This month, we list 35 opportunities and resources for authors and freelance writers. Check your novel’s ranking, research that publisher before signing the contract, meet new publishers in this issue, tap into the Book Review Broker, buy a year’s worth of promotion for $49, purchase lists of radio shows in your book’s genre/topic, discover sites where you can sell your ebook, learn about book trailer services and more.
Here’s What’s New – Book Country for authors, Bookvibe for readers and more.
Opportunities for Freelance Writers – 8 potential magazine markets and an online community for writers.
Opportunities for Authors –7 new publishers
Book Promotion Opportunities – a dozen opportunities and resources for book promotion
Resources for Authors and Writers – 6 warning sites.
Going, Going, Gone – American Journalism Review going online only
Here’s What’s New
You may already be familiar with Book Country, Penguin’s online community for self-published authors. This is where authors can post their writing, give each other feedback and so forth. Book Country is now planning to open an online bookstore for participating authors. Authors will get 85 percent royalties on books sold and, through this bookstore, they have the option of publishing their books in a variety of ebook formats. http://www.bookcountry.com
According to their site: “Book Country is the most supportive writing and publishing community on the web. Book Country gives writers the strongest resources to write their best books. At Book Country, writers can find and connect to writers just like them, workshop their manuscripts, learn about the craft of writing and the business of publishing, and build their first audience as they prepare to publish their books.
“Writers interested in traditional publishing have found that Book Country is a great place to get discovered as they polish their manuscripts. Writers interested in self-publishing appreciate that they can publish their finished manuscripts through Book Country with the click of a button and distribute their eBooks to all major retailers. As Book Country grows, we will continue to offer additional features and services.” (Quoted from Book Country website.)
Bookvibe is a unique service for readers. At http://www.bookvibe.com, they give book recommendations to members based on Twitter messages. Eventually, they will follow Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram. They say that as a reader visiting this site, you will get a better idea about what people are reading. As an author, this might be an opportunity to get your book noticed. If you’re wondering how this is different from Amazon’s or Goodread’s recommendation process, evidently, it has to do with the method of locating books to recommend. Amazon bases their recommendations on what you have read. Goodreads monitors what their members are reading. Bookvibe follows social media sites to find out what books people are buying.
Ann Arbor News quit being a print newspaper for a while—went online only. Evidently, that didn’t work out well, so they’re back to print. A good sign for our newspaper industry?
Opportunities for Freelance Writers
Positive Thoughts and Wellness is a new magazine for baby boomers focusing on health and positive lifestyles. They don’t advertise that they accept submissions. But, I’ve found that even some publications that use in-house articles only, will sometimes invite a freelancer to submit a piece that is outstanding, unique and, of course, appropriate. http://magazine.effective-positive-thinking.com. Contact, magazine@effective-positive-thinking.com
Forward Motion for Writers is an online community where writers chat with and learn from other writers. http://www.fmwriters.com
Natural Pet World is a new and different kind of animal magazine. According to their site, “It was created as a tool for humans to better understand their pets’ nature and needs, as well as the issues surrounding all of our non-human friends. The magazine’s inquisitive articles not only inform and inspire the reader, but will ultimately encourage a deeper understanding and connection between them and their pets.” According to the publisher, “Natural Pet World is a result of expertise, appreciation and passion from a group of dedicated people in the field who recognize the need for a change in the way the pet world is perceived, misunderstood, abused and exploited. A powerful platform is required for such an imperative purpose, which is why Natural Pet World was conceived and is available in both print and digital.” http://www.naturalpetworld.com I don’t see an opportunity for freelance articles, but, as I’ve said before, if you have something they might want, it never hurts to approach them.
If you are seeking unique magazines where you can submit your writing and get paid for those articles accepted, here are a few opportunities:
USAA is a trade magazine covering financial security. They focus on a conservative, common-sense approach to personal finance issues and are especially interested in how-to articles with tips. Their circulation is over 4 million and they pay well. How would you like to receive $1,500 for your piece on some aspect of personal finance? Check out the possibilities at http://www.usaa.com/maglinks
Do you like shoes? Do you have a connection with a shoe designer or manufacturer? If so, perhaps you could earn $1,000 for an article for Footwear Plus. This is a business-to-business magazine and it does focus on footwear, new trends, brands, consumer buying habits and so forth. Learn more here: http://www.footwearplusmagazine.com
Worship Leader is another fairly high-paying market. They use general interest and how-to articles for church leaders. They also buy songs. Study their website: http://www.worshipleader.com
Business Travel Executive is another trade magazine seeking contributions. They’ll pay $200 to $800 for 800 to 2,000 words on articles to educate those corporate leaders who purchase travel services for their executives. Visit their website: http://askbte.com
Black MBA Magazine pays from $500 to $1,000 for articles on management strategies, business finance, technology and so forth. http://www.blackmbaonline.com
Even Watercolor Artist pays as much as $600 for how-to articles, book excerpts, essays, interviews and personal experience. http://www.watercolorartistmagazine.com
Opportunities for Authors
I received a flyer from Book1One, operated by George Kittredge this week. George claims that he may be able to publish your book at a discounted price and he invites you to his website. He also offers contact information in case you have any questions. http://www.book1one.com Contact George here: bookpublishers@book1one.com or georgek@book1one.com or 585-458-2101. They’re based in Rochester, NY. Good luck, and let us know your impressions or your experiences.
Polis Books is new. This is a digital book publisher and they’re soliciting fiction, including mystery, thriller, suspense, science fiction, fantasy romance, erotica and more. They want to see a query letter, three sample chapters, author bio, including your visibility within the social media realm. Learn more here: http://www.polisbooks.com. Submit here, submissions@polisbooks.com. I recommend that you study their website before submitting anything to them.
