Erica Verrillo's Blog, page 8

54 Writing Contests in April 2024 — No entry fees

Pickpik This April there are more than four dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes this month range from $100,000 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. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! ​

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Mike Resnick Memorial Award: Best Unpublished Science Fiction Short Story by a New Author. Restrictions: Open to an author who has not had any work published (including short stories, novelettes, novellas, and novels in paper, digital or audio form) that has been paid a per-word rate of 6 cents a word or more or received a payment for any single work of fiction totaling more than $50. Genre: Science fiction short story, up to 7,499 words. Prize: $250.00 and publication. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

EACWP Flash Fiction Contest. Restrictions: The contest is open to any participant living in Europe (including countries culturally linked to Europe such as Russia, Turkey, and Israel). Eleven different European languages will be leading this year’s competition: English, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, Hebrew and Czech. Genre: Flash fiction. Length: 100 words. The topic is "Incorrect." Prize: €600 top prize. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

The Great American Think-Off. Genre: Essay on the theme: “Is freedom of speech worth the cost?” Entrants should take a strong stand agreeing or disagreeing with this topic, basing their arguments on personal experience and observations rather than philosophical abstraction. Essay should be no more than 750 words. Prize: One of four $500 cash prizes. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

Gwenn A. Nusbaum / WWBA Scholarship. Restrictions: Open to poets at the beginning of their careers, ages 25-35 years. Prize: $1800 scholarship. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers. Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians awards fellowships for writers to spend time in McCullers' childhood home in Columbus, Georgia. The fellowships are intended to afford the writers in residence uninterrupted time to dedicate to their work, free from the distractions of daily life and other professional responsibilities. Award: Stipend of $5000 to cover costs of transportation, food and other incidentals. Fellowship recipients will be required to introduce or advance their work through reading or workshop/forum presentations. The Fellow will work with the McCullers Center Director to plan a presentation near the end of the residency. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

PEN America’s U.S. Writers Aid Initiative. Restrictions: Applicants must be professional writers based in the United States, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping address a short-term emergency situation. Prize: Grant, amount not specified. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. This contest seeks today's best humor poems, published and unpublished. Please enter one poem only, 250 lines max. Prize: $3,500 in prizes, including a top prize of $2,000, and publication on Winning Writers. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

The Maya Angelou Book Award was founded in 2020 to honor the legacy of Missouri-born author Maya Angelou by celebrating contemporary authors whose work has demonstrated a commitment to social justice in America and/or the world. Restrictions: Entrants must be U.S. Citizens and reside within the United States. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

Hurston/Wright Crossover Award. Restrictions: Open to unpublished, Black writers who are 18 years and older. Genre: Literary nonfiction. Submissions may be stand-alone essays or excerpts from a book in progress. Prize: $2000. Deadline: April 2, 2024.

Fabula Press Short Story Contest. Genre: Short Story. Word Count: Not less than 2500 words, and not more than 7000 words. Prize: First Prize: US$500 Second Prize: US$250 Third Prize: US$100. In addition, all authors selected for publication will be paid an honourarium of US$75. Deadline: April 3, 2024.

Creative Capital Award. Restrictions: Entrants must be US citizens or permanent residents, aged 25+, with 5+ years' professional writing experience, and not be full-time students. Genre: Visual arts, performing arts, literature, technology, and film. Grant: Up to $50,000. Deadline: April 4, 2024.

Bacopa Literary Review. Genres: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry. Prizes: First ($200) and Runner-Up ($160) prizes in each genre. All published will receive $20 and a copy of the print journal. After publication, Bacopa will be promoted online. Deadline: April 4, 2024.

Booker International Prize. The Booker International Prize for fiction translated into English is awarded annually by the Booker Prize Foundation to the author of the best (in the opinion of the judges) eligible novel or collection of short stories. Prize: £50,000 divided equally between the author and the translator. There will be a prize of £2,000 each of the shortlisted titles divided equally between the author and the translator. Deadline: For books published between April 1 and Sept 30, 2024 the entry form is due by April 4, 2024.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction. "On the first Friday of every month, a new set of story prompts will be revealed. You will have 55 hours to submit your best 500-word (or fewer) story." Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: April 7, 2024. Opens on April 5.

Chief Minister's Northern Territory History Book Award 2024. Restrictions: You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident to enter. Genre: The Chief Minister's Northern Territory History Book Award recognises the most significant historical book about the Northern Territory published in the previous 12 months. To apply, your book must be a work on Northern Territory history, written in English or one of the First Nations languages of the Northern Territory, available for general sale, and published between 1 January and 31 December 2023. Prize: Recognition. Deadline: April 8, 2024.  

Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prizes. Restrictions: Open to writers of Taiwanese heritage (or writers with other significant connections to Taiwan), or have subject matter otherwise relevant to the Taiwanese or Taiwanese American experience. Submissions will be considered in four categories: Middle School (enrolled in 6th-8th grade as of the deadline), High School (enrolled in high school as of the deadline), College (enrolled in community college or as an undergraduate as of the deadline), Adult (in any stage of life beyond college). Genre: Any literary genre including fiction, poetry, personal essays or other creative non-fiction. Prize: Grand Prize Winner: $500 – one selection per age category. Finalist: $200 – three selections per age category. Honorable Mention: $75 – at judge’s discretion per age category. Deadline: April 13, 2024.

Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism. Genre: This prize seeks to honor the best book-length works of criticism published in the US in the prior calendar year, including biographies, essay collections, and critical editions that consider the subject of poetry or poets. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: April 15, 2024.

Dancing Poetry Festival. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $100 top prize. Deadline: April 15, 2024.

53-Word Story Contest. Genre: Flash fiction of exactly 53 words. See prompt. Prize: Publication and a free book. Deadline: April 15, 2024.

Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships. Restrictions: Applicants must reside in the U.S. or be U.S. citizens. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and no older than 31 years of age as of April 30, 2024. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $27,000.  Deadline: April 15, 2024. Please register for the online portal by April 8, 2024 if you intend to apply.

The F. Sean Hodge Prize for Poetry in Medicine. Restrictions: Open to current medical students, residents, or fellows or physicians who have completed post-graduate training. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $250. Deadline: April 15, 2024.

Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. Restrictions: The writer must be Canadian, and an entry must be the writer's first or second published book of any type or genre and must have a Canadian locale and/or significance. Genre: Print books and ebooks of creative non-fiction published in the previous calendar year. Prize: C$10,000.00. Deadline: April 15, 2024.

The Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants (AWAW EAG). Genre: Environmental art projects led by women-identifying artists in the United States and U.S. Territories. Prize: A total of $300,000 in funding—up to $20,000 per project. Deadline: April 16, 2024.

Casa Africa: Purorrelato. Genre: Micro-stories related to Africa. Length: 1500 characters max. The micro-stories can be submitted in Spanish, English, French or Portuguese. Prize: First award: 750 euros, Second award: 375 euros, Third award: 225 euros. Deadline: April 16, 2024.

Arvon Award. Restrictions: Open to writers living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months. Genre: Full-length work of fiction, poetry or narrative non-fiction work in progress. Prize: Arvon course. Deadline: April 17, 2024.

Northern Promise TLC Awards. Restrictions: Open to people who may have faced barriers to seeing their work progress for financial reasons or issues connected to disability, ethnicity and/or sexuality. living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months. Genre: Full-length work of fiction, poetry, narrative non-fiction, or children's book in progress. Prize: In-depth editorial report on their work in progress. In addition to the Free Read, writers will receive £500 and access to the Northern Writers’ Awards Network. Deadline: April 17, 2024.

Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English. Books must be published in Canada in English between March 1, 2024, and April 30, 2024 to be eligible for the 2024 Prize. Must  be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: April 19, 2024.

Write the World Competition. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: Nonfiction essay about the planet we call home. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: April 22, 2024. (Note: This is a monthly contest)

Whiting Foundation Creative Nonfiction Grant. Restrictions: Open to US citizens and residents only. Genre: Creative nonfiction. Whiting welcomes submissions for works of history, cultural or political reportage, biography, memoir, the sciences, philosophy, criticism, food or travel writing, and personal essays, among other categories. Writers must be completing a book of creative nonfiction that is currently under contract with a publisher. Prize: $40,000. Deadline: April 23, 2024.

Harper-Wood Creative Writing & Travel Award for English Poetry and Literature. Restrictions: Open to any student who has graduated from any university in the UK, Ireland, the Commonwealth or the USA. Genre: The Award Holder is expected to engage in a course of study or research, and produce a piece of original fiction, drama or poetry. Prize: £18,600 is provided to cover accommodation and living expenses during the course of the year. Deadline: April 24, 2024.

Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors. Created by the Missouri Humanities Council, the Warrior Arts Alliance, and Southeast Missouri State University Press, this series of anthologies preserves and shares military service perspectives of our soldiers and veterans of all conflicts and of their families. It is not only an outlet for artistic expression but also a document of the unique aspects of wartime in our nation's history. Genres: Poetry, Short Fiction, Essay, Photography, Interview with a Warrior. Prize: $250 and publication. Deadline: April 26, 2024.

The Sophie Coe Prize. Genre: Informative article or essay on any aspect of food history relating to any period, place, people or culture  Prize: £1,500 top prize. Deadline: April 26, 2024. 

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. See themes. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Witcraft Monthly Humour Competition. Genre: Humor with the emphasis on wit, word play, absurdity and inspired nonsense. Prize: First prize A$50, second prize A$20, third prize A$10, payable via Paypal only. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Friends of Falun Gong, Poetry Contest. Genre: Poem. Submit one or two poems of no more than 50 lines each. Poems must encompass at least one of the following themes: Advocate for Falun Gong practitioner’s fundamental human rights. Expose the crimes against Falun Gong perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party. Share in the beauty, peacefulness and good nature of Falun Gong. Prizes: $500, $250, $100. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

The Letter Review Prize. Genre: Short Fiction (up to 5000 words), Poetry, and Unpublished Books. Prize: The top 2-4 winners share equally in the prize pool of $1000 USD. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Genre: Fiction. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. No self-published works. Prize: $60,000 will be awarded to a novel or short-story collection published between February 27, 2024 and April 29, 2024. Prizes of $5,000 will be awarded to each of the finalists. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

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 February 27, 2024 and April 29, 2024. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Writers' Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. Restrictions: Open to Canadian LGBTQ+ writers. Genre: Debut book for books published between February 27, 2024 and April 29, 2024. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Sleeping Bear Press: Own Voices, Own Stories Award. Restrictions: Contest is open to new authors who identify as BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+. Applicants must be United States residents and at least 18 years of age. Genre: Short fiction. Submissions should be for ages four through ten and may be fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Text must come in at under 1,300 words. 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: April 30, 2024.

Baen Fantasy Adventure Award. Genre: Adventure fantasy, 8K words max. Prize: Winner will be published as the featured story on the Baen Books main website and paid at industry-standard rates for professional story submittals. The author will also receive a handsome engraved award and a prize package containing $500 of free Baen Books. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Toronto Book Awards. Genres: All genres accepted. Restrictions: Submission "must evoke the city itself, that is, contain some clear Toronto content (this may be reflected in the themes, settings, subjects, etc.). Authors do not necessarily have to reside in Toronto. Ebooks, textbooks and self-published works are not eligible. Prize: A total of $15,000 CD will be awarded. Each shortlisted author (usually 4-6) receives C$1,000 and the winning author is awarded the remainder. Deadline: April 30, 2024. (For books published between May 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024) 

Erbacce-prize for Poetry (UK) Genre: Poetry collection. Prize: Winner will be given a publishing contract with erbacce press who will publish a perfect-bound collection of the winner's book. "We will pay all costs including the legal registering of the book and supplying copies to the major libraries. The book will be sold through our sales/shop pages and the poet will be paid 20% royalties." Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Contest for Canadian Youth. Restrictions: Open to Canadian citizens or residents attending junior high or high school. Genre: Poetry. Prize: C$400 in each of two age categories: Junior (grades 7-9) and Senior (grades 10-12). Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Author of Tomorrow. Restrictions: Open to children and youth up to age 21. Genre: Adventure writing. Prize: 11 and Under | 500 words | Prize: £100 plus £150 book tokens for your school; 12-15 years | 1,500 - 5,000 words | Prize: £100 plus £150 book tokens for your school; 16-21 years | 1,500 - 5,000 words. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

E-waste Scholarship. Restrictions: You must be a high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior or a current or entering college or graduate school student of any level. Home schooled students are also eligible. There is no age limit. You must also be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. Genre: 500- to 1,000-word essay about e-waste. Prize: $1000 scholarship. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Miami Book Fair’s Emerging Writer Fellowship. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. "EWF supports developing writers who demonstrate exceptional talent and promise by providing them with time, space, and an intellectually and culturally rich artistic community. The program’s goal is to actively support these writers – who are working to complete a book-length project within a year – and help them launch their literary careers. Emerging Writer fellows are granted professional experience in arts administration, teaching creative writing, and other opportunities; a $50,000 stipend; and strong literary community support to allow for 12 glorious months of uninterrupted time to craft their works." Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $250 in any single year. Genre: Animal Nonfiction. “Stories should be factual and true accounts of an encounter or encounters by the author with a wild animal or animals. These include, but are not limited to, birds, fish, butterflies, snails, lions, bears, turtles, wombats, etc., as long as it is not a pet.” Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Claudia Ann Seaman Awards For Young Writers. Restrictions: High school students. Genre: Stories and poems. Prize: $200. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

CNO Naval History Essay Contest. Genre: Scholarly essay on naval history.  Prize: First Prize: $5,000. Second Prize:$2,500. Third Prize: $1,500. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction. Genre: A book-length work of imaginative fiction written by a single author published in the U.S. in English or in translation to English. (In the case of a translated work winning the Prize, the cash prize will be equally divided between author and translator) Publication date between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. Prize: $25,000. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Rattle's Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poetry responding to visual art. (See site) Prize: $100 and publication. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Furphy Literary Award. Genre: Short stories up to 5000 words, Theme: Australian Life in all its diversity. Prize: First prize of $15,000 in the open category (2nd prize - $ 3,000,  3rd prize - $2,000.  A junior & youth category with a prize pool of $1800 will seek entries for short stories and poetry. Deadline: April 30, 2024.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: April 30, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

49 Awesome Writing Conferences and Workshops in April 2024

Monterey: Get Archive This April there are more than four dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most will be held in person or use a hybrid format.

