WordWorks 2020 Volume II

Unlocking the Door— Publishing Tips and Resources

Fern G.Z. Carr

After having been published approximately seven

hundred times worldwide, I’m finally feeling more comfortable about scouting out publishers and publications. The field is so expansive though, knowing where to begin can be daunting. I therefore would like to share what I personally have found to be the most valuable sources of information for writers.

My absolute favourite “go-to” resource is Duotrope at www.duotrope.com. Their market listings are up-to-date and at the time of writing this article, contained 7,246 entries for publications and agents. While I tend to utilize Duotrope primarily for poetry, their massive database also displays fiction, non-fiction, and visual art markets for audio, electronic, print, and video publications in multiple countries. The amount of information to be obtained from this site is incredible.

Although I use my own submission tracking system, I do take advantage of Duotrope’s. I report my acceptances and rejections (admittedly preferring the former) and by doing so, have the additional benefit of free publicity—“Duotrope Weekly Wire,” their online newsletter, publishes the names of its subscribers who have received acceptances during the previous week. This newsletter is worth its weight in platinum in terms of content.

Fern G.Z. Carr (Keith Levit Photography)

The “Duotrope Weekly Wire” covers a vast array of topics and statistics such as paying and non-paying markets, submission windows, literary agents, themed submissions and publisher status changes. Admittedly, however, my small sampling of the newsletter’s content does not do it justice.

If this combination of a weekly newsletter and a comprehensive database weren’t enough, there is a tremendous wealth of relevant information packed into each individual listing. That makes the annual subscription cost of $50 USD well worth the expenditure. Duotrope does offer a free trial period though for those who are interested in subscribing but are a bit unsure as to whether or not they want to commit.

Poets & Writers, www.pw.org, is another favourite of mine. This site is run by the USA’s largest non-profit organization serving creative writers. Its mission statement is “to foster the professional development of poets and writers, to promote communication throughout the literary community, and to help create an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible public.” They do this with their huge databases of literary magazines, small presses, grants and awards, MFA programs, writers retreats, searches for literary venues, literary agents, and review outlets.

Their print magazine, also entitled Poets & Writers, is available for purchase. There is no fee for writers to use the Poets & Writers website and no obligation to buy the magazine. A plus is that the organization is gracious enough to offer every writer their own directory profile page which can be personalized. (For a better sense of what is provided, I’d invite you to visit my Poets & Writers page at www.pw.org/directory/writers/fern_g_z_carr).

Named “One of the Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers,” Winning Writers, www.winningwriters.com, not only has a healthy supply of information for writers, but also issues a free monthly newsletter which provides some additional publicity in “Recent Honors and Publication Credits for Our Subscribers.” The Winning Writers website contains a fairly extensive list of resources which, in addition to the expected whereto-publish listings, includes materials for students and educators, as well as for those who would like to self-publish, enter contests, blog, and avoid scams, to name a few categories.

NewPages, www.newpages.com, describes itself as “news, information, and guides to literary magazines, independent publishers, creative writing programs, alternative periodicals, indie bookstores, writing contests, and more.” They also supply a monthly “eLitPak” which is fairly informative. Although I subscribe to their free weekly online newsletter which does contain some useful information, I find that it tends to constantly refer the writer back to the NewPages website. By contrast, the Duotrope newsletter is much stronger and can stand on its own.

Submittable, www.submittable.com is an extremely reliable submissions manager. The company also issues a free newsletter, “Submishmash Weekly.” Regrettably, their newsletter is not particularly comprehensive in terms of publishing opportunities and instead, tends to highlight a few rather quirky articles in its “Publishing and News” section. I subscribe to this newsletter mainly because I enjoy reading the articles they select.

Savvy social media users themselves are often a good source of information as to where to submit. I tend to gravitate to Facebook which I find to be the most practical. As BC writers, we are fortunate to have groups like BC Writers, Authors & Editors; Writers West; Federation of British Columbia Writers; League of Canadian Poets BC; BC Poets; and Poetry around BC. I enjoy reading these posts, which frequently unlock ideas I haven’t even considered. Of course there are many additional Facebook groups of interest. I have found several quality calls for submissions on Writers Post No Fee Call (sic) for Submissions. Another popular group is Calls for Submissions (Poetry, Fiction, Art).

There are many generous people who want to share tips and calls via their blogs. Trish Hopkinson’s blog, Trish Hopkinson—A Selfish Poet, at www.trishhopkinson.com is a marvellous source of information. I can certainly assure you that the name of her blog is playful; she definitely is not a selfish poet. Trish frequently contributes as well to the Writers Post Call for Submissions group on Facebook.

It goes without saying that while it is easy to navigate the internet to scan for resources, there is an embarrassment of riches assisting writers at all stages of their careers. Consequently, I’ve attempted to zero in on those I have found to be the most effective. Over the years, they have proven to be quite invaluable to me. It is my hope that they can be for you as well.

Fern G.Z. Carr is the author of Shards of Crystal. One of her poems is in orbit around the planet Mars on NASA's MAVEN spacecraft. Visit her website and her YouTube channel here http://ferngzcarr.com and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUWnUyBQysPMNTFW23BCwdw