Writer's Resources - CONVENTIONS

If you are planning on pursuing writing as a serious occupation, make sure that you utilize all the best resources available, including the precious in-person relationships that can be developed at national writers' conferences or conventions.

This is your chance to meet agents, editors, publishers, peers, and (perhaps surprisingly) even fans! The first time someone I didn't know brought a book to me to sign and said they enjoyed my work (heart be stilled!) was at a convention.

Besides the in-person networking, you may be able to pitch your projects to decision-makers, and attend (or participate) in panel discussions, workshops, and other seminars in order to hone your craft. Besides the business opportunities, Con's are also just a great time to have fun with like-minded people over the course of one-to-four days.

Here are some of the better, or larger conventions, or those that particularly interest me, my interest being: horror, genre fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and associated sub-genres; these are listed in absolutely no order at all:

www.thrillerfest.com (Thrillerfest) - New York City, yearly

www.bookexpoamerica.com (Book Expo America) - New York City, yearly

www.worldhorrorconvention.com (World Horror Convention) - Rotates cities in North America, yearly

www.worldfantasy.org (World Fantasy) - Rotates cities in North America, yearly

www.fact.org/dillo (ArmadilloCon) - Austin, TX, yearly

www.campnecon.com (Necon) - Rhode Island, yearly

www.anthocon.com (Anthocon) - New Hampshire, yearly

www.killercon.com (Killercon) - Las Vegas, NV, yearly
http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks (L.A. Festival of Books) - Los Angeles, yearly
www.norwescon.org (Pacific Northwest Sci-Fi & Fantasy Convention) - Seattle, WA, yearly
www.britishfantasysociety.co.uk (FantasyCon) - England, yearly
www.stokerweekend2011.org (Stoker Weekend) - Rotates cities in North America, yearly
www.readercon.com (Readercon) - Massachusetts, yearly
www.midsouthcon.org (Mid Southcon) - Tennessee, yearly
http://bizarrocon.wordpress.com (Bizarro Con) - Portland, OR, yearly
http://www.horrorfindweekend.com/about.html (HorrorFind Weekend) - Gettysburg, PA, yearly
http://www.mocon.indianahorror.org (Horror in Indiana) - Indianapolis, IN - yearly
http://home.earthlink.net/~basfa/t39main.html (TusCON) - Tuscon, AZ - yearly
http://milehicon.org/ (Mile High Con) - Denver, CO - yearly

In addition, here is a link that lists another SIXTY conventions related to horror, fantasy, science fiction, film, etc. around the country.

http://horrorworld.org/msgboards/viewtopic.php?f=159&t=9440

Need more reasons to attend a Con? Read some great advice by Susan Denney at Writing-World: http://www.writing-world.com/basics/conference.shtml

 
Hope this helps, and keep writing!

Great publishing news - Four new sales!

Great publishing news! Writing often seems to be "feast or famine" meaning you often experience a long stretch without producing anything of note and then suddenly have an abundance of new material go to print.

Just in the past month, I've sold four new short stories to publications that I am very excited to be a part of!

My story, "Experiments in an Isolation Tank" will be featured in the anthology, CHIRAL MAD. This is an amazing collection with the most beautiful artwork for a cover that I've seen in awhile. Cover art is important as it speaks immediately to the quality of the book's contents. I am thrilled to share the Table of Contents with some fantastic authors that I have long admired, including JACK KETCHUM, GARY BRAUNBECK, GENE O'NEILL, GORD ROLLO, and several others.

http://www.nettirw.com/cm.html


My story, "Last Night…" will be featured in the anthology, MARK OF THE BEAST - New Legends of the Werewolf. Nice to get back to some of the "traditional" horror monsters once in awhile. This turned out to be one of my favorite stories that I've written.

http://scottdavidaniolowski.blogspot.com


My story, "The Ghost of Ozzie Hobbs" will be featured in the anthology, The Ghost IS the Machine. I wrote a story for this collection just so I could be in a publication that features NY Times Bestselling author (and son of Stephen King) JOE HILL!

http://www.postmortem-press.com/submission-guidelines.php


My story, "Groundhog Day" will be featured in the newest "Best Of" anthology, (still pending title) by THE HORROR ZINE. This should be another successful and amazing collection, based on the successes of the last anthologies. www.thehorrorzine.com

The Horror Zine's last "Best Of" anthology, FEAST OF FRIGHTS, (that I was also a part of) included Simon Clark, Graham Masterton, Joe R. Lansdale, Scott Nicholson, Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Joe McKinney, Susie Moloney, Tom Piccirilli, Ed Gorman, and Jeff Strand. It was recently reviewed by FANGORIA MAGAZINE! For sale here at: http://www.amazon.com/Feast-Frights-The-Horror-Zine/dp/0615594476/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340669079&sr=8-1&keywords=feast+of+frights


Hoping to keep the momentum going, although I don't have that much time to write new material while working on my latest anthology, AFTER DEATH...

Submissions are now CLOSED for "After Death..."

Submissions are now closed for the anthology, "After Death..." Thank you so much to all who took the time to submit to this book!
I've tried to keep up on reading throughout the open call period, but it will still take me several weeks to get through everything. Acceptances and rejections will be sent throughout July-August and a final Table of Contents posted September-October.

I learned a new term that was shared with me in a rejection I recently received, and I think it's appropriate for me to share here. For my anthology, I received an "embarrassment of riches." Meaning, I received SO many fantastic stories from SO many fantastic authors that it is truly embarrassing to have tell many of you that I can't accept your writing for this book. This includes friends, peers, and authors whose strength of writing and accomplishments far surpass my own.

Including those authors I prearranged with for an extension and those who were invited (extended deadlines), I expect to have about 350 submissions total. I received 42 subs just yesterday alone and 20 the day before that - Whew!

I just finished logging in all submissions and sending confirmations. The average word count is much lower than my last anthology. 3,780 words is the average (Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations averaged about 4,500 words per sub). That totals to over 1.3 million words for me to review, the equivalent of about thirteen full-length (300+ page) novels.

I will be accepting in the range of 100,000 - 110,000 words for "After Death..." which means about 26 - 29 stories, based on the average word count. Percentage-wise, that is about the top 7% to 8% of submissions will be accepted. Stories will be accepted not only on their merit, but also by their uniqueness and how they interrelate with each other. This means I am striving to maintain a proper "flow" or consistency in tone amongst stories, the way that you listen to songs in order on an album of music, though also with an emphasis on variety of beliefs and stories.

Anyway, that's just a few thoughts from me.

Thank you again to all submitters and I will be in contact with each of you. I'll continue to post updates on Facebook and this blog.

Keep writing!

Writer's Resources - MARKET LISTINGS

For you writers of short fiction, how much time do you spend searching for a market for your work? I used to forecast that for every three hours I spent writing, I used another hour just on researching markets. This included understanding what the market was doing, checking on the audience and reviews of publishers, deciding where best I fit in, as well as prescribing to said market's highly personalized guidelines. Whew! It was time-consumptive.

We all have work and family and other life obligations that come first, so the time found for writing is precious and a limited resource. Utilize every writer's resource that you can in order to sift through the unnecessary balderdash.

Here are some of the best online writing resources I have discovered that provide MARKET LISTINGS and the latest in what publications are asking for (focused on speculative or genre fiction).

These are FREE market listings:
http://www.ralan.com/index.htm - Ralan.com: Speculative Fiction and Humor
http://www.aswiebe.com/writing/markets.html - Aswiebe's Market List: Fantasy, Sci Fi, and Horror
http://www.placesforwriters.com/ - Places for Writers: Literary, Journals, and Fiction
http://darkmarkets.com - Dark Markets: Horror
www.everywritersresource.com - Every Writers Resource: Literary, Genre Fiction, Academic
http://horrortree.com – Horror Tree: Horror, Speculative Fiction
http://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/thegrinder/Search.aspx - All Fiction Genres
http://www.pw.org/literary_magazines?genre=Fiction&subgenre=All&perpage=100&format=All&pay=yes - Poets & Writers
http://www.angiebenedetti.com/blog/category/anthology-market-listings/ - Angela Benedetti’s Market Listings
http://writingcareer.com/tagged/magazine-writing - Writing Career (Magazines)
http://writingcareer.com/call-for-anthology-submissions - Writing Career (Anthologies)
http://sandraseamans.blogspot.co.uk/ - Sandra Seamans' Markets (My Little Corner: Horror, Science and Speculative Fiction and other genres)

This following is a PAY market listing:
https://duotrope.com/index.aspx - Duotrope Digest: Literary or Genre Fiction

In addition, be sure to obtain your annual print copy of WRITER'S MARKET (Writer's Digest Books), that provides traditional publishers who may not advertise on the internet.

Hope this helps, and keep writing!

Midnight cheers,

Eric
<UPDATE JANUARY, 2017>

AFTER DEATH… One Month update

It’s been one month since I announced open call for the latest fiction anthology, “AFTER DEATH…” I’ve already received over 125 submissions, which is three times the amount of subs I received in the first month for my last anthology, “DARK TALES OF LOST CIVILIZATIONS!”