These writing events 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. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year. 

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Rananim online classes Courses run for eight weeks from April through May. "Participants receive personalized feedback on assignments from their instructor, as well as responses from classmates on discussion board forums. All instructors are university professors and/or working professional writers, who have experience teaching at the Taos Summer Writers’ Conference. Classes are limited to 15 students who will engage in conversation with you and your work. Firm deadlines and feedback help keep you writing and improving your work throughout the class." International students accepted. Cost: $400 per class.

Writing About Mental Health for MG and YA Readers: A Two-Night Mini. April 2 - 4, 2024: Online. Join middle grade novelist Crystal Allen and young adult author and pediatric neuropsychologist Katie Keridan to consider what it takes to develop authentic representations of mental health that hold reality and hope throughout your novel.

Beall Poetry Festival. April 3 - 5, 2024, Waco, TX. The festival features readings, panel discussions, and the Virginia Beall Ball Lecture on Contemporary Poetry. Participating poets include Major Jackson, Ruben Quesada, Tracy K. Smith, Allison Benis White, and a Poetry Panel. All events are free and open to the public.

The Monterey Writer Retreat in California. April 3 - 7, 2024: Monterey, CA. Participants in the Monterey Writer Retreat will work one-on-one with two of the best literary "closers" in the business: Paula Munier, Michael Neff, and Jennifer Sander combine 60 years of working with aspiring authors and ushering them to publication. They will be available for multiple private consultations from 9 AM to noon and 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM each day of the retreat. Choice of sessions and focus will be up to each individual writer. 

Stories Your Collection Can Tell: A Larksong Bootcamp for Poets. April 3, 10, 17, 24, 2024: Larksong Writers Place, 1600 N. Cotner Blvd., Lincoln, NE.  "Are you looking to not only consider individual poems, but also look at the sequencing of a collection as a whole? Maybe you’re looking for a workshop for like-minded poets at this stage of their writing who want to be the best they can be, and you want to join them? If any of that is true, a Larksong Bootcamp workshop is for you. The Bootcamps are taught by various teachers and in various genres at various times, so if you can't make one, keep coming back to see if the next one fits your needs."

Tennessee Mountain Writers Annual Conference. April 4 - 6 2024: Oak Ridge, TN. Writing Contests, Workshops, Networking, Manuscript Evaluations, Publishers, Book Signings, Bookstore, Vendors, And more!

Breakout Novel Intensive 2.0. April 4 - 10, 2024: Hood River, OR. Included are new or revised units on story discovery, strong voice, standout characters, the inner journey, compelling story worlds, beautiful writing, creating resonance and finding meaning in both story and process. Breakout fundamentals are also covered: strong characters, inner conflict, personal stakes, plot layers, powerful scenes, micro-tension, practical theme techniques and much more. Instructor: Donald Maass. 

Buffalo Writing Workshop. April 5, 2024: Buffalo, NY. This is a special one-day in-person “How to Get Published” writing workshop at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Buffalo. 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.

The 2024 Writing Workshop of San Francisco. April 5 - 6, 2024: Online. A full-day “How to Get Published” event. "This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more." Online format.

WriteAngles. April 6, 2024: Northampton, Massachusetts. Panels and workshops, keynote speaker Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, a limited number of agent meetings. Continental breakfast, and buffet lunch included. 

The 2024 Minnesota Writing Workshop. April 6, 2024: St. Paul, MN. "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."

Las Vegas Writer’s Conference April 11 – 13, 2024: Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. 

Write Stuff Writers Conference. April 11 -13, 2024: 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 Maberry.

Idaho Writers League Annual Conference. April 11 - 13, 2024: Boise, Idaho. Our theme: The Lifelong Author. Do you want to do this writing thing for life? No matter whether that means self-publishing or traditional publishing, part-time writing or making this your career, doing this for life requires a mindset and strategy that anyone can learn. And we’re bringing experts from everywhere to teach you how: from the writer’s life to marketing your work, from the business of writing to improving your craft. They include J. Thorn, Nick Thacker, our keynote speaker, James A. Owen. 

Ozarks Writers League Conference. April 12 - 13, 2024: 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. 

Writing Through Trauma to Empower Readers: A Working In-Community Retreat for Storytellers. April 11 - April 14, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. A 3-night/4-day writing retreat for authors who are crafting books for kids and teens that center their lived experiences in areas of trauma, mental health, grief, and beyond.

Breaks, Blank Space, and Gaps: Poetic Gutters in Novels in Verse and Poetry. April 11 - 18, 2024: Online. How you use stanza breaks, blank space, and the gaps between poems affects the way that readers engage with your story. Join author Laura Shovan for an exploration of how we can use poetic gutters with intention to ensure active reading.

Florida Writing Workshop. April 12 (Tampa) and 13 (Orlando), 2024. Two separate full-day “How to Get Published” writing events in Florida — Tampa (April 12, 2024) and Orlando (April 13, 2024). "These writing events are a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited seats at the events. All questions about the events regarding schedule, details and registration are answered below. Thank you for your interest in the 2024 Florida Writing Workshops! We are very proud of our many success stories where attendees sign with agents following events — see our growing list of success stories here."

Authorpreneur Workshop. April 13, 2024: Red Bank, NJ. During this retreat like full day workshop authors have the opportunity to attend various Presentations, pitch Literary Agents and Editors (Optional), get work critiqued by Agents and Editors (Optional), attend the Critical Mass: First Page Critique Literary Agent and Editor Panel, and Network with authors and industry professionals all day long and during a Networking Mixer following the event on Saturday afternoon.

San Antonio Book Festival. April 13, 2024: 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.

Rally of Writers Conference. April 13, 2024: Lansing, Michigan. Michigan authors and educators in 15 breakout sessions and workshops on all aspects of writing, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, the Nuts & Bolts of manuscript submissions, and more. 

Writing in the Pines. April 13, 2024 (in person), Stockton University, Galloway, NJ. Choose from workshops in memoir, poetry and revision. Each workshop will meet for 6 hours and will offer craft discussion, writing prompts, writing time, sharing and inspiration. 

Working (PLAYING) Retreat: Artistic Play and Exploration. April 14 - 17, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Join the creative duo of Denise Fleming and Ashley Wolff for time to create and connect. (They asked us to include "PLAYING" in the title for this special program, because their sessions will center play and exploration, and celebrate your artistic creativity!)

Non-Traditional Picture Book Structure: A Two-Night Mini. April 15 - 17, 2024: Online. Picture book journeys aren’t one size fits all, and that’s a good thing! Join children’s book author Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and literary agent Rachel Orr to celebrate alternative approaches to picture book structures.

Emotions in Nonfiction Picture Books: A Two-Night Mini. April 16 - 18, 2024: Online. Picture books open the world of information to readers. Join children’s book author Heidi E.Y. Stemple and editor Eileen Robinson to explore the many ways to infuse emotion into your nonfiction picture book, and hook and inspire your readers. 

Before the Book: A Two-Night Mini to Get Organized and Get to the Heart of Your Story. April 16 - 18, 2024: Online. Getting ready to write a novel doesn’t just mean finding a computer or the right pen—you also need to spend time considering the elements that bring emotion and structure to your story. Join author Jennifer Gennari for this short course to learn tangible techniques for getting organized, and getting to the heart of what you need to know about your story—even before you’ve written a word!

Magpie Poems. April 16 - May 14, 2024: Online. As poets, we depend on our five senses to make images and music on the page. What surprising things will happen to our poems if we allow other artistic disciplines to inspire our content and form? We’ll learn from poets like Tyehimba Jess, Frank O’Hara and Eduardo Corral, and explore artists whose work crosses genres, including Renee Gladman and Lenka Clayton. Drawing from creative mediums like traditional ekphrasis, collage, sculpture, song and more, we’ll challenge the boundaries of the poem on the page and imagine it in constant conversation with its aural and visual neighbors. Poets of all levels are invited to create something new or revive existing work each week in this supportive workshop.

The Crash Course in Children’s Book Publishing (Spring). April 16 - June 18, 2024: Online. Join lead faculty Harold Underdown and special guests for a Crash Course in Children’s Publishing. At the end of the course, you will understand how the children’s book publishing industry works, including submitting, publishing, marketing a book for children, teens, or young adults, and beginning ideas about craft and critique.

Just Do It! Your Collaborative Support Group for Finishing Your Draft (Spring/Summer). April 17 - June 5, 2024. This supportive program takes all creatives (nonfiction or fiction, picture books, novels, essays, and more) from goal-stating to finished drafts. Together, we’ll move through live sessions, writing prompts, studio dates, daily inspirations, check-ins, feedback, and more.

Chicago-North RWA's Spring Fling. April 18 - 20, 2024: Oak Brook, IL. Three day Biennial writer's conference geared towards both aspiring and established writers of any genre but focused on romantic fiction. Bookseller/Blogger/Librarian event, Masterclass in Craft and Marketing, Closing Gala. 

Chanticleer Authors Conference. April 18 - 21, 2024: Bellingham, Wash. Sessions with a special focus on the business of being a working writer on topics such as marketing, publicity, platform, sales tools & strategies, publishing, production, distribution, organization, storycraft, editing, and more. 

Kentucky Writing Workshop, April 19, 2024: Louisville, KY. This is a special one-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop on Friday, April 19, 2024, at the Kentucky International Convention Center. 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.

Authors' Salon at Clockwork Alchemy. April 19 - 21, 2024: San Mateo, California. Clockwork Alchemy is the San Francisco area's own steampunk convention. Originally a part of FanimeCon, Clockwork Alchemy is now its own independent event celebrating music, makers, dancing, writing, crafting, fashion, and fun related to steampunk!

Multiple Narrator Novels: A Two Night Mini. April 19 - 21, 2024: Online. Join authors Meera Trehan and Sarah Kapit to explore techniques and innovative choices when bringing multiple narrators to your middle grade or young adult novel.

Monadnock Pastoral Poetry Retreat. April 19 - 21, 2024. Greenfield, NH.  Includes workshops, individual conferences, participant & mentor readings; hiking & kayaking (weather permitting). Each workshop uses dual mentors.

Poetry at Round Top Festival. April 19 - 21, 2024: Round Top, Texas. Featuring: Pádraig Ó Tuama, Kimiko Hahn, Kim Stafford, James Crews, Danusha Laméris, ire’ne lara silva, José Antonio Rodríguez. 

North Carolina Writers’ Network Spring Conference. April 20, 2024: 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. 

San Diego Writing Workshop. April 20, 2024: San Diego, CA. 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. 

Tennessee Writing Workshop. April 20, 2024: Nashville, TN. 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. 

Blurred Lines: Writing Speculative Nonfiction. April 20 - May 18, 2024: Online. Though the golden rule of writing nonfiction is to be truthful, in speculative nonfiction, invention and imagination help a writer capture and hold truth’s slippery nature. In this five-week online workshop, we will read examples of speculative nonfiction by other writers like Margot Jefferson, Elissa Washuta and Jami Nakamura Lin, and learn how to draft scenes where facts are not fighting with what is imagined. Through exercises that employ both fiction and speculative nonfiction techniques, we will generate new material or fine-tune pieces already in progress. This workshop is open to new and more experienced writers looking to set their minds free—to use fact to explore fiction, blur the lines and create your own truth.

Nebraska Writers Guild Annual Conference and Writing Retreat. April 25 - 27, 2024: Omaha, NE. Workshops, pitch sessions with an agent and writing sessions followed by evening keynote speakers.

IBPA Publishing University. April 25 - 27, 2024: Denver, Colorado. The Independent Book Publishers Association offers 30+ educational sessions including experiential learning labs, insightful keynotes, a gala book award ceremony, networking events, and more! 

The Pikes Peak Writers Conference. April 25 -  April 28, 2024: 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 in person.

Whole Novel Workshop: A Virtual Course for Middle Grade and Young Adult Writers. April 25 - June 27, 2024: Online. A transformative opportunity to have your entire draft (up to 80,000 words) of a novel read by faculty, with detailed written feedback and a private consultation provided. This online program is for any writer of a middle grade or young adult novel. Apply by March 15.
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Writing and Illustrating for Kids (WIK): Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. April 26 - 28, 2024: Homewood, Alabama. "Gather with fellow writers, illustrators, translators, agents, editors, and other children's book publishing professionals for a day of craft, networking, professional development, and community. Make new connections, meet new friends, learn and explore, and refine your creative and business skills to move your kidlit career forward. With optional pre-conference intensives offered on Friday afternoon, April 26, and a free kidlit creators' social and trivia night event that evening, this will be a weekend to remember!"

Malice Domestic. April 26 - 28, 2024, Bethesda, MD. Malice Domestic™ is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan DC area that celebrates the traditional mystery, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. The genre is loosely identified as mysteries which contain no explicit sex, or excessive gore, or violence. 

The Creativity Workshop in New York. April 26-29, 2024: New York, New York. "The Creativity Workshops take away the fear of writing and open the way to new ideas. They are especially helpful for writers in fiction, poetry, memoir, theatre and film to get over writing blocks. In our Creativity Workshop Retreats you will generate both new work and ideas for the work you are in the midst of creating. We use many different techniques to help you find your way through the novel, essay, poem, memoir, or script you are writing or hope to write. In The Creativity Workshop you will be doing free writing, writing from guided visualizations, collaborative writing, journaling and memoir work and even some rudimentary drawing, collage and photography." 

