The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Guide to Publishing
and Beyond
Tapping into the expertise of over a hundred talented authors from around the globe, The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond contains something for every writer. Whether you are starting out and need tips on the craft of writing, looking for encouragement as an already established author, taking the plunge into self-publishing, or seeking innovative ways to market and promote your work, this guide is a useful tool. Compiled into three key areas of writing, publishing, and marketing, this valuable resource offers inspirational articles, helpful anecdotes, and excellent advice on dos and don'ts that we all wish we knew when we first started out on this writing journey.
ISBN 9781939844088
235 pages, FREE
IWSG sites – website, Facebook, and Facebook Critique Circle
Find the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords,Goodreads.
Tapping into the expertise of over a hundred talented authors from around the globe, The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond contains something for every writer. Whether you are starting out and need tips on the craft of writing, looking for encouragement as an already established author, taking the plunge into self-publishing, or seeking innovative ways to market and promote your work, this guide is a useful tool. Compiled into three key areas of writing, publishing, and marketing, this valuable resource offers inspirational articles, helpful anecdotes, and excellent advice on dos and don'ts that we all wish we knew when we first started out on this writing journey.
ISBN 9781939844088
235 pages, FREE
IWSG sites – website, Facebook, and Facebook Critique Circle
Find the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords,Goodreads.
Coincidence of coincidences, it's also time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the IWSG invited you to share your writing insecurities or ways to cope with them. You can sign up at the IWSG website.
As I recently sunk into the rejection doldrums before climbing back out again, how about Five Things You Can Do to Beat the Rejection Doldrums?
1. Blast some music, sing, dance, and be ridiculous.
2. Talk to a friend. Especially if that friend is a writer/artist.
3. Go for a walk/hike/swim/bike ride. Something that gets you physical and/or relaxes you.
4. Create. Whether that's by writing, painting, playing music (or composing), taking photos, crafting, sewing, crocheting, or whatever other means of creation soothes you.
5. Research the next market and get it back out there.
I was going to do a Top Ten and be goofy, but I decided at the last minute to keep it serious. And I made it short so I could hear what YOU do to beat the doldrums. Let us know how you pull yourself back up after a rejection.
Now for some links. Always do your due diligence in researching a market before submitting to them. I am merely passing these along, and have not done any research into them.
Accepting Submissions:
Xchyler Publishing is seeking short story entries. They refer to it as a contest, but I'm putting it here since it's run just like anyone accepting submissions. This is for a steampunk anthology entitled The Strange Island of... Pays in royalties. Deadline December 31. 5,000-10,000 words.
WolfSinger Publications is looking for stories for their Weird Western Anthology. Deadline December 31. Pays $5/story + royalties. 500-10,000 words.
Dark Recesses Press is seeking novella length stories for their anthology A Collection of Untimely Hours. Dark fiction. Deadline December 31. Pays $.03/word. 15,000-25,000 words.
Monkey Star Press is putting together two anthologies on parenting. One on tantrums and babysitters, and one on moms, children, and lack of sleep. Essays, creative non-fiction, flash memoir, poems, top ten lists, dos and don'ts, humor, or inspiration. Deadline December 31. Pays $25-200. Up to 2000 words.
Black Beacon Books wants your stories about lighthouses and beacons. Deadline December 31. Pays $20 per story. 3,000-25,000 words.
Upper Rubber Boot Books is seeking submissions for their museum anthology: The Museum of All Things Awesome and That Go Boom. Deadline January 4. Pays royalties. Up to 10,000 words per story or 100 lines per poem.
Jitter Press is seeking horror-themed poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Token payment. Open submissions (no deadline.) 1500 word limit for fiction/non-fiction, 100 line limit for poetry.
Caesura accepts poetry year-round. Pays $20 per poem. Poems under 60 lines preferred.
Contests:
Nightlight Reading is holding a short story contest with the theme Adventure. Aimed at 10-12 year old boys to keep them interested in reading. Deadline December 31. Up to 5000 words. First prize is $1000, plus publication.
