Creative Writing
Intro
This section contains information about the publishing world, publishing process, publishing options, and establishing a web presence as a writer. It is by no means comprehensive and should be approached as a place to begin gathering information that will help you ask better questions when you talk to the pros (writers who have been through the publishing process, agents, editors, etc.).
The publishing world
Some articles reflecting on the state of the publishing world:
- The Big 5 Trade Book PublishersAn overview of the major trade book publishing companies in the United States.
Trade journals for keeping up on publishing industry news:
- Publishers WeeklyJournal of the book publishing industry, New York-centric. This link is to Mount Holyoke's subscription access to the journal. Current print issues can also be found in the library Reading Room on level 4, back issues in the Periodical Stacks on level 2 1/2.
- Publishers WeeklyLink to the PW web site. Some content is not freely available online.
Publishing process overview
Articles, books that discuss the process of getting your work published:
- Literary Journals & MagazinesAn overview of getting your writing (poem, short story, or creative nonfiction piece) published in a literary journal or magazine. From Poets & Writers magazine.
The Writer's marketCall Number: Main Library Reference PN161 .W83Published annually. Describes itself as a "Where & how to sell what you write" kind of guide. Includes introductory sections on Finding Work (discusses process of getting published) and Managing Work (managing your career) as well as directories of agents, book publishers, consumer magazines, trade journals, contests and awards. There's also a subscription-based companion website.
Behind the Book by Call Number: Main Stacks PN155 .J654 2018ISBN: 9780226405773Publication Date: 2018-03-23Follows 11 authors writing in a range of genres through the process of writing and finally publishing their debut works.
Submitting your work
Web sites listing submission opportunities with specific deadlines:
- Entropy Magazine's Where To Submit postsSmall press/literary magazine focus. Lists announcements of press and journal open reading periods (when they accept submissions), annual contests, etc. New post every 3 months.
- Lambda Literary's Call for Submissions pageLGBTQ focused calls for submissions.
- Poets & Writers Submission CalendarCalendar of awards and prizes for prose and poetry. Publication is often part of the package for winners. Some grants and fellowships also included. Note: these prizes, awards, grants, and fellowships all appear on the calendar on their submission deadline date so it's worth it to browse ahead.
Books and web sites listing publishers (book, ebook, magazine, etc.) by market. Useful for identifying publishers who might be interested in your kind of writing (literary, science fiction, juvenile, poetry, short stories, etc.):
- Independent Publishers & University PressesFrom NewPages. Describes itself as "The best online guide to independent & university book publishers" primarily from the U.S. and Canada.
Literary market place : LMP
Call Number: Main Library Reference PN161 .L5ISBN: 9781573875769Publication Date: Library keeps latest editionLiterary Market Place, published annually, is a directory of the book publishing industry. Volume 1 covers publishers, literary agents, editorial services, trade associations and foundations, calendar of events, book trade courses, awards and prizes, and books and magazines for the trade. Volume 2 covers public relations, book reviewers, book clubs, manufacturers, prepress services, distributors and wholesalers, consultants, employment agencies, translators, and artists and art services. Also available online, for a fee.
- Ralan.comResource for submitting to “speculative genres” (mostly fiction) market. Directory of periodical, book, podcast, and web publishers.
- The Writer's marketCall Number: Main Library Reference PN161 .W83Published annually. Describes itself as a "Where & how to sell what you write" kind of guide. Includes introductory sections on Finding Work (discusses process of getting published) and Managing Work (managing your career) as well as directories of agents, book publishers, consumer magazines, trade journals, contests and awards. There's also a subscription-based companion website.
Submission tips:
- Pitching and Moaning: A Guide to Submitting Your WritingBy instructor and writer Tony Tulathimutte. Subtitled "How to get a story or essay published if you’re not James Franco."
- Query SharkResource for genre fiction writers, but useful for all, on how to write a query letter. A query letter is written to a literary agent to get them interested in reading and representing your work. You might also send a query letter directly to a magazine or book publisher editor.
Self-publishing
Another avenue for getting published is to do it yourself by creating an e-book. While technically fairly easy to accomplish, there is much more work involved to doing this successfully than just transforming your literary creation into an e-book format and uploading it to a distributor. Some articles pondering the pros and cons of self-publishing vs traditional publishing:
- The Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing Your FictionA breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing.
- Traditional or self-publish: what's best for you?The pros and cons of both traditional publishing and self-publishing.
Guides and resources on how to self-publish if you choose to investigate this option further:
- How to Publish an E-Book: Resources for AuthorsA helpful collection of e-book publishing resources under categories including Getting Started & Principles, Sales, Marketing, and Promotion, Tools for Creating & Creating & Formatting E-Books, Major E-Book Retailers, Major E-Book Distributors & Services, etc.
- Start Here: How to Self-Publish Your BookA quick overview of self-publishing via e-book.
Establishing a web presence
Having a web presence - a web site, social media accounts, or a combination of the two - is often recommended so that interested publishers and readers can find you if they google you. There's a range of advice available on how best to create a web presence. A couple of examples:
- Ultimate Guide: Mastering Your Online Author PresenceOverview of the process of creating an author web site and the things it should include. Also tips on using social media to connect with an audience.
- So You’re an Author Without a Social Media Presence: Now What?Puts social media in its place in the larger context of developing a web presence/platform, plus questions to help you decide if engaging with social media is right for you.
If you're interested in experimenting with creating a web page for yourself, Mount Holyoke College students can create a web site for free using our local installation of WordPress:
- commons.mtholyoke.eduMount Holyoke's WordPress server. All mtholyoke.edu account holders can log in and create their own website there. No fees or ads.
While commons is great for your initial foray into building a web site, it doesn't allow you to create your own customized domain name (e.g., yourname.com) and you can only keep it for 2 years after graduation. When you're ready to move on, there are a number of for fee website builder services that will help you register your own domain name and create a site. Here are a couple of articles that list and review these services: