Erica Verrillo's Blog, page 81

2 New Agents Seeking Clients - Sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers, romance, and more

Here are two new agents seeking clients. Eve Porinchak (Jill Corcoran Literary) is looking for edgy, psychological thrillers, gang-lit, and realistic contemporary. Penny Moore (FinePrint Literary Management) is seeking picture books, middle grade, and young adult (especially fantasy, historical fiction, sci-fi, and contemporary stories exploring romance and the complications of growing up). In adult fiction: speculative fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, psychological thrillers, and select romance. She’s also open to nonfiction projects in the realm of pop culture, humor, travel, food, and pets.
____________________________ Penny Moore of FinePrint Literary Management

About Penny: While completing degrees in Linguistics and Japanese Language & Literature at the University of Georgia, she spent time studying comparative literature at top universities in Japan and South Korea. She then spent time as a middle school TESOL teacher, a period during which she grew to love and understand the children’s book market. In 2013 she found her way to FinePrint Literary as an intern, officially joining the agency in 2014, and has since been actively working to build her list with exceptionally talented clients. Find her on Twitter.

What she is seeking: picture books (fun off-the-wall concepts to memorable heartfelt messages), middle grade, and young adult (especially fantasy, historical fiction, sci-fi, and contemporary stories exploring romance and the complications of growing up). In adult fiction, her tastes lean towards literary, speculative fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, psychological thrillers, and select romance projects. She’s also open to nonfiction projects in the realm of pop culture, humor, travel, food, and pets.

How to submit: Send a query and the first ten pages of your ms pasted into the body of the e-mail to penny [at] fineprintlit.com with the word “Query” in the subject line. Please query only one project at a time and do not send unsolicited attachments.

_________________________ Eve Porinchak of Jill Corcoran Literary

About Eve: Eve Porinchak graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s degree in Psycho-Biology. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education from Colby-Sawyer College and attended medical school at the University of New England. Eve has always worked with children in some capacity. She has taught Pre-K through First Grade, with a specialty in reading, formerly worked as a state foster care case manager, currently teaches creative writing to incarcerated teens, and serves as an aid worker in Tijuana orphanages. An active member of SCBWI for 15 years, Eve interned at the Jill Corcoran Literary Agency where she was recently promoted to Junior Agent.

What she is seeking: Eve has eclectic literary tastes and is open to everything from picture books to adult novels. Specifically looking for edgy, psychological thrillers, gang-lit, realistic contemporary. Some of Eve’s favorite books are: True Notebooks by Mark Salzman, Monster by Walter Dean Myers, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers, The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson, This Is For The Mara Salvatrucha, Inside The MS-13 by Samuel Logan.

Eve is not a fan of high fantasy; however, she loves the Hunger Games and Science Fiction. Also a huge fan of true crime, and loved NPR’s SERIAL. If your story reads like a Tuesday night episode of “Dateline,” send Eve your pages!

How to submit: Please send a query letter with a synopsis and the first ten pages of your work (or entire picture book manuscript) to eve [at] jillcorcoranliteraryagency.com. Please include your submission text within your e-mail. Attachments will not be opened.

Vook Becomes Self-Publishing Platform, Competes With Amazon

Amazon may be in for some competition from Vook.

Vook (founded in 2009) publishes digital books that combine text, video, links to the internet and social media. Vook’s publishing platform is used by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fast Company, and Thought Catalog. It has partnered with NBC Universal and Perseus Books, Charles River Editors and ABC News to produce ebooks that are distributed through Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Google, Kobo, and Blio.

With its contacts in the media world, and its expansion into worldwide distribution, Vook may offer a serious challenge to Amazon. It is hoping to attract Indie authors by offering 100% royalties, and a free self-publishing platform.
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Vook Pivots, Becomes Self-Pub Platform Pronoun

By Calvin Reid, May 19, 2015: Publisher's Weekly

After a year of acquisitions that included the online literary boutique Byliner and the e-book data analysis engine Booklr, e-book creator Vook has relaunched itself as Pronoun. The new company is a soup-to-nuts self-publishing platform comprising the combined technological tools of Byliner, Booklr and Vook. Declaring itself “a new model for authors,” Pronoun offers its services free of charge and gives authors a 100% royalty rate.

“Pronoun is committed to changing the publishing model by making it open, and by making it free,” said Josh Brody, Pronoun CEO. Brody said the new platform is the culmination of “a year of acquisitions and building a new team,” that will offer “a new kind of platform that empowers authors.”

Vook launched in 2009 as an e-book and interactive content production company. Vook has distributed over 6,000 titles via all the major e-book retailers. Booklr, a data analysis company, tracks millions of e-book sales around the world for individual authprs and major houses. And Byliner, an online literary imprint and e-book store, published original and backlist titles by bestselling authors such as Nick Horney and Jodi Poult.

Pronoun chief product officer Ben Zhuk said: “Our mission at Pronoun is to put authors first by building free digital tools that help them find and reach their audience for the lifetime of their books, not just at launch.”

Read More ...

36 Paying Markets for Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction

Finding a paying market for short stories, poetry and creative nonfiction is not easy if you are an emerging writer. The Poets & Writers database includes 1135 markets, only 154 of which are listed as paying. (Some of those only pay if your work is selected as a "best of." Others pay a token amount that can be as little as $1.50.)

In short, 90% of journals don't pay. The most a writer can expect from most literary magazines is a couple of contributor copies - provided the journal has a print version.

After culling through the P&W database, I identified 36 journals that pay their contributors. All accept online submissions, and none of them charge a reading fee.

I have listed primarily those journals accepting simultaneous submissions. (Editors who require exclusivity, offer a token payment, and take 6 months to reply are living in a dreamworld.) Exceptions are journals with a reputation, and those which offer more than a token payment.

If you submit to several journals at once, keep careful records. As soon as your story is accepted make sure to withdraw it immediately from the remaining journals, either through an email notification or directly on submittable. (If you have submitted through submittable, just click "withdraw".)
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A&U
"As a national, nonprofit HIV/AIDS magazine, A&U is interested in publishing articles about AIDS-related advocacy, treatment and care, community-based organizations and campaigns, and artists and creative writers responding to the pandemic. We’re looking for writers of all serostatuses to help use showcase a wide range of perspectives about living with HIV/AIDS.

