Forget about Snowflake—it’s time for “Up Lit” and Other New Words
Snowflake is last year’s cliché, while Brexit is so 2016. It’s time for a fresh batch of new words, or at least newly repurposed words.
Neither Predictive nor Prescriptive, “The Bestseller Code” is Anything But
We’ve all read about studies that made us scratch our heads—research results that told us things we already knew, such as a healthy diet is key to living longer and people who exercise are in better shape than couch potatoes. “The Bestseller Code” is one of those studies.
Small Presses: 3 Publishers Want Literary, Romance, Speculative Novels
New year, new opportunities! You may submit to these publishers even if you don’t have a literary agent if your manuscript falls under these categories: literary, romance, and speculative.
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Do you have an unpublished manuscript?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.