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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS

Pros and Cons of Small Presses

My books are published with a small press with three imprints under their umbrella. They are recognized by the major writers' organizations as a very credible press, with the one most important to me being the Mystery Writers of America. And before you ask who, just know that they are not taking on new authors at the moment. 

So many people are writing these days, and publishers are inundated with submissions. As a result, over the last ten years, the number of small presses has risen. There's even a sub-category of small press called a micro-press, and there are a zillion of those. 

But the Department of Justice/Penguin-Random House anti-trust case is showing us that big traditional publishing has problems, and frankly, is out of touch. A smaller press, however, is closer to grassroots level. In other words, the author and the publisher can actually talk to each other. 

I could talk about specific New York publishers and how they've treated friends of mine, but I won't. Said authors aren't much more than a number, and editors rarely return their calls. If a book doesn't sell well, it's finished, with reversion rights held up for a good long time. Don't even talk about what that does to a book series. 

What I've found to be positive about small press publishing is:

1) They respond more promptly to you. (Mine emails within 24 hours.)
2) They actually admit you are a real human being. 
3) They listen to your opinions, though the contract states they don't necessarily have to. 
4) They negotiate. 
5) They don't mind authors purchasing an inventory of their own books.
6) They are more willing to risk a new author or a new idea.
7) They are more likely to publish non-agented works. 
8) They brainstorm with you.

What I've found to be negative about small press publishing is:

1) Their marketing budget isn't huge. The onus is on the author with some assistance from the press.
2) They cannot absorb production costs as well, so they are passed on down the line. 
3) They can open some doors better than a self-pubbed author, but they do not have nearly the distribution prowess of a bigger press.
4) They may not do hardcover or audio or deal much in foreign or entertainment rights.
5) Agents aren't necessarily fond of pitching to them. 
6) Print runs may be less than 1,000, less even than 500, and can even be print on demand.
7) Advances are zero to pennies.

But it's the world I've chosen for me with no regrets. When I have an idea for a new book, my publisher listens, and she is quite intelligent. Ten years ago she told me to stick to a plan and let the long-tail approach to selling books do its job. In other words, keep writing the books, add to the backlist, increase the series, and readers will come. Keep mentioning yourself...steadily and not necessarily in financially-invested big splashes...and readers will come. Slow and steady eventually gives you a name and sells books.

But most of all, to me, having that solid backing of my small press allows me to focus on writing and 
marketing and living the life I always wanted to as a writer. 

BTW, my publisher is Bell Bridge Books. 
(Unfortunately, they are not open to submissions at present.)

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Featured article

THE NO-RESUME RESUME FOR WRITERS

By Orrin Konheim

Despite having actively worked as a freelance writer for over a decade, I confess my resume looks far more horrible than my college guidance counselor would like. My work history over the past decade has been akin to a hodgepodge of paint splatterings; only, I didn’t have the foresight of a Jackson Pollock to weave it into a work of art.

Everything you’re not supposed to have-- gaps in work histories, retail jobs beneath someone with a master’s degree, tiny gigs lasting bare minutes – is all evident in my resume. And updating a resume is my least favorite activity in the world. 

But here’s the thing: I wouldn’t have it any other way. I grew up and currently live in in what I imagine is the most resume-obsessed city in the country in Washington, DC. Fortunately, my field of freelance journalism doesn’t care whatsoever about resumes. 

For all my editors know, I could have spent time in prison, been fired from every job I worked, or been in an insane asylum. What’s more important to them is past published work, proper communication, and a good idea for their use. For all of freelance journalism’s faults with instability and pay, few other industries have embodied Yankee ingenuity without the trappings of modern bureaucracy. 

But if editors don’t want a resume, what do they want? The basic form of introduction between you and an editor is a pitch or query letter. In this letter, you write an idea, a basic outline of said idea, how it might be relevant to their audience, how you plan to report about it, and what existing access you have to sources and information.  There are a lot of guides out there on the internet about how to pitch, but it’s not as intimidating as it looks.

In either the opening sentence or the final part of your pitch letter, you should establish your credibility as a reporter. Use the first half of the sentence to list who you are and the second half to showcase published clips that have to do with what they’re looking for.  Something along the lines of: “I’m a freelance writer specializing in human interest stories who has published in three dozen publications over the past decade. Some of my biography-based clips have appeared in Virginia Living, Falls Church News Press, and Northern Virginia Magazine.“ If you were a staff writer somewhere with similar experience, list that. 

The goal here isn’t for you to reinvent the wheel each time you pitch, but to be pretty automatic about writing these parts. It might seem like a Sophie’s Choice to choose between your beloved stories, for example, but try not to overthink it. A bit of advice here: Briefly click each of the links just to see if they’re working before you link to them in your paper.  