"We publish everything from sonnets to science fiction, and we are always on the lookout for fresh work in all genres that reflects current realities of living with HIV, whether the writers or characters identify as negative or positive, as world citizens, or as members of specific diverse communities. Although A&U has published several moving and insightful accounts from the first decades of the epidemic, we are excited by work that challenges older narratives about illness and reflects instead a complex and contemporary global reality."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: Details on request. Response time: 3 months.
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Agni

"We see literature and the arts as part of a broad, ongoing cultural conversation that every society needs to remain vibrant and alive. We look for the honest voice, the idiosyncratic signature, experimental where necessary but not willfully so. Writing that grows from a vision, a perspective, and a passion will interest us, regardless of structure or approach."

Submission period: Sept 1 - May 31. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: AGNI pays $20 per page for prose and $40 per page for poetry, with a $300 maximum. Response time: 3 months.
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Baltimore Review

"The mission of The Baltimore Review is to showcase Baltimore as a literary hub of diverse writing and promote the work of emerging and established writers."

Submission periods: August 1 through November 30 and February 1 through May 31. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $40 Amazon gift certificate or $40 through PayPal, if preferred. Response time: 3 months.
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Black Denim

"Black Denim Lit welcomes thoughtful writers, new and established. We are looking for fiction up to 7,500 words that has unique and lasting artistic merit. We may consider novelettes on a case by case basis." Genre fiction: Scifi, fantasy, mysteries, thrillers.

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: 1 cent per word. Response time: 3 months.
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Blunderbuss

"Blunderbuss Magazine is a web magazine of arts, culture, and politics, an ordnance of fire and improvisation. What ties together these essays, stories, poems, photographs, comics, and other bits of aesthetic shrapnel is a common attitude of visceral humanism. We aim for earnest noise. We want to splash in the mud of lived experience, to battle for a radical empathy, and to provide a megaphone to howling assertions of human subjectivity."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: Modest. Response time: 3 months.
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Border Crossing

"Founded in 2011, Border Crossing is a literary and arts journal published by the Lake Superior State University Creative Writing Program. Uniquely situated on the border of the United States and Canada, we're committed to publishing the best work submitted by emerging and established writers on both sides of the border and abroad. We're especially interested in writing that crosses boundaries in genre or geography, and voices that aren't often heard in mainstream publications."

Submission period: Sept 15 - Feb 1. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $100 for featured authors. Response time: 4-6 months.
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Brain, Child

"Through essays, poetry, fiction and feature stories our writers provide their unique perspectives on being mothers. We aim to be down-to-earth, literary, commonsensical, funny, poignant, honest, respectful, irreverent, relevant and intelligent. We like to cover traditional and not-so-traditional parenting subjects; our writers are willing to address the big questions. Each issue of Brain, Child is packed with personal essays, in-depth features, a debate, a parody, fiction, and words from you: our community, our readers." Not looking for how-tos.

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: Not specified. Response time: 3 months.
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Buffalo Almanack

"Buffalo Almanack considers fiction of all styles and genres. We neither discriminate against the traditional nor the experimental, neither the “literary” nor the fantastic. Our interest in domestic micro-fiction is as great as our interest in space-travel novellas and we’ll always save a seat for the remarkable and unexpected."

Submission periods: February, March, May, June, August, September, November, December. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $50 prize for the best of each issue. Response time: 1 month. 
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Carte Blanche

"At carte blanche we believe there is more than one way to tell a story. Our mandate is to provide a venue for narrative of all forms from fiction and nonfiction, to poetry and photo essays. carte blanche is published three times a year in the winter, spring/summer, and fall. carte blanche is a volunteer, not-for-profit literary project published by the Quebec Writers’ Federation, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and individual sponsors.

Submission periods: March 15 until May 1, 2015 and from September 1, 2015 until January 1, 2016. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: Modest. Response time: 3 to 6 months
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Contrary

"Contrary is a quarterly literary journal that publishes commentary, fiction, and poetry and especially specimens that defy those categories. Founded at the University of Chicago in 2003, it operates independently on the South Side of Chicago and publishes writers from throughout the world."

Submission periods: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $20. Response time: 3 to 6 months.
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Falling Star

"Falling Star Magazine is a print quarterly featuring short fiction, poetry and art of all mediums. Founded in Winter 2000, Falling Star presents work from the world's emerging writers and established literary voices; recent contributors hail from Michigan and Poland, L.A. and the U.K."

Submission periods: Themed issues, submission periods not clear. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $10 per poem and $25 per story. Response time: 3 to 6 months.
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Fiction Desk

"The Fiction Desk publishes a range of short stories from new and emerging authors, with a focus on strong plots and characters. We're based in the UK, but we accept submissions from authors around the world."

Submission periods: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment:£15 per thousand words. Response time: 3 months.
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Freeze frame fiction

"freeze frame fiction is a quarterly flash fiction publication. The idea: any genre, no content restrictions—just good flash fiction. freeze frame fiction is looking for stories that stick with you, despite how short they are. We want to showcase just how powerful flash fiction can be. We want developed characters and interesting plots. One thing we're not looking for is vignettes: all stories must be complete stories, even if the ending is left open to the reader's interpretation."

Submission periods: All year. (See guidelines for details.) Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $10. Response time: 3 months.
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Geist 

"Geist is a magazine of ideas and culture made in Canada with a strong literary focus and a sense of humour. The Geist tone is intelligent, plain-talking, inclusive and offbeat. Each issue represents a convergence of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photography, art, reviews, little-known facts of interest, cartography, and the legendary Geist crossword puzzle. Geist is a Canadian magazine, and requires a Canadian connection in all non-contest submissions."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: Not specified. Response time: 4 months.
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The Georgia Review

"The Georgia Review seeks memorable and distinctive poems, short stories, and essays, whether from Pulitzer Prize winners or previously unpublished writers. Thesis-oriented interdisciplinary essays are especially welcome. Occasional special features on topics or individual writers."

