Find & fetch: Writer’s guide to literary resources, reprised

A fellow writer’s mention on Twitter about blogging his own stories caught my eye. Nothing against self-publishing, indie friends, nothing against self-publishing, but it can drastically reduce the number of other venues willing to pay for the same story. Could I suggest some ways to find markets, my new Twitter friend asked? Yes, indeed. And because this blog about finding literary services ran before I became a twitterer, I’m rerunning an updated version of it now, with information not only about how to find publishing venues but book reviewers, literary agents, illustrations and more. 

Book publicity: Jane Friedman’s Electric Speed newsletter is a wonderful source of information. From her, via Writer Unboxed (another service I subscribe to), comes one writer’s experience with daily deal book promotion sites. These are similar to BookBub, but often more accessible.

Book reviewers: Because I review quite a few books on Amazon (as well as on Goodreads and this blog) I receive far more review requests than can be honored. So imagine my delight on finding a searchable data base of book review bloggers – Best Book Review Blogs of 2018.

I found the versatile site Reedsy through its work as a sponsor for NaNoWriMo. But although I get Reedsy’s emails, I overlooked the book bloggers post until also seeing it on Jane Friedman’s Electric Speed newsletter.

image: pixabay

Contests: Writer Unboxed blogger Arthur Klepchukov posts seasonally about writing contests and why he considers them worth his time (and money). I haven’t seen an update for summer 2018, but fingers are crossed.

Graphs and illustrations: I always use images with my blog posts, so I’m on the lookout for fresh, copyright-free illustrations. My personal favorites for downloading are Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons. I’m just getting the hang of Flickr. All of these encourage users to share their own photos and illustrations, copyright free. 

Not to knock these sources, but when I want photos of more diverse ethnicities, I’m going to try one of Jane Friedman’s suggestions (again!) and go to Nappy which specializes in photos of black and brown people.

Literary agents: Query Tracker is a free, searchable data source of more than 1,500 agents. It allows authors to search by genre, and keep track of query dates, responses, average response times, and more. I’ve found it generally up to date, although you’ll have to check agent websites (links are available) for specific submission guidelines. Query Tracker also lists some publishers who accept unagented manuscripts. Again, check the website links, as I found some of these charge fees.

And don’t forget the old standby, Writer’s Digest’s newsletters, which frequently feature new and hungry literary agents looking to increase their client list, as well as other writerly tidbits.

Publishing markets: In spite of its $50 annual membership fee it’s hard to beat Duotrope Digest for its variety of market listings for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry markets. But if you can’t bring yourself (yet) to pay Duotrope’s fee, a free, searchable alternative for genre writers only is Ralan. Also for genre writers, I've become fond of My Little Corner, mainly devoted to mystery, crime, and horror, but with interesting sidelines. The Submissions Grinder provides services similar to Duotrope at no charge. Jane Friedman also offers suggestions on finding both agents and publishers, from the for-pay Writers Marketplace to freebies like Ralan and more. And as mentioned earlier, Query Tracker provides some references for locating publishers.

New Pages lists a wide variety of literary venues. And for literary information with Texas-angles, check out Lone Star Literary Life.

Scam detection sites: Those, like me, who mourned the demise of Preditors & Editors will rejoice to hear it’s being reborn on a Wordpress site. See the P&E link for updates on the revamp. A more specialized but still useful scam detection source is the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Writer Beware.

As always, I welcome input and personal experiences with these and other literary resources!

Wordcraft – Bridges open to a new year of literary events

Maybe it’s the mild El Niño weather that’s getting spring literary events in Texas get off to such an early start. Here’s a preview of events across the state with emphasis on the North Texas area. As this post shows, the action for 2016 starts next week, so gear up, writers and readers!

January 11 – “Being a Good Literary Citizen” panel discussion sponsored by the Writers League of Texas, 7 p.m. at Half Price Books, 5803 E. Northwest Highway, Dallas. Free.

January 11 – Dallas Museum of Art’s Arts and Letters Live season opens with memoiristas Mary Karr and Mary-Louse Parker, 7:30 p.m., Horchow Auditorium, DMA, 1717 North Harwood. $35.

January 15 – Deadline for the Writers League of Texas new novel contest. No finished manuscript required. Submit first ten pages plus synopsis for chances to have your work professionally critiqued and meet with a literary agent in your genre. Cost $55 for WLT members, $65 for nonmembers. See the site for details.