Philadelphia Writing Workshop. April 27, 2024: Philadelphia, PA.  This is a special one-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the Philadelphia Convention Center. 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.

Atlanta Self-Publishing Conference. April 27, 2024: Dunwoody, Georgia. The Atlanta Self-Publishing Conference (ASPC) is dedicated to serving self-published authors and the independent publishing market. No matter whether you're curious about the self-publishing market or you want to learn how to grow your independent author business, our conference will help you launch your career forward.

9 New Agents Seeking Nonfiction, Picture Books, Kidlit, YA, Fantasy, Memoir, Graphic Novels and more

Taj McCoy
Here are nine literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

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

Syrone is an impassioned literary professional, a vibrant force of creativity in the world of books. With an eclectic background in publication, editorial services, and project management, Syrone is dedicated to supporting authors at every step of their writing journey. Syrone is on a mission to be the ultimate “bookend” for authors, providing them with the personalized support they need to shine at every stage of their literary journey.

With her sharp editorial eye and a keen sense for market trends, Syrone is the ultimate guide for authors navigating the ever-changing landscape of publishing. Whether it’s guiding debut novelists or supporting seasoned writers seeking a new direction, she is passionate about building long-lasting relationships with her clients. She takes a patchwork quilt approach with her authors—every story is unique and one-of-a-kind. She will walk the literary journey with enthusiasm, expertise, and a shared commitment to bringing exceptional stories to readers worldwide.

What she is seeking: 

Nonfiction:

Autobiography/MemoirFood/DrinkHow To/DYIHumorReligionSelf-helpChristianWomen’s IssuesLifestyleInspirationCultural/Social IssuesPicture Books
Middle Grade
Young Adult
Adult Fiction:

Contemporary FictionChristian FictionFamily SagaHistorical FictionLiterary FictionContemporary RomanceWomen’s FictionFunny Women’s FictionHumor/SatireCommercialMulticultural​How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Ms. Molly Ketcheson of Wolfson Literary Agency

Molly Ketcheson holds an undergraduate degree from the University of St Andrews and an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing from City, University of London. Prior to joining WLA in 2024, Molly held prestigious internships at multiple publishing companies, where she gained a keen understanding of the international publishing landscape and a love for joyful and impactful fiction. 

What she is seeking: She is actively building her list in commercial and upmarket fiction, as well as select literary fiction, fantasy, and YA titles. She is particularly drawn to books with a unique premise, lyrical prose, complex women, and stories that are, ultimately, hopeful. Molly is passionate about the power of fiction, and is excited to work with her clients to bring books that matter into the world.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.


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Ms. Isabel Lineberry of Perez Literary & Entertainment (UK)Isabel graduated in 2021 from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University with dual degrees in English Literature and Business Entrepreneurship. Just a few months later she was in Scotland pursuing an MLitt in Fantasy at the University of Glasgow. She wrote her Masters thesis on Tamora Pierce and is a fan of Ray Bradbury, Octavia Butler and Samantha Shannon. 

What she is seeking: I represent YA and New Adult and am particularly interested in Contemporary Romance, Romantasy and Fantasy. I am always attracted to the character and voice first, so give me romantic tension that has me giggling, a villain who is as charming as they are evil or a group of characters who have me watching their conversations as if it's a tennis match. 

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.
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Max Moorhead of Massie & McQuilkin Literary AgentsMax Moorhead began his publishing career at The New Republic as an editorial fellow before joining Massie & McQuilkin in 2019 in a junior role. Over the years he has cultivated a client list while also managing backlist titles by Russell & Volkening clients including Annie Dillard, Eudora Welty, Bernard Malamud, Barbara Tuchman, and Marian Engel. Raised in New Hampshire, he graduated with honors from The New School earning a B.A. in Creative Writing.

What he is seeking: As an agent he specializes in literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, biography, cultural history, and memoir. In fiction: he is drawn to beautiful writing, unforgettable characters, family stories, socially engaged writing, and compelling plots. 

How to submit: Please send queries to the attention of Max Moorhead at max@mmqlit.com. Please note that he only responds to queries in which he is interested. If you haven’t heard from him in 4-6 weeks, your project is not a good fit for him.


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Ms. Emily Barrett of The Blair Partnership (UK)I was previously the Publisher of Sphere Non-Fiction at Little, Brown and have worked across the whole gamut of non-fiction, helping authors including experts and influencers turn their books into bestsellers, award-winners and major rights-sellers.

What she is seeking: I’m looking for commercial or upmarket non-fiction which is written with a clear reader in mind, whether that’s to inform or entertain them, or improve their life in some way. 
​
How to submit: You can submit to Emily at: emilysubmissions@theblairpartnership.com


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Gabrielle Harbowy of Corvisiero Literary Agency 

Gabrielle Harbowy has more than 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, from her entry into the field as a pricing analyst at Scholastic, to becoming a full-time editor and part-time writer. A third-generation reader of fantasy and science fiction, a love for the speculative is in her blood. Gabrielle was Managing Editor at Dragon Moon Press for a decade, has worked with award winners and international bestsellers, and is passionate about elevating the authors around her. A three-time published novelist, short story author, and award-nominated anthologist, Gabrielle has spoken, given workshops, and run D&D and Pathfinder games at numerous conventions. She is a member of SFWA, IAMTW, and the LGBTQ+ Editors Association. Her passions include music, travel, tabletop roleplaying games, crocheting and needlepoint, tattoo art, everything Finnish (except lutefisk), outer space, and the Oxford comma.

What she is seeking: Gabrielle is seeking science fiction, fantasy, paranormal mysteries, queer romance, and genre-bending speculative fiction. She loves reading diverse books, characters that come alive and immersive worlds, and tropes turned on their heads. She would like to see queerness, neurodiversity, and disability represented and normalized, both in the world and on the page. 

How to submit: Use Marisa Corvsiero's querymanager and address your query to Gabrielle.

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Lisa Gouldy of Corvisiero Literary Agency 

Lisa Gouldy is a passionate writer and reader of stories that stretch the imagination and reveal important truths about the world around us. Trained as an attorney, Lisa moved from the legal world into the literary one nearly a decade ago in search of stories less constrained by reality. The literary community in Seattle welcomed her in, and Lisa connected with writers everywhere from coffee shops to Hugo House, from PNWA to SCBWI, from conferences to critique groups. Assisting others with their writing journeys, it turned out, was as much fun as creating her own. As an apprentice with the Corvisiero Literary Agency, Lisa seeks to guide writers through the publishing process the way she once helped clients access the courts.

What she is seeking: Lisa loves stories with lyrical writing, memorable characters, and fast-paced plots that keep her guessing. In adult fiction, she devours upmarket and literary titles with complex protagonists, and has a special hunger for stories with speculative elements. Her sweet spot is a novel with a world much like ours, but with fantasy, sci-fi, or dystopian additions that illuminate real-life issues in a unique way. In children’s literature, Lisa particularly enjoys middle grade fantasy and young adult novels with a speculative bent, as well as picture books that make her (and her daughter) laugh.

How to submit: Use Marisa Corvsiero's querymanager and address your query to Lisa.

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Ciara Smith of Corvisiero Literary Agency 

Ciara earned her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and joined a small press as a freelance editor. She was raised by an editor who instilled in her a love of reading and writing. In her youth, she penned short stories, but left writing behind when she joined the US Navy. But, of course, that love for words never wavered even during her service, and she readily volunteered to edit and review any and all paperwork, reports, and regulations she could get her hands on. After becoming a parent to two beautiful daughters, she decided to leave the military to pursue various creative arts and returned to her first love of writing and editing. 

What she is seeking: ​Ciara has a wide range of interests from YA to NA and Adult. Particularly she's interested in:Fantasy that's a little unconventional and weird. Or cozy like LEGENDS & LATTES.Would love to see African or Asian second worlds and/or mythologies à la THE POPPY WAR, KAIKEYI, and THE GILDED ONES, and morally gray characters like GIDEON THE NINTH.Science Fiction that really makes me wonder about the world and possibilities like POST HUMAN and THE OUTSIDE.Also love cozy in science fiction, A LONG WAY TO A SLOW ANGRY PLANET, and morally gray characters like in THE MURDERBOT DIARIES.Literary Speculative/Dystopian Fiction that makes me worry about the world in the way THE HANDMAID'S TALE and THE POWER did.Romance that's a blend with another genre, like Romantasy, or Romantic Thriller/Suspense.Historical Fiction that will make me cry like THE MIDWIFE OF AUSCHWITZ or that have the same feeling as reading Jane Austen.Horror that reflects feminist rage or body horror that makes me squirm. Not excessively gorey, just highly uncomfortable.Military fiction that shows the complex feelings of serving, both in war time and in between, or the transition to civilian lifeAny genre blending of the above.In all of these, I would love ND, disabled, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC #ownvoices.How to submit: Use Marisa Corvsiero's querymanager and address your query to Ciara.

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Taj McCoy of Rees Agency

Junior Agent Taj McCoy (she/her) has a law degree from Southwestern Law School and a bachelor's degree in Business Law from California State University, Northridge. Taj trained as an agent under Fuse Literary, and has previously served as a Pitch Wars mentor and as co-program manager for Diverse Voices, Inc.’s DVdebut program. Her Adult Fiction is published through Mira/HQN. Taj is building her list in Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction, Young Adult, and Middle Grade, as well as looking for illustrators. She’s passionately seeking BIPOC and queer creators who highlight parts of their cultures and experiences. She is an advocate for body positivity in publishing, and loves to highlight intersectionality. Taj aims to widen the entryway for marginalized authors into the publishing industry, and to  normalize Black joy, fat joy, celebrations of culture, and love without limitations.

What she is seeking:

FICTION (Adult, YA, MG) MG Fantasy and adventure, crushes, romcom YA/MG voicey coming of age, embracing identity and/or traditions of culture, Black joy, girls in STEM, romance, romcom, mystery, humorous contemporary fiction ADULT romance, romcom, romantic suspense, mystery, cozy mystery, family saga, women's fiction, thriller NON-FICTION (Adult, YA, MG, PB): 
Send in a query once you have a complete book proposal, a detailed outline, and sample chapters. In your query letter, make sure you tell me why you’re the best person to write this book. NF picture books only Illustrated table/survey books A/MG historical, narrative Adult memoir, narrative, empowerment, self-help, pop culture, humor, engaging howILLUSTRATORS: Please only upload artwork in the upload section if you are an illustrator seeking representation––this is NOT a space for full manuscripts or other artwork. For illustrators, please use the query letter space to tell me about yourself––tell me about the work that you'd like to do with representation? For instance, are you primarily focused on picture books, or are you open to chapter books, MG, YA, GN? Covers? Do you also write picture books, or is art the primary focus? 

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE. 

Weather: What Agents Say They Want And What They Really Want

When my daughter recommended that I read Weather, a novel by Jenny Offill, I dutifully got it from my local library. (While I always read books that my children recommend, I know better than to buy them.) As promised, it was engaging. And because it was composed entirely of short, one-paragraph, diary-like snippets thrown somewhat randomly together, it was perfect for doctors' waiting rooms, airports, and all the other venues of modern life that require casual time-killing.
 
In short, I liked it. But I would never consider putting this book on my shelf. Why? Because I could easily have written it. Stream-of-consciousness is the simplest, and laziest, form of writing. It requires no training, no "crafting," and certainly no thesaurus.

I frown upon that.

Predictably, the critics loved Weather.

"Offill takes subjects that could easily become pedantic — the tensions between self-involvement and social engagement — and makes them thrilling and hilarious and terrifying and alive," gushed New York Times reviewer Leslie Jamison. "Offill’s fragmentary structure evokes an unbearable emotional intensity: something at the core of the story that cannot be narrated directly, by straight chronology, because to do so would be like looking at the sun."


Thrilling, terrifying, hilarious, unbearably intense and like looking into the face of a gigantic ball of inconceivable energy produced by an endless stream of nuclear fusion, no less. All of these descriptions would lead you to believe that this novel has the potential to take you on a wild, unforgettable emotional ride, the likes of which you have never experienced before.

Absolutely not.

The reason I liked Weather was because it required no effort on my part to read it. I didn't have to recall who the characters were, because Offill didn't actually give us enough information to be able to identify them. (It was sort of like my meandering, elderly neighbor who constantly gossiped about Chet and Naomi, whoever they might be.) (I never did find out.) There was no descriptive prose, so I didn't have to tax my mind by imagining where these people were, or when events happened. Oh, now that I think of it, nothing actually did happen, so remembering the order of events was rendered moot. There was no plot. It was like being lost in space, enjoyable in a way that brings to mind an anesthetic haze. Or the pleasures of an opium den.

Apparently, this kind of fiction is appealing to readers. (2,222 ratings on Amazon 35,757 ratings on Goodreads - we'll get to some of those later).  

As a reader, I'm okay with Weather. But, from the point of view of someone who regularly deals with the publishing world, this book is an anomaly. It is precisely the type of a novel that agents say they don't want.

WHAT AGENTS SAY THEY WANT

This is how agents describe their perfect novel:strong storytelling, unputdownable stories with characters that transcend the pageplot-driven work with strong world-building, character development,compelling emotional stakesbeautiful writing, unforgettable characters, family stories, socially engaged writing,compelling plotsunputdownable stories with bold, courageous characters who take you down an emotional journey of perseverancecharacter-driven literary explorations with efficient, stunning prose and commercially appealing plots
(In case you are wondering, all of those descriptions were lifted verbatim from agents' wish lists.)

Agents say they are looking for plot-driven, immersive, page-turners. Yet, Weather is none of those things. It is, however, a novelty. Readers like novelty. Publishers, and hence agents, don't - which is why they avoid taking a chance on new ideas.

