Erica Verrillo's Blog, page 29

19 Great Writing Conferences in April 2021

Wikimedia Spring has sprung, and writers are thawing out! This April most writing conferences will be held online. Virtual events still offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions - there is something for everyone.

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences. During the pandemic most of these are being held virtually at reduced rates. Quite a few offer scholarships, so apply early.

Photo credit: Wikimedia

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Norwescon. April 1 - 4, 2021: Sea Tac, WA. Norwescon is one of the largest regional Science Fiction and Fantasy conventions in the United States. Will be held online.

IBPA Publishing University. April 7 - 10, 2021, Redondo Beach, CA. The Independent Book Publishers Association offers 30+ educational sessions including experiential learning labs, insightful keynotes, a gala book award ceremony, networking events, and so more! Cost: $195-$475. Will be held online.

Tennessee Mountain Writers Annual Conference, Apr 8 - 10, 2021: Oak Ridge, TN. Speakers and session leaders include Joseph Bathanti, Karen Salyer McElmurray, Tracy Barrett, and more! 

Las Vegas Writer’s Conference is sponsored by the Henderson Writers’ Group, Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada. April 8 – 10, 2021. Join writing professionals, agents publishers and marketing experts for a weekend of workshops and enlightening discussions about the publishing industry. A chance to pitch your manuscript and ideas to agents. This Year’s Conference is ONLINE.

Michigan Writers Conference, April 9 - 10, 2021, Detroit, MI. This is a special one-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Detroit Livonia Novi. In other words, it’s one day full of classes and advice designed to give you the best instruction concerning how to get your writing & books published. We’ll discuss your publishing opportunities today, how to write queries & pitches, how to market yourself and your books, what makes an agent/editor stop reading your manuscript, and more. No matter what you’re writing — fiction or nonfiction — the day’s classes will help point you in the right direction. Writers of all genres are welcome. Will be held virtually.

San Antonio Book Festival. April 9 - 11, 2021, San Antonio, TX. The San Antonio Book Festival is a FREE, annual, daylong event that unites readers and writers in a celebration of ideas, books, libraries, and literary culture. Featuring more than 80 nationally and regionally acclaimed authors, the Festival offers programming for all ages. Will be held virtually.

Breakout Novel Intensive 2.0. April 12 - 18, 2021: Hood River, Oregon. "Writers of commercial fiction who wish to soar out of category, as well as literary novelists who want to learn how to make powerful story principles work for them, will find the Breakout Novel Intensive 2.0 an idea-packed and career enriching experience. This workshop is as ideal for those just beginning a new project as it is for those embarking on a revision of a completed work. Breakout fundamentals are also covered: strong characters, inner conflict, personal stakes, plot layers, powerful scenes, micro-tension, practical theme techniques and much more."

ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors) Writers Conference, April 13  - 29, 2021 NYC, NY. Focus on Autobiography/Memoir, Business/Technical, Humor, Journalism, Marketing, Nature, Non-fiction, Publishing, Religion, Screenwriting, Travel. Attending: more than 100 editors, authors, literary agents, and publicists. Will be held virtually.
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Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference. April 16  - 19, 2021. The conference features evaluation and discussion of book-length and chapbook-length manuscripts with poets, editors, and publishers. The cost of the conference is $1,000. Using the online submission system, submit a brief bio and three to four poems. Will be held virtually.

Poetry at Round Top Festival. April 19 - 23, 2021. Round Top, Texas. Past faculty includes Mark Doty, Allison Joseph, Alicia Ostriker, ire’ne lara silva, Mary Szybist, Edward Vidaurre, and Jenny Xie. The cost of the conference is $150 ($50 for students) or $75 for Saturday only. Workshops are an additional $40. Private manuscript consultations are available for an additional $70. Will be held virtually.

Grub Street Muse and the Marketplace Conference. April 21 - 25, 2021, Boston, Massachusetts. The Muse and the Marketplace is a three-day literary conference designed to give aspiring writers a better understanding about the craft of writing fiction and non-fiction, to prepare them for the changing world of publishing and promotion, and to create opportunities for meaningful networking. On all three days, prominent and nationally-recognized established and emerging authors lead sessions on the craft of writing—the "muse" side of things—while editors, literary agents, publicists and other industry professionals lead sessions on the business side—the "marketplace." Will be held virtually.

Chanticleer Authors Conference. April 21 - 25, 2021. Writing workshops, presentations, book awards and more. Will be held online.


Nebraska Writers Guild Annual Conference and Writing Retreat. April 22 - 24, 2021: Omaha, NE. Workshops, pitch sessions with an agent and writing sessions followed by evening keynote speakers.

St. Augustine Author-Mentor Novel Workshop, April 22 - 25, 2021, St. Augustine, Florida. "The St. Augustine Author-Mentor Novel Workshop creates an intimate and professional environment that combines private meetings with small-group workshops, thus enabling aspiring authors to wisely approach the writing and publication of their novel. At the St. Augustine event, aspiring authors will:
1) Work one-on-one with top authors and savvy market professionals.
2) Apply advanced story and narrative technique to their novel-in-progress.
3) Hone and improve their writer voice and style.
4) Learn the necessary inside mechanics of the publishing business.
5) Leave the workshop with a detailed plan to work towards publication of their novel.
Group workshop sessions will be interspersed with agent and author consultations, workshop assignments, as well as consults with workshop leaders."

Ozarks Writers League Conference. April 23 - 24, 2021: Branson, MO. The Ozarks Writers League is a group of like-minded individuals dedicated to promoting writing, literacy, photography, and art. Since 1983, OWL has welcomed individuals at all stages of their development. Will be held online.

North Carolina Writers’ Network Spring Conference. April 23 - 24, 2021, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina. Features intensive workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as publisher exhibits, on-site "lunch with an author" readings, and an open mic. Will be held online.

The Pikes Peak Writers Conference. April 23 - 25, 2021. Colorado Springs, Colorado. "The three-day conference is full of topical, in-depth workshops, dynamic keynote speakers, opportunities for one-on-one time with agents and editors, the chance to read your work aloud for constructive critique, plus time to socialize with fellow writers. Will be held online.

Writing on the Door: Virtual Poetry Conference. April 23 - 25, 2021: Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. Poetry readings, talks, conversations with poets and more! Will be held online.

Northern Colorado Writers Conference. April 24 -  May 1, 2021, Fort Collins, CO. Workshops, seminars, speakers, entertainment, agent roundtables, pitch sessions, networking with authors and industry professionals. Will be held online and in person (April 24 workshop only).

31 Places to Publish Novellas and Long Short Stories - Paying markets

If you've written a longer piece of fiction, but not as lengthy as a novel, you may be wondering where to get it published. (As it happens, I am too, because I just wrote one.) With so many literary journals preferring a "sweet spot" of about 3,000 words, a short story of 5,000 words, much less 8,000 words can be a challenge to publish. Once you get over 10,000 words, finding a home for your work can be daunting. 

Nevertheless it is not impossible. There are literary journals and publishers that accept longer short stories, novelettes, and novellas. In case you are wondering what the word counts are for these categories, Duotrope uses these guidelines:

Short story = 1000 to 7,500 words
Novelette = 7,500 to 15,000 words
Novella = 15,000 to 40,000 words

While guidelines can be useful, word counts are hardly fixed for short fiction. A novelette can be anywhere between 7,000 and 20,000 words. But while novellas usually have a top range of 40,000 words, there is no fixed bottom range. What's more, there is a no-man's-land between 40,000 and 60,000 words. Most novels under 60,000 words are deemed "unmarketable" by agents. So, what happens to works between 40,000 and 60,000 words? It's a question for the ages. 

A  word of advice: Resist the temptation to either pare down your work, or beef it up to meet someone else's word count. All literary works determine their own length. To thine own work be true.

Here is an excellent ranking of literary magazines that includes word counts: 

Erika Krouse’s Ranking of 500-ish Literary Magazines for Short Fiction 

Photo credit: Unsplash
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AGNI

Length: No restrictions
Payment: $10 per printed (or printed-out) page

"At AGNI we see literature and the arts as integral to the broad, engaged conversation that underwrites a vital society. Our poets, storytellers, essayists, translators, and artists lift a mirror to nature and the social world. They not only reflect our age, they respond. We have no formula. We seek fresh vision and listen for dynamic voices that address our common reality." AGNI accepts manuscripts between September 1st and May 31st. 

Analog

Length: Up to 80,000 words
Payment: 8-10 cents per word for short fiction (up to approximately 20,000 words), 6 cents per word for serials (40,000-80,000 words)

​"Analog will consider material submitted by any writer solely on the basis of merit. We are eager to find and develop new, capable writers. We publish science fiction stories in which some aspect of future science or technology is so integral to the plot that, if that aspect were removed, the story would collapse. The science can be physical, sociological, psychological. The technology can be anything from electronic engineering to biogenetic engineering. But the stories must be strong and realistic, with believable people (who needn't be human) doing believable things–no matter how fantastic the background might be." Also accepts poetry.


A Public Space

Length: Novelettes and novellas
Payment: Up to $100

"A Public Space is an independent nonprofit publisher of an eponymous award-winning literary, arts, and culture magazine, and A Public Space Books. Under the direction of founding editor Brigid Hughes since 2006, it has been our mission to seek out overlooked and unclassifiable work, and to publish writing from beyond established confines." Has submission periods.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies

Length: Up to 15,000 words
Payment: 8 cents/word

Beneath Ceaseless Skies publishes “literary adventure fantasy”: stories with a secondary-world setting and some fantasy feel, but written with a literary approach. "We want stories set in what Tolkien called a “secondary world”: some other world that is different from our own primary world in some way. It could be different in terms of zoology (non-human creatures), ecology (climate), or physical laws (the presence of magic)." 

