Christina Myers: Open the Door to Anthologies

Christina Myers

I’ve often thought of anthologies as doorways: to open one as a reader is to enter a building with many different rooms, each one unique, yet all contained under a single roof. Whether it’s poetry, sci-fi stories, non-fiction essays, or some other combination altogether, anthologies often break new ground and explore controversial themes—or re-examine familiar ideas from unexpected angles.

For an early-career writer, an acceptance in an anthology can be the confidence booster needed to continue on to bigger, more independent book projects.

It’s possible I’m a little bit biased: having been part of a number of anthology collections, both as a contributing author and as an editor and creator, I’m more than a little partial to the form. If it were up to me, I’d encourage every writer to open this particular doorway. Here are a few ideas on how to do just that:

Be unique, but stay on topic: Most anthologies have a particular theme or common thread running through the project. It may be about trees, or women’s bodies, or the environment, or an alien invasion. Keep to the concept in your submission but find a unique angle or expression for that theme. The editor will be looking for work that will help create a full, rounded collection—and your new, different take may be exactly what they need.

Find your niche, but be open to something new: If you write speculative fiction, you may be tuned in to online communities where you’ll see calls for those kinds of books. But widen your networks and don’t rule out other genres and categories without reading the submission call in full. Maybe there’s a way that your work will align well with a project that falls under a different banner. Many anthologies seek work

For writers (particularly new and emerging writers), anthologies are a doorway of another kind: a chance to see one’s work in book form, to work with an editor, and to be part of a collective publishing experience.

that is intentionally pushing at the borders and boundaries of a genre.

Read the instructions and follow them: Imagine being an editor with an inbox full of submissions to sift through, but each of those submissions has filed in different formats, or without contact information, or overshot the word limit. Not keeping to the requested guidelines is an easy path to the rejection file. So read the instructions (more than once) and then make sure you’ve followed them appropriately. If the submission call asks for a maximum of 3,000 words, don’t send 4,000. If the instructions tell you to put the text in the body of the email, or to save the document in PDF, do that. If the publisher has asked for a brief bio to be attached to the submission, be sure to include it. And most important of all? Meet the deadline and make sure your copy is clean.

Don’t hold yourself back. Spotted a call for an anthology that is right up your alley, but you’re still a new writer with very little (or nothing) under your publishing belt? Don’t let that stop you. In fact, publishing your work in an anthology can be a great boost for your CV—and your confidence. Most editors want to find the best work to create a diversity in tone, style, and content, and it simply won’t matter to them if you’ve published a hundred times, or none.

Being part of an anthology is often a rare opportunity to connect with other writers, editors, and publishers, not just in its creation but also during its launch and promotion.

Your anthology “family” may lead to new friendships, new professional connections and new writing opportunities.

Best of all: your words will find their way to readers all around the world.