Archive for February, 2009
Self Publishing Blog 2.0: We’re Back & Better than Ever…
Loyal subscribers and readers, as you may have noticed, our self-publishing blog dropped off the radar for a week or so during our redesign, but we’re here to announce the launch of our newly designed writing blog: freeselfpublishingblog.com.
Of course, our bloggers will continue to post the latest publishing news as well as information that may be of interest to authors and emerging writers within the publishing industry, but we also wanted to update you on our newest development.
In addition to the weekly writing tips and prompts (located on the sidebar), we’re now implementing a creative (and hopefully quite fun) weekly assignment, at which time writers and authors will be challenged to head out into the world and perform a mission.
For example, one mission for authors may be to submit a photograph of their book in a tree. One picture would then be selected and posted on the blog along with your book information and a link to order it (or to your Web site or blog). Don’t worry, it’s all good, clean fun, and you may just get a snazzy book plug out of the brief adventure.
Should you yourself have an idea for the blog or a suggestion for a future post you would like to read, feel free to leave a friendly comment below that details your proposal, and I’m sure our bloggers will be happy to implement or write on your topic of interest.
Thanks for bearing with us during this development, and we hope you’ll submit your challenges (as well as ideas for future challenges) to our bloggers in the near future!
This is Justin, blogcasting from Wordclay, signing out.
Top Five New Literary Magazines to Read: Discovering Fresh Voices & Writing Talent
Justin here, and after a heated brainstorming sessions here at Wordclay, our team has finally agree on the top five new literary journals to which all authors and writers should subscribe. Of course there are hundreds of great magazines that are publishing amazing poetry and prose – some up and coming as we speak – so we’re certain this list will be revised in the future.
The real question is: what makes a literary magazine worth reading? With so many new journals emerging online and in print, with so many varying tastes and aesthetics, how can anyone separate the good from the bad?
The short answer is: there just isn’t a definitive way of separating them. Some prefer curling up with The New Yorker or The Paris Review, while others adamantly subscribe to The Missouri Review or The Denver Quarterly. As the saying goes, there’s no accounting for taste, and our decisions this time around could only be based on our personal preferences, the only criteria being that the magazine started publishing in the last decade.
So without further ado, here’s the Wordclay bloggers’ list of lit journals to check out in 2009. And if you’re a writer, check out their submission guidelines and current contests. Remember, it can’t hurt to submit your work, but it can seriously hinder your writing career if you never send your prose or poetry out. Besides, you might even get a free subscription to a great new magazine from submitting.
Canteen MagazineAbout Canteen: Canteen redefines the literary magazine. Their staff asks accomplished writers to reveal their creative process, and then they pair that insight with the best new work in fiction, poetry, art and photography — all designed to look more like a fine art book than a dusty old journal.
Mission Statement: “Canteen is the literary magazine that comes with instructions. We admire what writers and artists do, and we want insight into how and why it’s done. To get that, we ask contributors to move beyond the boundaries of genre and final draft to delve into reputation, ferocious drive, unmarketable dreams, the danger of reader takeovers, and just what makes a work important.”
Submission Guidelines: Canteen accepts original fiction, nonfiction, and poetry of up to 4,000 words. They are also interested in essays and commentary that relate to the creative process. Canteen accepts original individual images or portfolios of up to 10 images by a single artist, in a variety of media, including photographs, drawings, paintings, sculpture, video stills and digital art. Please submit all work to Canteen at: submissions@canteenmag.com.
Kindle 2: Better, Faster, Stronger, Smaller
This week, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos announced that the Kindle reader’s next generation will ship before the end of the month. He was joined by Stephen King at a show put on for the press and a few lucky guests. King came on stage and read part of a piece that he wrote that will initially be available exclusively for the Kindle. The story features a haunted pink Kindle device. King said that he supports the Kindle and has one himself. Bezos then spoken about short-form reading versus long-form reading.
This new version of the popular little machine is sleeker and smarter than the original Kindle. The memory has been upgraded to 2GB, and there is a function that allows the device to read books to you via electronic male or female voices. The page turn buttons have been repositioned, and there is a smart ‘joystick’ 5-way button taking the place of the less user-friendly controls of Kindle 1.
It seems that Amazon is pushing Kindle 2 at a time when there is soon to be more competition in the market. We have already seen the Sony Reader, which beat the Kindle to market, but didn’t ship with wi-fi functionality. Now, Shortcovers is releasing software and services to make 200,000 chapters, 50,000 full books, magazines, newspapers etc. available on the iPhone and other smart phones.
The Kindle and the Kindle 2 are clearly luxury items in a tough economy. For the retail price of the Kindle, you could afford a good number of paperbacks and lattes. It is good for book people and publishing in general that something such as this has come along to provoke interest in reading. If the major booksellers and other content providers find a way to get a piece of the pie or at least ride the wave of reader interest, perhaps they can help to fortify their own questionable financial statuses.