Boulevard

Length: Up to 8,000 words
Payment: Prose minimum is $100, maximum is $300.

"While we frequently publish writers with previous credits, we are very interested in less experienced or unpublished writers with exceptional promise. If you have practiced your craft and your work is the best it can be, send it to Boulevard." $3 to submit online. No charge for postal submissions. Has submission periods.

Colorado Review

Length: 15 - 25 manuscript pages
Payment: $200

Part of of the English Department at Colorado State University, "The Center for Literary Publishing partners with writers to bring exceptionally written and published fiction, poetry, and nonfiction to readers through a variety of platforms—notably, Colorado Review and CLP books. Training and cultivating the publishing professionals of tomorrow, the CLP invites graduate student interns to participate in every aspect of the publication process." No fee for snail mail submissions. Has submission periods.


Fairlight Books (UK)

Length: 25,000 to 50,000 words
Payment: Royalties

"Based in the thriving and energetic publishing hub of Oxford, we’re a young, dynamic team wanting to do things a little differently.  Since our inception, our authors have been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, shortlisted for the Paul Torday Prize, the BBC National Short Story Award and on the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction Recommended List. As part of our mission to make quality writing more discoverable, we’ve set up Fairlight Shorts. This online short story portal showcases some fantastic, but previously unpublished, short story writing. Making all of the stories on our website freely available to readers, our aim is to fight the corner for the short story as a form of literature which until recently has been largely abandoned or hidden behind paywalls, and promote and support the writing of these talented authors. With a specific focus on quality rather than quantity, we intend to publish contemporary adult literary fiction and well-written genre fiction. Fairlight Books is open to literary submissions of short stories (no payment), novellas and novels. We are happy to accept submissions of longer fiction direct from authors."

The Fantasist

Length: 15,000 to 40,000 words, although they may consider work that is somewhat longer.
Payment: $100

"We especially like stories set in a well-researched historical setting, set in the present or the future, stories with interaction between magic and science, the Napoleonic Era, Faeries, Dragons (but no dragon tragedy!), and stories not set in Europe. We love apprenticeship narratives/magical education, people coming together, stable romantic partnerships, nuanced friendships, remotely accurate economic and political systems, realistic depictions of power, magic that isn’t explained, highly systematized magic, made up plants, medical stuff combining magic and medicine, tall tales, pastorals, 2nd person, formal weirdness, real languages other than English (bonus points for Russian), constructed languages, intricate worldbuilding, interesting things with real or fictional religion (bonus points for Islamic characters), Speculative CNF, lyric essay, stories that engages with well-known texts, stories that deal with obscure or technical bodies of knowledge, epistemological fiction, epistolary fiction, fantasy inside virtual reality inside science fiction, surrealism, dark fantasy and horror, diagrams, psychology (but do your research), disabled people having sex, fake scholarship (Especially without seeing action in that world), trans and nonbinary characters in historical fantasy, technologically and/or historically accurate seafaring fiction, sex workers, domesticity, stories set in cities about something other than crime, the black-plague as apocalypse, the ridiculous backstabby internecine warfare of the faerie poetry community in Indianapolis, fantasy in small town America, addiction storylines, 12-step programs for magical things, socialism, communism, anarchism, part way into the high flung adventure, the hero buys a nice plot of land and settles down to raise magic sheep. YA is encouraged, but we are not primarily a YA market, and publish for all ages. Special note: We are especially seeking more urban fantasy."

The Georgia Review

Length: Not restricted
Payment: $50 per printed page. All contributors receive a one-year subscription to The Georgia Review.

Founded in 1947, The Georgia Review is the University of Georgia’s journal of arts and letters.  The journal has twice taken a top prize in the annual National Magazine Awards competition, winning out over the likes of the Atlantic, Esquire, the New Yorker, and Vanity Fair, and has been a finalist twenty times in various categories. No fee to submit by regular mail.

Gettysburg Review

Length: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: $25.00 per printed page for prose

The Gettysburg Review, published by Gettysburg College, is recognized as one of the country’s premier literary journals. Since its debut in 1988, work by such luminaries as E. L. Doctorow, Rita Dove, James Tate, Joyce Carol Oates, Richard Wilbur, and Donald Hall has appeared alongside that of emerging artists such as JM Holmes, Lydia Conklin, Jessica Hollander, Emily Nemens, Charles Yu, and Ashley Wurzbacher, who was recently named a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree. They publish poetry, fiction, essays, and art.

GigaNotoSaurus

Length: Up to 25,000 words
Payment: $100

GigaNotoSaurus accepts Science Fiction or Fantasy (or any combination thereof). "We could wax eloquent describing the kinds of stories we like, but it wouldn’t be useful; there are dozens of things we don’t know we like until we try them. Send us that story you really believe in–the one, maybe, that quickly ran out of places to submit it to because it’s so long. Don’t query to gauge our interest in a particular subgenre. Just submit the story. We actively seek to include stories told from and by a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, and genders. We are particularly interested in #ownvoices stories."

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

Length: Up to 10,000 words; they will serialize at a maximum of 50,000 words over four issues
Payment: $100

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is a quarterly ezine dedicated to publishing heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry. "We are unrepentant in our goal of elevating unapologetic sword and sorcery to a rightful high place." Accepts poetry. See submission periods.


Luna Novella

Length: 20,000 - 40,000 words
Payment: Royalties

"Luna Press Publishing™ is an award-winning independent UK press, founded in 2015 by author Francesca T. Barbini. We deal with Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Dark Fantasy, in both fiction and academia. We are also a proud member of Publishing Scotland."

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
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Length: Up to 25,000 words
Payment: 8-12 cents per word on acceptance

​"Fantasy & Science Fiction has no formula for fiction, but we like to be surprised by stories, either by the character insights, ideas, plots, or prose. The speculative element may be slight, but it should be present. We prefer character-oriented stories, whether it's fantasy, science fiction, horror, humor, or another genre. F&SF encourages submissions from diverse voices and perspectives, and has published writers from all over the world. Do not query for fiction; submit the entire manuscript."


Malahat Review

Length: Up to 8,000 words
Payment: $65 CAD per published page

The Malahat Review welcomes submissions in English of previously unpublished work in any of these three genres in a broad range of forms and styles, and the Editorial Boards are pleased to receive submissions from all writers who wish to send their work for consideration, including writers from communities generally under-represented in literary magazines, in particular Indigenous writers, writers of colour, 2SLGBTQIA?+ writers, and writers with disabilities. Writers at all stages of their careers are welcome to submit their work to The Malahat Review. It publishes poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction by new and established writers mostly from Canada, reviews of Canadian books, and the best writing from abroad.

McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern

Length: Not restricted.
Payment: Up to $400

"There are no rules." Has submission periods. (But nobody seems to know when they are.)

Midnight Breakfast

Length: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: $50 

"We love narratives that challenge our perceptions of the world by opening up new ways of conceiving of what’s always been around us. We want to feel electrified by prose—to be taken in by sentence-level writing, where there’s a choreography to the language, the rhythm, the cadence. Most of all, we want to read the kind of work that could only have come from you—if it comes from the gut, it’ll likely hit us in ours." Accepts fiction and nonfiction. Has submission periods.

Missouri Review

Length: Up to 12,000. They prefer under 9,000.
Payment: $40 per page

"The Missouri Review, founded in 1978, is one of the most highly regarded literary magazines in the United States. For the past four decades we’ve upheld a reputation for finding and publishing the very best writers first. We are based at the University of Missouri and publish four issues each year. Each issue contains approximately five new stories, three new poetry features, and two essays, all selected from unsolicited submissions sent by writers throughout the world."

Mocha Memoirs

Length: 30,000 to 80,000 words
Payment: Not specified

"Since 2010, Mocha Memoirs Press’s mission is to amplify marginalized voices in the areas of speculative fiction (science fiction, horror, and fantasy). We publish engaging stories that amplify diverse experiences with vivid storytelling, robust protagonists, and fearless voices."


Narrative

Length: 15,000 to 40,000 words
Payment: $1000

"Narrative accepts previously unpublished manuscripts of all lengths, ranging from short short stories to complete book-length works for serialization. Narrative regularly publishes fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, including stories, novels, novel excerpts, novellas, personal essays, humor, sketches, memoirs, literary biographies, commentary, reportage, interviews, and features of interest to readers who take pleasure in storytelling and imaginative prose. We look for quality and originality of language and content." Narrative charges for online submissions. They have a free open period during the first two weeks of April. 

New England Review

Length: Up to 20,000 words
Payment: $20 per page ($50 minimum)

"NER accepts submissions in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, translation, and NER Digital’s “Confluences” series. We welcome and encourage submissions from writers of every nationality, race, religion, and gender, including writers who have never been affiliated with an MFA program and whose perspectives are often underrepresented in the literary world." Has submission periods.

Ninth Letter

Length: Up to 8,000 words
Payment: $25 per printed page, with a maximum payment of $150, as well as two complimentary copies of the issue in which the work appears.

"Ninth Letter is published semi-annually in print at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work." Has submission periods.

One Story

Length: Up to 8,000 words.
Payment: $500 and 25 contributors copies. 

One Story is seeking literary short stories. "They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone." Single stories are sent to email subscribers every month. See reading periods.

Ploughshares Solos

Length: 7,500 to 20,000 words.
Payment: $450

"Ploughshares has published quality literature since 1971. Our award-winning literary journal is published four times a year; our lively literary blog publishes new writing daily. Since 1989, we have been based at Emerson College in downtown Boston." Submissions accepted June 1 to January 15. Charges for online submissions. No charge for mailed submissions.