Submission period: Closed to submissions between May 15 and August 15. Submissions received during that period will be returned unread. Simultaneous submissions not allowed. Payment: Not specified. Response time: 3-6 months.
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Glimmer Train

"We have a special focus on emerging writers, holding the Short Story Award for New Writers four times a year. In a recent Best American Short Stories, of the top "100 distinguished short stories," six appeared in Glimmer Train Stories, second only to the New Yorker. We are pleased to say that, of those six, two were those authors' first stories accepted for publication. Every year we pay writers over $50,000, nearly a third of that going to new writers."

Submission period: May, September, January (no fee). Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $700. Response time: 3 months.
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Journal of Compressed Creative Arts

"The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts is looking for, as you might guess, "compressed creative arts." We accept fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, and even kitchen sinks, if they are compressed in some way. Work is published weekly, without labels, and the labels here only exist to help us determine its best readers."

Submission period: Until July 15. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $50. Response time:  1-3 days.
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Kansas City Voices

"There is no “type” of work we are looking for, and while we would love for you to read through our previous issues, it is not an indicator of what kind of work we actively seek. Our editors rotate, our tastes evolve, and good work is just good work. We want to feel something when we encounter a piece. We want to be excited, surprised, thoughtful, and interested. We want to have a reaction. We want to share the best voices we find. Send us that one."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: Small. Response time: 3-6 months.
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LONTAR

"The editors of LONTAR are looking for quality literary writing with elements of the fantastic, which is in some way connected with the cultures, traditions, mythologies, folk religions, and/or daily life in Southeast Asia. While we are happy to look at works by writers outside of the region, we want to actively encourage Southeast Asian writers to submit your work." Located in Singapore.

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $25 SGD per story (or $10 SGD per poem). Response time: 3-6 months.
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The Masters Review

"Our New Voices category is open year round to any new or emerging author who has not published a work of fiction or narrative nonfiction of novel length. Authors with short story collections are free to submit."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $0.10/word up to $200. Response time: 3 months.

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Neon

"We seek work that is beautiful, shocking, intense and memorable. Darker pieces are generally favoured over humorous ones - as are free verse poems over those that rhyme. Genre work is welcome, experimentation is encouraged. There are no limits on form or word count."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: Not specified. Response time: 3 months. Reprints accepted.
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Okay-Panky

"Okay-Panky is a weekly online magazine of short, darkly comic, ironic, and experimental fiction, essay, poetry, and graphic narrative published by Electric Literature."

Submission period: Late summer 2015. (Two calls per year.) Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $100. Response time: 3-6 months.
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The Pedestal Magazine

"As editors of The Pedestal Magazine, we intend to support both established and burgeoning writers. We are committed to promoting diversity and celebrating the voice of the individual."

Submission period: See guidelines for schedule. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $40 per poem, $.03 cents per word for flash fiction. Response time: 4-8 weeks.
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Printers Row

"Every week, a new fiction story is delivered with the Printers Row Journal, a product of the Chicago Tribune. We are always looking for story submissions, which will be judged on a rolling schedule. At the center of Printers Row Journal, our premium weekly supplement, is a handsomely produced short story pamphlet. The Tribune showcases winners of our Nelson Algren Short Story competition but aims to build on that tradition by spotlighting even more top-quality new work. While we love stories from the Midwest, our goal is to honor glorious stories regardless of setting."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: Not specified. Response time: 3 months.
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Punchnel’s

"Punchnel’s is a general-interest web magazine written for a smart, discerning audience of adults around the world. We publish continually, with new material appearing every weekday. We don’t have a specific editorial focus. We buy what we like."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $10.00. Response time: 6 weeks.  Reprints accepted.
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The Puritan

"The Puritan is an online, quarterly publication based in Toronto, Ontario committed to publishing the best in new fiction, poetry, interviews, and reviews. The Puritan seeks, above all, a pioneering literature. Work featured here may push toward the symbolic frontier, challenging limitations and forging into previously unexplored aesthetic territory. But it may also revisit and revitalize traditional forms. The Puritan embraces work wherever it lands on the conceptual spectrum, so long as it is original, intelligent, and engaging."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: See guidelines for schedule of payments. Response time: Not specified.
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Read Short Fiction

"Read Short Fiction is dedicated to publishing quality stories of almost all genres (we don’t publish erotica, and, as we are seeking stories designed for a large audience, we will rarely publish work that is too experimental). Word lengths should be between 1,500 and 4,000 words."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: 5 cents per word, with a cap of $150 per story (first 3,000 words). Response time: 6 - 9 months.
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The Rusty Toque


"The Rusty Toque accepts unpublished literary writing in the following genres: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, graphic short fiction, and experimental writing. Fiction submissions should be between 1200 and 6000 words."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $50 (CAD). Response time: Not specified.
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Slice

"Slice magazine welcomes submissions for short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We're looking for anyone with a fresh voice and a compelling story to share—basically any work that really knocks our socks off. We're not drawn to experimental or heavy-handed genre fiction." Themed issues.

Submission period: June 1 - August 1, 2015. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $100 for stories and essays and $25 for poems. Response time: 3 months.
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Southern Indiana Review

Accepts fiction, poetry, drama, art. All genres.

Submission period: September 1st to April 30th. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $75 (for up to five layout pages) and $150 (six or more layout pages). Response time: 3 months.
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Spark

Spark is not a genre-specific anthology; we are looking for great stories without boundaries. Therefore, most genres are considered, including Speculative Fiction, Western, Young Adult, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Mystery/Crime, everything in-between, and impossible-to-classify works that blend elements from multiple categories. However, due to current market saturation, the specific sub-genre “Young Adult Paranormal Romance” has very little chance of acceptance unless it’s truly amazing.

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: 2¢ per word or $20 per work, whichever is more. Response time: 6 months.
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Still Point Arts Quarterly

"Still Point Arts Quarterly is a publication with a clear focus on art, artists, and artistry. Within this focus, the Quarterly addresses topics such as inspiration, imagination, and creativity as well as offering articles on art history, artist biographies, and art criticism. Both non-fiction and fiction are published (up to approximately 5000 words), and poetry is published on occasion."