It’s important to have access to these clips, so you’re not constantly digging them up every time. I keep a sample of my favorite writings on my blog, but a new web tool has provided an even greater resource called Muckrack. 

Muckrack is a site that automatically aggregates all bylines across all media with your name on it and displays it chronologically starting from your most recent work. You can log in and create a profile, but there’s the pleasant surprise of how much the website has done for you, even if you are just discovering its existence. Simply type your first name and last name separated by a hyphen after the hyperlink like this: http://www.muckrack.com/orrin-konheim. Of course, the website might run into glitches if you have a common name and there’s another writer with the same name as you. It’s also not a guarantee that everything you’ve ever written for all time appears on there. 

This is one of the many reasons it’s useful to log in to Muckrack and take control of your profile. This article has instructions for the nuts and bolts.

So what are the basic features (there’s a list of premium features here)? If you feel like your most recent work is your best, you do have the option to curate a portfolio. You can also write a personal statement which can serve as a cover letter to prospective employers about what you’re about. 

Another plus is being able to link your social media, but that’s a double-edged sword, so tread carefully over that decision: You can dazzle people with your social media prowess, but you’ll also have to police yourself to make sure you don’t say something cancellable. Muckrack not only picks up your tweets but your responses so be careful not to participate in any flame wars.

If you’re publishing semi-regularly as I’m doing these days, it’s also extra motivation for me to push myself and take an assignment because it gives me something new on the top of my Muckrack page.

It’s also important to note that Muckrack’s customers are primarily PR professionals who want access to great journalists to pitch stories. Make a decision if it benefits you to have your e-mail inundated with PR pitches and reveal your information accordingly. 

Most importantly, Muckrack is a way to show in a single link what you’re all about. Nowadays, I put it at the bottom of my signature and let my page do the talking.

BIO: Orrin Konheim has been a freelance journalist since 2011 with bylines in the Washington Times, Washington Post, Mental Floss Magazine, Today I Found Out, and over 3 dozen other publications. He primarily writes in the Washington DC and Richmond markets and primarily enjoys film and television writing, local journalism, and the intersections of politics and culture. 

https://muckrack.com/orrin-konheim

COmpetitions

CHARLOTTE LIT LIT/SOUTH AWARDS
https://www.charlottelit.org/litsouth
$15 ENTRY FEE (includes print copy of the journal). Deadline November 1, 2022. Charlotte Lit's second annual Lit/South Awards offers $7,000 in prizes plus publication in three categories: poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction. Four prize levels: $1,500 1st, $500 2nd, $250 3rd, $50 honorable mentions. All prize winners published in the Spring 2023 issue of Litmosphere: Journal of Charlotte Lit. Judges: Bryn Chancellor (fiction, 4,000 words), A. Van Jordan (poetry, one to three poems, up to five total pages), and Melissa Febos (nonfiction, 4,000 words). Open to current and past residents of North Carolina and its four contiguous states: South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.

THE ANTHOLOGY POETRY AWARD
https://anthology-magazine.com/awards-awards/awards/poetry-award-anthology/
ENTRY FEE €15. Deadlines October 31, 2022. The winner will receive a €500 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology. The winner will also receive a one-year subscription to Anthology magazine. To enter, submit an original, unpublished poem, written in English on the subject of ‘Dreams’ with a maximum of 40 lines. Copyright remains with the author but Anthology reserves the right to be the first to publish or arrange a broadcast of selected works. The right to use the poems to further publicise this award is also retained.

JOY HARJO POETRY PRIZE / BARRY LOPEZ NONFICTION PRIZE / RICK DEMARINIS SHORT STORY PRIZE
http://www.cutthroatmag.com/contest.html
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 1, 2022. First Place in each genre $1,300 and publication. Second Place in each genre $300 and publication. Honorable Mention publication. Submit up to three unpublished poems (100-line limit each), one unpublished short story or creative nonfiction piece (5,000-word limit), any subject, any style.

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING FALL FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 30, 2022. Seeking short fiction of any genre 250-750 words. Limit 300 entries. First place $400, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Second place $300, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Third place $200, publication, interview and $25  Amazon Gift Certificate. Seven runners up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication and interview. Ten honorable mentions receive $20 Amazon Gift Card. Top ten stories are published in the WOW! Women On Writing e-zine, and contestants are interviewed on WOW's blog, The Muffin. 

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING CREATIVE NONFICTION ESSAY CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php#EssayContest
$12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 31, 2022. Seeking creative nonfiction essays on any topic (200-1,000 words) and in any style-from personal essay and memoir to lyric essay and hybrid, and more! Open internationally. Limit 300 entries. First place $500, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Second place $300, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Third place $200, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Seven runners up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Ten honorable mentions receive a gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. 