River Styx

Length: Up to 8,000 words
Payment: $25 to $150


"As a multicultural magazine of poetry, short fiction, essays, short plays, and art, River Styx seeks to publish work that is striking in its originality, energy, and craft, from both new and established writers. The high quality of work published in River Styx has made it a leader among literary magazines for over 45 years. River Styx has been included in many editions of the Best American Poetry, Best New Poets, New Stories from the South, and Pushcart Prize anthologies." Has submission periods. Opens March 1.

Shenandoah

Length: Up to 8,000 words
Payment: $100 for every thousand words of prose—for a maximum honorarium of $500 per author)

"Shenandoah aims to showcase a wide variety of voices and perspectives in terms of gender identity, race, ethnicity, class, age, ability, nationality, regionality, sexuality, and educational background (MFAs are not necessary here). We love publishing new writers; publishing history is not a prerequisite either. Checking out our current issue is another great way to get a sense of the kind of work we like."

Silver Shamrock

Length: 30,000 to 60,000 words
Payment: Royalties

Silver Shamrock publishes hard-hitting horror novels and novellas. They are interested in unique takes on classic horror tropes: demons, witches, vampires, etc. No YA, gore, or torture.

Virginia Quarterly Review (VQR)

Length: Up to 8000 words
Payment: $1000

"VQR strives to publish the best writing we can find. While we have a long history of publishing accomplished and award-winning authors, we also seek and support emerging writers." Only opens for submissions in July.

Viva la Novella (Contest)

Length: 20,000 - 40,000 words
Prize: $1,000 and publication in Seizure
Note: Open to Australian and New Zealand writers only.

"In 2012 Seizure began a novella prize to celebrate and promote short novels – because we love the form and believe some of the greatest works in the English language are actually novellas. Even in its first year, competition was fierce with over 80 submissions. We made a shortlist in January 2013 and selected a winner, working on the book in secret until the big reveal at the Emerging Writers Festival in Melbourne where Sandy Grant spoke of the power of the form and the support of Copyright Agency which would kick in for our second year. The inaugural winner was the talented, subtle and emotionally powerful Midnight Blue and Endlessly Tall by Jane Jervis Read." Entry period opens in October and closes December 31.

Worldweaver Press

Length: 20,000 (min) to 100,000 (max)
Payment: Royalties

"World Weaver Press looks for speculative fiction. Anything that does not contain a speculative element (i.e. fantasy or science fiction) will not be considered. We are interested in standalones, duologies, or trilogies only. Longer series will not be considered at this time. We publish in both digital (ebook) and paperback (print on demand) formats. Unagented submissions welcome."

ZYZZYVA

Length: No upper limit
Payment: Token to semi-pro.

ZYZZYVA is a print journal based in San Francisco. "We have established a vigorous tradition of finding and fostering new talent, in our backyard and beyond. For over thirty years ZYZZYVA has nurtured emerging writers, many of whom go on to spectacular careers (Haruki Murakami, Po Bronson, F.X. Toole, Kay Ryan, Sherman Alexie) and whose work in ZYZZYVA is recognized by the Pushcart Prize, the Best American series, the O. Henry Prize Stories, and other awards organizations." They publish fiction, poetry, essays, and artwork. They accept submissions from January 7 through May 31, and September 1 through November 19. Snail mail submissions only.

10 Speculative Literary Magazines Open for Submissions NOW - Paying markets

Piqsels
These ten speculative fiction and poetry magazines are currently open for submissions. All are paying markets and none charge submission fees. They are looking for a wide range of speculative fiction, including horror, dark fantasy, science fiction, fantasy, magical realism, and anything else that falls within the untrammeled bounds of your wild imagination.

Image credit: Piqsels
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Asimov’s Science Fiction

Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine is an established market for science fiction stories. "In general, we’re looking for “character oriented” stories, those in which the characters, rather than the science, provide the main focus for the reader’s interest. Serious, thoughtful, yet accessible fiction will constitute the majority of our purchases, but there’s always room for the humorous as well. SF dominates the fiction published in the magazine, but we also publish borderline fantasy, slipstream, and surreal fiction. No sword & Sorcery, please. Neither are we interested in explicit sex or violence." Payment: Asimov’s pays 8-10 cents per word for short stories up to 7,500 words, and 8 cents for each word over 7,500. They seldom buy stories shorter than 1,000 words or longer than 20,000 words, and they don’t serialize novels. They pay $1 a line for poetry, which should not exceed 40 lines. 

Analog

"Analog will consider material submitted by any writer solely on the basis of merit. We are eager to find and develop new, capable writers. We publish science fiction stories in which some aspect of future science or technology is so integral to the plot that, if that aspect were removed, the story would collapse. The science can be physical, sociological, psychological. The technology can be anything from electronic engineering to biogenetic engineering. But the stories must be strong and realistic, with believable people (who needn't be human) doing believable things–no matter how fantastic the background might be." Payment: Analog pays 8-10 cents per word for short fiction (up to approximately 20,000 words), 6 cents per word for serials (40,000-80,000 words), 9 cents per word for fact articles, and $1 per line for poetry.

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

"Fantasy & Science Fiction has no formula for fiction, but we like to be surprised by stories, either by the character insights, ideas, plots, or prose. The speculative element may be slight, but it should be present. We prefer character-oriented stories, whether it's fantasy, science fiction, horror, humor, or another genre. F&SF encourages submissions from diverse voices and perspectives, and has published writers from all over the world. Do not query for fiction; submit the entire manuscript. We publish fiction up to 25,000 words in length." Payment: Payment is 8-12 cents per word on acceptance. 

THE HORROR ZINE'S BOOK OF WEREWOLF STORIES

Requirements: Must be original, never previously published, no reprints. Between 3K and 4,500K words. Must be on a word or RTF document, single spaced with indented paragraphs. No PDF files. Must type "Werewolf Submission" in the subject line. "Please include your name and email address upon your submission. Don't create Lon Chaney Jr.--think outside the box. Email your stories to thehorrorzine@gmail.com" Payment: $20 per accepted story. 

DL Russell Books: Big Man Selling Calendars

Genre(s): Horror, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal. "We're looking for Dark and strange here. People you meet and come to wonder if there's something wrong with them? Those who make us ask if  they're demented, dangerous, or even human?" Word Count: 1500 - 3500."Well written, character driven horror has the best chance within this anthology.  Email Submissions to dlrussellbooks@gmail.com with "Calendar People Submission in the Subject Heading." Payment: $25 and 3 Print Copies plus additional copies at cost. 

Orion’s Belt

"Orion’s Belt is the home of bold, experimental literary science fiction and fantasy. We want stories that make us think about our place in the universe and our relationships with each other. We want stories that blur the line between “genre” fiction and literary fiction. We want stories that reach toward the stars while never forgetting the people on the ground. And we want it all in under 1200 words. It’s a difficult challenge, but we have faith in you, fellow cosmonauts. Payment: 8 cents USD ($.08) per word. This is the industry-standard, SFWA-approved professional rate. Thus, if your story is 1000 words (not counting title, byline, etc.), you will receive $80 after publication. If your story is 500 words, you will receive $40." 

Mysterium Tremendum

Mysterium Tremendum is a quarterly chapbook. "Nonfiction, short fiction, and poetry that in some way examines or exists within this liminal space is welcome here. We’re paying flat fees of $50 for nonfiction (film studies welcome) and fiction of 3,000 to 6,000 words in length. All nonfiction should be formatted using Chicago Manual of Style, no exceptions. Each chapbook will be around 45 pages in length and available in limited numbers from the SMM website. Each issue will also be made available on Amazon Kindle." Payment: $25 for all poems. 

Nightshade and Moonlight

Genre: Fantasy (anthology excludes erotic). Word count: 3k-8kAll stories must contain a dark fae as either the main character or sidekick. Authors may submit up to 2 stories for consideration.  Payment: Accepted authors will receive $20.00 per author. 

Nevermore

Genre: Supernatural and horror. Word count: 3k-8k. All stories must contain a supernatural and horror element. Authors may submit up to 2 stories for consideration. Payment: Authors will receive $20.00 per author. 

Constraint 280
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Constraint 280 is a venue for narrative speculative work up to 280 characters long. This usually means microfiction and poetry, but things like Twitter bots that generate tweets are also welcome. Experimental and interactive forms are very much welcome. Code may exceed 280 characters if the printed output is 280 characters or under. Payment: $2.80.

"Conservative" Publishing and the First Amendment

A recent letter to the editor in Publishers Weekly addresses several important points concerning freedom of speech, the first of which is a clarification of the First Amendment, as it applies to publishing. The First Amendment simply prohibits Congress from passing any law that restricts freedom of speech. It does not guarantee that your speech will be published. That comes under the auspices of free market, not free speech. In short, you can talk, but nobody is obliged to listen, or to give your speech a platform. In addition, there are numerous forms of speech that are not protected under the First Amendment, including lies, libel, slander, incitement to violence, seditious speech, threats, child pornography, fraud, commercial speech, plagiarism, and advocating any criminal behavior.