Each day I am amazed at the brilliant and gruesome ideas that are sent to me. I am so excited to work on this - This collection is going to turn out really fantastic!

I have read all submissions sent to me on or before May 2. I rejected 58 stories immediately as they didn’t fit the guidelines, or theme, or for other reason. If you haven’t heard back from me, it simply means that I am holding your story for further consideration and until the close of the submission period. I will respond to all submissions before August 30.

Selection Process:

I am keeping stories for further consideration based on four qualifying factors:

1. The story is interesting

2. It is without obvious flaw

3. It fits the theme of this anthology

4. It is written in a strong or unique voice

I grade each submission on a rubric scale, meaning I assign a rank or grade to it, based on several factors. So, as the submission process goes on, stories that rank higher will displace the stories beneath them on the scale. As I receive more submissions, I will review stories from the consideration list and reject those which fall far enough below the others. By the end of this process, I will be able to select the best-ranked stories based on what I am looking for, as well as how the stories relate to each other.

What I Am Looking For:

Potential contributors, please note! I am looking for stories about what happens to us after we die. This can be any idea, in any subgenre relating somehow to Dark Fiction. The point of the story MUST OFFER some explanation about what we can expect after we pass away. I do not want a story about a living person who circumstantially is haunted by a ghost. That is a “ghost story” and not at all what I am looking for. Consider writing a tale that is from the perspective of the deceased. What happens to your character after they die? Where do they go? What do they see? Heaven or Hell? Another universe? Reincarnation? Other spirits? Wild adventures? Etc.

Please feel free to e-mail me directly if you have any questions about this.

ALSO! I am in discussions with a few established authors to include their stories in order to really fill out this collection with amazing writing. I will announce further details about this later, but they are authors who I have long admired and are deeply involved with the HDF writing world.

Original, Full Guidelines listed here:

http://ericjguignard.blogspot.com/2012/04/open-submissions-new-fiction-anthology.html  

Cheers,

Eric

GUEST POST from Raymond Masters - Thoughts On Writing

My name is Raymond Masters, and I'm a self-published author. That doesn't have nearly the same connotation as it did when I first started writing. In fact, indie and self-published writers are quickly becoming the standard. The internet is full of stories and advice from professionals and semi-pros. I am neither of those; I am but a humble beginner. Of course, it really doesn't take long to amass a list of – let's not call it advice – helpful hints to pass along to those in the same boat as I am. So, this is for the beginners or those considering writing.

The thing about writing, as they say, is to write every day. If you want to be a writer, then write. Don't wait around for the perfect time to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. That perfect time rarely presents itself. Just do it. Have ten extra minutes? Jot down some notes or the opening paragraphs of your next scene. Why? It's hard to get back into the swing of things, once you've taken a break from it. I'm living proof of that. I love writing and have so many ideas to tell that I have to kick myself whenever there's a gap in my writing. It's not always easy. This is especially true for indie or self-published writers. Life doesn't stop – or even slow down for that matter – just because you have this awesome story to unwrap.

You can also sequester yourself in an office or your bedroom and close the door. It's okay; it's not anti-social. This lets others know this is not the time for socializing. This is your work time. Or it can be your "you" time. If you do this daily and form a routine, this accomplishes a couple of things. It not only gets your family used to the fact that you're going to be writing for an hour or two each day, but it also will speed you up as a writer. You won't require as long to get into that magical zone.

Get plenty of rest. It's funny to throw this in there, but your body and mind really need to be recharged thoroughly for the best results. Of course, there are some exceptions, but if you're writing something you wish to control, get a good night's sleep the night before. If you're doing your own edits, then you'll have a lot fewer "What?" moments down the line.

Take breaks. Get up and stretch your mind while you're stretching your legs. Some of my best ideas have come to me while walking, showering, or resting. It's because your mind has permission to wander off. But, and here's the thing, it won't be wandering too far, since you're writing daily. Your subconscious will be researching your story while you're doing some of the most mundane tasks of your day. Just be sure not to take a weeks-long break, as I said, or your mind will grow bored and move onto something new and shiny.

And, speaking of shiny, I hope you did, indeed, find my hints to be helpful. These are all ideas that I put into play while writing Forging Truth. Forging Truth is the first book of The Truth Saga. I am currently working on its sequel Corrupting Truth. If you're interested in good fun and character-driven stories, you may wish to check out the below links.

Thank you, so much for tagging along. And a very special thank you to Eric for helping me to Spread the Truth.

Take care,

Raymond

Blog: http://raymondmasters.wordpress.com/

Where to find Forging Truth:

Kindle 

Paperback

Kickstarter Fundraiser: "Fund The Truth Saga Book 2 and Get Books 1 and 2″