This month we feature bookselling opps through book festivals and conferences. We provide links to a dozen of them plus seven directories for writing and other conferences. We reveal links to 25 magazines’, publishers’ and literary agents’ all important Submission Guidelines. And you’ll find links to five news sites for research purposes.
Here’s What’s New – bookstore and magazine sales, ebook lending library and more
Opportunities for Freelance Writers – 10 links to submission guidelines
Opportunities for Authors – links to 15 publishers and agents submission guidelines
Book Promotion Opportunities – a dozen book festivals and conferences, plus 7 directories
Opportunities for Screenwriters – InkTip’s latest call-outs for scripts
Resources for Authors – 5 links to publishing and other industry news
Going, Going, Gone – 3 magazines and a 64-year-old publishing company close
Here’s What’s New
Despite the fact that Barnes and Noble is closing stores throughout the US, their spokespersons say that this chain is “fully committed” to retail and they plan to have 450 to 500 stores operating within ten years. According to AggData, in December of 2012, they had 692. So it appears that they are closing strategically in order to maintain fewer of their stronger stores.
Over all, bookstore sales are rallying. While there was a decline in sales in 2012, it was the smallest decline in years. Bookstore sales in December of 2012 actually increased 2.9 percent over the same period in 2011.
Bow Tie, publisher of Cat Fancy, Dog Fancy, Horse Illustrated and other pet-related magazines, has sold out to a newly formed joint venture firm called 1-5 Publishing LLC. It will be interesting to see how things go for all of those freelancers who are still waiting to be paid for their published articles. So far, no changes to their website.
Macmillan plans to launch an ebook library lending program. They will offer libraries over 1,200 backlist ebooks from its Minotaur Books imprint. Evidently, the library must first purchase the ebooks and then they are limited as to how many times they can lend them. Macmillan is suggesting a limit of two years or fifty-two lends at a price of $25 per title. This is a test and the results will determine whether this program will be continued. Perhaps this could develop into something independent authors can pursue in the future.
YUDU Media is a new service offering publishers the ability to convert their print list into enriched interactive apps with video, audio and interactive functionality. It’s a cloud-based digital publishing platform and they are currently targeting educational material. To learn more about this company, visit: http://www.yudu.com
Time Warner may sell People, InStyle and Real Simple.
Pedestal Magazine is currently closed to submissions.
Opportunities for Freelance Writers
Sometimes it is difficult or near impossible to locate those all-important Submission Guidelines. Here are links to Submissions Guidelines for a variety of magazines you might want to write for:
GreenSource, The Magazine of Substantial Design
http://greensource.construction.com/submit.asp
The editors at Carve Magazine use short fiction. Here are their guidelines. http://carvezine.com/submissions/#.UR6GLGdgKb4
If you want to write columns or comics for syndication, take a look at these submission guidelines for King Features: http://kingfeatures.com/contact-us/submission-guidelines
Guidelines for those who want to submit their comics to Images Comics: http://www.imagecomics.com/submissions
Guidelines for More Magazine. For fiction, submit through an agent: http://my.more.com/more/file.jsp?item=/help/writersGuidelines
BriarPatch Magazine uses writing and artwork. http://briarpatchmagazine.com/submissions
First Things: http://www.firstthings.com/submissions
MayDay Magazine uses art, literature and more. Guidelines here: http://maydaymagazine.com/submit.php
Stand Magazine accepts submissions only via the post office. Details here: http://www.people.vcu.edu/~dlatane/stand-maga/submissions.html
Blood Moon Rising Magazine is the magazine for all things “horror.” http://www.bloodmoonrisingmagazine.com/newsubmissions.html
Opportunities for Authors
Do you write mysteries with an outdoor focus? You might run it by the publishers at Adventure Publications. This company has been producing outdoor guides for nearly twenty-five years. The mystery line is new. They are interested in stories set in the Midwest, Southwest, Northwest, Northeast and RockyMountain regions. They include guidelines for mystery writers at the bottom of their regular submission guidelines. So go here and scroll down: http://www.adventurepublications.net/author-guidelines
INshort is a new imprint of Indiana University Press. They will publish short e-content on things related to history and contemporary issues. Learn more from Kate Caras at kcaras@indiana.edu. Or 812-855-3830.
Macmillan Children’s is going to try “crowdsourcing” to determine which of the teen romance novels they receive from authors is publishing-worthy. This program will be launched in the spring at http://wwwswoonreads.com. The author of the novel chosen for publication will receive a $10,000 advance.
