Articles of Interest

How to Build Your Author's Platform From Scratch
By Sophfronia Scott, "The Book Sistah"

Low Cost Ways to Meet Agents & Editors
By Sophfronia Scott, "The Book Sistah"

Links & Resources

Here's a list of webpages you might find useful. Some are direct links. If you know of others that have been helpful to you, please let me know. I'll add them to the list.

Guides and Portals

www.newpages.com Great place to start if you're looking for independent bookstores, independent publishers, literary periodicals, alternative periodicals, etc. One stop shopping for contests and submission guidelines

http://www.bookmarket.com/101imark.html Another portal with hundreds of links, but this one is dedicated exclusively to internet marketing. You knew it was possible for an author to teleconference a book reading, but did you know there is technology that will let an author sign books long distance as well? Margaret Atwood talked about it on CBC Radio, (so it must be true!)

Online Magazines

http://www.internetwritingjournal.com/ This online magazine pulls book reviews and industry news from a variety of sources. It also looks for original work in the 750-1750 word range and posts submission guidelines with samples of past published work.

www.writenews.com Another place to look for industry news, including new publications, trends, and a big batch of industry/market specific blogs.

Paying Markets & Contests

www.writersweekly.com They bill themselves as the highest circulation freelance writing e-zine in the world. After you wade past the ads for books and writing courses, you'll find decent articles, and listings for paying markets that include comprehensive submission guidelines.

www.travelerstales.com Anyone who knows me can guess why I'm loving this site. These folks are publishers of stories, wit, and wisdom from travelers around the world. Who wouldn't want to be in an anthology titled, Sand in My Bra and Other Misadventures, Whose Panties Are These? or The Thong Also Rises. And for the guys, there's What Color Is Your Jockstrap? Check out their submission guidelines.

www.writersjournal.com Lots of contests here. Yeah, there's an entry fee. But it's only three or five bucks and the prizes are $150 and up. Plus, they publish the story in their magazine. The paying markets are only available with a subscription to the magazine. I found the articles heavy on the "how-to" and I cancelled my subscription after the first year. But, I still enter the contests.