The second point made in this letter is whether publishing companies have an obligation to consider the harm they do when they publish "violence and vitriol," while excluding those on the receiving end. This is not necessarily a legal consideration (until their companies are sued) but it is certainly an ethical one. Does the quest for the almighty dollar relieve publishers of responsibility when what they publish leads to persecution, destruction, and death? In fact, that responsibility does rest with publishers. Inciting violence is a felony, and hate speech can be punishable if it results in assaults and murders. So, while publishers may wish to make a profit from thinly veiled white supremacists masquerading as "conservatives," they may want to consider the implications should those publications be used as justification for violence or insurrection. If and when they are sued, neither the authors nor their publishers will be able to claim "freedom of speech" as a defense.
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Letter to the Editor: We Need to Define 'Conservative Publishing' 
Elham Ali and Anita Ragunathan | Feb 05, 2021, Publisher's Weekly 
As cultural institutions, publishing houses certainly have a responsibility to document the many faces of society, including the 74 million Americans who voted for Trump. However, the framing of these viewpoints is an even more daunting task. From an innocent pat on the former president’s head by a late-night television host to the publication of a noted transphobic professor, the output of cultural institutions has an impact on the collective consciousness of American society. When the messenger upholds the dehumanization of Black, Indigenous, racialized, LGBT+, and disability communities, their message can and has led to violence against these communities.
For many years, publishers have been quietly profiting off of this violence and vitriol, all the while systematically excluding those on the receiving end from the publishing world. And even in the last decade when strides have been made, largely led by a “new generation” of publishing professionals and smaller indie publishers, to be more inclusive of minority communities both in books and offices, these “controversial” authors have continued to be published under the cloak of “conservative” presses.
The demise of “conservative” publishing is being framed as an issue of liberalism v. conservatism or left v. right. This is not only wrong but dangerous rhetoric. Younger industry members are not calling for the halt to reprints of Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman or the muzzling of Grover Norquist, for a more contemporary example. Conservative houses and imprints like Regnery are responsible for publishing and giving a platform to a particular brand of conservative: far right and inflammatory.
Read more HERE.

58 Calls for Submissions in March 2021 - Paying markets

Pixabay This March there are nearly five dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.





I post calls for submissions on the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

Happy submitting!
Image credit: Pixabay
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Thema: A Postcard from the Past. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: A Postcard from the Past. Payment: $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: March 1, 2021.  Accepts reprints.
The Blue Route. Restrictions: Only the work of current undergraduate writers will be considered. Genres: Fiction, or creative nonfiction totaling no more than 3000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

The Evil Cookie Publishing: Gorefest. Genre: Horror. Payment: $0.03/word. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Parabola: Young & Old. Genre: Retellings of traditional stories: 500-1500 words, original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Cuppatea Publications: We Cryptids. Genre: Urban fantasy about cryptids (like Bigfoot, Nessie, vampires, werewolves, kraken, etc) Payment: $200 + royalties. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Canthius. Genres: Unpublished poetry and prose (both fiction and creative non-fiction – "we welcome experimental works and play excerpts). Please limit prose submissions to 3500 words and poetry submissions to five poems." Payment: $50 for one page, $75 for two pages, $100 for three, $125 for four pages, and $150 for five pages or more, regardless of genre. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Carousel. Restrictions: Open to Canadians only. Genre: Poetry and fiction. Payment: Poetry: $20 per poem — Fiction: $40–$80 per story — Experimental Reviews: $20–$40 per review. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

OUT THERE: Into the Queer New Yonder! Restrictions: Open to queer YA authors. Genre: Speculative fiction about queer teen protagonists, set in the future. Payment: $900 (US) plus a pro-rated share of any royalties received on the sale of the anthology. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Genre: Short stories and poetry. See themes. Payment: 20.00 USD for featured authors, or $10.00 USD for stories published on their &More page and $5.00 USD for poems. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

PTMN.TEAU. Genre: Fiction & creative non-fiction; Poetry & prose; Short & long-form writing. Submissions may be no longer than 5,000 words. Payment: Unspecified. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

The Wire’s Dream Magazine. Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Art, Photography, Combined Work from underprivileged individuals. Payment: $5. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

B Cubed Press. Genre: Fiction, essays, and poetry on three themes: Protest Diaries: “Stories from the front lines of revolutions throughout history.” Alternative War: “War shapes the world through technology, boarders, and norms. What will come next?” Stories can take place anywhere in time and space. Alternative Deathliness: “Death brings so many options” – this anthology will be a “fun filled romp into the concept and nature of Death.” Payment: 2 cents/word plus royalties. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Contrary Magazine. Genres: Fiction and poetry. Payment: $20 per author. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 6 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: March 2, 2021.

Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy tales, and essays on theme of “Healers, Midwives and Cunning Folk.” Payment: $100. US dollars only. Essays: $50. Deadline: March 3, 2021.


Havok. Genre: Flash fiction on Theme of Purple. Payment: $10 via PayPal for each story published in an Anthology. Deadline: March 7, 2021.

Scum. Genre: Feminist-friendly work of any variety, but as a general rule your piece should be under 2000 words (50 lines for poetry, max. 3 poems) and able to be classified as “fiction”, “culture”, “memoir”, “column”, “poetry”, and/or “review”. Payment: $60 AUD. Deadline: March 7, 2021.  Opens to submissions on March 1.

Augur. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. "Send us your dreamy, your quiet fantasy, your soft scifi, your literary pulp, your liminal, your slipstream, your fabulism." Payment: $60/poem; $0.11/word fiction. CAD. Deadline: March 7, 2021.

Into the Void. Genre: Poetry, fiction. Payment: $10 per poem, flash fiction or visual art piece, and $20 per long-form prose piece. Deadline: March 7, 2021. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fees.

Mslexia. Genre: Fiction, poetry. "PORTRAIT: For Issue 90 we’re looking or pieces about artists and their subjects, about seeing and being seen, about paint, pencil and film." Payment: £25. Deadline: March 8, 2021.

Lightspeed. Genre: Original, unpublished science fiction short story or novelette by writers who identify s BIPOC. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: March 8, 2021.

Cricket Media: Faces: Great Cities of the World: Athens Genre: Nonfiction articles, fiction, activities for children. Send query only. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: March 8, 2021.

Dark Carnival Anthology. Genre: Circus and carnival themed horror stories. Payment: $10. Deadline: March 10, 2021.

Aesthetic: A Dark Academia Anthology. Genre: Young Adult and New Adult Dark Academia short stories. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 10, 2021.

DreamForge Anvil. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction. Payment: Between $0.04 and $0.06/word. Deadline: March 13, 2021.

Flame Tree Publishing: Chilling Crime Anthology. Genre: Crime stories. "It's time to turn to the darker side: the cold cases, the grim murders, the desperate villains, and the race against time to solve the crime. We're seeking up to 20 new stories to join our powerful collection of Chilling Crime Short Stories, new and classic tales reaching back into ancient, medieval, Elizabethan and Victorian fiction. From Oedipus Rex and Medea to Thomas More's story of the Princes in the Tower, Scheherazade's 'The Three Apples' and the chilling crime fiction of Dickens, Poe, Henry James, Baroness Orczy and Wilkie Collins." Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Deadline: March 14, 2021.

Blackbird. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, memoir excerpts. Payment: Unspecified. Deadline:  March 15, 2021.

Unsettling Reads: Hope Screams Eternal. Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Literary, and/or Sci-Fi. Stories, art, and poems that unsettle, unnerve, frighten, discomfit, challenge, and/or just generally entertain. Must use one of these words: Hatch, Resurrect, Bunny, Seed(s). 7500 words max. Payment: $20. Deadline:  March 15, 2021.
Muse Magazine. Genre: Nonfiction articles for children on theme of Colors and Art Therapy.  Payment: Not specified. Deadline: March 15, 2021.

Lightspeed. Genre: Original, unpublished science fiction short story or novelette. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: March 15, 2021.

Hungry Zine. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction about food. Payment: $50. Deadline: March 15, 2021.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry on theme of Weird West. Payment: US 3¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $3, maximum $25. Payment is on publication. Deadline: March 15, 2021.

The Periodical, Forlorn. Genre: Tales of maritime disaster. Elements of the supernatural are welcome, as are stories that utilize elements of horror and science-fiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: March 15, 2021.

In the Nick of Time. Genre: Thriller short stories. Payment: Revenue sharing. Deadline: March 15, 2021.

Bracken. Genre: Poetry and art. "Bracken is a literary magazine born of the love of the woods and its shadows." Payment: $30. Deadline: March 16, 2021.

carte blanche. Genre: Comics, Photography, Poetry, and Translations on theme of Resilience. Payment: Modest honorarium.  Deadline: March 18, 2021.

Unbound: The Experiment Will Not Be Bound: An Experimental Anthology of American Writing. Genre: Experimental writing. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: March 21, 2021.


Sundamaged. Genre: Personal essays, impersonal essays, CNF and fiction up to 5,000 words, and prose poetry of up to a page in length. The piece must be related to their themes of travel, anti-travel or neo travel in some way. Payment: $10. Deadline: March 21, 2021.

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Speculative (science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and horror) and literary fiction. Payment: $80. Deadline: March 21, 2021.

Griffith Review 73: Hey, Utopia! Genre: Essays and creative non-fiction, reportage, fiction, poetry, memoir and picture stories. "This edition of Griffith Review visits utopias old and new, near and far, to explore the possibilities and pitfalls of imagining a better future." Payment: Negotiated. Deadline: March 25, 2021.

The Puritan. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 per nonfiction piece, $50 fiction, $15 per poem. Deadline: March 25, 2021.


The Omens Call. Genre: Horror on theme of Omens. Payment: $20 - $30. Deadline: March 28, 2021.