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: Modest. Response time: 3 months.
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The Stoneslide Corrective

"We’ll look at any genre. We like serious, comic, lighthearted, dark, emotional, and acerbic. The important factor for us is that the work use story, characters, emotions, and other fundamental elements of storytelling to think, to ask questions, to move the mind forward. "

Submission period: All year. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $250 for short fiction and short narrative non-fiction, and $100 for flash pieces up to 1,000 words. Response time: 3 months.
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Tin House

"Tin House is a haven for authors at the peak of their powers and also a jumping-off point for unpublished writers and anyone taking risks, pushing form and language. We're a magazine not identified with any one region but international, drawing writers and contributing editors from all over the globe. Each issue seeks to be tantamount to an invitation to the greatest literary house party ever."

Submission period: September 1 through May 31. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: Not specified. Response time: 3 months.
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Vine Leaves Literary Journal

"Founded in late 2011, by Publishing Editor, Jessica Bell, Vine Leaves Literary Journal offers the vignette, a forgotten literary form, the exposure and credit it deserves. The journal, published quarterly online, is a lush synergy of atmospheric prose, poetry, photography and illustrations, put together with an eye for aesthetics as well as literary merit." 800 word max.

Submission period: January Issue: October 1st – November 30th ; April Issue: January 1st – February 28th ; July Issue: April 1st – May 31st ; October Issue: July 1st – August 31st . Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: $5 AUD. Response time: 3 months.
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Workers Write!

"Each issue of Workers Write! contains stories and poems from a particular workplace. The 12th issue will be Tales from the Construction Site and will contain stories and poems from laborers, carpenters, plumbers, welders, foremen, safety inspectors, individual contractors - anyone who builds or works in construction for a living."

Submission period: Deadline Dec 31, 2015. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Payment: Between $5 and $50.  Response time: 3 - 6 months.

Indie Authors Get 7-Figure Deal for Self-Published Series

I am always interested in self-publishing success stories, because "How did they do it?" is the first question every Indie author asks.

I'd love to be able to answer that question, but each case is different. Sometimes, authors "get lucky" and their first book takes off. In most cases, however, it's a long hard climb.

Jasinda Wilder is a case in point. Before signing up with Berkley Books, Wilder had self-published 28 ebooks. If you look back at her history, you'll notice that she did two things: 1) She identified her market and followed the trends, and 2) She wrote like blazes, churning out one book after another, until she built a following. (It also helped that she was writing in a genre that has 30 million dedicated readers.)

Meredith Wild essentially employed the same strategy: She chose a popular genre, and produced a series. That's what publishers like, because that's what readers like. (It's called "brand loyalty" in the marketing biz.)

So, here is the (very qualified) answer to "How did they do it?" If you are a genre writer, whether you self-publish or go the traditional route (or both), producing a series is the main ingredient in the recipe for success. (Also, in case you haven't noticed, sex sells.)
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Two self-published successes sign with major publishers

LA Times

Like E.L. James before her, Meredith Wild has successfully sold her sexy romance novels on her own; the Hacker Series, about a savvy young businesswoman and the billionaire she falls for, has already made bestseller lists. And like James, Wild has left self-publishing behind to sign with a major publisher.

Forever, the romance imprint of Grand Central, will republish Wild's "Hardwired," "Hardpressed," "Hardline" and "Hard Limit" as e-books April 7, followed by trade paperback editions May 12. Until now, the books, which have sold 1.2 million copies digitally, have only been available in print via print-on-demand.

The upcoming fifth book in the series, "Hard Love," will be published by Forever simultaneously as an e-book and in paperback Sept. 15.

"The past two years have been an incredible whirlwind experience for me, and I'm thrilled that this partnership will allow me to devote more of my time to writing," Wild said in a release.

Meanwhile, self-published romance star Jasinda Wilder, whose sales of 28 e-books and novellas have topped 2 million, has signed with Berkley Books. Wilder will get a reported seven-figure sum for her new trilogy, which will launch with "Madame X" in November.

Read more HERE.

2 New Agents Actively Building Their Client Lists

Here are two new agents actively building their client lists. Linda Camacho (Prospect Agency) is seeking adult, middle grade, and young adult fiction across all genres (romance, horror, fantasy, realistic, light sci-fi, and graphic novels), and select literary fiction (preferably with commercial bent).  Noah Ballard (Curtis Brown) specializes in literary debuts, upmarket thrillers and narrative nonfiction, as well as select YA and middle grade that breaks the mold. Linda Camacho of Prospect Agency

About Linda: Linda joined Prospect Agency in 2015 after nearly a decade in publishing. After graduating from Cornell University, Linda interned at Simon & Schuster and Writers House literary agency, and worked at Penguin before happily settling into children’s marketing at Random House. She has an MFA in creative writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Follow her on Twitter: @LindaRandom

What she is seeking: Linda enjoys a variety of categories and genres, ranging from clean and lighthearted to edgy and dark. She is currently seeking: Adult, middle grade, and young adult fiction across all genres (romance, horror, fantasy, realistic, light sci-fi, and graphic novels). Select literary fiction (preferably with commercial bent). Diversity of all types (ethnicity, disability, sexuality, etc.). Linda is NOT seeking: Early readers/chapter books, screenplays, poetry, and short stories. For more specific ideas of her taste, check out some of her Top Reads.

How to submit: Linda is currently accepting queries through Prospect Agency’s Submissions page. Please include three chapters and a brief synopsis. Do not query by email or letter mail and do not submit unsolicited manuscripts or inquire about the status of submissions via email.
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Noah Ballard of Curtis Brown, Ltd.