CARVE POETRY AND PROSE CONTEST
https://www.carvezine.com/prose-poetry-contest
$17 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 15. 2022. The annual Carve Magazine Prose & Poetry Contest seeks the best fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from writers all over the world. A guest judge in each genre selects one winner to be awarded a $1,000 cash prize and winners are published in our spring issue in April. One poem, essay, or short story per entry. Submit 10,000 maximum word count for fiction and nonfiction; 2,000 maximum for poetry. We accept entries from anywhere in the world, but the work must be in English.

McKITTERICK PRIZE - UK
https://www2.societyofauthors.org/prizes/the-soa-awards/mckitterick-prize/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 31, 2022. It is given annually to an author over the age of 40 for a first novel, published or unpublished. The prize money is £4,000 for the winner and £2,000 for the runner-up, with each shortlisted author receiving £1,000 (up to four authors). The work must either have been first published in the UK between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2022 (and not first published abroad), or be unpublished.

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

 

BARBARA NEELY SCHOLARSHIP
https://mysterywriters.org/about-mwa/barbara-neely-scholarship/
Deadline October 31, 2022.  The MWA Board of Directors decided to give out two scholarships of $2,000 each per year: one for an aspiring Black writer who has yet to publish in the crime or mystery field, and another for Black authors who have already published in crime or mystery. These two scholarships are intended to assist the winner with writing craft or progress in their crime writing career. At the discretion of the winner, the scholarship can be used for such tools as writing classes or professional conferences, computer equipment or appropriate software, writing retreats or working weekends away from the cares and distractions of home. MWA requires only that the scholarship apply to writing in the crime and mystery genre, which includes both fiction and nonfiction. The award also includes a one-year membership in Mystery Writers of America, including membership in the winner’s local chapter and all member benefits listed at: https://mysterywriters.org/how-to-become-a-member-of-mwa/benefits-of-membership/

HAVEN FOUNDATION GRANTS
https://www.thehavenfdn.org/application/
Your application and all supporting documentation for the current round of grants must be received no later than November 4, 2022. All applications received after that date will be held for the next round of grants. In order to be eligible for assistance an applicant must be a freelance qualified person. The Foundation defines the group as persons connected with the artistic or entertainment industries including, but not limited to authors, actors, singers, dancers, directors, producers, choreographers, musicians, artists and screenwriters selling work or services by the hour, day, job, etc. rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer. An individual who is committed to his/her industry or work, who has derived at least forty percent of his/her annual income over the past three years from his/her personal production, performance or other work in the industry. Must be experiencing a specific career-threatening emergency. The qualified person must have experienced a recent, unforeseen emergency or triggering event that has significantly and adversely affected the qualified person’s ability to produce, perform and/or market his/her work and, thus, creates the need for immediate relief funds and/or assistance. The Foundation is not able to assist in situations of financial need that result solely from lack of employment, poor sales and/or poor business practices. Must be a legal US resident. All work must be done by the qualified person; all work must be done in the United States.

NORTHERN IRELAND SIAP TRAVEL AWARDS
http://artscouncil-ni.org/funding/scheme/travel-awards
These awards enable individual artists and established music groups (up to four members) to travel from Northern Ireland to develop their skills and expertise. Applicants must provide evidence that they have been invited by a host organisation in the country to which they intend to travel. Open to artists of all disciplines and in all types of working practice, who (a) Have made a contribution to artistic activities in Northern Ireland for a minimum period of one year within the last five years.

NEVADA PROJECT GRANTS
https://www.nvartscouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/FY23-PROJECT-GRANT-FOR-ARTISTS-Guidelines-Final.pdf
The PGA is awarded twice a year for projects that take place during a specified six-month period.  Examples of eligible projects include art exhibitions, performances, readings, concerts, the creation of art, recording, filming, portfolio creation, and marketing/promotional activities related to an arts project. Must be a current Nevada resident and have been in residence for at least one year prior to the date of the grant application. Must be a U.S. citizen or have legal resident status. Up to $3,000 (no match required).

  

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

FORGE PROJECT
https://forgeproject.com/
Forging is a digital journal by Forge Project, a Native-led initiative centered on Indigenous art, decolonial education, and supporting leaders in culture, food security, and land justice. Forge hosts Native-led public education and events, a lending art collection focused on contemporary art by Indigenous artists, and a teaching farm and related programs developed in partnership with Sky High Farm. Pays $1 per word for 800 to 1,200 words. Pitch ideas to Frances Cathryn, Editorial Projects Manager at [email protected].