Dragon Soul Press: Spacebound. Genre: Science Fiction. "All stories must include elements of sci-fi. Whether discovering aliens, space travel, or terraforming new planets are involved, the options are endless." Word Count – 5,000-15,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Yellow Arrow Journal. Genre: Creative nonfiction, poetry, cover art by authors that identify as women. Theme: Renascence. Payment: $10. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Hiraeth Books: parABnormal Magazine. Genre: Stories, poetry, nonfiction about the paranormal. Payment: $25 for fiction, $20 for articles, $7 for reviews, $6 per poem. Deadline: March 31, 2021.


Engen Books: 2SLGBTQAI+ Community Anthology. Restrictions: Open to Canadians. Genre: Stories by and for the 2SLGBTQAI+ community that feature 2SLGBTQAI+ characters in any stage of life and from a range of cultures, identities, and experiences in a wide variety of genres and styles, including General Fiction, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, and most other genres. Payment: $0.01 CAD per word to an upper limit of 7,500 words. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Bloodroot. Restrictions: Open to all writers who currently live in one of the six New England states, but stories do not need to be set in New England. (The six New England states are Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.) Genre: Mystery, thriller, suspense, caper, historical, and horror.  Payment: $25. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

The Crypt. Genre: Fiction or poetry of any theme / genre will be considered, as long as there’s at least a hint of darkness. Length: 500 words max. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Misspelled – Magic Gone Awry. Genre: Short stories no more than 7000 words exploring the theme of magic and the mishaps that could happen with its use. Payment: $50. Deadline: March 31, 2021.


Southword. Genre: Fiction. Payment: €250 per short story. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Westerly. Genre: Short stories, poetry, memoir and creative non-fiction, essays and literary criticism. Payment: Poems: $120 for one poem or $150 for two or more poems; Stories: $180; Articles: $180; Visual art/Intro essay: $120; Reviews: $100; Online Publication: $100. "We expect our contributors to be subscribers of the Magazine. While we will accept submissions from non-subscribers, should your work be accepted for publication in this instance, you will be asked to accept a subscription to the Magazine as part payment for your work." Deadline: March 31, 2021.

The Rush. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art. "We're looking for high-energy pieces that reflect the rush of life." Payment: Not specified. Deadline: March 31, 2021.
11:11 Press is a small indie publisher located in Minneapolis. Genre: They publish full length fiction, poetry, and hybrid manuscripts. See  submission details here . Deadline: March 31, 2021.

The Were-Traveler: My job is a Hellhole! Genre: Fantasy, dark fantasy, horror, humor, and science fiction short stories and drabbles. “Working for demons, imps, devils, and other minions of hell. Your boss is a denizen of the underworld, but the story can take place in any setting. Any setting means: hell, another planet, Modern Earth, Future Earth. Heaven? Sure why not? Maybe there’s an employee exchange program between heaven and hell.” Payment: Up to $15. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times. Genre: True stories and poems. "Tough times won’t last but tough people will. We are looking for stories about how you have been affected and how you are handling the changes in your life. We’re looking for the ups and downs, so share the tough times but also the silver linings, the unexpected blessings, and resilience and gratitude that you have discovered." Payment: $200. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Angels. Genre: True stories and poems. "We are looking for true personal stories about how an angel has touched your life – stories of true wonder and awe from people who have directly encountered or received help from angels. We’re looking for amazing stories that will make people say “wow” or give our readers chills. Have you experienced something otherworldly or celestial? Or had a personal experience with an angel or divine being? How did your angel manifest himself or herself to you? Were you the only person who saw your angel? How did your angel protect or guide you?" Payment: $200. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Red Cape Publishing: A-Z of Horror – I is for Internet. Genre: Horror. Payment: £10. Deadline:  March 31, 2021.

Split Lip Magazine. Genre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $50 per author (via PayPal) for our web issues. Payment for print is $5 per page, minimum of $20, plus 2 contributor copies and a 1-year subscription. Deadline: March 31, 2021. Note: Submit early in the month.

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $100. Deadline: March 31, 2021. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee. 

AND A FEW MORE...

West Branch. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation. Payment: $50 per submission of poetry, and $.05/word for prose with a maximum payment of $100. Deadline: April 1, 2021.

Inklings: Tales From Alternate Earths. Genre: Alternative history. Payment: $50. Deadline: April 1, 2021.

Mikrokosmos: Mojo. Genre: Fiction, poetry, CNF. Payment: $15. Deadline: April 1, 2021.


Tales From the Magician’s Skull. Genre: Sword-and-sorcery fantasy. Payment: 4 cents per word. Deadline: April 1, 2021.

Iron Horse Literary Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $100 per essay or story, and $50 per poem or flash piece. Deadline: April 1, 2021.

Salamander. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: April 1, 2021.

Gordon Square Review. Genre: Poetry, short stories, personal essays, and hybrid prose works. Payment: $25 per prose piece and $10 per poem. Deadline: April 1, 2021.

52 Writing Contests in March 2021 - No entry fees

Pixabay ​This March there are more than four dozen writing contests calling for every genre and form, from poetry, to creative nonfiction, to completed novels. Prizes range from $60,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.



Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.
If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline is past, you can prepare for next year.
Good luck! 


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Bergman Prize. Genre: First or second collection of poetry. Prize: $10,000 and publication. Deadline: March 1, 2021.
North Carolina State Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to North Carolina residents with no published books. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Writing for Peace. Restrictions: Open to writers ages 13-19. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. "Writing for Peace challenges young writers to expand their empathy skills by researching an unfamiliar culture and writing from the point-of-view of a character within that new world, while exploring social, political, and environmental pressures, and universal themes." Prize: $200.  Deadline: March 1, 2021.

The Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award introduces emerging writers to the New York City literary community. The prestigious award aims to provide promising writers a network for professional advancement. Since Poets & Writers began the Writers Exchange in 1984, 85 writers from 33 states and the District of Columbia have been selected to participate. Restrictions: Open to Arkansas residents. Genre: Poetry and Fiction. Prize: A $500 honorarium; A trip to New York City to meet with editors, agents, publishers, and other writers. All related travel/lodgings expenses and a per diem stipend are covered by Poets & Writers. Winners will also give a public reading of their work; and One-month residency at the Jentel Artist Residency Program in Wyoming. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

International Young Writers Prize (for High School Aged Writers). Restrictions: Open to high school student writers (ages 14-18) from around the world. Genre: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for young adults & children, & hybrid work. Prize: $100 and publication. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Alabama Arts Council Fellowships. Restrictions: Open to any author who has lived in Alabama for at least 2 years. Genre: Fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction of 10-20 pages. Prize: $5,000.  Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Mississippi Artists Fellowships. Restrictions: Open to permanent residents of Mississippi. Genre: Fiction and poetry. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Balticon Poetry Contest. Sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Genre: Speculative poetry. Prize: 1st prize: $100; 2nd prize: $75; 3rd prize: $50. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Christopher Tower Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to UK students between 16-18 years of age. Genre: Poetry, one poem, maximum 48 lines. Theme is "underwater." Prize: £5,000. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

The Ungar German Translation Award is bestowed biennially in odd-numbered years. Genre: Book-length literary translation translated from German into English and published in the United States between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020. Prize: $1,000, a certificate of recognition, and up to $500 toward expenses for attending the ATA Annual Conference in San Francisco, California.   Deadline: March 1, 2021. Contest held in odd years.


United States/Japan Creative Artists Residencies. This is a 3-5 month residency in Japan. Grant: $24,000. Deadline: March 1, 2021. 

Beverly Hopkins Memorial Poetry Contest for High School Students. Restrictions: High school students living within 100 miles of St. Louis. Genre: Poetry. Prize: First prize $200, Second prize $125, Third prize $75. Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Grant MacEwan Creative Writing Scholarship is sponsored by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Genres: Poetry, Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction, Drama, or Graphic Novel. Restrictions: Authors must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate creative writing program of study or mentorship. (Max age 25) Alberta residents only. Prize: $5000 (CAN). Deadline: March 1, 2021.

Fountain Magazine Essay Contest. Genre: Essay. 1,500 - 2,500 words. "We want to hear your COVID-19 story. What has the virus taught you about life? If you were not infected, what has your experience been like as an “outsider?" Prize: 1st Place - $1,500, 2nd Place - $750, 3rd Place - $300, Two Honorable Mentions - $200 each. Deadline: March 1, 2021.


The Waterman Fund Essay Contest. Genre: Personal essays between 2000 and 3000 words. The topic is, simply, changes in the wild. Prizes: The winning essayist will be awarded $1500 and publication in Appalachia Journal. The Honorable Mention essay will receive $500. Deadline: March 2, 2021.

On The Premises: Repairs. "For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which one or more characters try to repair something. The “something” can be tangible (e.g., a smartphone, a bad haircut, a broken leg) or intangible (e.g., a relationship). The judges don’t care whether the characters succeed in their repair efforts, so long as they try." Prize: $250 for first place, $200 for second, $150 for third. Deadline: March 5, 2021.

Jane Martin Poetry Prize (UK). Restrictions: Open to UK residents between 18 and 30 years of age. Genre: Poetry. Prize: £700, second prize, £300. Deadline: March 5, 2021.


The Young Romantics Prize. Genre: Essays or poem on theme of  'Writ in Water'. Essays may be on any aspect of the works or lives of the Romantics and their circles, should be no more than 3,000 words including quotations, and should be written in a clear and accessible style. Prize: £5,000. Deadline: March 7, 2021.

Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. Genre: Adventure writing novel. Separate categories for published and unpublished books. Self-published books accepted. Prize: £15,000. Deadline: March 7, 2021.

"It's All Write!" Teen Short Story Contest. Restrictions: Open to Grades 6-12. Genre: Short story, and flash fiction, unpublished. Prize: 1st Place $250, 2nd Place $150, 3rd Place $100. Deadline: March 7, 2021.

