What's an Appositive?/Digital Fiction Imprint

Writer’s Thought for the Week: Writing is like touching old scar tissue. ~ Anonymous

APPOSITIVE VS DESCRIPTION

A noun set off from another noun that refers to the same thing is in apposition. Commas often frame the appositive but not the description. Here are examples of both apposition and description.

BLOOMSBURY SPARK is a digital fiction imprint launching in autumn 2013 from Bloomsbury Publishing. They want teen, YA, and new adult manuscripts in a variety of genres: romance, contemporary, dystopian, paranormal, sci-fi, mystery, thriller, and more. Novels, novellas, and interconnected short stories should be 25,000 to 60,000 words. Read the guidelines carefully – there are different e-mail submission addresses depending on where you live in the world. 

E-Book Publisher/Erotic Romance Anthologies

Writer’s Thought for the Week: Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast. In the pool where you least expect it, will be a fish.  ~ Ovid   

Looking for an e-book publisher? One place to look is the web site of The Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition (EPIC). The coalition’s publisher page lists 13 member companies, the genres they publish, their web site address, and if they currently accept submissions.

JUPITER GARDENS PRESS ANTHOLOGIES
Jupiter Gardens Ignite has several erotic romance anthologies scheduled for release in both print and e-book formats in 2013. They are looking for 7,000 to 15,000 word stories. Royalties will be divided equally between the authors in each book.

    Hot Rods, Hot Bods  - motorsports, deadline April 15, 2013
    Wild Shifters - wild shape shifters, deadline July 15, 2013
    Buckle Down - cowboys, deadline September 15, 2013

Beware the Contract/Creative Nonfiction

Writer's Thought for the Week: I take a simple view of life: keep your eyes open and get on with it. ~ Sir Laurence Olivier

BEWARE THE CONTRACT and a New Imprint

 

Last December when I blogged about Random House’s new digital imprints, no one had seen their contracts. As contracts appeared, Writer Beware, Science Fiction Writers of America, Horror Writers of America, and other author group representatives soon criticized the onerous clauses. Last Tuesday morning, Random House announced changes to their contracts for Hydra, Alibi, Flirt, and Loveswept. They will now follow a more traditional contract model as one of two options. You can read the details here.

The situation reminds us that publishing is a business. Writers need to either become familiar with contract jargon and what it means or find an agent or attorney who is. We've all heard about scam publishers and agents preying on writers, but when even Random House is called to task, whom can you trust?

Also this week, Amazon launched imprint called Little A, aimed at novels, memoir, and story collections. Within Little A is a digital-only series called Day One which targets short stories from writers who have not published books yet. I have not heard any bad news about these.

DIANA WOODS MEMORIAL AWARD IN CREATIVE NONFICTION

Deadline: March 31, 2013 for the June issue.

No entry fee

Submit an essay of up to 5,000 words on the subject of your choice to this semi-annual competition. Winners will receive $250 and their work will be featured in the next issue of Lunch Ticket. All submissions for the award will be considered for publication. The reading period for the award is February and March for the issue that publishes in June, and August and September for the issue that publishes in December.

Bread Loaf/Iowa Review

Writer’s Thought for the Week: Creative work…is like a faucet: nothing comes unless you turn it on, and the more you turn it on, the more comes. ~  Brenda Ueland

Bread Loaf Conference

If, like me, you did not attend the Bread Loaf conference in Middlebury, Vermont, you can capture some of the experience thanks to Chloe Yelena Miller. 

You may listen to some of the readings and sessions here.

THE IOWA REVIEW
 
Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome during the fall semester only--September, October, and November. The Iowa Review publishes short stories, flash fiction, graphic novels, self-contained novel excerpts, and plays; poetry of all kinds, including verse plays and longer work; and all manner of creative nonfiction, including personal essays, lyric essays, memoirs, and literary journalism. 

