Goodreads asked Mark Alberto Yoder Nunez:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Mark Alberto Yoder Nunez I actively now give advice to younger writers to enter contests and submit to literary journals before publishing even on a blog because these venues will only accept unpublished work. I would say that a writer should be geared to publishing a book of their work eventually. They should look at self-publishing as an option. I tell writers to subscribe to Poets and Writers Magazine as a gateway to be exposed to literary journals and contests. This advice however is for people who want to give great literature to the world. This advice is not for writers who just want to write something that is commercial that will sell and make a lot of money. There are other publications for that. Either way a person has to learn the business. I understand that collections of short stories tend not to sell as well as novels. I have published a book that is a mixture of poetry, short stories and short bits of writing. The illustrations, artwork and photos however make people really interested when they flip through the pages of my book. Obviously my creation is artistic. I was hoping that the longest of my short stories, McArthur Street, might get a publisher interested in giving me an advance to turn it into a novel because it would be very easy for me to turn it into a novel. Now I realize I can't submit it to literary journals or contests because it is now already published. I will have to get more work together to get that exposure in the literary world I need. See? A person has to learn the business and read about it and jump into it. A person can't just sit on the sidelines and be "a poser" as a young lady I know says. It's cute the way she says that. In the end what people, readers and professionals in the literary world, look for is someone who has a way with words and can express himself well with writing. People are looking for a signature style that has to be developed. Fortunately for me people who know me have been telling me I have a way with words for many years now. I see now what the literary and publishing world is trying to tell me. They want me to write. Right now I am torn between marketing my new book and getting my writing talent out into the world for people who will appreciate it and gathering together more work to submit to literary journals for the recognition and even some actual pay! As with most things in my life it appears I am being recruited so that means I have to play ball!

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