The first issue of the year brings you links and resources for all writers of poetry, stories, books and screenplays. You’ll find links to dozens of paying markets, 10 valuable newsletter recommendations and resources you’ll want to check out. Learn about a new, free blogging program and a new social media platform. Get interviewed on the radio, generate funding for your project and earn some money from your good work.
Here’s What’s New – Get interviewed, get organized, find paying markets and more.
Opportunities for Freelance Writers – 6 recommended newsletters, 13 paying fiction/poetry markets.
Opportunities for Authors – 6 resources and 4 recommended newsletters for authors.
Book Promotion Opportunities – 6 of them, plus 4 recommended newsletters for book promotion.
Opportunity for Screenwriters – ScreenwritingU and Scriptapalooza’s annual screenplay contest.
Resources for Authors and Freelance Writers – New, free blogging platform and new social media platform.
Here’s What’s New
The WPN Market Update will no longer be a monthly publication. We have decided to bring it out every other month. So watch for the next issue in March.
Big changes over at Fran Silverman’s old Book Promotion Newsletter site. She has closed the original website and is operating out of http://www.talkradioadvocate.com You can still sign up for the Book Promotion Newsletter here: http://www.talkradioadvocate.com/PublicityService.html
Fran’s main focus is getting authors interviewed on the radio. Check out her site, products and services.
Newsweek is coming back in print—with “deeper content and more in-depth reporting.”
Skateboarder Magazine has closed.
Monitoring Times quit with the December issue.
The following publications from AnimalNetwork.com have folded: Aquarium Fish International, Bird Talk, Dog World, WildBird
Broadcast Engineering has ceased publishing
While magazines continue to fold, Bauer is launching three new ones—Closer, Girl’s World and Celebrate With Woman’s World
Jane Friedman, former publisher of Writer’s Digest, is teaming up with Manjula Martin to launch Scratch, a quarterly magazine for all writers. http://scratchmag.net. You’ll find additional information about this magazine under “Opportunities for Freelance Writers”—below.
One feature of this new magazine is an established service called “Who Pays Writers?” It has moved from its original platform and is now here: http://scratchmag.net/category/who-pays
Some of you are editors who spend some time each year “cleaning up” the work of those for whom English is not their first language. I know that I have had some interesting projects involving Americanizing manuscripts for non-native writers—Spanish, East Indian, Chinese and others. Well, did you know there is a term for this service? “Language localization.” And there is a greater need for those of us who can offer this service than ever before.
Do you have trouble focusing on your primary work because of your attraction to the Internet and all of the socializing going on there? Here are two apps you can install to help you stay focused on your current project. “Anti-Social” blocks sites for a period of time so you are not interrupted while working. “Freedom” blocks your Internet connection for the time period you select. The cost is $15 and $10 respectively. http://80pct.com
If you are disorganized—wasting time and not accomplishing much—use simpleology to help you get more organized. Want to see how it works? Check out the free version here http://simpleology.com
Opportunities for Freelance Writers
Here are a few publications I recommend for freelance writers. Most of these are free, most of them publish opportunities and jobs for freelance writers and all of them provide articles, resources and support for writers:
Freelance Writer’s Report. This print newsletter is produced by Dana K. Cassel through CNW Publishing at http://www.writers-editors.com. There are several membership packages you can choose from, generally costing from $39 to $90/year. I highly recommend membership for those who are doing freelance article-writing or editing work, especially those who are seeking new clients and new opportunities. This is also a paying market, if you have article ideas for this audience.
Wooden Horse Magazine Media News. Since 1997, Meg Weaver has been amassing a huge database of magazines seeking submissions. The subscription cost for access to the database is $29.95 for thirty days up to $149 for a year. If you are freelancing for magazines, this is a must-have subscription. Meg also offers a free enewsletter filled with industry news and reports of new magazines added to the database, etc. Learn more here: http://www.woodenhorsepub.com
Maggie Frisch publishes The Working Writer. If you are a working writer—that is, you are being paid for your writing—you will benefit from this bimonthly enewsletter. The digital version is free. If you want to receive print copies, it’s $12.95/year. Learn more here: http://www.workingwriter1.com. Subscribe through this email address: workingwriters@aol.com
Writing World is Moira Allen’s contribution to freelance writers. She produces an enewsletter twice monthly and it’s jam-packed with jobs for writers, opportunities and markets. Yes, it’s free. http://www.writing-world.com
Scratch is a brand new magazine for all writers. The editors say it’s all about being a writer. A regular feature will be, “Who Pays Writers?” Subscribe before January 15, 2014 and the annual fee is $15. After January 15, a subscription is $20 for four issues per year. Explore a preview issue here: http://scratchmag.net/free-preview-issue General website and subscription pages here: http://scratchmag.net.
