So, you've written a story. What now? Well, must be time to submit it for publication, right? Before you do, stop and think about whether this story is really ready to be accepted. What makes me an expert on this topic? Over the past 15 years, I've submitted my work over 1,500 times. This has … Continue reading 60 Reasons Your Writing Will Be Rejected
Thus far in my writing career, I have been the lucky victor of four writing contests, earning a grand total of $155 ($50 of which was in Amazon gift cards, one of which was never delivered). None of these were fee-based contests. I haven't entered a lot of fee-based contests, but I know I'm 0 … Continue reading Are Writing Contests Worth Entering
Most writers dream of making it big, of signing that book deal that will let them quit their day jobs and do nothing but sit around and write. Many writers have the delusion that once they get a foot in the door of a big publisher, the rest will be gravy. Those big-time publishers do … Continue reading Publishing Dreams and Nightmares: Susan Tepper v. The Big Six
Last night, for at least the third time in my writing career, I received the dreaded unacceptance. The unacceptance may be the only thing worse than the rejection. For those who don't know, the unacceptance happens when an editor/publisher decides not to use your story after issuing an acceptance email. Sometimes it happens after rounds … Continue reading The Unacceptance
The other day, I blogged about how great the writing community is. Now, in support of fellow writer Timothy Gager, I must share some not-so-nice writing community news. Here's Timothy's blog post about the horrible situation. It saddens me to think that anyone in our community of writers could stoop to the level of insulting … Continue reading And Now for Some Publishing Gone Wrong…
