Top 5 Blog Posts: Prologues, Literary Snobs, & Unagented Submissions
Time sure flies! Since this blog’s launch on Feb. 15, 2014, I’ve published 255 articles on writing, reading, publishing, books, and movies. The five most popular articles focus on effective prologues, signs of a literary snob, and publishers that accept unagented and unsolicited manuscripts.
In Praise of the Lowly Comma
One tiny comma can sometimes make all the difference when it comes to the meaning of a sentence or a contract for that matter. Strunk and White advocated for the Oxford comma in their classic book, “The Elements of Style,” while the AP Stylebook doesn’t require series comma. If you’re an Oxford-comma proponent like me, a recent federal court ruling will reinforce your position. The following articles will help make my case on the importance of the lowly comma.
#PitMad: Pitch Your Manuscript to Literary Agents & Publishers
Do you have an unpublished manuscript? Join the Twitter party known as #PitMad to pitch your work to literary agents and publishers. On Dec. 7, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, you may tweet a maximum of three different pitches for every manuscript.
5 Publishers Seek Experimental, Mystery, Literary, YA & Romance Manuscripts
Unagented writers seeking publication should submit their queries and/or manuscripts for consideration before the holiday season begins. Five small presses are interested in experimental, literary, mysteries, romance, young adult, and children’s books. The following publishers accept submissions from writers without literary agents:
2016 VIDA Count Shows Small Gains Toward Gender Equity in Publishing
The 2016 VIDA Count shows some gains toward gender equity in the mainstream publishing industry. The literary magazine Granta published more women than men in six years, while the New York Times Book review had equal percentage of female and male reviewers. The report noted that the London Review of Books has the worst gender disparity.
Lisa Scottoline Inspires at Writer’s Digest Conference: “Protect Your Candle”
Good writing is hard and getting published is even harder. No one knows this better than best-selling author Lisa Scottoline who compared a struggling writer’s life to a weak candlelight. “Your work is your candle. Protect your candle,” she said at the recent Writer’s Digest Annual Conference.
Attention Genre Writers! 3 Small Presses Seek Unpublished Manuscripts
Genre fiction is also known as commercial fiction because of its wide reach and popular appeal. Check out these three small presses if you have a complete, unpublished manuscript in any of these genres—crime and thrillers, romance, and science fiction and fantasy. The following publishers accept submissions from writers without literary agents.
Pearson Remains World’s Biggest Publisher
Pearson’s sales declined by 15 percent, but it remained the world’s biggest publishing company, according to the Livres Hebdo/Publishers Weekly annual ranking. Total revenues for the world’s 50 biggest publishers topped $50 billion in 2016.
Career Authors: Free Online Resource & New Community for Writers
A literary agent, two best-selling authors, an editor, and a digital strategist recently launched Career Authors, a free writing resource and a new online community for writers.
Small Presses: 2 Opportunities for Unpublished Literary Novels
If you have an unpublished and unrepresented literary novel, two small presses offer an opportunity within the next few months. Coffee House Press has open submissions right now, while the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing is sponsoring a fiction contest.