WHAT AGENTS REALLY WANT

Agents want to make money. (Sometimes, they also want to champion writers. But that's actually quite rare.) Agents are engaged in a career that involves acting as middlemen between people who produce ideas (writers) and people who sell them (publishers). The agent is simply a go-between. It's nice when they love your work, but their purpose is to make dollar signs happen. 

Weather made dollar signs for its author, and for Alfred A. Knopf, and presumably for Offill's agent. All of that is nice. But it flies in the face of what writers want, which is to be loved and admired.

See: Literary Agents: The Writer's Ultimate Ambiguous Relationship


HOW WEATHER WORKS

Note: If you are anticipating a discussion of pressure fronts and how they interact with moisture, you will be disappointed.

One of the things people who study the mechanics of language - phonemics, syntax, semantics - soon realize is that the relationship between sounds and parts of speech, etc., is what confers meaning, not the sounds and words, in and of themselves. This also holds true at the macro level. If you take two unconnected sentences and place them one after the other, your mind will automatically work to link them together in order to force them to make sense. (You can try that with any two sentences that I have ever written.)

To demonstrate my point, here is a page from Weather, chosen at random:
After the election, Ben makes many small wooden things. One to organize our utensils, one to keep the trash can from wobbling. He spends hours on them. "There, I fixed it," he says.

A turtle was mugged by a gang of snails. The police came to take a report, but he couldn't help them. "It all happened so fast," he said.

And in the ether, people asking the same question again and again. To the yours-to-losers, to the both-the-samers, to the wreck-it-allers.

Happy now?

The path is getting ...  narrower. That is how Ben told me. He was doing the math in his head. 

But it could still...?
It's not possible.

And so we stayed up and watched to the end.
See what I mean? I guarantee you will find a way to make this page make sense. In fact, you will read many more pages, attempting to find a context to place this page into. You will do that because that is the function of language.

SOME ENTERTAINING THOUGHTS BY REVIEWERS

I enjoyed reading this book, mostly because it only took a couple of hours of my time. (I am compelled to read every word of books I take out of the library. It's a diagnosable condition, I'm told.)

Other people were not so generously inclined. Here are a few one-star reviews I found on Amazon.

"Boring and pointless" -  Anything that resembles a plot could be written in 10 pages- good marriage, normal child, sick brother.

Why, oh why...this book did I buy! - I am REALLY struggling to finish this book. Rarely do I buy a hardcover book when it just comes out, but I did with this one and I am disappointed. It consists mainly of random, nonsensical paragraphs page by page.

Weather: NOT a novel - "Weather " is yet another fragmented, MFA-chic, tedious narration of boring events in the life of a contemporary jaded writer.

Noun verb noun - No plot after 25%. Maybe there'll be a point later, but I don't feel much need to slog through poorly crafted prose, with no plot, a boring heroine, no deep understanding of human nature. Of course I haven't finished it and I probably won't. This may appeal to some, but it seems to be the worst thing I've read in a decade.

Impressionistic, not a novel - Impressionistic observations, thoughts, anecdotes over a period of probably a few years — a writer’s notes strung together and called a novel. Many were interesting and many were not; I finished the book, relieved to get away from the chaos.

Terribly written - I had no idea who was who and what was happening. I get stream of consciousness but this was just terrible. Check Alice Walker for ways to do that well.


IN SUM

This post had a point when I started writing it. But I find it hard to maintain a coherent train of thought after reading Weather. (When you read, you unconsciously adopt the author's writing style to your thought patterns.)

Oh yes, now I remember. 

Just write whatever you damn well want to write. Despite all protestations to the contrary, agents (and publishers, as well) want something that will make them money. That is why they almost invariably include on their wish lists a number of successful books that they want your book to emulate. They want another... (just fill in the blank with a book that has sold millions of copies). Rarely do agents (or publishers) go for novelty.

Where does that leave you, the writer? My advice is to ignore the market. Ignore what agents say they want, and sell your idea to them as if you are the best thing since sliced bread.

Because you are.

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Here are some eye-opening stats that  will boost your self-confidence:

Never Give Up! Never Surrender!

10 Things Publishers Wish They Had Never Said

18 Incredibly Stupid Publishing Mistakes

86 Calls for Submissions in March 2024 - Paying markets

Flickr This March there are more than seven 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 upcoming calls for submissions shortly before 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!

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A Touch of Aether. Genre: Urban fantasy. Length: 5,000 - 10,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Shadowtouched. Genre: Speculative short fiction on theme: Thieves, assassins, vigilantes, agents of darkness, etc. Word count: 3,500 - 10,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Podcastle. Genre: Fantasy podcast. Length: Up to 6,000 words. Payment: $0.06/word for original; $100 for reprints, $20 for flash fiction reprints. Deadline: Opens March 1, 2024.

Inside the Castle. Genre: Poetry collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 1, 2024.
 
Sundog. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art. Payment: $50. Deadline: Opens March 1, 2024, and closes when they reach capacity.

My Galvanized Friend. Restrictions: Submissions must be LGBTQIA+ content created by LGBTQIA+ identified submitters. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and essays between 500 and 3,500 words as well as works of poetry and original works of art. Payment: $25 per fiction/nonfiction/essay and $10 per page of poetry. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Solstitia: Pets in Space. Genre: All genres and all submission types (fiction, non fiction, poetry, art). Word count up to 20,000. Payment: $50. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Copper Nickel. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and translation folios. Payment: $30 per printed page + two copies of the issue in which the author’s work appears + a one-year subscription. Deadline: March 1, 2024. 

Gully. Genre: Fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and visual art. Payment: US$15 for poems and Gullets (flash fiction and non-fiction of less than 1,000 words) and US$30 for features and longer fiction (1,000 words and over). Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Mukoli. Genre: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and multimedia art creations that engage with peacebuilding. Payment: $75. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Teach. Write. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, flash fiction, poetry, CNF. "I prefer writing that is either written by composition teachers and writing students OR about teaching and learning." Payment: $15. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: $400. Deadline: March 1, 2024. See themes.

Midstory Magazine. Genre: Personal essays written by women about life, love, loss, and friendship at midlife. Payment: $50. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Eerie River. Genre: Horror and dark fantasy novels. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Block Party Press. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction chapbooks. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

The Woodward Review. Genre: Poetry, prose, art, and digital media from anyone, anywhere. Payment: $50. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Iron Horse. Genre: Poems, stories, and essays. Payment: $100 per essay or story, and $50 per poem or flash piece. Deadline: March 1, 2024. Note: Open one day only for free submissions.

Bad Day Book. Genre: Poetry and prose. See site for themes. Payment: $40 - $75, depending on length. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Thema: Bookmarks. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: Bookmarks. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: March 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: March 2, 2024. Opens March 1.

Intrepidus Ink. Genre: Fiction. See theme. Payment: $.02/word for flash fiction 300 – 1,000 words. $30 flat rate for short stories 1,500 – 2,500 words. Deadline: March 3, 2024.

Middle West Press LLC. Genre: Poetry manuscripts comprising 50 to 100 poems. "We are particularly seeking manuscripts that intersect in some way with military experience or service, especially those stemming from the lived experiences of women veterans, poets of color, poets who identify as LGBTQ+, and other marginalized voices. Past and present military service members, family members, and others are invited to submit work." Payment: $100 advance and royalties. Deadline: March 4, 2024.

Middle West Press LLC. Genre: Poetry manuscripts comprising 50 to 100 poems. "We are particularly seeking manuscripts that intersect in some way with the people, places, nature, and history of the American Middle West, especially those stemming from the lived experiences of women, poets of color, poets who identify as LGBTQ+, military veterans, and other marginalized voices." Payment: $100 advance and royalties. Deadline: March 4, 2024.

The Victorian Writer. Genre: Fiction, poetry, as well as pitches or completed articles about the craft of writing or the writing life. Payment: AUD70 for poems, AUD100-200 for prose. Deadline: March 4, 2024.

Hexagon. Genre: Speculative fiction short stories, flash fiction, poetry, graphic stories, and visual art, in English or French. Payment: $5 for accepted poetry and cartoons, 0.01$ per word for all short stories up to 7,500 words, $40/page for comics and $150 for cover art pieces. (Payment in CAD). Deadline: March 7, 2024. 

A Coup of Owls. Restrictions: Only submit if you are aged 18 or over and belong to an underrepresented or marginalised community. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled people. Genre: Fiction, all genres. Payment: £5 - 15. Deadline: March 7, 2024. Closes when they reach their cap.

Bennington Review. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, film writing, and cross-genre work. Payment: $120 for prose of six typeset pages and under, $250 for prose of over six typeset pages, and $25 per poem. Deadline: March 8, 2024.

Book XI. Genre: Personal essays, memoir, fiction, science fiction, humor, and poetry with philosophical themes. Payment: $200 for prose; $50 for poetry. Deadline: March 8, 2024. Closes when cap is reached.

Samjoko Magazine is devoted to publishing "exemplary work from content creators around the world. Focusing mainly upon the written word, we hope to create an immersive digital and print platform that stands out for its honesty and desire to take risks for the sake of artistic expression. We have no set aesthetic, though different themes will be focused upon periodically." Payment: $20. Deadline: March 10, 2024.

Faces. Genre: Nonfiction, activities for children 9 - 14. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: March 11, 2024. Queries only. See themes.

Mslexia. Restrictions: Open to women. Genre: Fiction poetry, nonfiction. Payment: £25. Deadline: March 11, 2024. See themes.

Poetry Wales. Genre: Poetry, reviews, articles. See theme. Payment: Poems £20/page. Reviews £67.50/1500-word review. Articles £200/3000 word, or in that proportion, depending on number of published words. Deadline: March 12, 2024.

Empyrean Tree Magazine. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Payment $25. Deadline: March 12, 2024. See themes.

Stranger. Genre: Short stories. "Stranger is an anthology for stories that look into unexpected places. We want real or magical, lyrical or experimental, as long as it finds that truth wasn't as simple as once thought." Payment: €175. Deadline: March 12, 2024. Closes when cap is reached. 

Gutter. Genre: Poetry and prose in Scotland and beyond. Length: Poetry submissions can consist of up to five poems, totaling no more than 120 lines. Prose, up to 3000 words. Payment: £25. Deadline: March 16, 2024.


Archive of the Odd. Genre: Speculative fiction, horror preferred. “Archive of the Odd is a zine of uncanny occurrences, told in even stranger ways.” They’d like a variety of time periods. Stories can be in any format, except traditional prose. Some of the suggested formats are: academic papers; technical writing; medication warning sheets; sales papers; newspaper articles; recipes; knitting/crochet/weaving/what-have-you guides; care guides (plant, animal, rock garden, etc); or any other unusual format. Submissions do not have to be entirely in text. Payment: $15-$25 for fiction of 500-5,000+ words. Deadline: Opens March 15, 2024.

Monstrous Magazine. Genre: Horror story dealing with time travel. No Morlock stories. Length: 1000 to 1500 words. Payment: 6 cents a word. Deadline: March 15, 2024.

Weird Horror Magazine. Genre: Horror. Payment: 2 cents a word. Deadline: March 15, 2024.

Penumbric. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art, animation, and music. Payment: $10. Deadline: March 15, 2024.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $0.04/word, up to $25. Deadline: March 15, 2024. See theme.

The Rumpus. Genre: Fiction. Payment: $400 divided among all contributors. Deadline: March 15, 2024.

Philly Poetry Chapbook Review. Genre: Reviews of chapbooks coming soon or published in the past three years, essays on the crafts of poetry and chapbook making or publishing, and features about authors or publishers of chapbooks. Payment: $10. Deadline: March 15, 2024. 

Bad Day Book. Genre: Poetry and prose. See site for themes. Payment: $40 - $75, depending on length. Deadline: March 15, 2024.

Muse Magazine. Genre: Nonfiction articles for children. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: March 15, 2023. See themes. Queries only.

Carcanet Press. Genre: Classics. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 21, 2024.

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 22, 2024.

Off Topic Publishing: Poetry Box. Genre: Poetry. Payment $30 CAD. Deadline: March 25, 2024. This is a monthly call.

Ghoulish Tales. Genre: Horror. Word count: 5,000 max (short stories); 3,000 max (non-fiction). Payment: 10 cents/word. Deadline: March 29, 2024.

Roads Less Traveled. Genre: Short stories that have a mix of two or more of these genres:  horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi and slipstream, that explore original themes or traditional themes from an original perspective. Also accepts nonfiction, interviews and art. Payment: £40 per story regardless of length; £60 per interview regardless of length and including accompanying illustrations or photographs; £60 per nonfiction article. Art is negotiated. Deadline: March 29, 2024.

Cunning Folk. Restrictions: "Due to limited capacity, we are not open to fiction submissions from North America at this time." Genre: Non-fiction pitches and short fiction and poetry on theme. See theme. Payment: £100 per article, interview or short story and £50 for poetry and rituals. Deadline: March 30, 2024.

Little Press Publishing. Restrictions: Open to writers in the U.S. and Canada only. Genre: Middle grade fiction for ages 10-13 word count 30,000- 65,000 and early middle grade manuscripts with illustration potential for readers ages 9-12, word count 16,000-30,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 30, 2024.

Little Press Publishing. Genre: Young Adult fiction for ages 14 – 18 with a word count of 50,000-75,000 words. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Coming of Age, BIPOC, Fantasy/Supernatural, and LGBTQ+ Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 30, 2024.