Forward Prizes. Genre: Collections and single poems published in the UK and Ireland between September 2019 and September 2020 are eligible for the Prizes. Must be submitted by publisher. Prize: £1,000 to £10,000. Deadline: March 8, 2021.


Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Non-Fiction. Genre: Literary non-fiction. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. Prize: $60,000 will be awarded to a literary nonfiction book published between October 1, 2020 and March 9, 2021. Deadline: March 10, 2021.

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Genre: Fiction. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. No self-published works. Prize: $25,000 will be awarded to a novel or short-story collection published between October 1, 2020 and March 9, 2021. Prizes of $2,500 will be awarded to each of the finalists. Deadline: March 10, 2021.

NEA Literature Fellowships are sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. Prize: $25,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry to published creative writers that enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. Deadline: March 10, 2021.


Greater Yellowstone Creative Writing and Journalism Fellowship. Restrictions: Established and recognized authors are being sought, but emerging and mid-career writers are also encouraged to apply. Genre: Seeking creative writers (poetry, fiction, nonfiction), or those in the field of journalism (writer, photojournalist, videographer, documentary filmmaker, online or print media) who demonstrate serious inquiry and dedication to the Greater Yellowstone region through their work. Fellowship: $3,500. Deadline: March 11, 2021.

Neltje Blanchan/Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Awards. Restrictions: Wyoming writers. Genres: The Frank Nelson Doubleday Award is given for the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or script written by a woman writer. The Neltje Blanchan Memorial Writing Award is given annually for the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or script which is informed by a relationship with the natural world. Prize: $1,000.00. Deadline: March 11, 2021.

White River Environmental Law Writing Competition is sponsored by the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law and Vermont Law School. Restrictions: Open to all students currently pursuing a degree (J.D. or LL.M) at an accredited law school in the United States. Submissions written as a class component, as a journal requirement, or otherwise for academic credit are acceptable. Genre: Original essays addressing any relevant topic in the fields of environmental law, natural resource law, energy law, environmental justice, land use law, animal law, and agricultural law. Prize: $1000 cash prize and an offer of publication with the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law. Deadline: March 14, 2021.


BBC National Short Story Award. Restrictions: Open to UK residents or nationals, aged 18 or over, who have a history of publication in creative writing. Genre: Short fiction. Prize: £15,000 to the winner, £3,000 for the runner-up and £500 for three further shortlisted writers. Deadline: March 15, 2021.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative flash fiction that reflect the artwork they’ve chose for each month.(See site for images.) Prize: $10 USD. Deadline: March 15, 2021. Note: This is a monthly contest.

Tartts Fiction Award. Restrictions: Open to Americans. Genre: Short story collection. Prize: Winning short story collection will be published by Livingston Press at the University of West Alabama, in simultaneous library binding and trade paper editions. Winning entry will receive $1000, plus their standard royalty contract, which includes 100 copies of the book. Deadline: March 15, 2021.

Hodson Trust–John Carter Brown Library Fellowship. Genre: Nonfiction (includes creative nonfiction). A book-in-process relating to the literature, history, culture, or art of the Americas before 1830. Award: $20,000. Deadline: March 15, 2021.


The Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize. Restrictions: Open to writers resident in the UK and Ireland who have yet to secure a publishing deal. Genre: Proposal for a book-length essay (minimum 25,000 words). Prize: £3,000 advance against publication with Fitzcarraldo Editions. Deadline: March 15, 2021.


Harper’s Bazaar short-story competition 2021. Restrictions: Open to UK residents or nationals, aged 18 or over. Genre: Original, unpublished short story, written in English on the subject of ‘Threads’ up to 2,200 words. Prize: Two-night stay for two at Grantley Hall, Yorkshire (UK). Deadline: March 15, 2021.

Governor General's Literary Awards. Restrictions: Books must have been written or translated by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. They do not need to be residing in Canada. Genre: The Governor General’s Literary Awards are given annually to the best English-language and the best French-language book in each of the seven categories of Fiction, Literary Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Young People’s Literature (Text), Young People’s Literature (Illustrated Books) and Translation (from French to English). Prize: $25,000. Deadline: March 15, 2021.

Lynn DeCaro Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to Connecticut Student Poets in Grades 9-12. Genre: Poetry. Prize: 1st $75, 2nd $50, 3rd $25. Deadline: March 15, 2021.

Symptoms of Being Human: An Essay and Artistic Composition Contest. Genre: Essay. "Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever been ostracized and forced to live at the edges of any social group? Have you ever struggled with your own identity, sexuality, gender identification? This is a chance to tell others of your experience with these things. You might also talk about how you stood up for someone who was experiencing these things. Maybe you helped someone and befriended that person when he/she/they were being bullied. Tell that story. We want to hear from you."  Prize: Cash prize not specified. Deadline: March 17, 2021.

2021 POPP Award: Poetry of the Plains and Prairies. Genre: Poetry of any style for their annual Poetry of the Plains and Prairies chapbook publication. "While the author(s) may call any place home, their submissions must deftly capture the feeling of, as well as the reality of, living on the plains and prairies. Authors may submit any number of poems equaling thirty to thirty-five pages in length, with no more than one poem per page. (Single poems may extend more than one page.) The selected poetry collection will be published as a limited edition chapbook, hand-printed with antique letterpress equipment." Prize: Publication. Deadline: March 18, 2021.


Stop the Hate: Youth Speak Out Essay Contest Grades 6 - 12. Stop the Hate® is designed to create an appreciation and understanding among people of differing religions, races, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. Genre: Essay, 500 words. Restrictions: Northeast Ohio 6-12th Graders. Prize: $40,000. Deadline: March 19, 2021 for Grades 6-10, March 26, 2021 for Grades 11-12.

Nicholas A. Virgilio Memorial Haiku Competition for High School Students. Restrictions: Open to students in Grades 7-12. Genre: Haiku. Prize: $50. Deadline: March 22, 2021.

Shaughnessy Cohen Award for Political Writing. Genre: Book of literary nonfiction that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers and has the potential to shape or influence thinking on contemporary Canadian political life. Book must be published in Canada. Prize: CAN $25,000.  Deadline: March 23, 2021.

Speculative Philosophical Fiction Contest. Genre: Speculative flash fiction on theme of Absence. The theme of this contest is Philosophical, Metaphysical, or Epistemological fiction. 1000 words max. Prize: $500.00, payable through PayPal. The top two runners-up will receive $50.00 each. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Sleeping Bear Press: Own Voices, Own Stories Award. Restrictions: Contest is open to BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ writers. Applicants must be United States residents and at least 18 years of age.  Genre: BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ children—or children of LGBTQ+ families. Prize: Grand Prize winners will receive a $2,000 cash prize, in addition to a publishing contract with advance and royalties standard for new Sleeping Bear Press authors. Honor Award winners will receive a $500 cash prize as well as one consulting session with a Sleeping Bear Press editor. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Pressfuls. Genre: Horror and fantasy up to 10,000 words. Prize: $50 and publication. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Jack L. Chalker Young Writers' Contests. Restrictions: Open to writers between 14 and 18 years of age as of May 29 in the contest year who reside in, or attend school in Maryland. Genre: Science fiction or fantasy, 2,500 words max. Prizes: $150, $100 and $75. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Speculative Literature Foundation Older Writers Grant. Restrictions: Open to writers who are fifty years of age or older at the time of grant application. Genre: Speculative fiction. Prize: $500.       Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Jacklyn Potter Young Poets Competition. Restrictions: Open to high school students in the Washington, DC region. Genre: Poetry. Prize: A reading with honorarium in the Miller Poetry Series, a summer program occurring in June and July. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Sarah Mook Poetry Prize for Students. Restrictions: Students in grades K-12. Genre: Poetry.  Prize: $100. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Archibald Lamp­man Award. Restrictions: Open to residents of Canada's National Capital region (Ottawa). Genre: Book of any genre published by a recognized publisher. Prize: $1500. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest. Restrictions: open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Genres: Science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy up to 17,000 words. Prizes: Three cash prizes in each quarter: a First Prize of $1,000, a Second Prize of $750, and a Third Prize of $500, in US dollars. In addition, at the end of the year the winners will have their entries rejudged, and a Grand Prize winner shall be determined and receive an additional $5,000. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing. Restrictions: Open to first-generation residents of the United States. “First-generation” can refer either to people born in another country who relocated to the U.S., or to American-born residents whose parents were born elsewhere. Genre: Unpublished nonfiction books. Prize: $10,000 and publication. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation. Genre: Poetry or literary prose. Translation of modern Arabic literature into English. Books must have been published and be available for purchase in the UK via a distributor or online. The source text must have been published in the original Arabic in or after 1967. Must be submitted by publisher. Prize: £3,000. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Foley Poetry Contest. Genre: One unpublished poem on any topic. The poem should be 30 lines or fewer and not under consideration elsewhere. Prize: $1000. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

16 Great Writing Conferences in March 2021

Writing conferences usually to start to pick up in March. This year the vast majority of them will be held online. Virtual events still offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions — there is something for everyone.

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences. During the pandemic most of these are being held virtually at reduced rates. Quite a few offer scholarships, so apply early
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Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference. March 3 - 7, 2021: San Antonio, TX. "The AWP Conference & Bookfair is an essential annual destination for writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers. Each year more than 12,000 attendees join our community for four days of insightful dialogue, networking, and unrivaled access to the organizations and opinion-makers that matter most in contemporary literature. The 2016 conference featured over 2,000 presenters and 550 readings, panels, and craft lectures. The bookfair hosted over 800 presses, journals, and literary organizations from around the world. AWP’s is now the largest literary conference in North America." Will be held virtually.
Futurescapes. March 11 - 13, 2021: Salt Lake City, Utah. Futurescapes Workshop of Utah Valley University, is an intensive, exclusive workshop, offering writers an unparalleled chance to work with top authors and agents in speculative fiction (science fiction, horror, fantasy, paranormal). Each participant will work with three workshop faculty mentors on the first 3,000 words of their manuscript, while receiving substantive feedback on the overall structure of their work in progress and query letters. Will be held virtually.