Go here to learn more about magazines that pay for your articles: http://scratchmag.net/category/who-pays
Wow-Women on Writing Angela MacIntosh http://wow-womenonwriting.com
Please email me with links to your favorite newsletter or magazine for freelance writers. Patricia@spawn.org
Looking for a place to publish your short fiction? Amazon Publishing has launched StoryFront, through which they will publish short fiction in all genres for Kindle. http://www.apub.com
There are numbers of members who write and submit poetry for publication. Some of you have published books of poetry. Many other members write fiction or are promoting novels. A GREAT way to become known for your poetry or novels—to get exposure—is to submit poems or short stories to magazines. In order to help you get started off right this year, here are listings of magazines that accept and publish poetry and short stories. Here’s how to proceed:
1: Visit the magazine’s website and search for their submission guidelines.
2: Follow the submission guidelines explicitly when submitting your work to each individual publication. In other words—submit what they request (query letter or complete manuscript; one poem or a collection of 5-12, etc.), submit it in the way that they request it (in the body of an email, as an attachment or through the post office).
3: Be smart when considering article ideas or when matching a poem or story to a magazine. Make sure the story/poem/article fits the theme of the magazine. But also be clever in making it fit the audience. Some of you are submitting in order to earn some extra money and/or to build credibility as an article-writer or poet. Others are promoting books through articles. Be diligent. Be creative.
Coonhound Bloodlines uses adventure, humor and mystery fiction of 1,000 to 3,000 words. They don’t pay much, but your story could be circulated to around 16,000 people who are interested in the Coonhound breed. http://www.ukcdogs.com
Alberta Views pays as much as $1,000 for the fiction they accept. And they use 6 pieces every year. http://www.albertaviews.ab.ca
The Bear Deluxe Magazine pays up to $400 for fiction and around $20 for poetry. http://www.orlo.org
In Writer’s Market alone, there are listings for over 75 different magazines listed under Literary and Little and the majority of them publish fiction and poetry. Only a few pay well. Most are in the $0 to $500 range for fiction and $0-$50 range for poetry. They have a circulation of from 500 to over 30,000 with the average, between 1,000 and 3,000. Check these out.
Contrary: http://www.contrarymagazine.com
Pearl: http://www.pearlmag.com
Ploughshares: http://www.pshares.org
The Georgia Review: http://www.uga.edu/garev
The Hudson Review: http://www.hudsonreview.com
The Paris Review: http://www.theparisreview.org
Bible Advocate publishes poetry related to Christian/Bible themes. Submit 5 poems. They pay $20 and contributor copies for those accepted. http://baonline.org
Puget Sound Magazine publishes fiction and poetry and they pay basically 10 cents/word. http://www.pugetsoundmagazine.com
Submit your poetry related to Central Pennsylvania to Susquehanna Life. http://www.susquehannalife.com
North Dakota Living Magazine publishes historical, humorous, slice-of-life vignettes and western fiction and they pay $100 to $400. Trouble is they use only one fiction piece per year. Some magazines publish the overflow of submissions at their websites. Something to consider. http://www.ndarec.com/dakotaliving
Opportunities for Authors
Keep your eye on Amazon Publishing. They have 11 imprints now and are planning to launch more. Their imprints include Grand Harbor Press (spirituality and self-discovery books), Two Lions (children’s, chapter books and novels), Skyscape (teens), Thomas Mercer (mystery, suspense, thriller) and others. http://www.apub.com.
Sigma is a new imprint of Bloomsbury. It will focus on narrative titles on a wide variety of themes.
Retiring baseball captain, Derek Jeeter plans to start his own publishing company, Jeeter Publishing. He will publish a variety of children’s books and some adult nonfiction.
Publishizer is a new platform for authors seeing financial support and commitments for their fiction and nonfiction works. If you haven’t participated in a crowd-funding program, you might want to check it out. Https://publishizer.com
Pubslush is a new global crowdfunding platform for books only. Communications coordinator, Jenny Wiegele says this program was launched to help bridge the gap between readers, authors, publishers and industry professionals. She says they’ve provided this platform so that authors can raise funds and gauge initial market viability for their book projects. http://www.pubslush.com
There are several magazines and newsletters specifically for authors. Here are some of my favorites:
NEW! Publishing/Marketing News and Views
Editor: Patricia Fry
Designed to bring information, resources and encouragement to fellow authors both beginners and experienced. It’s an education for authors who want to become more successful in the highly competitive publishing industry.