Stage of Life has a monthly contest. 100 words or less. Prizes are gift cards from sponsors. The contest is split out by life stages, such as high school, college, married without children, etc.
Have you picked up your copy of the IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond? Why not when it's free? What are your insecurities? How do you handle rejection doldrums? Any of the publications above interest you? Anything to share?
May you find you Muse.
33 comments:
So excited to finally see the book become a reality.
I combine two of those and blast music loudly while running on the treadmill.
Or I just blast my own guitar. My amp goes to eleven...
Good for you for fighting back those rejection doldrums! I like your ideas. I also like to curl up with a good book or give myself permission to watch whatever I want on TV. :)
I've got mine and am reading the great bits by authors.
Keep up the fight against those doldrums.
Great advice. I've researched the business of writing the query letter. Even though a writer may have written the next best seller, unless he/she can write a 'knock it out of the park' query letter, chances are their manuscript won't end up on Amazon's virtual book shelf. I'm now researching the do's and don't's of self-publishing, specifically Smashwords. If I can fully grasp the possibility of succeeding as a Indie writer, I may not have to suffer the pain of rejection letters.
I love the music option. And if I just want to beat something, there's always krav maga.
Blast the music and dance like a loon, the cats don't appreciate joining in lol
Music always gets me out of a funk. :)
I do have my copy of the IWSG guidebook. It's fabulous!
Great ideas for beating those 'down' times. Glad you climbed out.
Thanks for the links! Tweeted!
Oh, those doldrums SUCK. Here's to being out of yours!
Pleasure to meet you! I'm a new follower. :)
What an amazing post! I definitely use music to get me out of the doldrums and talking to friends is also near the top of the list.
I'm ecstatic that the book finally came out myself! Thanks so much for those submission links. I was insane with submissions last year. Although I got mostly rejections, a new year is coming and I'll continue to push forward. Thanks for participating. :) Eva, IWSG, Co-host
I do a lot of those things to beat the doldrums. Sometimes I have so much fun I'm sorry to have to get back to work :)
A great way to tackle rejection Shannon. Go!! Thanks for the links!
I like your ways to tackle rejection. There is a great rejection thread on the Absolute Write Water Cooler that I like to read when I'm rejected. Commiseration is always good.
Sometimes you have to find another way to be creative, whether it's some kind of craft or cooking or building an empire. :) You have to show yourself you still have the mojo. And I think we all have habits that are oddly soothing to us that we don't like to talk about because they're silly. And sometimes you just have to plunge back into whatever scares you the most, look it in the eye and face it down.
mb
Great tips on beating the rejection doldrums!
When I get a rejection, I remind myself that many great and successful writers have experienced what I'm experiencing.
I also give myself permission to read a guilty pleasure book.
You guys put so much work into it! Glad to see it out and about. I like to combine music and a walk.
Those are excellent, too. I do the same with watching something, usually on Netflix.
Such good advice in it!
Good luck with your research and entering Indie publishing! It's a lot of work, but I know so many who find it worth it.
Oooo, I bet krav maga would be an excellent way to work that out.
The cats don't appreciate lunatic dancing, but my cat sure thinks yoga is play time.
Music is magical. The studies where they show how it lights up parts of the brain are fascinating.
I did! It just took a little doing.
Thank you, Shelly!
It's great to meet you, Emily!
The fact that you say mostly rejections says it all--you had acceptances! Congratulations. To me, that's a good year and a success.
That's true! Though I often feel hyped up and full of inspiration if I've done it right.
Thanks! Sometimes you just need to have a little fun.
I'll have to seek that out and see what they've written. Thanks!
All true. I was at my happiest when I was writing during the day and working with my photos at night. Each was a reward for the other. I need to get back to that happy place. Maybe it was before Facebook.
When extremely low, it can't hurt to look up one of those articles on rejections received by now successful authors. It really puts it into perspective. That's a good reminder.
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