About Noah: Noah Ballard is an agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd. He received his BA in English from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and began his career in publishing at Emma Sweeney Agency where he sold foreign rights for the agency in addition to building his own client list. He has appeared across the country at graduate programs and writing conferences speaking about query letters, building nonfiction platforms and submission etiquette. He lives in Brooklyn. Follow him on Twitter: @noahballard

What he is seeking: Noah specializes in literary debuts, upmarket thrillers and narrative nonfiction, and he is always on the look-out for honest and provocative new writers. Noah mainly represents books geared toward adults, but is open to YA and middle grade that breaks the mold. Check out what’s on his Manuscript Wish List.

How to submit: Noah is currently accepting e-mail queries only. Please send your query letter and contact information along with the first ten pages of your manuscript or proposal to nb@cbltd.com with the word “query” in the subject line. He reviews all queries sent to him within three to four weeks, but will respond only if interested.

Oni Press Opens Door to Graphic Novel Submissions - No Agent Required

Oni Press is an American independent comic book publisher based in Portland, Oregon. They have published well over 100 titles, with multiple books undergoing reprints. Several of their books have won the Eisner Award including: Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim, Rick Spear and Chuck BB's Black Metal, Hope Larson's Grey Horses, and Greg Rucka's Whiteout: Melt and Queen & Country, with many more receiving nominations.

Oni is currently open to submissions directly from graphic novel writers. Be sure to read their complete submission guidelines before submitting. 
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From the website:

ONI PRESS OPEN SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES

On May 1st, 2015, Oni Press will be opening submissions to the public. We are on the hunt for new stories from new creators, featuring characters that reflect the diversity of the world around us. Oni Press has always valued content and execution, and we are looking for creators and projects that can support our goal to publish excellent, varied and original work.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

PITCHES - Cartoonists and writers, we’re looking for pitches. If you’re a cartoonist who can write and draw we’d love to see what you have. Writers, this is the day you’ve been waiting for—we are looking at story pitches without necessitating an artist attached. If you already have an artist lined up you think is up to snuff, fantastic! But if you’re a writer who needs help finding an artist, if your pitch is THAT good, we will help partner you up.

PORTFOLIOS - Illustrators and colorists! If you think your work is up to snuff and you are looking to be paired up and you think your artwork would fit in amongst some of the best storytellers in comics, now is your chance to prove it.

WHO SHOULD SUBMIT:

Anyone with a unique perspective and a firm grasp of the comics medium.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE:

An excellent sense of storytelling and well-developed characters with a definite perspective.

WHAT ASSOCIATE EDITOR ARI YARWOOD WANTS TO SEE:

I got my start in literary journals and feminist pop culture critique (shoutout to Bitch). I’m looking for complicated and nuanced characters with a developed perspective. I want to see diversity and originality, and I want stories with underrepresented characters—all I had in my formative years was Livejournal and The L Word, and no one should have to rely on The L Word to see themselves reflected in media. I’m a big fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and literary fiction fan, but most of all I want to read something I haven’t seen before. My favorite movie is Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, because life is a rich tapestry.

WHAT EDITOR ROBIN HERRERA WANTS TO SEE:

I started off in the YA/Children’s book world and I think that world has a lot of crossover with the comics world in terms of story and execution. I want fully-realized characters (not necessarily “strong” or even “likable”) with agency and direction. I want unique perspectives and different takes. I’m into a lot of different genres: high fantasy, science fiction, contemporary, literary, romance, coming-of-age, and anything that has to do with weird food-based Battle Royales. Or Battle Royales in general. (I wrote my graduate thesis about point of view choices in Battle Royale and The Hunger Games.)

WHAT SENIOR EDITOR CHARLIE CHU WANTS TO SEE:

The biggest thing I would like to see from incoming submissions is more diversity in not only the voices we publish, but also the kinds of stories and characters in our books. For too long a period of time, we’ve seen way too much of the same ideas from the same narrowing demographic of creator get pitched to us, and the only way to change that is to evolve the pool of creators we are talking to. If you are a female writer or artist, someone who identifies as a person of color, or LGTBQ, consider this an invitation and please come pitch us. We’re not looking for affirmative action in our books by any means, but with the readership growing larger by day, it’s important we find space for new voices who bring new ideas to the table while still maintaining the same level of pop appeal that defines the Oni Press library. As the tentpole and genre focused member of editorial, I’m hoping to find fast-paced and ambitious books that center around grounded, believable characters with the same diversity as the world we live in, and most of all, books that are fun, accessible, and original.

WHAT EDITOR IN CHIEF JAMES LUCAS JONES WANTS TO SEE:

Oni Press has always been a place focused on publishing comics for an audience inclusive of a wide demographic. With other publishers finally catching up, it’s important for us to continue to break boundaries and continue to grow the diversity of our line. Our catalog has always been diverse, but it’s time for that variety to be reflected in the characters starring in our books and the creators making them. I’m looking for inventive stories with rich characters, a thoughtful approach to comic book storytelling, and a dedication to craft. You should be pitching us fully realized, considered pitches that continue the long Oni Press tradition of character-driven narratives that don’t fit in with other publishers’ conventions.

Read full submission guidelines HERE.

10 Ways to Find Your Ideal Audience on Twitter (For Writers)

Have you been approached by services that offer you 10, 000, 20,000 30,000 !!! Twitter followers for a nominal fee?

Don't do it.

Tens of thousands of followers might look good on your home page, but if those followers aren't reading your tweets, looking at your blog posts, and buying your books, they are just meaningless numbers. What you want is real followers, people who are interested in what you have to say, and in what you have written.

How do you get genuine followers?

First you have to find your ideal audience. There are several ways to go about this using three essential tools: Followers, Twitter Lists, and Hashtags.

1) Make a list of successful authors who are similar to you. Look at their "followers" list, and follow accounts that are active. (It helps if they have a significant number of followers - more than 2 digits. Avoid accounts that look like spam, or that don't appear relevant.) This may take a little time, because you will have to actually look at their accounts and see when they last tweeted. (Ideally they should be tweeting at least five times a week.) There is no point following people who don't tweet, because they will not tweet about you. It seems selfish, but the best use of twitter is not what you tweet, but how many people are willing to re-tweet. That's called marketing.