Subscribe here: http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog/?page_id=2727
Newsletter archives here: http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog/?page_id=3081
Free 6 times/year.
Book Marketing Matters
Editor: Brian Jud
Articles for authors by experts.
http://www.bookmarketing.com
Free—sent to your email address every other week.
Book Promotion Newsletter
Editor: Fran Silverman
Articles by authors who want to share their stories of successful book promotion.
http://www.talkradioadvocate.com/PublicityService.html
$9.99 for 26 issues.
Publishing Basics
Editor: Phil Whitmarsh
A collection of articles on publishing and book promotion from professionals in the field.
http://www.publishingbasics.com
John Kremer has a nice service for authors at his website: http://www.bookmarket.com. Scroll down and you’ll find links to publishers in 9 different categories, including children, health, sports, spiritual/Christian, cookbooks, business and even first novels.
Book Promotion Opportunities
If you have your book in the Kindle Direct Publishing program, here’s a tool that might help sales. It allows you to offer readers promotional discounts for your Kindle books. According to Amazon, you can visit your KDP Bookself and enroll your titles. Click on Manage Benefits to get started.
Tim Ferriss has started Tim Ferriss Publishing. He is seeking audio rights to existing books. He hopes to release one title for sale each month. Learn more here: http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/11/tim-ferriss-publishing
Indie Author Land is a new site designed to connect authors and readers. Authors can have their books featured here and the site managers also do interviews with authors. So if you’re an indie author who needs some publicity, head on over to Indie Author Land. http://www.indieauthorland.com I visited the site this morning while compiling this newsletter and was surprised and pleased to see my latest book featured front and center. “It’s Cat-Eye Witness.”
Now here’s an interesting service. It’s called a Book Tweeting Service at http://www.booktweetingservice.com For $29.00, they will send your tweets out to their 60,000-plus followers 50 or more times for one day. If you want this service for five days, it will cost you $125.
Please also review the list of newsletters and other publications I’ve listed under “Opportunities for Authors,” above. Most of these newsletters include book promotion ideas, links, resources, etc. If you have a book to promote, you’ll most definitely want to subscribe to some, if not all of these newsletters.
First Book Interviews is a blog site where first-time authors can be interviewed about their books. http://www.firstbookinterviews.blogspot.com
If your book, film or message changes people’s lives for the better, Jackie Lapin of Conscious Media Relations would like to talk to you about your marketing plan and your reach as far as getting publicity for your project. http://www.consciousmediarelations.com. Jackie@consciousmediarelations.com or call Jackie Lapin at 818-707-1473.
Opportunities for Screenwriters
Are you familiar with ScreenwritingU? http://www.screenwritingu.com. They put out an enewsletter for those interested in or involved in writing for Hollywood. See if you can get your hands on their November 19, 2013 issue as it includes a story about Hollywood’s need for fresh writing. Could be an opportunity for you.
The early bird deadline for Scriptapalooza’s 16th Annual Screenplay Competition is January 6, 2014. This is a big opportunity for screenplay writers as the first place winner receives $10,000 cash, access to over 150 producers, a phone consultation about your script with two prestigious agents and several other prizes. Learn more here: http://www.scriptapalooza.com
Resources for Authors and Freelance Writers
There’s a new blogging platform in town. It’s free and some say it’s easier than Word-Press. Check out Ghost here: https://ghost.org
Here’s a new social media network. (From their “About” page.) MARSocial.com is a dynamic social media network and a premiere on-line magazine for writers, authors, artists, and musicians. On M.A.R.S (Media Arts Review Social) we offer our members and readers the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive social network. Our members contribute commentary, poetry, excerpts from original works of fiction, and reviews of the traditional, performing and written arts. M.A.R.S. is unlike anything previously offered on the Internet. Writers, poets, artists, musicians, singers, dancers, actors, painters, models and designers can participate in the creation of a collaborative movement that showcases emerging artistic talent.
M.A.R.S. is a platform designed to enhance the reach of the artist on a world-wide scale; it also provides information important to members of the entertainment industry. This organization seeks to build an on-line, social community—a place where artists and art-lovers can display and discuss the fruit of their creative labors, subject to peer evaluation and governed by an appreciation for the freedoms that inclusion engenders.
The company is headquartered in Las Vegas, NV and is a subsidiary of CC Marketing & Advertising, LLC.
According to their site, this is a free service. It is so sophisticated, however, I wonder if they also offer paid services. Learn more here: http://www.marsocial.com