How2Conquer. Genre: Nonfiction books. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

The Fables Next Door. Genre: Stories that involve characters from recognized fairy tales placed in a modern setting where normal people meet and interact. All genres welcome as long as the theme is met. Word Count: 2000 - 10000. Payment: $25. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Propel. Restrictions; Open to poets based in the UK or Ireland who have yet to publish their first full-length poetry collection. Genre: Poetry. Payment: £20. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Tiger Bark Press. Genre: Poetry. "As part of Tiger Bark Press’s ongoing commitment to printing quality poetry by a diversity of voices, the press holds an open reading period throughout the month of March each year, for full-length book manuscripts by American poets who identify as Black, as indigenous, or as people of color. There is no entry fee for submission". Payment: Selected poets will be offered a standard publishing contract, with books scheduled for publication within one year of acceptance. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

The Hudson Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, essays, book reviews; criticism of literature, art, theatre, dance, film, and music; and articles on contemporary cultural developments. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: March 31, 2024. (Nonfiction only)
 
Dragon Soul Press: Pirate Legends. Genre: "All stories featuring pirates are welcome. From Pirates of the Caribbean to Treasure Planet and everything in between." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Palimpsest Press publishes full-length poetry, literary fiction, and non-fiction titles that deal with poetics, cultural criticism, and literary biography. "We look for poetry that displays technical mastery, precise language, and an authentic voice, and fiction that is rich in imagery, well crafted, and focused on character development. Our non-fiction titles are essays or memoirs written by poets, and books that examine Canadian poetry and the Canadian cultural landscape. In an effort to remove barriers for BIPOC, Deaf, and Disabled authors, Palimpsest Press is officially opening submissions year-round for authors who identify as BIPOC, Deaf, or Disabled. These guidelines take effect immediately. Please include “Year-round Submission” in the email subject line if you submit outside of our designated January1st-March 31st submission period." Read their submission guidelines here. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2024. 

Midnight & Indigo. Restrictions: Open to black women. Genre: Fiction, personal essays. Payment: $50 for essays, and $50-$75 for fiction. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Hearth Stories. Genre: Speculative fiction. "We publish fiction and poetry that explore connection, family, relationships, comfort, and the natural world. The stories often fall into a fantasy, science-fiction, or magical realism sort of “slice of life.” Payment: 1¢ per word for accepted stories (with a minimum of $20 regardless of length. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Small Harbor Publishing. Restrictions: Open to marginalized writers only. Genre: Chapbooks. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Banshee. Genre: Poetry, essays, flash fiction, short stories. Payment: "Small" Deadline: March 31, 2024.

parABnormal. Genre: Nonfiction, poetry on the paranormal. "For us, this includes ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters and creatures from various folklores." Payment: $25.00 for original stories, $7.00 for reprints.$6.00 for each poem. $20.00 for original articles, $6.00 for reprints. $7.00 for reviews and interviews. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: March 31, 2023. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee.

MetaStellar. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy or horror. 1000 words max. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Haven Speculative. Restrictions: Open to submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Adroit Journal. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $50. Deadline: March 31, 2024. 

Ninth Letter. Genre: Poems, nonfiction, and short fiction. Payment: $25 for poetry, $100 for prose. Deadline: March 31, 2024. No fee for web edition.

The Fiddlehead. Genre: Fiction, including excerpts from novels, creative nonfiction, art, poetry. Payment: $60 CAD per published page. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Book Slayer Press: Under the Pink. Restrictions: OPEN to any and everyone that identifies (now or in the past) as femme in the most inclusive of definitions. Genre: Adult horror, including genre-chimeras inspired by the music of Tori Amos. Submissions must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words. Payment: $100. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: March 31, 2024. In celebration of Disability Awareness Month, there are no submission fees for writers living with both visible and invisible disabilities for the month of March.

Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? Anthology. Genre: Crime fiction. "Culture Club secured a spot in music history and produced a music legacy still loved today. And, what better way to celebrate them than with outstanding crime fiction inspired by their music?" Payment: $25. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Southword. Genre: Fiction. Payment: €300 per short story. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

The Rumpus. Genre: Comics. Payment: $400 divided among all contributors. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Winter in the City: A Collection of Dark Urban Stories. Genre: Speculative fiction that takes place in cities during winter. Payment: 10 cents/word. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Terrain.org. Genre: Poetry, nonfiction, fiction, artwork, videos, and other contributions on place, climate, and justice. Payment: $50. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Air and Nothingness Press: Moving Across the Landscape in Search of an Idea. Genre: We are looking for stories with long titles (minimum 250 words, maximum 600 words), concise narratives (minimum 250 words, maximum 600 words) and copious footnotes, endnotes, marginalia, indices and glossaries (minimum 250 words, maximum 600 words). Authors are welcome to shift word counts between these three parts of their submission, but they must stay within a range of 1500 words for the total submission (ex. a 500 word title, a 600 word narrative, and 400 words of footnotes.). Payment: $0.08/word. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Aurealis. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy or horror short stories between 2000 and 8000 words. Payment: A$20 and A$60 per 1000 words. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Typehouse. Restrictions: In honor of Disability Awareness Month, no-fee submissions are open for all creators living with both visible and invisible disabilities, not limited to those from the US. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

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 31, 2024.

Short Story Substack accepts one short story every month. Genre: All genres. Word count 6,000 - 10,000 words. Payment: Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: March 31, 2024. Reprints accepted.

Poetry Substack accepts one poem every month. Genre: Poem. Must have a rhyme scheme or a rhythm scheme. No blank verse or free verse. Payment: Base Pay of $10 for the chosen poem + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: March 31, 2024. Reprints accepted.
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Split Lip Magazine. Genre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $75 for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, and art, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews web issues. Deadline: March 31, 2024. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early. 

And a few more...

Totally Entwined: Family Business. Genre: Novellas, 30,000 - 50,000 words. Theme: Mafia romance. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

Write or Die. Genre: Short fiction. Length: Up to 4000 words. Payment: $200. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

The Ex-Puritan. Genre: Poetry, fiction, reviews, interviews, essays, and experimental work. "The Ex-Puritan now seeks to publish the best in all forms of writing." Payment: $100 - $200 (CAD). Deadline: April 1, 2024.

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, 2024.

Toronto Journal. Genre: Short stories from anywhere in the world. "We will also consider non-fiction pieces about local history (Toronto, GTA, and surrounding)." No word limit. Payment: $50 CAD per piece. All published writers will also receive two printed copies of the issue in which they appear. Deadline: April 1, 2024. 

Kangas Kahn. Genre: Horror short stories on theme: Clowns Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: April 1, 2024..

Salamander. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

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, 2024.

Shenandoah. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens April 1, 2024, and closes when they reach capacity. 

Zero Street Restrictions: Open to LGBTQ+ writers. Genre: Full-length literary fiction. "Zero Street will be committed to LGBTQ+ literary fiction with commercial potential, providing marginalized authors opportunities for a wide readership in the trade fiction market. The series editors are Timothy Schaffert, bestselling author of The Perfume Thief, and SJ Sindu, author of Blue-Skinned Gods. The series seeks LGBTQ+ literary fiction of all kinds, from stories of modern life to innovations on traditions of genre and are particularly interested in BIPOC authors, trans authors, and queer authors over 50." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 1, 2024.

The Best Hunt. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Theme: Monsters have feelings too, even if it’s used to rage against the machine. Payment: "a percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors." Deadline: April 1, 2024.

75 Writing Contests in March 2024 - No entry fees

PxHere This March there are more than six dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes this month range from $25,000 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. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 

________________________
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The Miracle Monocle Award for Young Black Writers. Restrictions: Writers must be 25 years old or younger and identify as Black. Genre: All. Prize: $200.  Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Tales to Terrify. Genre: Horror. Length: 1000 words max. Prize: $50. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Linda Purdy Memorial Prize. Restrictions: Open to Orange County residents. Genre: Poetry, fiction. Prize: $200 and publication. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Texas Review Press Southern Poetry Breakthrough Series: Kentucky. Restrictions: Open to any poet born in Kentucky, or currently residing in Kentucky, who has not yet published a full-length collection of poetry. The author may have published chapbooks or books in other genres. Genre: Poetry collection. Prize: Winner will receive a standard royalty contract, and 20 copies of the published book. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Chismosa. Genre: All genres. "We want work that explores the idea that to be a writer is to gossip; it is to people-watch and eavesdrop and turn the things we observe into protagonists and plot-devices. Give us a story brimming with gossip, or write a poem to tell us about the art of eavesdropping." Prize: $100. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

The Waterman Fund Essay Contest. Restrictions: Writers who have not published a book-length work of fiction or narrative nonfiction on topics of wilderness, wildness, or the ethics and ecology of environmental issues are eligible. Genre: Personal essays between 2000 and 3000 words. "The  Waterman Fund seeks new voices on the role and place of wilderness in today’s world." Prizes: The winning essayist will be awarded $3000 and publication in Appalachia Journal. The Honorable Mention essay will receive $1000. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

On The Premises. "For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which some kind of vehicle plays an important role. Merely using the vehicle as a simple plot device or to help characters get somewhere is not enough. For instance, “While flying home I made a bunch of new friends on the flight” isn’t good enough, because the same story–making new friends–could easily be told without the plane." Prize: $250 for first place, $200 for second, $150 for third. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

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 Indigenous Writers. 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. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Library of Virginia Literary Awards. Restrictions: Open to writers who were born in or are residents of Virginia or, in the case of nonfiction, books with a Virginia theme, are eligible. Genre: Books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published in the previous year. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

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, 2024.

Mississippi Artists Fellowships. Restrictions: Open to permanent residents of Mississippi. Genre: Fiction and poetry. (Plus many art forms) Prize: $5,000. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Deep Wild Graduate Student Prize. Restrictions: Open to students currently enrolled in graduate programs. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. "We seek work that conjures the experiences, observations, and insights of backcountry journeys." Prize:1st Place prize is $200, 2nd Place $100, and 3rd Place $50. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize. Genre: Pieces of any genre up to 2500 words on the theme (See website). Prize: £3,000 cash prize. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

North Carolina State Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to North Carolina residents (including out-of-state and international students who are enrolled in North Carolina universities)with no published books. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

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: $7000 (CAN). Deadline: March 1, 2024.

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, 2024.

Library of Virginia Literary Awards. Restrictions: Open to writers who were born in or are residents of Virginia or, in the case of nonfiction, books with a Virginia theme, are eligible. Genre: Children's books published in the previous year. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Iron Horse 2024 Chapbook Competition. Genre: Prose chapbook, between 40 and 56 pages (10,000 - 20,000 words) Prize: $1,000 honorarium and 15 copies. Deadline: March 1, 2024. Note: They will accept 25 free submissions on March 1, 2024.

The Solitary Daisy Haiku Contest. Genre: Haiku. Prize: First place $25, second place $15, third place $10. Deadline: March 2, 2024.


"It's All Write!" Teen Short Story Contest. Restrictions: Open to Grades 6-12. Michigan residents only. Genre: Short story, and flash fiction, unpublished. Prize: 1st Place $250, 2nd Place $150, 3rd Place $100. Deadline: March 3, 2024.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction. "On the first Friday of every month, a new set of story prompts will be revealed. You will have 55 hours to submit your best 500-word (or fewer) story." Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: March 3, 2024. Opens March 1.

The Lakefly Writers Conference. Restrictions: Open to residents of Wisconsin. Genres: Short story fiction: 3000 words or less. Any genre. Poetry: All poems, free verse to formal and everything in between—75 lines max. Personal Essay: 2500 words max. Prize: First place winners will receive a cash prize of $100; second place winners will receive $75; and third place winners will receive $50. Winners must be able to attend an awards ceremony. Deadline: March 4, 2024.

Forward Prizes. Genre: Collections and single poems published in the UK and Ireland are eligible for the Prizes. Must be submitted by publisher. Prize: £1,000 to £10,000. Deadline: March 4, 2024.

Free Expression Essay Competition. Restrictions: Open to US-based students, including homeschooled students; high school-level submissions are open to students ages 15-17; and college-level submissions are open to students ages 18-23. Genre: Essay. “From school board meetings to statehouses, and foreign newsrooms to digital spaces — there are threats to free expression in societies around the world. PEN America wants to know: what do you think about free expression? Why is it important? How can it change the world?” Length: 1000 words. Prize: $2,000, $1,500, and $1,000 for college-level essays; and high school-level essayists will receive $1,500, $1,000, and $500. Deadline: March 8, 2024.

Papatango New Writing Prize. Restrictions: Open to anyone resident in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Genre: Script of roughly 25 – 50 pages. Prize: £7500. Their scripts will be produced as audio plays and tour the UK in free listening stations. The scripts will also be published digitally by Nick Hern Books. Deadline: March 11, 2024.

The American Prospect Writing Fellows Program. The American Prospect’s Writing Fellows Program offers journalists the opportunity to spend two years developing their skills with the magazine at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. (or working remotely, in pandemic times). Each fellow benefits from an intensive mentoring program with the experts on our editorial team, and is expected to contribute regularly. Deadline: March 11, 2024.

NEA Literature Fellowships are sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. Genre: Poetry.  Prize: $25,000 grants to published creative writers that enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. Deadline: March 13, 2024.

Lynn DeCaro Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to Connecticut Student Poets in Grades 9-12. Genre: Poetry. Prize: 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25. Deadline: March 15, 2024.

The Hub City Press BIPOC Poetry Series. Restrictions: Open to BIPOC poets of all stages of their careers in thirteen Southern states. Submitters must currently reside or be from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia. Genre: Poetry by Southern writers of color. Prize: Two finalists will receive a prize of $3000 and publication. Deadline: March 15, 2024.

“Boston in 100 Words” is an annual flash fiction writing contest in the greater Boston metropolitan area. The contest invites anyone living, working, or going to school in Boston and some surrounding towns to write stories of 100 words or fewer that depict everyday life in their communities. A team of local, renowned writers select winning stories, which are made available to the public for free in the form of large, illustrated posters installed throughout the city. “Boston in 100 Words” seeks to impact the largest number of Bostonians possible, as authors and readers of 100-word stories. Participation in the contest is free to everyone. Prize: $300. Deadline: March 15, 2024.

