WPN Market Update – July 2014
This issue should be hugely satisfying to the writer seeking work and the author seeking publication. We also feature hundreds of book reviewers for our published authors and some great opportunities for screenwriters. Don’t go on vacation without a printout of this meaty newsletter and your laptop or iPad. You’ll want to research the possibilities. The time and effort could pay for a stay at a 5 diamond resort.
Here’s What’s New – 6 bits of industry news
Opportunities for Writers – a dozen of them, including paying markets and hundreds of jobs for writers.
Opportunities for Authors – publishers galore, including a colossal directory of children’s book publishers.
Book Promotion Opportunities – it’s all about the book review. This issue features hundreds of reviewers and review sites. It’s not to be missed.
Opportunities for Screenwriters – a dozen or so opps for your screenplay.
Resources for Authors and Writers – featuring grammar sites.
Here’s What’s New
PublishAmerica is now AmericaStarBooks. This is not an endorsement for the company. It’s more of a warning. If you’ve had a bad experience with PublishAmerica, as so many authors have, you certainly don’t want to get involved with AmericaStarBooks.
I’ve been working on a book involving a lot of research into the publishing industry. One area I researched recently was literary agents and I learned that the scamming agencies and individuals change their names over and over again in order to scam a whole new unsuspecting group of authors. According to our good friend, Writer Beware, one agency has eleven aliases. Check these and other warnings out here: http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware
Sylvan Dell Publishing is now Arbordale Publishing. They publish books for kids in the area of science and math. Their niche is gift shops at museums, zoos, and aquariums. http://www.arbordalepublishing.com. Study their expansive submissions guidelines here: http://www.arbordalepublishing.com/submissions.htm.
It appears that Big-Boards, one of the largest online forums, has shut down. No one seems to know why.
HarperCollins has bought Harlequin
It is reported that there were 45 new magazine launches in January through March of this year, compared to only 27 last year.
Opportunities for Writers
Are you seeking a good Christian writers’ conference. Terry Whalin lists some that he recommends here: http://www.right-writing.com/conferences.html
Bloggers are wanted for the TL Publishing Group Blog. You must be able to write for the literary community and provide one blog per month or more. Topics include writing, publishing, interviews, book reviews and more. http://torridliterature.wordpress.com/about/bloggers-wanted
I’m often asked about calendar and note card publishers. I believe Chronicle Books does this sort of publishing. http://www.chronicalbooks.com If you have a calendar or note card idea, run it by them.
There some new lifestyle magazines cropping up. Complete Senior is a digital magazine for ages fifty and up. http://completesenior.com.
PRiME is for women in their prime (yes, over fifty). www.primewomen.com.
Sage is a natural health magazine to be circulated across Canada. www.alive.com.
There’s also a new parenting magazine called Working Parent. I used to write for Working Parent Magazine, but I guess this is a new version. The premise is the same, however…helping parents balance work and family life. http://workingparentsmagazine.com
Do you write on political issues? Cosmopolitan Magazine is adding a political section.
Freelance Job Sites
(Some of the following are reprinted from the WPN Market Update 5 years ago—July 2009)
Have you discovered JournalismJobs.com, yet? I just heard about it yesterday. I recommend this site for those of you who are seeking work as writers, editors, reporters, art directors and so forth. Here are a few of the jobs listed: (Updated June, 2014) manager Ukiah Daily Journal in Lakeport, CA; community news reporter in Texas; copy editor for AlleyWatch in NY; contributors to GALO Magazine; sports editor in Boston; design editor in Lincoln, NE; researcher in Arlington, VA; photographer in Ann Arbor, MI. http://www.journalismjobs.com.
If you are seeking paying freelance writing work, be sure to check out FreelanceWriting.com at http://www.freelancewriting.com/guidelines/pages. There are currently 864 guidelines for paying markets, including the following categories: spirituality, boating, parenting, humor, workforce, fishing, religion, real estate and over 50 others. Here’s an example of their listings: “Mystery Scene Magazine seeks stories of from 800 to 2,000-words. This is a paying marketing,” “Indy’s Child Magazine pays $60 to $100 for 600 to 800 words,” “Thriving Family Magazine uses articles 1,200 to 1,500 words and they start their pay scale at .25 cents-word.”
http://allindiewriters.com/writers-markets has a huge list of freelance markets including such titles as The Drabblecast, The Bark, Perspective Travel, Olive Oil Source and Young Rider.
Here are reportedly the 15 best job boards for freelancers. As the saying goes, if you can’t find a job here, you aren’t even looking.
http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/best-job-boards-freelancers
Opportunities for Authors
There are a few new publishers in town. Rock Point Press is based in New Mexico and they will publish creative nonfiction and historical books for children. They are also interested in memoirs, spirituality, and cookbooks. www.rockpointpress.com
There’s a new young adult imprint being launched by ChiZine. It will be called ChiTeen. Contact this Canadian publisher here: http://chizinepub.com
Hallowed Ink Press, at www.hallowedinkpress.com, is seeking young adult and new adult submissions. Unsolicited and unagented submissions welcome. Are you unfamiliar with the term New Adult? It is a new term coined in 2009 by St. Martins Press with protagonists in the eighteen to twenty-five age range. While young adult books are designed for readers twelve to eighteen or twenty, the new adult category is for the adult reader.