Southern Breeze Critique Fest 2021. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. March 12-13, 2021. "Have you ever gotten a manuscript critique, but wanted more insight on how to use those notes to take your book to the next level? Or wished you could have a professional’s eyes on your manuscript, but you weren’t sure it was ready for the world? Critique Fest 2021 goes beyond a paid critique experience, providing writers an immediate opportunity to see growth! Early Registration Opens January 2, 2021. Basic registration includes fun and informative online seminars the weekend of March 12-13, including a live Pitch Panel!  Bonus seminar included on Saturday, April 17 at 11:00 EST with author Melissa Stewart." Seminars only tickets are $40 for SCBWI members and $45 for non members. 

Atlanta Writing Workshop, March 13, 2021, Atlanta, GA. "This is a special one-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop. In other words, it’s one day full of classes and advice designed to give you the best instruction concerning how to get your writing & books published. We’ll discuss your publishing opportunities today, how to write queries & pitches, how to market yourself and your books, what makes an agent/editor stop reading your manuscript, and more. No matter what you’re writing — fiction or nonfiction — the day’s classes will help point you in the right direction. Writers of all genres are welcome." Will be held virtually.

Virginia Festival of the Book, March 13 - 26, 2021. "The Festival is the largest community-based book event in the Mid-Atlantic region and has attracted audiences of more than 20,000 for each of the past thirteen years. We have presented a captivating list of authors, ranging from international bestsellers to topical specialists to debut authors." Book exhibits, talks by authors, readings, workshops on book promotion, finding an agent, poetry, publishing, agents roundtable - you name it, this conference has it. Will be held virtually.

Algonkian Writers New York Pitch Conference, March 18 - 21, 2021: NY, NY. "The event focuses on the art of the novel pitch as the best method not only for communicating your work, but for having you and your work taken seriously by industry professionals. More importantly though, it is also a diagnostic method for workshopping the plot, premise, and other elements of the story to determine quality and marketability. Simply put, you cannot successfully pitch a viable commercial novel if you don't have a viable commercial novel. Our goal, therefore, is to set you on a realistic path to publication." Will be held online.

Power of Narrative. March 19, 2021: Boston, MA. Over 30 journalists, directors, producers and editors lead three days of lively discussions geared to advance the knowledge of narrative storytellers. Approximately 500 persons attend. Early registration is encouraged. Will be held online.

Sleuthfest. March 19 - 21, 2021: Boca Raton, FL. Sponsored by the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America a conference for writers and fans. Features writing workshops, social events, and pitch sessions, including:
* Agent Appointments to pitch your finished work
* Critiques of your 10 page manuscript submission
* Forensic track with current forensic techniques & hands-on workshops
* Social events to mingle with agents, editors and your favorite authors
* Auction to purchase critiques of your work by bestselling authors
* Sessions on the craft of writing
* Sessions on marketing and promoting your work
* Practice your Pitch sessions with experienced authors
Will be held virtually.

Bay to Ocean Writers Conference. Wye Mills, Maryland, March 20, 2021. Sponsored by the Eastern Shore Writers Association. "The BTO conference features workshops, presentations, and panel discussions on a wide variety of topics pertaining to the craft of writing, publishing, marketing, the Internet, and the intricacies of particular genres. It is an opportunity to meet with many writing peers in the region. Speakers include accomplished authors, poets, film writers, writing instructors, editors, and publishers. BTO also offers one-on-one manuscript reviews with experienced writing instructors and editors for registered attendees for a fee."
Beall Poetry Festival. March 24 - 26, 2021, Waco, TX. The festival features readings, panel discussions, and the Virginia Beall Ball Lecture on Contemporary Poetry. Participating poets include Forrest Gander, Layli Long Soldier, Evie Shockley, Meghan O’Rourke, and a Poetry Panel. All events are free and open to the public.

University of North Dakota Writers Conference. March 24 - 26, 2021: Grand Forks, North Dakota. Founded in 1970 and held every year since, the UND Writers Conference is a three day event featuring six to eight authors annually. Authors ranging from Gwendolyn Brooks and August Wilson to Tommy Orange and Colson Whitehead, the UND Writers Conference is committed to community outreach, engagement, and finding ways to increase audience access to literature. The conference is free, but workshop space is limited to twenty participants; registration is first come, first served. Will be held online.

Algonkian Novel Retreat, Sterling. Virginia, March 24 - 28, 2021. "In keeping with the spirit of this place and the goals of this retreat, you can be as goal-oriented or as hesitant in approach as you wish. You can show us your manuscript, improve your skills, clear your head, have your work read by our writer mentors, whatever works for you, whatever helps you grow and discover your vision as a writer. You discuss with us ahead of time via the Algonkian Writer Retreat Application the goals you wish to accomplish, and we'll work with you to make it happen. Do you desire a review of your short stories or flash fiction? A line edit? Do you wish to discuss the reality of the current fiction market, your novel project, plot and characters, or perhaps get feedback on the opening hook or a few sample chapters? Or would you simply like a relaxed and productive dialogue about your goals as a writer?" Registration is first come, first served.

36th Annual National Undergraduate Literature Conference. March 25, 2021: Weber State University, Ogden, UT. "Each year, nearly 200 undergraduate writers and poets throughout North America, and sometimes beyond, come to Weber State University to present their work and learn from some of the most important writers in contemporary literature." Will be held online.

Write Stuff Writers Conference. March 25 - 28, 2021: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 20 workshops, Agent./Editor pitch sessions, marketing consults plus lunch and Keynote address, Book Fair, Flash Literature Writing Contest, Door Prizes. Featuring Jonathan Dylan Barker. Will be held virtually.

Writing Nature: Refuge or Threat? sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Engaged Humanities Consortium’s Writers’ Community and the Moravian College Writers’ Conference. March 26 - 27, 2021 Bethlehem, PA. Keynote speakers: Camille Dungy and J. Drew Lanham. Plus additional workshops and a writers’ roundtable featuring area writers on Friday, March 27. Will be held virtually. FREE

WonderCon. March 26 - 27, 2021, Anaheim, CA. HUGE comic book convention.  Will be held virtually.

5 UK Literary Agents Seeking Fiction, Rom-coms, YA, Thriller/Suspense, Nonfiction, SF/F and more

Here are five UK literary agents expanding their client lists. Hannah Schofield is seeking commercial fiction, rom-coms, YA/crossovers, thriller/suspense, themes of motherhood or sisterhood, dark academia, voice-driven narratives for a millennial or Gen Z audience, and novels from traditionally underrepresented writers. Amy St. Johnston accepts fiction for all ages, from children to adults. Ian Drury wants fantasy/SF, historical fiction and action/adventure; and on the non-fiction side for history, biography and music. Abi Fellows is looking for fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Liza DeBlock represents adult and YA fiction and nonfiction.
Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

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Ms. Amy St. Johnston of Aitken Alexander Associates 

Amy St. Johnston joined Aitken Alexander Associates in 2018 and works with Clare Alexander and her clients. She am also building a list of my own.. She has a background in children's publishing.

What she is seeking: Amy accepts fiction for all ages, from children to adults.

How to submit: Please send your query to submissions@aitkenalexander.co.uk. Also send a short synopsis and the first 30 pages of your work as an attachment. Include Amy's name in the subject line of your email.

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Ms. Hannah Schofield of Luigi Bonomi Associates Ltd 



"I joined LBA in 2018 and am currently building a list of commercial and reading-group fiction. I previously worked for a literary scout and as a translation rights assistant, and I grew up in Luxembourg, so I have a strong working knowledge of the global publishing market and always bring an international eye to my reading."

What she is seeking: Commercial fiction, rom-coms, YA/crossovers, thriller/suspense, themes of motherhood or sisterhood, dark academia à la If We Were Villains, voice-driven narratives for a millennial or Gen Z audience, and novels from traditionally underrepresented writers in any of the above genres.

How to submit: Follow their guidelines HERE.

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Mr. Ian Drury of Sheil Land Associates Ltd 

"I read modern history at New College, Oxford before going into publishing: editing partworks and magazines before joining HarperCollins in 1994. I became Publishing Director at Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 2003. I published the Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers REAL BRAVO TWO ZERO (Michael Asher), BLENHEIM (Charles Spencer) and LAST POST (Max Arthur) as well as the landmark history of France in IndoChina, THE LAST VALLEY (Martin Windrow)."

What he is seeking: Fantasy/SF, historical fiction and action/adventure; and on the non-fiction side for history, biography and music.

How to submit: Please email proposals to idrury@sheilland.co.uk with
a) your whole manuscript attached as a Word doc (or .docx)
b) a few lines about you and a one line summary of why someone would pay their own money to read your book.

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Ms. Abi Fellows of The Good Literary Agency 

Abi joined TGLA in March 2019. Before joining TGLA, Abi worked as a literary scout at Rosalind Ramsay Ltd for seven years. She has incredibly broad experience in the industry having been a literary agent at Georgina Capel Associates prior to becoming a scout and having also worked as a bookseller at  Blackwell’s and on the sales team at Faber and Faber. Abi has a BA in English Literature from Bristol University and an MA in English Literature: Issues in Modern Culture from University College London.