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 15, 2024.

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 15, 2024.

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 $225, Second prize $125, Third prize $75. Deadline: March 15, 2024.

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 15, 2024.

NFSPS Annual Poetry Contests. Genre: Poetry. The National Federation of State Poetry Societies sponsors 50 contests for adults, 34 of which are free and open to the public. There are also 3 free poetry contests for children. Prize: Monetary awards vary. Deadline: March 15, 2024.

Jacklyn Potter Young Poets Competition. Restrictions: Open to high school students. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Two high school students will be selected and scheduled to read their original work for Café Muse with established poet, Sarah Ghazal Ali, on Monday, June 3, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. They will receive an honorarium. Deadline: March 15, 2024.

David Nobbs Memorial Trust New Comedy Writing Competition. Restrictions: Entrants must have at least one credited broadcast comedy writing credit and live in the UK. Genre: Comedy scripts for radio or TV. Prize: £1,000 top prize. Deadline: March 15, 2024. 

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 17, 2024.

The Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize. Genre: Book-length translations into English of either a) poetry or b) source texts from Zen Buddhism (which must not consist solely of commentaries). Both translators and publishers are invited to submit titles. Book must have been published in previous year. Prize: $6,000. Deadline: March 18, 2024.

American Literary Translators Association Italian Prose in Translation Award. Genre: Translation of a recent work of Italian prose (fiction or literary non-fiction). Both translators and publishers are invited to submit titles. Book must have been published in previous year. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: March 18, 2024. 

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 18, 2024.

Fabula Press Short Story Contest. Genre: Short Story. Word Count: Not less than 2500 words, and not more than 7000 words. Prize: First Prize: US$500 Second Prize: US$250 Third Prize: US$100. In addition, all authors selected for publication will be paid an honorarium of US$75. Deadline: March 20, 2024. Opens February 21. 

Savage Mystery Writing Contest. Genre: Mystery short story. Prize: Winning stories are published in Toasted Cheese. If 50 or fewer eligible entries are received, first place receives a $35 Amazon gift card & second a $10 Amazon gift card. If 51 or more eligible entries are received, first place receives a $50 Amazon gift card, second a $15 Amazon gift card & third a $10 Amazon gift card. Deadline: March 24, 2024. Opens March 22.

Daisy Utemorrah Award for Indigenous Authors. Restrictions: Open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writer currently residing in Australia. Genre: Junior/YA full-length fiction manuscript intended for readers aged 8-18. Length: 40,000 and 100,000 words. Prize: A$15,000 and possible publication.  Deadline: March 25, 2024.

BBC Young Writers Award. Restrictions: Open to UK residents, including residents of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, aged 14 to 18 years old, Genre: Short fiction, 1000 words max. Prize: Publication and free workshop. Deadline: March 25, 2024.

Write the World: Fairytales & Myths Competition. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: Myth or fairytale that uses fantasy as a lens to understand the reality of everyday life. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: March 25, 2024.

Nicholas A. Virgilio Memorial Haiku Competition for High School Students. Restrictions: Open to students in Grades 7-12. Genre: Haiku. Prize: $50. Deadline: March 27, 2024.

BlackInk Writing Competition. Restrictions: Open to writers from the African and African Caribbean Diaspora. Genre: Short story, maximum of 2,000 words. Prize: £500 top prize. Deadline: March 28, 2024.

Broadway Arts Festival: Julia & Martin Wilson Short Story Prize. Genre: Short Story, 2,000 words max. Prize: Ages 14-18yrs: £100, Age 13 and under: £50. Deadline: March 28, 2024. Note: No fee for writers under 16 years of age. 

Ann Petry Award. Restrictions: Open to Black authors. Genre: Previously unpublished prose, either a novel or a collection of short stories or novellas, with a minimum of 150 pages. Prize: $3000 and publication. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Claire Harris Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who are writers from Black, Indigenous, or other racialized communities and who have not previously published a book-length collection of poetry. Genre: Poetry collection. Prize: $1,000, a contract for the publication of the collection under the icehouse poetry imprint in the following year (2025), and public readings in at least three Canadian cities. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Caine Prize for African Writing. Restrictions: Open to writers born in Africa, or nationals of an African country, or with a parent who is African by birth or nationality, Genre: Short fiction (published). Prize: £10,000. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Royal Institute of Philosophy Essay Prize: Think. Topic: Essay on themes. Prize: Publication. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Orwell Prize for Journalism. Restrictions: Open to a journalist for sustained reportage and/or commentary working in any medium. Genre: Published journalism. Prize: £3,000 for the best political writing first published in the UK or Ireland between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2043. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness. Restrictions: Open to a journalist for sustained reportage and/or commentary working in any medium. Genre: Reportage and/or commentary on homelessness. Entries will be encouraged from people who are experiencing or have experienced all forms of homelessness as well as journalists and others writing about or reporting on homelessness. Prize: £3,000 for the best political writing first published in the UK or Ireland between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

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, 2024.

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, 2024.

Anne Brown Essay Prize. Restrictions: Entrants must be aged over 16 and resident in Scotland, born in Scotland or have a longstanding association with Scotland. Genre: Literary essay, published or unpublished. Prize: £1,500. Deadline: March 31, 2024. 

Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize. The annual Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize is awarded each spring to honor an outstanding literary translation from German into English published in the USA the previous year. Genre: Published fiction or non-fiction, may include: novels, novellas, short stories, plays, poetry, biographies, essays and correspondence. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Natan Notable Books Award. Genre: Nonfic­­tion book on Jew­ish themes pub­lished for the first time between September 1, 2022 and August 31, 2023. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

City of Literature Paul Engle Prize. Genre: This prize does not recognize one work, nor is it solely limited to reflecting literary achievement. Rather, the award seeks to recognize a writer, like Engle, who makes an impact on his or her community and the world at large through efforts beyond the page. It also seeks to raise awareness about Engle and his works. Prize: $20,000. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. See themes. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

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, 2024.

Jack London Fiction Writing Contest. Restrictions: Open to U.S. students in grades 6-8. Genre: Unpublished stories. Length: 2,000 words maximum. "Your writing prompt this year is to create a story where your main character(s) are animals with animal qualities (like Buck in Call of the Wild). Tell your story from the animal’s perspective.” Prize: $250, $150, and $100. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

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, 2024.

Foley Poetry Contest. Genre: One unpublished poem on any topic. The poem should be 45 lines or fewer and not under consideration elsewhere. Prize: $1000. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Silvers Grants for Work in Progress. Restrictions: Open to Anglophone writers of any nationality. Genre: Long-form essays in the fields of literary criticism, arts writing, political analysis, and/or social reportage. Prize: Up to $10,000. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Cymera-Scotland’s Futures Forum-Shoreline of Infinity Prize for Speculative Short Fiction. Restrictions: Anyone living in Scotland or who identifies as Scottish by birth or inclination, aged 14 years or over. Genre: Speculative short stories. Prize: £150. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Kyoto Writing Competition. Genre: Short poems, character studies, essays, travel tips, whimsy, haiku sequence, haibun, wordplays, dialogue, experimental verse, etc. In short, anything that helps show the spirit of place in a fresh light. A clear connection to Kyoto is essential. Length: 300 words max. Prize: ~$360 top prize. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Sarah Mook Poetry Prize for Students. Restrictions: Students in grades K-12. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $100. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Parsec Ink. Genre: Speculative short story up to 3,500 words. See theme. Prize: First-place receives $200 and publication in the Confluence program book. Second-place receives $100 Third-place receives $50. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

The Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award. Sponsored by Sisters in Crime. Restrictions: Open to emerging writers of color. An unpublished writer is preferred, although publication of one work of short fiction or academic work will not disqualify an applicant. Prize: $2,000. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Lewis Galantiere Award. Restrictions: Open to US citizens or permanent residents. Genre: Translation of book-length literary work from any language, except German, into English. Entries must have been published in the US in the past two years. Prize: $1000. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Rattle's Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poetry based on art. (See website) Prize: $100. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: March 31, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute. 

30 Marvelous Writing Conferences and Workshops in March 2024

Algonkian Park, VA: PICRYL This March there are more than two dozen writing conferences and workshops. Many conferences and workshops will be held online, but some will be held in person or use a hybrid format.

These writing events 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. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year.

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The 2024 Writing Workshop of Austin. March, 1, 2024: Austin, TX. A full-day “How to Get Published” event. "This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor, get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited seats at the event (120 total)." 

In Search of Home. March 2, 2024: Online. “We often think of home as a structure with a street address. But home is actually a much harder thing to pin down. It’s an experience, an attitude, a time of life, a feeling of being “at home” that is influenced by many factors, including people, landscape, weather, and age."

The 2024 Houston Writing Workshop. March 2, 2024: Houston, TX. "This is a special one-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Houston Near the Galleria. 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."

Breakout Novel Intensive. March 4 - 10, 2024: Online. Included are new or revised units on story discovery, strong voice, standout characters, the inner journey, compelling story worlds, beautiful writing, creating resonance and finding meaning in both story and process. Breakout fundamentals are also covered: strong characters, inner conflict, personal stakes, plot layers, powerful scenes, micro-tension, practical theme techniques and much more. Instructor: Donald Maass. 

The 2024 Colorado Writing Workshop. March 8 - 9, 2024: Online. "This is a special two-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop on March 8-9, 2024. In other words, it’s two days 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. And even though this is the “Colorado” Writing Workshop, make no mistake — writers from everywhere are welcome to attend virtually."

2024 Carolina Writing Workshops. March 8 (Charlotte) and March 9 (Raleigh). "The workshops are both 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."

Colrain Classic. March 8 - 11, 2024: Via Zoom. "The Colrain Manuscript Classic is a highly focused, 3.5 day conference designed for poets with manuscripts in progress. The Classic features in-depth pre-conference work and candid, realistic evaluation and feedback from nationally-known poets, editors and publishers. In preparation, participants work at home on pre-conference assignments and then, in the workshop, review, arrange, and winnow their work based on the pre-conference work. In addition to the manuscript preparation workshop and editor sessions, there will be an editorial Q&A, and an after-conference strategy session." 

Ossabaw Weekend Writer’s Retreat. March 8 - 13,  2024: Ossabaw Island, GA. Workshops and seminars led by nationally recognized faculty, and evening readings (special emphasis on ghost stories) by faculty and participants. Application deadline: January 15.

"Writing in Proximity to History" March 8, 15, 22, 29, 2024: 3:00-6:00 PM EST. "This workshop will introduce participants to the creative practice of memory work. Akin to what Toni Morrison called “literary archeology,” memory work involves both research and imagination." NOTE: This is a live online workshop. Registered participants will receive a Zoom link one week in advance of the workshop. Registration closes at noon on March 1, 2024.

Bay to Ocean Writers Conference. March 9, 2024: Wye Mills, Maryland. Sponsored by the Eastern Shore Writers Association. "Featuring eight tracks and over 30 sessions sure to fit all your writing needs, this year’s Bay to Ocean Writers Conference celebrates a quarter of a century of helping writers develop their craft, edit, publish, and market their writing.  This year’s sessions, all 90-minutes in length, are carefully designed to help you generate solid writing, hone your craft, and ask pointed questions from published and award-winning presenters about the process."

Algonkian Writers New York Pitch Conference. March 14 - 17, 2024: 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." 

Alabama Writing Workshop. March 15, 2024: Birmingham, Alabama. "A one-day writing workshop full of classes and advice designed to give you the best instruction concerning how to get your writing & books published. We will also have literary agents onsite to give feedback and take pitches from writers, as well."

Writing By Writers Boulder Generative Workshop. March 15 - 17, 2024: Boulder, Colorado. Lectures, craft talks, writing exercises and class discussions. Each participant will have the opportunity to work in a small group setting with all three faculty members.

Kansas City Writing Workshop. March 16, 2024: Kansas City. This is a special one-day in-person “How to Get Published” writing workshop on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Marriott Kansas City Overland Park. 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.

Atlanta Writing Workshop. March 16, 2024: 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." 

Get Away to Write. March 19 - 24, 2024: New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Spend an inspiring week working on your memoir or poetry. Enjoy plentiful writing time, insightful feedback, homemade meals and time to relax. ach workshop will offer craft discussion, writing prompts, writing time, feedback, motivation and inspiration. By spending the entire week in one workshop, you will venture deeper into your writing, making more progress than you thought possible.

Writing the Loess Hills: Letting Landscape Guide the Pen. Tuesdays, March 19, March 26, April 2, April 9, April 16, 2024: Online. "The Loess Hills comprise a unique landform running primarily along the western edge of Iowa but also reaching into South Dakota, Missouri, and Nebraska. The wind-deposited steep slopes of loess are globally unique, with only one other matching site in the world. Its unique topography provides protection for hidden pockets of wildness, including some of the last remaining remnant prairie in the state. An important corridor for migration, and a repository of endangered and threatened species, its ecological significance cannot be overstated. Like most places, it also has a human story, a history of habitation, cities and towns, railroads that came and went, and visionaries of all kinds. From the Black Angel statue in a cemetery in Council Bluffs, to the ancient remains uncovered near Turin, to the story of a ranging mountain lion sporting a radio collar from Nebraska, or the history of agriculture in the valleys between the ridge lines, the older story of bison and elk, or the even older story of the Ice Age, the hills are alive with stories. Using a variety of examples, prompts and exercises, we will explore the hills creatively, crafting poems, stories and short memoir that reflect the unusual terrain and the experiences held there. We will use the hills as a metaphor to pursue our own internal stories, as well. Whether you already have a connection to the Loess Hills, or your interest is sparked and you’d like to learn more, you will leave this workshop with a renewed appreciation for their fragility and majesty, and multiple new drafts of creative work."