January 19 – Literature +Medicine conference, with guest speaker Dr. Abraham Verghese (Cutting for Stone, and more). At Fogelson Forum Auditorium on the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas campus, 8200 Walnut Hill Lane, 5:30 – 8 p.m. Cost is $25, which includes a reception with appetizers and beverages.

February 4 – Authors LIVE opens its 2016 season with Stephen Harrigan’s A Friend of Mr. Lincoln, Wesley Hall, Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas. The 7 p.m. presentation is free. Cost of a 6 p.m. reception with the author and a signed copy of the book is $30.

February 12-14 – ConDFW, a literary science fiction and fantasy convention, Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre, 5410 LBJ Freeway, Dallas. Convention membership is $40, special author guests John Scalzi and Seanan McGuire.

February 25 – Highland Park Literary Festival  features guest speaker Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and more) at 7 p.m. in the Highland Park High School, 4220 Emerson Avenue, Dallas. Free.

March – SMU Lit Fest, date TBD.

April 1-30 – Dallas Big Reads. TBD.

April 8-9 – North Texas Book Festival, Patterson-Appleton Center for Visual Arts, 400 East Hickory St, Denton. Dozens of Texas authors eager to connect with readers. Free.

April 23 – North Texas Teen Book Festival, Irving Convention Center, 500 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving. Free.

April 23 – North Texas Book Reviewers Preview, Dallas Library Central Branch, 1515 Young St., Dallas. Meet more than 30 local book reviewers at this free event, starting at 1 p.m.

April 23-24 – DFW Writers Conference, Fort Worth Convention Center, 1201 Houston St., Fort Worth. Slightly early bird registration $350 through February 1.

April 29-May 1 – Houston Writers Guild Annual Conference, Marriott Houston Westchase, 2900 Briarpark Dr., Houston. Early bird registration $170 until April 1.

Wordcraft -- To get your book reviewed, take Tipping’s tips

Joy Tipping

“I have the best job in the world,” Joy Tipping tells Saturday’s meeting of the Mystery Writers of America’s Southwest-Dallas chapter. As the woman who’s written, by a by-line count, six hundred reviews, she’s arrived to tell a roomful of writers how to get the word out about their books. And, surprise--it’s not always by getting a review in a major newspaper.

The bad news, she says, is that chances of getting reviews in a newspaper with the circulation of the Dallas Morning News are vanishingly small. The News receives between 300 and 600 books weekly. From those, it publishes only six to eight full-length reviews each week..

“We give preference to local authors, local settings, Texas authors and Texas books,” Tipping says.

It won’t consider reviewing self-published books, “although,” Tipping says, “I think at some point we're going to have to revisit that policy. That doesn't mean we can't do a feature story about an author.” The News also doesn’t usually review books first published in paperback, although it sometimes makes exceptions for exceptional books.

The good news, though, is that there are more ways than ever of getting reviews in less traditional venues.

Her mantra for anyone seeking publicity is to think local, research newspapers in your region at www.listofnewspapers.com/. 

If your hometown is Dallas, contact the News Neighbors Go community sections, community@neighborsgo.com/, “a great place for feature stories.” Other avenues interested in local writers include Chamber of Commerce publications, alumni newsletters and magazines, society publications, and magazines aimed at particular genres of writing or reading.

And, she says, don’t overlook independent book reviewers, such as the nearly 325 listed in www.theindieview.com/.  (Just when I think I've checked everything, I find something I haven't.  This site was originally reported as "indie review," not "indie view," which is indeed up and running.)

And check book review blogs. Her choices out of the hundreds available on the Internet are:
http://101books.net
http://bookslut.com
http://bookaliciousbabe.blogspot.com 
http://deliberatereader.com
http://bookfetish.org
http://whimpulsive.net/.

For book blogs specializing in mysteries and thrillers, she likes:
http://bookgasm.com
http://drowningmachine.blogspot.com
http://kittlingbooks.com
http://jensbookthoughts.com/.

With so many choices, “how do you find a book reviewer that has your specialty and really gets you?” she asks. “Read reviews” to learn the reviewers preferences. (She admits preferring contemporary and historical fiction by women writers, thrillers and horror.)

Once you’re ready to approach potential reviewers, she recommends making first contact by email, with a good subject line that mentions what you’re seeking, and any local or other connection to distinguish it from the dozens (or hundreds) of other emails the reviewer gets daily.

Even if you get turned down for a full length review, ask the publication if it will consider a mini review on its own blog, Tipping says.

And even more important for writers than reviews, Tipping says, is social media. Next Monday, her suggestions for harnessing its potential--and avoiding its pitfalls.