What she is seeking: Fiction and non-fiction for adults and children.

How to submit: Please read their submission guidelines HERE. Note: Abi only accepts submissions from UK residents.

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Ms. Liza DeBlock of Mushens Entertainment

Originally from New York, Liza DeBlock got her start in publishing while working at Eccles Fisher Associates after interning for various scouts and agencies on both sides of the Atlantic. She is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course at Oxford, 2016, which she attended between her two postgraduate degrees in Modern History of Publishing at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Some of her favourite authors include Antonia Fraser, JK Rowling, Tamora Pierce and she loves the work of Erin Morgenstern, Deborah Harkness, Matt Haig, Lara Prescott, Tracey Chevalier, Sue Monk Kidd and Maggie O’Farrell. You can follow her on twitter as @lizadeblock.

What she is seeking: Liza is looking for both fiction and non fiction. For fiction, Liza is interested in adult and YA only. She is looking for historical fiction, commercial fantasy, romcom, saga, uplit, and thriller.  On the non fiction side, she is looking for books that teach her something new or reframe a topic from an alternative point of view. This can include cookery, pop science, social history, and current events. 

How to submit: Please email ldbsubmissions@mushens-entertainment.com with your cover letter in the body of the email; An attachment of your synopsis; A PDF or Word document containing the first three chapters or approximately the first 50pp of your book. 

FOR NON-FICTION: Your cover letter in the body of the email; A pdf or word document of your proposal; Sample Chapters (if applicable)

5 New Agents Seeking Children’s Books, Adult SF/F, Magical Realism, YA, Women’s Fiction, Romance, Nonfiction and more

Here are five new agents actively seeking writers. Alice Fugate is looking for children’s books and select adult projects. Ernie Chiara wants adult science fiction and fantasy and magical realism. Michelle Hauck is taking submissions for middle grade, young adult, and some limited adult genres. Chelsey Emmelhainz is focused on commercial, diverse voices in fiction and nonfiction. She is especially interested in young adult, and adult fiction that marries the known and the unknown or those that explore the fantastic in the everyday world. Caitlin White is now open to select submissions in YA and MG fiction.
Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

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Ms. Chelsey Emmelhainz of Copps Literary Services 

Chelsey Emmelhainz joins Copps Literary Services after a decade as an editor of upmarket fiction and nonfiction. Upon graduating from the Denver Publishing Institute, she got her start in publishing at HarperCollins with William Morrow and Avon Books. She was most recently a senior editor at Crooked Lane Books.  As an editor, Chelsey worked on projects that cross the literary landscape: from Amish romance to upmarket thrillers and everything in between. Yet her true passion lies in helping authors refine their narratives to create compelling stories and advocating on their behalf. An editorial agent, she works tirelessly with authors to polish their work into commercial projects aimed at catching the eye of editors and publishers. 

What Chelsey is looking for: Actively building her client list, she is focused on commercial, diverse voices in fiction and nonfiction. She is especially interested in young adult, and adult fiction that marries the known and the unknown or those that explore the fantastic in the everyday world. A lover of plot-driven narratives, she’s most often drawn to fast-paced stories featuring well-drawn, believable characters navigating extraordinary circumstances. Her target genres in those spaces include: horror, supernatural thriller, suspense, and mystery. Her ideal women’s fiction, book club fiction, and romance projects feature high-concept hooks, strong female characters, and unique takes on modern relationships—be they romantic, platonic, or familial. Chelsey is open to fantasy projects based in the known world, especially those exploring magical realism.

For nonfiction, she gravitates toward history, especially narrative nonfiction, memoirs with a platform, and untold stories in true crime, but is open to projects in the areas of DIY projects (she’s a knitting fiend), gardening, and unique lifestyles.

How to submit: Use her submission form HERE.

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Ms. Alice Fugate of The Joy Harris Literary Agency 

Alice Fugate joined The Joy Harris Literary Agency in 2020. Originally from Atlanta, GA, she graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN with a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing. Prior to joining JHLA, she was an associate agent at Trident Media Group, where she worked for two and half years. 

What she is seeking: Alice works primarily in the children’s book space, across all formats and genres, but also enjoys working on select adult projects, including stories about the American South, historical fiction, and works that explore faith, religion, music, or nature. She’s drawn to literary or well-written commercial projects that have a classic but fresh feel with distinctive, surprising voices from diverse backgrounds. In children’s books, she loves animal fables, fairy tale retellings, comedies of manners, adventure tales, heartfelt contemporary, and narrative nonfiction. In everything, Alice looks for wit and whimsy.  

How to submit: To query Alice, please email her at alice@joyharrisliterary.com

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Mr. Ernie Chiara of Fuse Literary 

Ernie first joined the Fuse Literary team as a writer, signing on as a client with Michelle Richter. Then, when his interest in the agenting side of the business grew to match his love of writing, Ernie gained experience as an Assistant Agent under the guidance of Tricia Skinner. Now, having come full circle, Ernie is proud to be building his list as an Associate Agent. Ernie has previously served as Communications Director for Pitch Wars, a writer mentorship program, where he was also a Mentor in the Adult category. He has over 20 years of experience in business management and graphic design.

What he is seeking: Adult science fiction and fantasy and magical realism.

How to submit: Use his submission form HERE.

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Ms. Michelle Hauck of Storm Literary Agency 

Michelle devoured the classics at an early age, falling in love with heroic stories like The Three Musketeers, Ivanhoe, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. It wasn’t until her teens that she got her hands on The Sword of Shannara and discovered a new heroic level in SFF. Now she’d like to advocate for stories that take the reader beyond the traditional hero’s journey.

After graduating with a business degree, with a concentration in finance, Michelle worked as a cost accountant for several years before a short stint as a stay-at-home mom. Then she switched gears for twenty years working in an elementary school, where she’s learned a lot about what kids like to read and applied that to her own stories, publishing a historic fantasy series with Harper Voyager.

She’s been helping writers long before taking the step to become an agent. Her Midwest roots taught her to pay things forward, and along with several co-hosts, she ran an impressive collection of contests for writers, including Query Kombat, Nightmare on Query Street, and Picture Book Party. She also learned much from six years as a successful Pitch Wars mentor in adult SFF.

What she is seeking: Currently, Michelle is taking submissions for middle grade, young adult, and some limited adult genres.

How to submit: Use her submission form HERE.

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Ms. Caitlin White of Emerald City Literary Agency 

Caitlin is a writer and editor who was previously the Interim Books Editor for Bustle, and she has written about YA books for HelloGiggles, Bustle, Elle, and Glamour. Caitlin brought her passion for YA and MG to Emerald City Literary Agency in 2019 as an intern before being promoted to Agency Assistant in October 2020. She currently lives in Ottawa, Ontario, but is from the Boston area.

What she is seeking: Caitlin is now open to select submissions in YA and MG fiction and will represent projects alongside ECLA agents Mandy Hubbard and Linda Epstein. Caitlin is looking for whodunnits that harken back to Agatha Christie, rom-coms with an original hook, stories about non-toxic groups of friends, magical realism that feels grounded, unabashedly feminist POVs, and contemporary witches set in a real-life world, like These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling. She is always interested in seeing submissions from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors. Sorry, but she is not the right person for high fantasy.

How to submit: Use her submission form HERE.

Most Popular Publishing Posts of 2020

Every January I do a "year in review" of my most popular posts. This is a tradition I am loath to break, even though at this late stage in my blogging career, I am seldom surprised. Most people who visit my blog want to get published, so it's natural to assume that my most viewed posts would be calls for submissions and writing contests. 

In 2020, I published 69 posts. (My total number of posts since 2012 is 818. My how time flies.) In 2020, my two most popular posts were:
44 Writing Contests in January 2021 - No entry fees (18,801 views...and counting)
85 Calls for Submissions in December 2020 - Paying markets (10,102 views) 
Usually, page views for my posts number in the quadruple digits. But when they hit ten thousand or more, I sit up and take notice. There can be only one explanation: Somebody out there with a bigger platform than mine has promoted those posts. Whoever you are, thank you!
At this time of year, I also like to do a review of my most popular posts of all time. (All of these posts have been recently updated.)

10 Most Popular Posts - All Time


22 US Children's Book Publishers Accepting Manuscripts Directly From Writers 272,443 views
325 Paying Markets for Short Stories, Poetry, Nonfiction  148,306 views
Agents Looking for Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers 146,311 views

3 Major Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts 92,045 views

6 Publishers Accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts from Writers - No Agent Needed  74, 267 views

Mega-List of Speculative Fiction Magazines Accepting Submissions 67,355 views
16 UK Children's Book Publishers Accepting Manuscripts Directly from Writers 59,072 views

Mega-List of Paying Markets for Horror, Dark Fiction and Poetry 46,440 views
40 Paying Markets for Personal Essays 37,324 views
Mega-List of Online Reviewers Who Accept Self-Published Books 37,286 views


Some Additional Popular Posts 
82 UK Literary Agencies Seeking Clients  36,405 views
21 Poetry Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts 35,295 views
27 LGBT Publishers Accepting Manuscripts - No agent required (Plus 17 paying journals) 33,241 views

13 Paying Markets for Humor 30,541 views
25 Paying Markets for Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction 27,521 views
5 Established Agents Looking for Writers - Literary fiction, Memoir, MG, YA, Fantasy, Romance and more 27,266 views
14 Publishers Accepting Unagented Short Story Collections 26,356 views
10 Agents Representing Short Story Collections 24,765 views
253 Hashtags for Writers 20,912 views
DAW Books Opens Its Doors to Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writers - No agent needed 18,756 views