University of North Dakota Writers Conference. March 20 - 22, 2024: 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 and in person.

Algonkian Novel Retreat. March 20 - 24, 2024: Algonkian Park, Virginia. "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.

Virginia Festival of the Book, March 20 - 24, 2024: Charlottesville, VA. "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. 

Moravian Writers’ Conference: “Write to Explore”. March 21 - 23, 2024: Bethlehem, PA. To celebrate the conference's 10-year anniversary, this FREE conference (featuring in-person and live streamed events) will focus on different approaches for thinking about story and story sharing. Some questions our offerings will pose include:What is the value of writing in our society today?Can we use it as a tool to promote social justice and peace?What professions draw on storytelling skills?Can we use story sharing to make connections to our own histories and each other? 
Headliner Javier Ávila will perform The Trouble With My Name (a one-man show) on Saturday, March 23, and lead a craft talk earlier that same day—with limited spaces available on a first-come, first-served basis.

2024 Virginia Writing Workshop. March 22, 2024: Richmond, VA. "This is a special one-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. 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."

Power of Narrative. March 22- 23, 2024: 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 in person.

California Creative Writers Conference. March 22 - 24, 2023: Los Angeles, CA. "You benefit from the most informed presentations and the latest information from the world of publishing. And along with perennial favorites, we offer important fresh voices and industry experts to widen your wealth of knowledge. Plus you have the opportunity to meet and network in person with literary agents, editors, and industry professionals to help guide you on the path to success." Via Zoom and in person.

Chesapeake Writing Day Workshop. March 23, 2024. Online. A full-day “How to Get Published” event. "This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more."

Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference. March 23, 2024: NJ. "In addition to our wonderful and diverse keynote speakers, we have a number of editors and agents who will be attending to take pitches as well as some awesome writer and reader workshops!" 

Annual National Undergraduate Literature Conference. March 28 - 30, 2024: 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." 

Norwescon. March 28 - 31, 2024: Sea Tac, WA. Norwescon is one of the largest regional Science Fiction and Fantasy conventions in the United States.

WonderCon. March 29 - 31, 2024: Anaheim, CA. HUGE comic book convention.  

Make it Strange (Again) Poetry Workshop. March 30, 2024: Lincoln, NE. "One of the wonders of poetry is how it can reawaken us to the world. The familiar can be reignited with color, metamorphosed into creatures, landscapes, and sounds that can astonish us into beauty and/or resist desensitization. In this generative poetry workshop, we will use writing prompts to look upon what we may have rendered as quotidian in our lives and make it strange again and again. Both beginners and advanced writers are welcome."

10 New Agents Seeing Genre Fiction, SFF, YA, Picture Books, Kidlit, Nonfiction, Memoir and more

Sara Kornienko Here are ten new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.
Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 
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Ms. Brandy Vallance of Barbara Bova Literary Agency

After more than two decades in the world of publishing, Brandy has joined Barbara Bova Literary Agency, and she is looking forward to being a champion of amazing writers and outstanding books. Throughout the years, Brandy has been a Writing Coach, a Story Consultant, and an international Publishing Specialist. For hundreds of writers, her mentorship has broken the chains of fear and self-doubt. From teaching Master Classes to sitting at quiet tables, Brandy loves helping people explore their deepest truths.

What she is seeking: I represent these genres, but I am also not limited to these genres: historical fiction, historical romance, historical mystery, romance, literary, women’s fiction, Southern fiction, science fiction, fantasy, young adult, adventure, speculative, inspirational, thriller.

How to submit: Read guidelines HERE.
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Sara Kornienko of Barbara Bova Literary Agency

Sara holds a M.A. in English and a B.A. in English with minors in Creative Writing and Journalism from Florida Gulf Coast University. During her Master’s program, she was the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Florida Gulf Coast University’s literary journal, Mangrove Review. Currently, Sara teaches writing courses at her alma mater. As an educator and avid reader, she believes stories have the power to connect us, forge understanding, and foster healing. She is passionate about sharing her love of writing and helping others find their unique voice so they can tell their own stories.

What she is seeking: Ms. Kornienko is interested in contemporary and historical fiction, fantasy, and suspense. 

How to submit: Read guidelines HERE.
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Salma Begum of Greyhound Literary (UK)

Having come from editorial at Picador (Pan Macmillan), Zaffre and Manilla Press (Bonnier Books UK), Salma is keenly aware of what it takes for a book to win a publishing contract. As an agent, Salma works closely on manuscript development while always considering marketability and timing to give her authors the best shot at finding their readership.

What she is seeking: Story is non-negotiable for Salma, regardless of whether the work is a high-concept horror or a literary doorstopper. Her submission wishlist includes a sweeping love story set against a gritty urban backdrop like An Olive Grove in Ends by Moses McKenzie; ingenious tales of time travel such as All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai and the TV series Devs; and a masterfully crafted multi-generational epic like A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth.

In non-fiction, she is looking for subject experts, journalists and memoirists who appreciate long-form literature and can breathe life into an idea, an event, a memory. Her non-fiction wishlist includes interrogations of social media use and its sometimes-devastating consequences as explored in the Netflix docudrama The Social Dilemma; captivating music writing such as Grime Kids by DJ Target and On Michael Jackson by Margo Jefferson; and ground-shifting journalism like An Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe.

Salma has published the work of a number of prize-winning poets. As an agent, her preference is for the colloquial, rhythmic, or playful, written with the ambition of forming a cohesive collection. She is keen to work with spoken word poets who are looking to bring their work to the page.

How to submit: Follow the agency guidelines HERE.

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Jessica Lee of A.M. Heath (UK)

I’m an Associate Agent here at A.M. Heath, assisting Victoria Hobbs and Euan Thorneycroft as well as actively building my own list of authors. This includes HÄN Archive co-curator and journalist Anastasiia Fedorova, Ewan Gass, and Danielle Vrublevskis. Alongside Euan Thorneycroft, I also co-agent Zad El Bacha, winner of the 2022 Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award.

What she is seeking: In fiction, I’m drawn to a combination of formal precision and big feeling, and enjoy things that trouble or unsettle binaries and structured ways of being. I like works about desire: even better if they come with a good dry voice, a surreal touch, and clarity of expression. In non-fiction the same applies. I admire work about art-making and craft, political writing that interrogates established modes or ideologies, and sharp-voiced memoir.

How to submit: Send submissions to jessica.lee@amheath.com.

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Ms. Nadia Lynch of Talcott Notch Literary Services

Upon earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern New Hampshire University, I worked as a paralegal in the structured legal realm. Yet, the allure of a career merging structure with the limitless creativity found in literature was irresistible. As a newly appointed Junior Literary Agent, I am thrilled to continue my journey in the world of literature, combining my love for books with a dedication to supporting authors through the publishing process.

What she is seeking: I am interested in upmarket, literary, historical, young adult, and women’s fiction, especially narratives that showcase resilient female protagonists. While these genres anchor my reading repertoire, I’m invigorated by books that push boundaries and challenge my perspectives.

In non-fiction, I enjoy delving into subjects that expand my understanding. History, philosophy, alternative medicine, and self-improvement books are among my preferred genres, each offering a unique lens to explore and absorb new insights.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Philip Gwyn Jones of Greyhound Literary (UK)

Made in Wales, educated there and in Yorkshire, trained in London, now living under Cambridgeshire’s dreaming skies, Philip has had the privilege of having the world opened up to him by the book business, participating in many editorial fellowships and literary festivals worldwide. He has served it as a Trustee and President of the Royal Literary Fund and as Trustee of English PEN for about a decade apiece, was a Creative Writing Fellow at Oxford Brookes University, and currently does his national service on the Grants Panel of the Books Council of Wales.

What he is seeking: Philip believes there is nothing more thrilling than first reading a style, a character, an idea, a fusion, a vision never encountered before. He is proud to have been the first British publisher to have spotted the originality in and offered a contract to Patrick Ness, Jenny Erpenbeck, Julian Gough, Jhumpa Lahiri, Kathryn Schulz, Magnus Mills, Naomi Klein, Ben Marcus, Mark Lynas, Azadeh Moaveni, Gavin McCrea, Melissa Broder, Anthony Doerr, Eleanor Catton, Zadie Smith, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Katherine Boo and Anna Burns, amongst others. As an agent, he is looking for their equals in invention, intelligence and impact.

How to submit: Read submission guidelines HERE.
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Ms. Sally M. Kim of Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Sally spent more than fifteen years in children’s book marketing and publicity at a variety of publishers including Macmillan, Penguin, and Chronicle Books. More recently, she has worked as an independent consultant for global children’s book publishers and literacy-related non-profits. Sally lives in San Francisco, California, and she spends most of her free time taking videos of her cat.

What she is seeking: Please send Sally fiction and non-fiction submissions in the following categories: picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and graphic novels. Across all categories, Sally is especially eager to see authentic explorations of underrepresented cultures, relationships, and identities.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.
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Jessica Leeke of Madeleine Milburn Agency (UK)

Jessica Leeke began her career in advertising in New York City before enjoying more than fifteen years as an editor at Bloomsbury, Simon & Schuster and most recently Penguin Michael Joseph where she was a fiction publisher. 

What she is seeking: Book club fiction that ignites conversation; unique voices; novels with a razor-sharp pitch; ideas based on a true story; cloistered settings; twists; strong characters and unforgettable settings; books with an emotional punch.

How to submit: Please follow submission guidelines HERE.

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Katie Erickson of Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency

Katie Erickson joined The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency in 2024, after previously interning at the agency, and after over a decade working as a freelance illustrator for clients such as Humpty Dumpty magazine. She is currently working on her Master's Degree in Creative Writing and Illustration. When she's not reading, writing, or illustrating, she can be found playing board games or taking long walks with her family. 

What she is seeking: Katie represents picture books, as well as middle-grade and young-adult literature.

How to submit: Please submit your query via her querymanager HERE.


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Ms. Jenna Satterthwaite of Storm Literary AgencyJenna Satterthwaite reached agenting sideways, as many do. She didn’t know agenting existed until she wrote her first novel back in 2014 and learned she had to do this thing called “querying.” Fast forward many years during which she wrote many novels and became agented herself, and she had an aha moment. Agenting was the nexus where her two decades of business experience in sales, pitching, project management and contract negotiation met her decade of bookish experience. After completing internships with Liza Dawson Associates and Rees Literary, Jenna joined Storm as an agent in 2024.

What she is seeking: Omnivorous in her taste, Jenna is seeking to represent adult, Young Adult and Middle Grade commercial fiction in most genres, SFF, graphic novels from middle grade to young adult, adult non-fiction, memoir, and very select picture books. (See submission guidelines for more details.) Jenna is also fully bilingual English/Spanish, so dual language projects are most welcome!
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How to submit: Follow her guidelines HERE.

7 New Agents Seeking SFF, Thrillers, Rom-coms, Memoir, Horror, LGBT, Nonfiction and more

Laurie Dennison Here are seven new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.
Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 
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Ms. Laurie Dennison of Creative Media Agency

After earning her master’s degree from the University of Florida, Laurie Dennison began her career as an English teacher. She then spent over ten years working as a freelance writer and editor in desktop publishing, including serving as a Pitch Wars mentor for five years. In 2022 she attended the Denver Publishing Institute, leading to an internship at Creative Media Agency, Inc. before stepping into her role as an associate agent and internship coordinator at CMA.

What she is seeking: Adult: Romance, Contemporary, Light fantasy/paranormal grounded in the real world, Book Club Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Domestic Suspense, Commercial Mystery/Thriller. Nonfiction: Memoir, Narrative, Women’s Issues, Practical Nonfiction (Pop Culture, Education, Social Science)
Young Adult: Contemporary, Suspense/Thriller/Mystery, Light Fantasy/Paranormal, Light Science Fiction, Nonfiction 

How to submit: Follow submission instructions HERE.
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Ms. Maria Napolitano of KT Literary

Maria Napolitano began her career in publishing as a book scout, where she fell in love with the process of matchmaking books with just the right editors and publishers around the world. She went on to work in subrights and as an agent, and joined kt literary as foreign rights manager and agent in 2024. In foreign rights, Maria is a native New Yorker and Cornell graduate who currently lives in Astoria, Queens with a sourdough starter named Ryeley. 

What she is seeking: As an agent, Maria represents a broad range of fiction, from commercial rom-coms to radical speculative fiction, subversive thrillers, and upmarket book club fiction. She is drawn to character-driven stories, unusual perspectives, genre-bending works, and supremely pitchable high concepts. Read more about Maria's wish list on her website.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Ms. Yael Levy of Olswanger Literary

I’m a Literary Associate for Olswanger Literary with years of experience in publishing as an author and developmental editor. Seeking manuscripts that bravely explores the human condition, social structures, the world…Iconoclasts welcome!

What she is seeking: Fiction: Action/Adventure, Commercial, General, Science Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy. Non-Fiction: Business, Journalism, Memoir, Science, "Big Idea/Think", #ownvoices, Diaspora Narratives, Politics/Current Affairs, Popular Science/Psychology. 

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Ms. Jackie Kruzie of Focused ArtistsJ/ackie has worn many hats in the literary world including librarian, writer, editor, and literary associate. She was an acquisitions editor for an Indie publisher before completing a 6-month internship with Olswanger Literary and joining the team at Focused Artists.

What she is seeking: I represent several genres including graphic novel, historical fiction, horror, mystery, paranormal/supernatural, thriller, western, and women’s fiction. My heart belongs to picture books, but I am also interested in chapter books for early readers, middle grade, and YA though my YA list will be limited . 

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Lauren Bajek of Liza Dawson Associates

Lauren Bajek joined Liza Dawson Associates as an assistant in 2021. Previously, she was a bookseller and the science fiction and fantasy buyer for the Elliott Bay Book Company, where she championed books in translation and books by women, queer people, and people of color. 