The future of bookstores could easily be reduced to a vending machine that spits out coffee, e-books, MP3 files and subscriptions to electronic periodicals — perhaps with a built-in print-on-demand paperback printer that could queue up and print out any title in minutes, that is if consumers decide that they prefer that type of interaction.
Contacting a Literary Agent: Why? What? How? When? Who?
Here’s the bottom line: there are people who prefer the royalty advantages and book design control of self-publishing, and there are those who prefer to take their finished manuscript the traditional route. Either way, there are some essential questions you should ask yourself about representation.
Why Is a Publishing Agent a Good Choice?
Only you can decide the answer to this question. If you’re going to traditional publishers, then representation always helps. The acquisitions editors of traditional publishing houses are much more willing to listen to agents they know and trust rather than read blind submissions that somehow appear on their desks.
But if you’re considering self-publishing, you can be your own representation. These days, you can even publish with your own imprint through Wordclay, giving you the power to coordinate all your future publishing and marketing efforts at little cost, without a strict association to a DIY publisher.
Remember, contacting and securing an agent is more about securing a contract with a publisher than about the entire publishing process, so you’ll want to choose based on their specialties. But whether you self-publish or send your manuscript to publishers through an agent you trust is completely based on your level of comfort and the control you desire over your future publication.
What Should You Include in Your Publishing Queries?
The rule of thumb is: Give the agent only what he or she needs. You don’t want to send too much (like your whole manuscript), and you don’t want to send too little (as in just a query letter). What you want to do is send them all the relevant information and a sample (more…)
Free Writing Contest for Aspiring Novelists
The thing about writing contests is that you can’t win if you don’t try. So, dust off that masterpiece that’s been hibernating all winter on your computer’s desktop, and enter it in WritingRoom.com’s 2009 Author’s Choice Contest.
The contest is designed especially to help aspiring novelists achieve their goals of success. The top 10 winners will receive a helping hand to improve their manuscripts from acclaimed bestselling author Jon Land, the author of The Seven Sins, one of the Library Journal’s Top Five Thrillers of 2008.
The top three winners will have their manuscripts published, marketed and promoted. In addition, one Grand-Prize winner will have their book read and considered by one of the top New York literary agents, Loretta Barrett and a traditional New York publisher.
It’s free to enter, and the only cost involved is that you have to foot the bill to order and ship three copies of your book for the judges’ review, which in most cases, is a lot less than what you plan to spend on one meal eating out this weekend (buying three 200-paged books plus shipping would cost about $33.00) Here are a few of the details about the contest. You can read all the details about how to enter the writing contest on PublishingRoom.com.
2009 WritingRoom Author Choice Contest:
- Contest Start Date: Feb. 1, 2009
- Submission Deadline: May 18, 2009
Prizes:
Top 10 Finalists:
- Finalists will receive advice, help, and guidance from the judges to help improve quality and overall marketability of their books to a wide audience. The judges that will provide the advice know a thing or two about writing: 1) guest judge Jon Land, and 2) Lindsay Preston, CEO of WritingRoom.com.
Third Place and Runner-Up Winners:
- Publishing Package From PublishingRoom.com valued at $600 for Third Place and more than $1,000 for the Runner-up.
- Book Marketing from WritingRoom.com, including a regionally-distributed press release and local media coverage.
- Cash prize of $100 for Third Place and $250 for the Runner-up.
Grand-Prize Winner:
- Publishing Package with PublishingRoom.com valued at more than $1,000
- Book marketing efforts by WritingRoom.com including a nationally-distributed press release, local media coverage and video interview with WritingRoom.com
- Cash prize of $500
- Read and considered by a top New York literary agent, Loretta Barrett
- Read by top editor Eric Rabb of Tor/Forge books
Read the official contest rules and guidelines, and then enter for your chance to win. You don’t want to let this contest pass you by. You’ll be kicking yourself for it – and that hurts.
-Angie
Stephen Colbert Interviews Inaugural Poet Elizabeth Alexander
Two weeks ago, during an interview, Stephen Colbert actually asked interesting questions about meaning and the poetic form employed by Elizabeth Alexander. Using his naïve absurdly conservative comedic approach, Colbert asked questions such as:
- Poems aren’t true, are they?
- What’s the difference between a metaphor and a lie?
- What is a praise song?
- What is an occasional poem?
- Why not use soaring rhetoric?
Learn, laugh and check out the interview here>>
Truth is, Colbert is actually asking about figurative language and its place in literature, which is a debate that has gone on for centuries. Should we simply say what we mean? And what is the point of dressing up meaning with flowery language?
Furthermore, he also inquires (albeit humorously) about the dissection of poetry, because the honest truth is that interpreting the words chosen for a poem ain’t easy, which is also part of the analytical and emotional fun of poetry after all.
Think about it. What did you take away from Alexander’s poem Praise Song for the Day? What is your poetic style? Why do you choose the words you do? Start a discussion, comment on Alexander’s poetry and submit your thoughts on your own poetry here.