The Authors Alliance launched in May. They promise to be a voice for authors and to help authors navigate the opportunities and challenges of the digital age, among other things. This is not to be confused with the Author Alliance or the Alliance of Independent Authors. Here’s the website http://www.authorsalliance.org
A year ago, Publisher’s Weekly published a list of the world’s largest publishing companies. I found it rather interesting and you might, too. http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/58211-the-global-60-the-world-s-largest-book-publishers-2013.html (Sorry about the looooong link. Just cut and paste. You’ll do fine.)
Have you considered crowdfunding for your book project? This means you make a case for your book, what it is about, why it should be published and, if site visitors like it, they might donate funs toward the production of the book. Here are a few such sites to explore: Kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com and Indie Go Go http://www.indiegogo.com
Do you have a children’s book manuscript? Fitzhenry & Whiteside, a Canadian publisher is seeking everything from picture books to books for young adult readers. http://www.fitzhenry.ca
Scarletta Press publishes children’s fiction and nonfiction as well as memoirs. http://scarlettapress.com
Curiosity Quills publishes dark science fiction, fantasy, mysteries and more for young adults, new adults and the adult market. http://www.curiosityquills.com
Immortal Ink Publishing. http://www.immortalinkpublishing.com. They’re seeking paranormal romance, horror, literary fiction, women’s fiction and young adult manuscripts.
Colossal Directory of Children’s Book Publishers lists a huge number of publishers of children’s books (many of which also publish general interest books for a more general audience.) The Directory is here: http://www.signaleader.com. Once there, you will find publishers such as, St. Anthony Messenger Press (http://www.americancatholic.org), Blue Earth Books (http://www.capstonepress.com), Bridge/Logos (http://www.bridgelogos.com), Browntrout Publishers (http://www.browntrout.com), New Canaan Publishing (http://www.newcanaanpublishing.com) and many, many others. Try to avoid getting involved with the advertisers on the site. Just focus on the alphabetized list of publishers for children’s works.
Book Promotion Opportunities
Here’s an opportunity to get your science fiction, fantasy, or romance book reviewed in the Washington Post. They now have a book section. Contact Nancy Hightower for your science fiction or fantasy book and Sarah MacLean for a review of your romance. http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books
I just found this events and conferences site. Check it out for events where you can display and sell your books and conferences where you can speak and conduct workshops to potential readers. http://events.einnews.com
Macmillan Publishing has a crime fiction review site. This looks like a good place to locate book description ideas. Authors sometimes lack the ability to describe their books in a nutshell and it is an important skill to learn. Visit this site and see if you can get some ideas for describing your book for your book proposal, back cover copy and/or promotional material. You might also strike a deal to have your book displayed at this prestigious review site. http://us.macmillan.com/MacmillanSite/categories/BISAC/FICTION/Crime
Heads up! You may have heard of Kindle Book Review. Word is that this is not an Amazon company and they charge for reviews. Now The Kindle Book Review appears to be legitimate—they do not charge, but Kindle Book Review has a payment schedule for reviews. Beware.
The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages is a promotional reference guide for authors and small publishers. The current hardcopy book has contact information for over 350 reviewers for all categories and genres of books. The 2014 version is in print (approx. 775-pages) and formatted for your Kindle. Order it at Amazon.com for $20.00 (print) and $9.99 for the Kindle version. The author provides updates to the list at www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net Yes, most (if not all) of the reviewers will review self-published books. And many of them review ebooks.
Here’s an online directory of reviewers: http://www.acqweb.org/bookrev.html And here’s a directory of book reviewer sites. http://www.book-review-directory.com
If you haven’t been soliciting reviews for your novel, self-help, how-to, educational or children’s book, for example, you really should. And it appears that, for some reviewers, it’s never too late. A reviewer will typically post a review at his or her website, Amazon.com, GoodReads, and possibly other review sites.
Opportunities for Screenplay Writers
InkTip reports that there are opportunities for screenplay and TV writers with extreme sport comedy scripts, a new dating game show, feel-good family drama, faith-based stories with an African-American cast, family scripts, Viking scripts and more. http://www.inktip.com
Resources for Writers and Authors
We haven’t discussed grammar sites in quite a while. I hope that as writers, authors, web designers, graphic designers, proofreaders, editors, etc. you have a favorite grammar site that you frequent. Here are some pretty good ones:
Guide to Grammar and Writing
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar
Grammar Gorillas
http://www.funbrain.com/grammar
Grammar Girl
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com