Last month we discussed some of the new publishers listed in the 2014 Writer’s Market. Here are more of them.
Bookouture was established in 2012 in the UK to publish fiction, including erotica, fantasy, gay, lesbian, romance, science fiction, westerns and more. They publish 20 titles/year and pay 45 percent royalties. Contact Oliver Rhodes at pitch@bookouture.com. http://www.bookouture.com
Canterbury House Publishing was formed in 2009 in North Carolina. They are seeking both nonfiction (business, economics, memoirs, regional) and fiction (fantasy, historical, mystery, regional, suspense and others). They pay 10 to 15 percent royalties and only publish 3 to 6 titles per year. Contact Wendy Dingwall (publisher) or Sandra Horton (editor) at publisher@canterburyhousepublishing.com or editor@canterburyhousepublishing.com. Check them out here: http://www.canterburyhousepublishing.com
Maven House Press was launched in 2012. They publish only nonfiction and are seeking most types of business, business management books and books focused on economics. http://www.mavenhousepress.com
Seriously Good Books came into being in 2010. From Florida, they produce historical fiction. Contact editors at seriouslygoodbks@aol.com. Visit the website http://www.seriouslyboodbks.net
Waltsan Publishing hails from Vancouver, WA. They were established in 2010 and they publish nonfiction on most any topic, all fiction genres and even poetry. They are specifically seeking authors with credentials, a marketable manuscript. They pay 20 percent royalties. Contact here: acqs@waltsanpublishing.com. http://www.waltsanpulishing.com William Kercher is the acquisitions editor.
Book Promotion Opportunities
Have you heard of the Book Review Broker? This is a service for authors. They claim that they will help you get your book into the hands of the most influential book reviewers. If you don’t mind paying for such services, you might check out their site. There’s a lot to read, but it appears to be fairly straightforward. They say they can get books in nearly any genre reviewed for as little as $15. As I understand it, the price goes up from there. If you haven’t had time or the inclination to go in search of reviewers for your book, you might want to look at what this service has to offer. Check them out here: http://www.bookreviewbroker.com And report back to us to let us know about your experience. Patricia@spawn.org
Here’s another new-to-me company designed to help authors sell books. Derek Haines at Whiz Buzz claims that for $49/year, he can give you 12 months of promotion, get your book on Google, promote it through social media, make it available to his over 35,000 site visitors and more. This is another service I have not used, so if you decide to do so, it is not at my recommendation. We, here at WPN, strive to bring you options, report on what we find that may be of interest or value to you. It is completely up to you whether you choose to partake. Check Whiz Buzz out here http://www.derekhaines.ch/whizbuzz And do your own research before you decide.
Do you want to check the status of your novel or someone else’s? Here’s a novel idea. Use http://www.novelrank.com.
Are you still seeking radio publicity for your book? Fran Silverman at Book Promotion Newsletter is offering ebooks listing radio shows in various categories. The radio shows related to animals is only $12 for 43 shows. If you have a book for authors, you might be interested in the list of 63 shows where the subject is writing and publishing. It’s also only $12. Fran has a list of 66 shows related to food and travel for $12. And for $20, you can get a list of 166 shows covering health, lifestyle and so forth. Other categories include parenting, women, New Age, politics, relationships, sports, home and garden and more. Check them out here: http://www.talkradioadvocate.com or contact Fran at franalive@optonline.net
I mentioned Bookvibe above. They promote their site as a place where an author or a publisher can go to learn who and where their particular audience is. Check them out here: http://www.bookvibe.com
Sell your ebook at ClickBitz. Marc Murphy is CEO of ClickBitz. He sent WPN an email asking us to tell our members about this opportunity. It appears that for FREE, you can upload your book, music, games and so forth to their site for sale. Authors get 70 percent of the price of their item, receiving payment every month from PayPal. Here are two addresses where you’ll find information: http://www.clickbitz.com/uploads and http://www.clickbitz.com/submit-product-vendor.
Have you looked into Goodreads Author Program? Here’s a rundown. They allow you to create a profile where you can add your bio and photo. You can publicize upcoming events (such as book signings), share book excerpts, post videos and more. They also have promotional tools available. For example, you can advertise your book to over twenty-one million readers at their site. This service is not free. If you are a published author or are in the process of publishing a book, you can become a member. And it doesn’t matter how your book was published. Learn more here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/program
Chris Vaughn contacted us this month to tell us about his new service, Blurbeo. What do they do at Blurbeo? They create trailers for you for anywhere from $99 to $249. http://www.blurbeo.com. But remember, they are not the only game in town. There are plenty of other companies that will help you create a trailer (a video advertising your book) for your website and to play when you are giving a presentation or selling books at a book festival. We’ve written about some of these companies in earlier issues of the WPN Market Update. Here are a few:
http://www.movingstories.tv
http://www.authorbytes.com
http://www.jkscommunications.com/book-trailer-production
http://www.bookvideocreation.com
http://cosproductions.com
Resources for Writers and Authors
You’re probably aware of the warning site, Preditors and Editors at http://www.pred-ed.com. You may have gone there on numerous occasions to check out a publisher, agent, editor or contest. Here are a few other such sites, including a couple where you can find out if you have been plagiarized.
Absolute Writer Water Cooler Discussions
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=347fb177cad7204a030dc53b7fbf8e15&f=22
http://copyscape.com (You can search for copies of your work on the Internet.)
http://watchfires.blogspot.com (Another website that helps you uncover plagiarism.)
http://www.sfwa.org/2010/02/beware-of-fake-awards
http://www.writers.net/forum
Going, Going, Gone
American Journalism Review will become an online-only publication this fall.