2) Reviewers are your audience, too. To find book reviewers, do a search on #review plus your genre. Ex. "fantasy review." This will produce a list of recent reviews. Click on the account and if the reviewer has tweeted consistently about reviews/books, follow and add them to your list of reviewers. (Note: If you search "reviewer" instead of "review" a list of promotion companies will pop up.) You can also look at the followers on popular review sites.

3) Don't follow blind. Before you follow people, read their recent tweets. If you are interested in their tweets, chances are they will be interested in yours.

4) Look at the Twitter lists of authors in your genre, as well as businesses that promote books, publicists, agents who represent your genre. Do they keep a list of publicists, promotion sites, reviewers? If an author who writes in your genre keeps a list of reviewers, odds are they will be interested in your book. (Make sure you mention how you found them in your query, or in your tweet to them.) If the list is public, and looks as if it will be useful, you can subscribe. Then do steps 1 and 2 above.

5) Expand your scope beyond writers. For example, if you write about politics -  political thrillers included - find people who have similar political views to yours. (Use hashtags to find them. Ex #progressive.) Chances are those people will be interested in what you are writing simply because you share the same point of view. If you write children's books, tweet about parenting, education, and other topics that interest people raising kids. Be engaged with the world.

6) Express yourself. If you feel strongly about something, don't be afraid to have an opinion. You want followers who believe in what you are willing to stand up for. Writers are leaders.

7) Tweet at least 5 times a day on different topics. Vary your tweets to include some with images, some that are an image only, some that are a comment, some that include a link (make sure to shorten it with bitly), and some personal news (your upcoming release, a new project you are working on, etc.) Check to see which tweets get the most responses on Twitter analytics. The tweets that are the most popular are an indication of what your audience likes to hear.

8) Use hashtags in your tweets. People who are on the lookout for topics, genres, free books on Kindle, and news events will search for them using hashtags. (If you aren't using hashtags, your tweet will get lost.) You can use those hashtags to find people who tweet on specific topics. Check out their home page, and if you like what they tweet, follow.

9) Don't be afraid to use Twitter to communicate directly with people - even if they are not your followers. I find that people who tweet me get my attention. Whether they are commenting on one of my tweets or offering something, I almost always respond, either by tweeting back, or by checking out the link they've sent me. Literary agents are more likely to respond to a tweet than to a query. To get the attention of readers and reviewers there is no better tool than direct communication via Twitter. (Don't DM - direct message. People resent DMs. Just mention them via their handle @personyouaretweetingto.)

10) Make sure your bio includes the information that is relevant to potential followers. For example, if you write sci-fi, include your genre so that sci-fi readers can find you.  Don't include the fact that you have three kids, unless you specifically want Moms to follow you. Include what you tweet about and a personal closer that will get attention (e.g. something witty, funny, cute, dark - anything with a punch). Ex: "Author of scifi novels & short stories. Tweets about astronomy & Indie publishing. Building a time machine in my basement on weekends." Always include where you live on your profile, your website, and a head shot. (No eggs!)
Finding your ideal audience will take time and patience, but if you devote 15 minutes a day you can build a significant following within a few weeks. Two thousand active and engaged followers are worth more than 10,000 followers who exist in name only.

Related posts:

225 Hashtags for Writers

Platform, Shmatform: Social Media - How Numbers Lie

Twitter: How to Build a Following - for Writers

Pan Macmillan Accepting Manuscripts - No Agent Needed

Pan Macmillan Australia is accepting electronic manuscript submissions directly from writers between 10am and 4pm  the first Monday  of every month as part of its manuscript submission process. 

Several Australian publishers have now opened their doors to unagented submissions.

HarperCollins accepts submissions from writers worldwide on Wednesdays, and Allen & Unwin accepts submissions every Friday.

Please note that Sydney, Australia is 14 hours ahead of New York, and 9 hours ahead of London.
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From the website:

MANUSCRIPT MONDAY

Welcome to Manuscript Monday, a new initiative which is part of Pan Macmillan Australia's manuscript submission process. If you’ve ever dreamed of getting published, and have a story you’d like to pitch, here’s your chance to have it read by a publisher. No more navigating the slush pile! On the first Monday of every month we will accept submissions between 10am and 4pm that are sent electronically and comply with the guidelines set out below.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Commercial fiction – women’s fiction, thriller, crime, historical, humour, paranormal, fantasy; a story can have romantic elements but romance will not be assessed

Literary fiction and non-fiction – novels, short stories, and narrative non-fiction only

Children’s books and young adult – junior and middle grade fiction, young adult/crossover fiction; we are not accepting picture book submissions

Commercial non-fiction – history, memoir, mind body spirit, travel, health, diet, biography

Please familiarise yourself with what we publish at www.panmacmillan.com.au. We do not publish scripts, plays, poetry, or romance and will not assess them. Academic submissions are not accepted during Manuscript Monday. Please see www.macmillan.com.au for submission guidelines for academic publications to Macmillan Education.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

1. Prepare the first 100 pages (50 pages for Children’s) of your manuscript (double spaced) and a synopsis (maximum 300 words) as separate Word documents, ensuring that they are clearly labelled with the title of your manuscript.

N.B. You are welcome to submit the first 100 pages and synopsis of multiple manuscripts, but not from the same series. If you have a trilogy, for example, please submit only the first installment.

2. Fill out the form [on the website], indicating which genre your manuscript falls into.

3. Attach your Word documents (synopsis and required pages) below.

4. Send on the first Monday of the month between 10am and 4pm AEST.

Your manuscript will be read within three months of the date we receive it.

Click HERE for complete guidelines.

2 New Agents Seeking Clients - Nonfiction Only

Here are two new agents eager to build their client lists. I am a fan of new agents. They are hard-working, enthusiastic, and energetic. It was a new agent who sold my books to Random House. (They were impressed with her unqualified love for my manuscripts. How often do you get unqualified love?)

