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How writers spend a typical Thanksgiving  November is a sparse month for conferences. Holidays are approaching, and people are busy with their families. In spite of the holidays, there are some good conferences in November. Next month's conferences span the country and feature pitch sessions with agents, discussions and lectures about writing and marketing, and faculties of writing and industry professionals. Our motto is: BE PREPARED!! Before you attend a conference, consult these posts: Valuable Tips for Pitching to an Agent or Editor What's Your Book About? How to Make a Pitch Pitches, Pitfalls, and Plotting - Four Authors Talk About How They Got Published Getting an agent: Schmooze or you lose  (How to find conferences in your area) ____________________ Sanibel Island Writers Conference , November 5 - 8, 2015, Sanibel Island, Florida. Presenters: Steve Almond / Andrea Askowitz / Lynne Barrett / Dan Bern / Charles Bock / John Darnielle / Erica Dawson / John Dufresne / ...

There is an impressive number of writing contests during the month of November, some of which offer substantial prizes. Canadians can win $25,000 for their literary nonfiction. Two prestigious British prizes are awarding 30,000 pounds apiece, and Australian poets can win a $12,000 travel stipend to visit Ireland. In addition there are numerous smaller prizes for short stories, poems, creative nonfiction, non-creative nonfiction, essays, as well as prizes for books both published and unpublished. Good luck! ____________________ Commonwealth Short Story Prize .  Restrictions : Open to citizens of the British Commonwealth. Genre : Unpublished short fiction (2,000-5,000 words) in English. Short stories translated into English from other languages are also eligible.  Prize : Regional winners receive £2,500 (US$3,835) and the overall winner will receive £5,000 (US$7,670).  Deadline : November 1, 2015. Read details  here . Jane Lumley Prize for Emerging Writers ....

November is coming up fast! (New months seem to be happening a lot lately.) Next month we have calls for speculative fiction, novellas, parenting advice, short stories, poetry, horror, creative nonfiction - so get cracking! Tip : Plan your submission schedule ahead of time. Making a list of places to submit your work helps stave off "writer's procrastination." ____________________ Spider Road Press: Approaching Footsteps: Four Novellas by Women "We seek suspenseful, well-crafted fiction in which the plot strengthens the characterization and tension is maintained throughout the narrative. Novellas featuring protagonists from traditionally under-represented communities (people of color, people with disabilities, etc.) are particularly encouraged. Novellas should be quality literature, yet able to conform to the general themes of the suspense, mystery and thriller genres. One submission per writer allowed. We have a small staff, so it could take us until February to con...

One of the benefits of writing contests is that nothing reveals your manuscript's flaws like submitting it for others to judge. (Usually, those flaws become glaringly obvious as soon as you hit the Send button.) Another benefit, of course, is that you might just win. The Writer's Digest contests are specifically focused on getting you to examine the first page of your manuscript. This is the only page you will submit to this contest. It is also the only page many agents (or editors) will read, so make sure it is polished. Good luck! _________________________ From Writer's Digest Welcome to the 19th (free!) “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest on the GLA blog. This is a FREE recurring online contest with agent judges and super-cool prizes. Here’s the deal: With every contest, the details are essentially the same, but the niche itself changes—meaning each contest is focused around a specific category or two. So if you’re writing any kind of young adult fiction, this 19th contest is for...

Some Unusual Spiritual Remembrances... - I just realized that my Buddhist teacher/nun (Venerable Lama Lobsang Chunzom) said a few years ago that I should be reading more sci-fi. It caught me off-guard because I had been reading a lot of non-fiction and political books. She said that the non-fiction was nice but that I needed to mix it more with fantasy. And now my first TV writing job is on a show that blends political satire with sci-fi. - Shortly before agreeing to take over duties to raise money for a temple, she suggested/encouraged me to start dressing in suits. It was said lightly but -why the hell not- I started dressing up for things. I had no idea how I was going to get money though. I had never been responsible for raising any large amount. And then over the next three years I helped raised over $50,000 from angel donors as well as online campaigns. Most of the building debt was paid off with this amount. - When I first met my Lama she said I should do a physical exercise. Wh...

Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin, the most famous author you have never heard of, has been making the news recently. His children's book, The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep , has been touted as an overnight success after it hit #1 on Amazon's bestseller list with seemingly no promotion. How did Ehrlin's self-published  Rabbit manage to garner the top position on Amazon? There was some speculation that he may have gamed the system by having everyone he knew purchase copies simultaneously (this has been done before) - but 20,000 copies?  The mystery of how Ehrlin won such spectacular success - including a 7-figure advance from Random House - is finally revealed. Publisher's Weekly  has conducted an interview with Ehrlin in which the author revealed how his book became a bestseller - step by step. ____________________ A Self-Published Sleeper: Author of 'The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep' Speaks By Claire Kirch | Oct 07, 2015, Publisher's Weekly "Initially, E...

Updated 6/11/20 Here are two new agents looking for writers. Sandy Harding (Spencerhill Associates) is seeking thrillers, women’s fiction, romance, and literary fiction for the adult market. Caitlin McDonald (Donald Maass Literary Agency) is looking for science fiction and fantasy for all age levels. ALWAYS check the agency website before submitting. Agents may switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements may change. If these agents do not suit your needs, you can find a comprehensive list of new and established agents seeking clients here:  Agents Seeking Clients . ____________________ Sandy Harding of Spencerhill Associates About Sandy : Prior to joining Spencerhill in September 2015, Sandy Harding spent fifteen years at Penguin Random House and Penguin Group USA, most recently as a senior editor at NAL. In earlier days she earned an MA in American Literature at NYU and taught expository writing. As an editor she was fortunate to work with New York Times best...

Updated 2/5/22 'Tis the season to be scared to death. Now is the time to put that plastic skeleton back on your lawn (or you can always use the real one you've got stashed in your basement), and dig out that horror story you wrote but never submitted anywhere. Also see : 4 Horror and Dark Fiction Publishers Accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts ____________________ Bell Bridge Books / BelleBooks, Inc. BB is looking for dark, gritty, serious urban fantasy & horror. Vampires, werewolves, and other things that go bump in the night on the mean streets of contemporary life. "A book we've currently bought is an epic series about a clan of vampires. (Right, epic means the series spans centuries. You can never trust guidelines.) Read Laurell K. Hamilton, Robin McKinley (Sunshine), Patricia Briggs, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, etc." Advance : Yes Simultaneous submissions : No Formats : Print and ebooks ____________________ Black Bed Sheet Books Black Bed Sheet Books specializ...

1. Women’s Project Lab deadline: November 8th website: http://wptheater.org/lab/ WP Theater is looking for 15 female-identified playwrights, directors, and producers who crave an artistic home, professional support, and the resources to launch them into the next phase of their careers to join the 2016-2018 WP Lab. Lab provides up to fifteen artists with community, a vital professional network, entrepreneurial and leadership training, free rehearsal space and, most significantly, tangible opportunities for the development and production of bold new work for the stage. REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY: Must be a female-identified artist living within 90 minutes of Women’s Project Theater via car or rail. Must be able to attend evening meetings at Women’s Project Theater twice each month for the duration of the two years, as well as other events throughout the year, such as master classes, retreats, observerships and other special events at WP. Regular attendance is mandatory and therefore ap...