What she is seeking: Lauren is currently building a select list of fiction and nonfiction, with an emphasis in SFFH, upmarket speculative fiction, craft/DIY nonfiction, and science/nature nonfiction. Across the board, she is drawn to literary prose, queer and anticolonial perspectives, unusual or hybrid forms, and an ambitious sense of imagination. She is always interested in animal cognition, translation, and sentient houses.

How to submit: If you are interested in querying Lauren, please send a query and first three chapters or 25 pages pasted into an email to querylauren@lizadawson.com. 

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James Farner of JABberwocky Literary Agency

James Farner (he/him) is an Agency Assistant for JABberwocky Literary Agency, directly assisting COO Brady McReynolds. He was born and raised in the Midwest, received his bachelor’s degree in English writing and religious studies from the University of Oklahoma (where he interned with award-winning literary magazine World Literature Today), and moved to New York City to attend The New School for Social Research’s Liberal Studies master’s program

What he is seeking: Mysteries and thrillers.

How to submit: Use his querymanager HERE.

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Anna Zinchuk of David Black Agency

​Anna joined the team at DBA in spring of 2022 to assist David Black. She holds a BA degree in Film Studies from the University of Iowa, and prior to joining DBA she worked as a project editor for a college-level publisher.

What she is seeking: Anna is interested in a wide array of fiction, and is particularly passionate about stories that explore human complexity, with themes like mortality, grief, and loss, especially stories in which the ending is melancholic or ambiguous.

In literary fiction, her preferences lean towards coming-of-age narratives and contemplative stories. In the realm of genre fiction, she's captivated by the allure of fantasy and magical realism, with a healthy touch of romance. Regardless of the genre, Anna appreciates clever writing infused with humor, and seeks stories that keep her on the edge of her seat, whether from despair, horror, adoration, or joy. While embracing both YA and adult fiction, her specific interest lies in the 'new adult' sub-genre, which seamlessly combines plot elements of YA fiction with the maturity of adult storytelling.

How to submit: To query Anna, please send a short synopsis of your story and paste the first 50 pages of your manuscript into the body of an email to azinchuk@dblackagency.com. While she cannot respond to every query, she will reach out to any that she is interested in within 6 weeks.

64 Calls for Submissions in February 2024 - Paying markets

PxHere This February there are more than 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 upcoming calls for submissions shortly before 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!

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Contested Landing Anthology. Genre: Military Science Fiction. Payment: "a percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors." Deadline: February 1, 2024.

Lightspeed. Genre: Science fiction flash fiction, up to 1500 words. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: February 1, 2024.

Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Fiction, 15 cents/word. Poetry, $10. Deadline: February 1, 2024.

The First Line. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided. (See site.) Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction. Deadline: February 1, 2024.

Bigfoot Country. Genre: Stories about Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti. The genre is open. Payment: $100 CAD. Deadline: February 1, 2024.

Plumwood Mountain: An Australian and International Journal of Ecopoetry and Ecopoetics. Genre: Poetry. Theme: ‘Queering Ecopoet(h)ics’ Payment: $80. Deadline: February 1, 2024.

Bad Day Book. Genre: Poetry and prose. See site for themes. Payment: $40 - $75, depending on length. Deadline: February 1, 2024.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: February 2, 2024.

Cordite. Genre: Poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: February 4, 2024.

Flame Tree: Myths, Gods & Immortals: Odin. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Myths, Gods & Immortals brings together the new and the ancient, familiar stories with a fresh and imaginative twist. Each book brings back to life a classic mythological or folkloric figure, with completely new stories alongside the original tales." Theme: Odin. Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Deadline: February 4, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Flame Tree: Myths, Gods & Immortals: Anansi. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Myths, Gods & Immortals brings together the new and the ancient, familiar stories with a fresh and imaginative twist. Each book brings back to life a classic mythological or folkloric figure, with completely new stories alongside the original tales." Theme: Anansi. Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Deadline: February 4, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Flame Tree: Myths, Gods & Immortals: Medusa. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Myths, Gods & Immortals brings together the new and the ancient, familiar stories with a fresh and imaginative twist. Each book brings back to life a classic mythological or folkloric figure, with completely new stories alongside the original tales." Theme: Medusa. Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Deadline: February 4, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Sci Phi Journal. Genre: Hard science fiction, fictional nonfiction, and speculative philosophy. Translations
\ accepted. Payment: €0.03/word; €0.01/word for translations. Deadline: February 4, 2024.

Roses and Wildflowers. Genre: Mythopoeic fiction, poetry & art. Payment: $5. Opens February 5, 2024.

Utopia Science Fiction. Genre: Utopian science fiction. See theme. Payment: $0.04/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $25 for poetry. Deadline: February 6, 2024.

Speculation Publications Utter Speculation Novella Series. Genre: Novella. "The Collection of Utter Speculation series speculates about what is behind real mysteries and legends. The stories must start with the known facts. They can be rooted in real world explanations or supernatural causes, but they need to answer the question, what causes this?" Novellas should be 20,000 - 35,000 words. Payment: Royalties? Deadline: February 7, 2024.

Headland. Restrictions: Open to Māori writers. Genre: Poetry, short fiction and nonfiction. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: February 7, 2024.

This Magazine. Restrictions: Open to Canadians. Genre: News, arts and ideas stories, and features.  Payment: $60 - $300. Deadline: February 7, 2024. Pitches only.

The Suburban Review. Genre: Prose, art, poetry. See theme. Payment: AUD150-275 for prose; AUD125-275 for poetry; comics and art AUD100-300. Deadline: February 11, 2024. No submission fee for Australian residents.

Puncher &Wattmann. Genre: Full-length, fiction, memoir, poetry. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 10, 2024.

Split Scream. Genre: Novelette length horror stories, 10,000 - 20,000 words. Payment: $150 upfront payment; 40% royalties. Deadline: February 14, 2024.

Cast of Wonders. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Podcast. See theme. Payment: $.08/word for original fiction up to 6,000 words. For reprints, a $100 flat rate for Short Fiction, and a $20 flat rate for Flash Fiction. Deadline: February 14, 2024.

Augur Magazine. Restrictions: Open to creators who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, Disabled, and/or Trans, who are also Canadian citizens/permanent residents and/or who are living within the settler-defined borders of the land colonially known as Canada. Genre: Speculative fiction short stories and poetry. Translations accepted. Payment: $0.11 cents (CAD) per word for short fiction (1000+ words), and a flat fee of $110.00 per flash fiction piece (1000 words and under). Deadline: February 14, 2024.

Tales and Feathers. Restrictions: Open to creators who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, Disabled, and/or Trans, who are also Canadian citizens/permanent residents and/or who are living within the settler-defined borders of the land colonially known as Canada. Genre: Cozy SFF fiction up to 2500 words. Payment: 11 cents CAD/word. Deadline: February 14, 2024.

Crimson Quill. Genre: Fantasy. Payment: $25. Deadline: February 14, 2024.

The Lorelei Signal. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, and poetry with strong female characters. Payment: $15 for short stories, $5 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fiction pieces, $5 for reprints. Deadline: February 15, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Lucent Dreaming. Restrictions: Open to submissions from d/Deaf and Disabled writers aged 16+ who are Welsh and / or Wales based. Genre: Poetry, prose and creative non-fiction. Payment: £50. Deadline: February 15, 2024.

Omenana Magazine. Restrictions: Open to writers from Africa and the African Diaspora. Genre: speculative fiction. Payment: $20. Deadline: February 15, 2024.

Fallen Tree Press. Restrictions: Open to writers from the U.S. and Canada only. "We are looking for poets that are BIPOC and/or age 50 and over." Genre: Poetry chapbooks. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 15, 2024.

Carte Blanche (Canada). Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translations. comics, photography. Payment: $75. Deadline: February 15, 2024.

Luna Station Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to women writers only. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $5. Deadline: February 15, 2024. Some reprints accepted.

Muse Magazine. Genre: Nonfiction articles for children. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: February 15, 2024. See themes. Queries only.

The Spectacle. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $50. Deadline: February 16, 2024

Faces. Genre: Nonfiction, activities for children 9 - 14. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: February 19, 2024. Queries only. See themes.

Heduan Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, prose poems, personal essays, reviews, art. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: February 25, 2024.

Off Topic Publishing: Poetry Box. Genre: Poetry. Payment $30 CAD. Deadline: February 25, 2024. This is a monthly call.

Fission is the British Science Fiction Association's annual anthology of SFF fiction. You don’t need to be a BSFA member to submit. Genre: Science fiction. Length: Up to 5,000 words. Payment: 2 pence per word. Deadline: February 26, 2024.

New Myths. Genre: Speculative fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: 3 cents/word with a minimum payment of $50 for all submissions, fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction and poetry; $50 for book reviews; $80 for art. Deadline: February 28, 2024.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry on theme. See theme. Payment: $30. Deadline: February 28, 2024. Opens February 15. Submission periods are extended by a week for BIPOC creators only.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: February 28, 2024.

Pyre Magazine. Genre: Dark genre-bending works in the realms of horror, sci-fi, the weird, the macabre, fantasy, and magical realism. Payment: $10. Deadline: February 28, 2024.

Fanatical. Genre: Sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories between 2,000 and 6,000 words. Payment: £20. Deadline: February 28, 2024.

The Rumpus. Genre: Essays. Payment: $400 divided among all contributors. Deadline: February 28, 2024.

Fahmidan Publishing is a publisher for all POC & Women ardent in battle against subjugation. Genre: Poetry or fiction chapbook. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 28, 2024.

Typehouse. Restrictions: In honor of Black History Month, no-fee submissions are open for all Black creators, not limited to those in the US. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25. Deadline: February 28, 2024.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles, messages from heaven, angels. Genre: True stories about miracles, angels, messages from heaven, premonitions, amazing coincidences and other unexplainable but good events! Payment: $200. Deadline: February 28, 2024.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The power of thinking positive. Genre: True stories and poems. "How did you “think positive” and how did it change your life? Tell us your success story about using the power of positive thinking!" Payment: $200. Deadline: February 28, 2024.

The New Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to Canadian writers. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $275 for a short story or nonfiction entry, and $50 per poem or postscript story. Deadline: February 28, 2024.
 
Little Ghost Books. Restrictions: "We are looking for transgressive horror fiction, queer fiction, and Canadian writers. LGBTQA+ folks, POC writers, and first time submitters are encouraged!" Genre: HORROR NOVELLAS between 17,500- 50, 000 words. Payment: Royalties? Deadline: February 29, 2024.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: February 29, 2024. In celebration of Black History Month, there are no submission fees for Black writers for the month of February.

Yellow Arrow Journal. Genre: Creative nonfiction, poetry, cover art by authors who identify as women. Theme: Elevate. Payment: $10. Deadline: February 29, 2024.

Nashville Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art, and nonfiction. Payment: $25 per poem & song selection; $100 per selection for all other categories, including featured artwork. Translators receive $25 per poem & $100 for prose selections. Deadline: February 29, 2024.

Triangulation—Hospitium. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry. See theme. Payment: 3 cents per word for short stories, 25 cents per line for poetry. Deadline: February 29, 2024.

Gwyllion. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: £10 per accepted story or poem. Deadline: February 29, 2024.

Malahat Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: CAD $70/page. Deadline: February 29, 2024. Submissions by Canadian writers are accepted for consideration all year.

Southword. Genre: Poetry. Payment: €50 per poem. Deadline: February 29, 2024.

Dragon Soul Press: Rogue Waves. Genre: "All mermaids (and their kin), kraken (sea monsters), underwater civilizations, etc. stories are welcome. All genres are accepted." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 29, 2024.

Epic Echoes Magazine. Genre: Action/Adventure, SFF, Horror, Mystery. Payment: $10. Deadline: February 29, 2024. 

Nightlight (Podcast). Restrictions: At least one of your birth parents must be Black. Genre: Horror. Flash fiction (750-1,500 words) Payment: 5 cents per word. Deadline: February 29, 2024.

Slay and Slay Again! An Anthology of Queer Horror. Restrictions: Preference will be given to submissions from LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC authors. Genre: Horror short fiction and poetry. Payment: $30. Deadline: February 29, 2024.

Cricket Media: ASK Magazine. Genre: Science articles for children 7–10 years old. Theme: Make It Yourself. Payment: Unspecified. Deadline: February 29, 2024. Queries only.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 29, 2024.

Adaptive Press. Genre: Sci-fi and fantasy short stories centered around people’s pets. Word counts from 500 to 1,500 words. They will consider flash series - three or more flash tales built around a common theme. Payment: $25 - $50. Deadline: February 29, 2024.

Short Story Substack accepts one short story every month. Genre: All genres. Word count 6,000 - 10,000 words. Payment: Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: February 29, 2024. Reprints accepted.
 
AND A FEW MORE...

A Touch of Aether. Genre: Urban fantasy. Length: 5,000 - 10,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Teach. Write. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, flash fiction, poetry, CNF. "I prefer writing that is either written by composition teachers and writing students OR about teaching and learning." Payment: $15. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: $400. Deadline: March 1, 2024. See themes.

Midstory Magazine. Genre: Personal essays written by women about life, love, loss, and friendship at midlife. Payment: $50. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Eerie River. Genre: Horror and dark fantasy novels. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Block Party Press. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction chapbooks. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

The Woodward Review. Genre: Poetry, prose, art, and digital media from anyone, anywhere. Payment: $50. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Iron Horse. Genre: Poems, stories, and essays. Payment: $100 per essay or story, and $50 per poem or flash piece. Deadline: March 1, 2024. Note: Open one day only for free submissions.

Bad Day Book. Genre: Poetry and prose. See site for themes. Payment: $40 - $75, depending on length. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Thema: Bookmarks. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: Bookmarks. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: March 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.