Trena White (Transatlantic Agency, Canada) is looking for nonfiction in these areas: current affairs, business, culture, politics, technology, religion, and the environment. Leila Campoli (Stonesong Literary) is seeking nonfiction projects in business, finance, investing, science, pop culture, and current events.
Trena White of The Transatlantic Agency

About Trena: Last fall, Trena White joined fellow Page Two principal Jesse Finkelstein in forming an alliance with The Transatlantic Agency. At Page Two, the two publishing experts consult for authors and businesses on both traditional and non-traditional publishing strategy. White and Finkelstein also secure book deals for authors of adult non-fiction whose books have strong trade potential and can benefit from the backing of an established, respected literary agency. Follow Trena on Twitter: @trenawhite

What she is seeking: I specialize in upmarket, accessible nonfiction that challenges current conceptions, whether through a “big ideas” book or narrative. I am drawn to entrepreneurs and people who are innovators in their fields and writing about current affairs, business, culture, politics, technology, religion, and the environment. I am most interested in authors who have an existing platform. No memoirs please.

How to submit: Query Trena at trena [at] transatlanticagency.com with a cover letter in the body of your email and an attachment of your work (maximum 20-page writing sample/excerpt in Microsoft Word document form) along with a publishing history and synopsis. Please note if other agents are also considering the project.
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Leila Campoli of Stonesong Literary

About Leila: Before joining Stonesong, she was most recently an editor at Palgrave Macmillan. Some of her previous titles include: Mark D. White’s The Illusion of Wellbeing, Gudrun Johnsen’s Bringing Down the Banking Industry, Deborah Gregory’s Unmasking Financial Psychopaths, and Matt Ragas and Ron Culp’s Business Essentials for Strategic Communicators.

What she is seeking: prescriptive and narrative nonfiction projects in business, finance, investing, science, pop culture, and current events. Her ideal author has a strong platform, groundbreaking ideas, and unique style. She’s particularly interested in books that offer a window into remarkable lives and little known operations. Please no fiction, poetry, or screenplays.

How to submit: E-query submissions [at] stonesong.com. Put “Query for Leila: [Title]” in the subject line of your email. No attachments. “If you have not received a request from us within 12 weeks, consider that we have passed.”

22 Writers' Conferences in May

May is a busy month for writers' conferences. This month there are conferences from one coast to the other (plus Alaska and Hawaii). They range from intimate retreats, where you can get writing time in addition to workshops, to large events featuring book fairs, talks, pitch sessions, and the rare chance to chat with agents and editors.

A few of these conferences offer scholarships and financial aid. While conferences lasting several days can be expensive, one-day workshops are usually affordable. (The one-day workshop held in Ohio on May 2 is free.)
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14th annual Muse and the Marketplace Conference. May 1 - 3, 2015: Boston, Massachusetts. "The Muse and the Marketplace is a three-day literary conference designed to give aspiring writers a better understanding about the craft of writing fiction and non-fiction, to prepare them for the changing world of publishing and promotion, and to create opportunities for meaningful networking. On all three days, prominent and nationally-recognized established and emerging authors lead sessions on the craft of writing - the "muse" side of things - while editors, literary agents, publicists and other industry professionals lead sessions on the business side - the "marketplace."

The Massachusetts Poetry Festival. May 1 - 3, 2015: Salem, Massachusetts. Workshops, panels, readings, music, visual arts presentations, and a book fair featuring small presses and literary magazines. Featured poets: Rita Dove, Richard Blanco, Stephen Burt, Denise Duhamel, Nick Flynn, Regie Gibson, Jorie Graham, Richard Hoffman, Adrian Matejka, Marge Piercy, Rachel Wiley.

Kauai Writers Conference. May 1 - 3, 2015: Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Kapaa, Hawaii. craft talks, publishing presentations, agent consultations, and readings for fiction writers and nonfiction writers. Participating writers include Lynne Cox, Vanessa Diffenbaugh, Kristin Hannah, Jill Landis, Laura Moriarty, and Colson Whitehead; participating publishing professionals include Julie Barer (Barer Literary), Silissa Kenney (St. Martin's Press), and Elizabeth Kracht (Kimberly Cameron and Associates). Registration is limited to 150 participants.

Gold Rush Writers Conference. May 1 - 3, 2015: Mokelumne Hill, CA. "Writing professionals will guide you to a publishing bonanza through a series of panels, specialty talks, workshops and celebrity lectures. Go one-on-one with successful poets, novelists, biographers, memoirists and short story writers." Writing workshops in Autobiography/Memoir, Children's, Fiction, Marketing, Non-fiction, Poetry, Publishing, Romance, Travel, Young Adult. Faculty: Alex Espinoza, Mary Volmer, Kevin Arnold, Gillian Bagwell, Helen Bonner, Kathy Boyd-Fellure, Lou Gonzalez, Luisa Giulianetti, Kathie Isaac-Luke, Indigo Moor, Monika Rose, Pam Mundale, Lucy Sanna, Amy Smith, Dawn Spinella, Sandy Towle, Jennifer Tristano.

Write Now! May 2, 2015: Raleigh, North Carolina. One-day writing conference sponsored by Triangle Area Freelancers featuring tracks devoted to fiction, nonfiction and technical writing. Open to writers of all skill levels.

Columbus State Community College Writers Conference. May 2, 2015: Columbus, Ohio. Workshops in Autobiography/Memoir, Business/Technical, Fiction, Journalism, Marketing, Non-fiction, Playwriting, Poetry, Publishing, Screenwriting. This one-day conference is free of charge. 

Mokulē‘ia Writers Retreat. May 3 - 8 in Waialua, Hawaii at Camp Mokulē‘ia, Oahu. Offers workshops in fiction and nonfiction, readings, one-on-one consultations, publishing panels, yoga sessions. The theme of the retreat is "nā wahi ho‘oulu," or “Places That Inspire Us.”Faculty includes fiction writer Kathryn Ma and nonfiction writers Zoe FitzGerald Carter and Don Wallace. 

11th annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature. May 4 - 10 at various locations in New York City. readings, performances, and panel discussions for poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. This year’s festival will focus on literature and cultures of the African continent. Participating writers include poets Yahya Hassan, Tracy K. Smith, and Yusef Komunyakaa; fiction writers Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Edwidge Danticat, Boubacar Boris Diop, Richard Flanagan, Aminatta Forna, Rachel Kushner, Sigrid Nunez, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Colm Tóibín, and Binyavanga Wainaina; and nonfiction writers Mona Eltahawy and Wayne Koestenbaum. Many events are free.