THE NEW REPUBLIC
https://newrepublic.com/pages/contact#submissionGuidelines
If you are pitching an idea for an essay, reportage, or other nonfiction, briefly explain your angle, why it’s timely, and why you’re equipped to write it; generously hyperlink any references and citations in your pitch, so the editor can easily vet it. If you are sending a completed submission, briefly summarize it in your email and either embed or attach your full article. The New Republic does not publish fiction. Minimum rate is $250. Mostly focuses on US politics. The New Republic is an intellectual call to arms for public-minded intellectuals advocating liberal reform in a new industrial age. 

ANDSCAPE
https://andscape.com/
Pitch Britni Danielle, Senior Culture Editor at [email protected]. Looking for article pitches on the following topics: Entertainment profiles / interview; Culture articles / essay about TV / Film / Musical / Visual and Performing Art (no reviews); Author interviews / profiles (no reviews); and Reported pieces on social / political issues. Please put PITCH in the subject line of your email. Rates start at $500+ depending on reporting. 

VALLEJO SUN
https://www.vallejosun.com/
Pitch Scott Morris, Editor at [email protected]. Looking for arts freelancers in the Vallejo, CA area or wider Bay Area, hopefully with some experience writing arts and culture stories but it's not strictly necessary. Writers will do event previews and short interviews. We are looking for articles in the 500 to 1,000-word range. 

EDPOST
https://www.edpost.com/
Pitch Maureen Kelleher, Editorial Partner through a DM on Twitter at https://twitter.com/KelleherMaureen. Looking for freelance education reporters who really know their stuff on early literacy and the science of reading. US-based only. Pay/time depends on the assignment. We are open to multiple articles. Also needs a writer or two for a package of stories looking at the parallels between school bullying and the tactics now being used politically to bar discussion of and support for LGBTQ+ and Black and Brown students.

FABLE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF HORROR, SUSPENSE AND THE SUPERNATURAL
https://pridebookcafe.com/fable-an-anthology-of-horror-suspense-the-supernatural
Deadline November 30, 2022. Original Fiction $.08/word for the first 1,000 words, and $.01/word after
Reprints $.01/word. Flash (1,000 words) up to novella length (39,999 words) (NOT FLEXIBLE). Submissions must fall into one of the following categories: horror, mystery, crime, thriller, and/or suspense. Supernatural elements are encouraged. However, they are not necessary.

VERYWELL MIND
https://www.verywellmind.com/
Editor April McCormick seeks writers with firsthand experience in Big Health, Couples Therapy Inc., Oar RX, RoMind Monument, Included Health, Mantra Health, Array Behavioral Health, NOCD, Ginger, Pathlight Behavioral Centers, Circle Medical, Aguirre, and Growing Self. Pay is between $500 to $750. They specifically need writers who have used at least one of these online therapy providers. This is for Verywell Mind. That said, they assign across all DDM brands - from SHAPE, to Real Simple to Verywells, HEALTH, and Parents.

 

Publishers/agents

CLEIS PRESS
https://cleispress.com/submission-guidelines/
Cleis Press publishes provocative, intelligent books across multiple genres. They accept LGBTQ+ nonfiction, nonfiction on the topic of sex and sexuality (self-help, sexual guides, LGBTQ+ and/or women’s studies, feminism, dating and relationships, sexual health, memoir), and erotic fiction (erotica/romance). 

LITERARY WANDERLUST
https://www.literarywanderlust.com/submissions/
The completed manuscript length should be 60,000 words to 100,000 words. We are currently accepting in the following genres: Adult Romance (all sub-genres and heat levels), Historical and Western Fiction, Adult Paranormal and Urban Fantasy, Adult Crime, Mystery, and Thriller Fiction, Adult LGBTQ, YA Science Fiction and Fantasy. 

TULE PUBLISHING
https://tulepublishing.com/submissions/
We recognize that love is both universal and personal and we are always interested in original story telling and diverse experiences. We are currently seeking #ownvoices for mystery and all romance imprints. Please note that our mystery editorial calendar is completely full for 2023. We are still accepting for 2024. Please note that our romance editorial calendar is completely full for 2023.  American Hearts, Holiday, Montana Born, and Texas Born are still accepting for 2024. It is necessary that submissions to our romance imprints have a central romance plot with a happily-ever-after, or at least, a happy-for-now ending. Short Novel: 45k – 60k words. Long Novel: 60k – 90k words. 

HARD CASE CRIME
http://www.hardcasecrime.com/index.shtml
Hard Case Crime brings you the best in hardboiled crime fiction, ranging from lost noir masterpieces to new novels by today’s most powerful writers, featuring stunning original cover art in the grand pulp style. We also publish comics and graphic novels.
 

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