee and furries, occult detectives, steam and lace (steampunk), games, stories expanding on H G Wells’ War of the Worlds, children’s fiction, fantasy stories featuring mental health and magic, LGBTQ romance…
Calls for Submissions Special Issue

The Ten Most Common Manuscript Submission Mistakes

When I talk to agents, writers, and editors I always hear them complain of the same mistakes over and over again. The other day I was reading a back issue of Poets & Writers and based on the question “What kind of submissions do you not take seriously?” (I am paraphrasing here), I was able…
Special Issue

The Top 35 Publishers for New Authors

The writing market can be overwhelming, particularly for new authors who do not have a history of past publication. It is important to note that no legitimate established presses specifically look for unpublished authors. The presses on this list were chosen because they have published a number of debut books before. Also, the publishers on…
Special Issue

20 Themed Calls For Submissions

These are submission calls for fiction, nonfiction, poetry and translations. Themes include Christmas abroad, urban shapeshifter fantasy, young adult fantasy, resistance and revolution, noir with psychic detectives, 21st century hardboiled crime and noir, dieselpunk and decopunk fairy tales, war, stories with neurodivergent characters, utopian societies, the disruption that technology has wrought, work related to Dante’s…
Calls for Submissions Special Issue

40 Writers’ “Rules for Writing”

Most writers have their own special “rules for writing,” even if they don’t talk about them. I find other writers’ rules fascinating, even when I don’t agree with them. A lot can be learned by reading about other authors’ approaches to writing. The New York Times and The Guardian have published famous author’s answers to…
Special Issue

13 Literary Journals Open to Other Art Forms

Most literary journals publish poetry and fiction. Many also publish creative nonfiction, essays, reviews, and visual art (largely paintings, drawings, and photography). Most do not publish anything else. However, all of the journals linked to here are interested in a variety of mediums. Some want you to submit your songs, others your short videos. These…
Special Issue

15 Themed Submissions for August 2018

The calls are for fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Themes include music and theatre, life lessons learned from school days (and from cats), a punk rock future, robot dinosaurs, medical romance, grandparents, the internet, serial killers, god’s love, work inspired by Stephen King, and a tribute to Ursula K. Le Guin. All of these pay writers,…
Calls for Submissions Special Issue

25 Publishers Always Open to New Submissions

Many publishers open and close their doors to unsolicited submissions on a routine basis. It can sometimes be hard to determine if they are open or shut to submissions and when you should submit. These 25 featured publishers are always open to submissions from writers without agents or previous publishing experience. All of them are…
Special Issue

5 Ways to Combat “Publishing Block”

Many writers talk about writer’s block, but for me that has never been an issue. What I have struggled with for the last 8 years is something I have started to call “publishing block”. What I mean by “publishing block”, is not an inability to write, but an inability to get published or a feeling…
Special Issue

17 Approachable Literary Journals

If you are just starting to submit your work to literary journals, or perhaps you just want to avoid rejection, this list is for you. All of the literary journals in this list accept around half of what is submitted to them. So the odds of your work being accepted just went up. These are…
Special Issue

26 Non-Fiction Publishers Open to Direct Submissions

The following publishers all focus on publishing non-fiction books. Most focus in on one or two aspect of non-fiction, such as history books, memoir, or cookbooks. Some are more broad in their interests. All of them are open to unsolicited submissions directly from authors. No agent required. Almost all of these publishers open to proposals,…
Special Issue

The Most Common Mistakes New Authors Make When It Comes To Publishing

For the purpose of this article, I am defining new authors not as people new to writing, but as writers new to publishing their work. Publishing your work is a completely different beast than writing. There is some overlap between crafting a good query letter and crafting a good chapter, but it is insignificant in…
Special Issue

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