Lakefly Writers Conference. May 8 - 9: Premier Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Workshops, talks, and a bookfair for poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers. Participating writers include fiction writer Barry Wightman and nonfiction writers Kelli Dunham and Michael Perry. Admittance to the Author Showcase on May 9 is free and open to the public.

Seaside Writers Conference. May 11 - 17: Seaside Assembly Hall in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. "The Seaside Writers Conference is an annual gathering of creative writers from all over the nation, and features award-winning writers in poetry and fiction and screenwriting who will offer a full week of intensive writing workshops, one day seminars, school outreach programs, and social events." Faculty includes poet Seth Brady Tucker and fiction writer Matt Bondurant. Participating publishing professionals include Melissa Flashman (Trident Media Group) and Roger D. Hodge (Oxford American). Some financial aid available to published writers.

Idaho Writer & Readers Rendezvous. May 14 - 16, 2015: Boise, Idaho. Workshops in Autobiography/Memoir, Business/Technical, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Journalism, Marketing, Mystery, Nature, Non-fiction, Poetry, Publishing, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Screenwriting, Travel, Young Adult.  Faculty Authors, agents, editors and publishing gurus including Katherine Neville, Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Rusch, Robin O’Bryant, Jen Mann, and Danny Manus.

The 2015 Milwaukee Writing Workshop, May 15, 2015 - a full-day of “How to Get Published” workshops. "This event is designed to squeeze as much into one day of learning as possible. You can ask any questions you like during the classes, and get your specific concerns addressed. We will literary agents onsite to give feedback and take pitches writers, as well. This year’s faculty so far includes literary agent Jennie Goloboy (Red Sofa Literary), literary agent Laura Crockett (Triada US Literary), literary agent Abby Saul (Browne & Miller Literary), literary agent Elizabeth Evans (Jean V. Naggar Literary), literary agent Jodell Sadler (Sadler Children’s Literary), and literary agent Dawn Frederick (Red Sofa Literary)."

The Writer's Pen Weekend Workshop. May 15 - 16, 2015: Bel Air, Maryland. Book Fair with over 20 authors. Keynote presentation with author Kevin Cowherd; 36 workshops with 19 instructors in Fiction, Marketing, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Publishing.

Chicago Writing Workshop, May 16, 2015, Chicago, IL. Attending agents: Marcy Posner (Folio Literary); Jen Karsbaek (Fuse Literary); Jennifer Mattson (Andrea Brown Literary); Tina Schwartz (The Purcell Agency); Dan Balow (Steve Laube Literary); Jodell Sadler (The Sadler Agency).

Pennwriters Conference, May 15-17, 2015, Pittsburgh, PA. Friday keynote Ridley Pearson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 48 novels, divided almost equally between adult suspense and young adult adventure. Attending agents: Danielle Chiotti (Upstart Crow Literary); Uwe Stender (TriadaUS Literary); and June Clark (FinePrint Literary).

Novel-In-Progress Bookcamp. May 15-23, 2015: West Bend WI. 6-day, residential workshop-retreat for writers in all genres working on a novel or creative nonfiction book. Workshops in Autobiography/Memoir, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Non-fiction, Publishing, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult. Registration is limited to 30 people.

Creative Nonfiction Writers' Conference. May 22 - 24: Wyndham University Center in Pittsburgh. Master classes, craft discussions, publishing talks, pitch sessions, and readings for creative nonfiction writers. Participating writers include Jason Bittle, Maggie Jones, Jill Kandel, Marissa Landrigan, Dinty W. Moore, Leslie Rubinkowski, and Anjali Sachdeva. Participating publishing professionals include Stephanie Bane (Smith Brothers Agency), Torie Bosch (Future Tense Books), Rachel Ekstrom (Irene Goodman Literary Agency), Lee Gutkind and Hattie Fletcher (Creative Nonfiction), Saeed Jones (BuzzFeed), Adam Kushner (Washington Post), Emily Loose, and Alan Olifson (Moth StorySLAM).

Algonkian Retreat for Aspiring Commercial Novel Authors, Short Fiction Writers and Memoirists, May 27 - 31, 2015. Algonkian Park, Virginia. "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?"

Bear River Writers’ Conference. May 28 - June 1: Camp Michigania on Walloon Lake, near Petoskey, Michigan. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, discussions, nature walks, and time to write. The faculty includes poets Stephen Dunn, Laura Kasischke, Jamaal May, and Richard Tillinghast; fiction writers Nami Mun, Antonya Nelson, and Thisbe Nissen; and creative nonfiction writers Jerry Dennis, Thomas Lynch, and Sue William Silverman.

River Teeth Nonfiction Conference. May 29 - 31: Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. Individual manuscript consultations, seminars, readings, open mics, and book signings. Participating creative nonfiction writers include Jill Christman, Steven Church, Valerie Due, Steven Harvey, Kate Hopper, Sonya Huber, Joe Mackall, Ana Maria Spagna, Cheryl Strayed, Ginny Taylor, Jerald Walker, and Sarah M. Wells.

Hedgebrook VORTEXT Salon. May 29 - 31: Whidbey Institute on Whidbey Island, about 35 miles northwest of Seattle. Workshops, panel discussions, lectures, open mics, and time to write in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for women writers. The faculty includes poet Victoria Redel; fiction writers Carole DeSanti, Ruth Ozeki, Dani Shapiro, and Hannah Tinti; and nonfiction writer Rahna Reiko Rizzuto.

Indiana University Writers’ Conference. May 30 - June 3 on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington. Workshops in poetry and fiction, craft classes and readings. The faculty includes poets Gabrielle Calvocoressi and Adrian Matejka; fiction writer and artist Lynda Barry; fiction writers Lou Berney, Dan Chaon, and Alissa Nutting; and performance artist John-Paul Zaccarini.