Prime Books will launch a new imprint in July, 2013. If you write science fiction/fantasy, you may want to submit it to Masque Books. Submission guidelines here: http://masque-books.com/submissions.html
GrandHarbor Press is forming through Amazon’s audiobook company, Brilliance. They will publish self-help and inspirational books in print, digital and audio formats. Learn more here: http://www.brillianceaudio.com/grandharbor
Here are a collection of submission guidelines for publishers and literary agents you may not have heard of:
The publisher at Carina Press has announced new submission guidelines. Look here to see what they are seeking, to meet some of their acquisitions editors and learn about their perspectives. http://carinapress.com/blog/submission-guidelines What they don’t want right now is: Young adult novels, inspirational fiction, women’s fiction, family sagas or literary fiction. Additionally, Carina Press is not acquiring non-fiction or poetry of any kind.
Here are Llewellyn Publishing’s submission guidelines: http://www.llewellyn.com/about/author_submissions.php
Workman Publishing offers these submission guidelines:
http://www.workman.com/resources/submission_guidelines
Liquid Silver Books’ submission guidelines: http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/guidelines.htm
Stampington and Company is seeking writing and artwork. Guidelines are here: http://www.stampington.com/submissions
Wild Child Publishing guidelines: http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/submission-guidelines-ezp-16.html
Coastal Winds Publishing House. http://www.coastalwindspublishinghouse.com/Pages/default.aspx
Soul Mate Publishing http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/pages/Submission-Guidelines.html
Here are submission guidelines for Irene Goodman’s Literary Agency. http://irenegoodman.com/submission.php
Loretta Barrett Books Literary Agency, guidelines are here: http://www.lorettabarrettbooks.com/Content/Submission_Guidelines.asp
Alive Communications, Inc. http://www.alivecommunications.com/query-guidelines
Book Promotion Opportunities
Two of the largest book festivals in America are occurring during the next two months. The Tucson Book Festival will be held March 9 and 10, 2013 at the University of Arizona campus. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is held April 20 and 21, 2013 at the University of Southern California campus. Each of these events attracts nearly 150,000 visitors. If you live near or will be visiting either of these areas on these dates, be sure to stop in and enjoy the festivities. Buy some books, listen to the speakers. Admission to the festivals is free.
http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks
http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org
Note: Patricia Fry, who compiles this newsletter, will be on four panels on publishing and book promotion in Tucson this year and she has taken charge of the WPN booth at the event in Los Angeles. Please stop by and say hello.
Here are four writing conferences held in the spring across the states:
Las Vegas Writers Conference is held at Sam’s Town Hotel on April 18-20, 2013. http://lasvegaswritersconference.com
Oklahoma Writers Federation Annual Conference is the first weekend in May at the Embassy Suites in Norman, OK. http://www.owfi.org
Indiana University Writers Conference is May 26-31. http://www.indiana.edu/~writecon
American Society of Journalists and Authors will hold their conference at the Roosevelt in New York April 25-27. http://www.asja.org/for-writers/annual-conference
To locate conferences in your area or where you’ll be visiting, use these directories:
http://www.writing.shawguides.com
http://www.allconferences.com
http://www.newpages.com/writing-conferences
Get booked at conferences related to the theme of your book. Use these directories to locate those that are appropriate:
Http://www.shawguides.com
http://www.tsnn.com
http://www.eventseye.com
http://www.eventsinamerica.com
Or, to find a conference or book festival near you, use your favorite search engine and type in keywords, “your city/state” and “book festival,” “book fair,” or “writing conference,” for example. Here are a few more book festivals I found using this technique:
In San Antonio, Texas
http://texasbookfestival.org
In Baltimore, Maryland
http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com
In Columbus, Ohio
http://ohioanabookfestival.org
Buckeye Book Fair in Wooster, Ohio
http://ohioanabookfestival.org
Dayton Book Expo in Dayton, Ohio
http://www.daytonbookexpo.com
Miami Book Fair International, Miami, Florida
http://www.miamibookfair.com
Opportunities for Screenwriters
InkTip reports that Tri Coast Worldwide is seeking pet reality show pitches.
Framework Pictures wants realistic crime thriller scripts.
Do you have a script set in Europe? uMedia is hoping someone can bring them one. http://www.inktippro.com/leads for more information.
Resources for Authors
You need to know what’s going on in the industry or field you are writing in. You should keep updated about the genre of your book. Here are five sites for locating that news.
Alltop is a great place to go for publishing (or any other type of) news. http://alltop.com. Just use the search bar to locate the subject of news you are seeking
Subscribe to the free Publishers Weekly daily report. http://www.publishersweekly.com
Topix is another good online source for publishing news. http://www.topix.com/business/publishing
Here’s news on books and authors: http://news.yahoo.com/books
Book publishing news: http://bookpublishingnews.blogspot.com
Going, Going, Gone
Today’s Diet and Nutrition has quit publishing
The 64-year-old Vantage Press is reported to have closed.
Garden Design Magazine out of business
Burke’s Backyard Magazine will publish its last issue this month.