Pays $1.50 per line for poetry ($40 minimum) and $0.08 per word for prose ($100 minimum). They also publish 750-1,000 word reviews of book-length fiction, poetry, and nonfiction on their website.

Organization/Fantasy and Sci-Fi Contest

Writer’s Thought for the Week: Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life.  ~ Lawrence Kasdan

TWO WAYS TO ORGANIZE

Whether I’m researching for my nonfiction work or sorting out details for my “someday novel”, organizing and reorganizing notes and information can be tedious. I’ve yet to find the perfect answer, but here are two options I’m exploring. Both have versions for Windows and Mac.

Evernote is free software that lets you save notes, audio, images, and web clippings. It automatically synchronizes between your computers, iPad, phone, and the Web. You can even access your notes from your mobile phone as well as e-mail a note to a special address that you can retrieve on your computer. You can set up separate notebooks for different types of notes as well as assign multiple tags to individual notes.

Scrivener is a combination word processor and project management tool. You can outline, use virtual 3-by-5 cards, structure and restructure your work using the virtual “corkboard” feature, and more. It even has some scriptwriting features. Try it using the free download. If you like it, the Windows version is $40 and the Mac is $45.

How about you? Any tips on organization you’d like to share?

STONETHREAD FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION CONTEST
 

Deadline July 31, 2012
No entry fee.

Seeking fantasy and sociological science fiction short stories (1,500 to 15,000 words) to create an anthology in Ray Bradbury's honor. Previously unpublished fantasy or sociological SF only. You may enter as often as you wish, but each entry must be in a separate e-mail. All winning entries will be included in the StoneThread anthology.

Winners will receive a free copy of the anthology, plus 1st Place: $50; 2nd through 6th: $20; Honorable Mentions: $10.

Bookbaby/Short stories

Writer’s Thought for the Week: Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart…  ~ William Wordsworth

BOOKBABY

You’ve probably heard of CD Baby, an online distributor for CDs created by independent musicians. CD Baby has paid out over $200 million to musicians.

Now there one for us – BookBaby, a distributor of self-published e-books. Here's how it works: http://www.bookbaby.com/howitworks

ONE STORY

http://www.one-story.com/index.php?page=guidelines

Open for submissions through May 31. (Reopens September 1.) Seeks literary fiction 3,000 - 8,000 words. Pays $250 plus 25 copies for First North American Serial Rights. Use their online submission manager to submit your story.

Self-Publishing considerations and Calyx Books open for submission

Writer's thought for the week: “Literature is strewn with the wreckage of those who minded beyond reason, the opinion of others.”   Virginia Woolf

Thinking of self-publishing? Here are some things to consider: http://www.terrylinks.com/getpublishednow

CALYX Books is open to submissions for book manuscripts of novels, novellas, and linked short story collections of any genre until August 31, 2011. http://www.calyxpress.org/submission.html

Submissions should include three chapters or sections (approximately 15,000 words), a table of contents (if appropriate), and a synopsis.  All manuscripts should be double-spaced and include page numbers, the manuscript title, and the author's name.  Submit a cover letter with biographic information, list of previous publications (if desired), and contact information.

Send materials to: CALYX Books
                            PO Box B
                            Corvallis, OR 97339

Short Story Month

Writing tip: "Never be ashamed of your subject, or of your passion for your subject. Your 'forbidden' passions are likely to be the fuel for your writing… Your struggle with your buried self, or selves, yields your art." ~ Joyce Carol Oates  
 
The Emerging Writers Network has declared May "National Short Story" month. Here are two opportunities that include short stories as well as other forms.

The Gulf Coast Writers Association will accept submissions for its fourth print anthology of short fiction (up to 3,000 words) and poetry (up to 40 lines) between June 1 and September 1, 2011. Stories must be set in Mississippi and clearly capture a Southern tone. They accept most genres. Both unpublished and previously published work are accepted. Payment for selected work is $25 and one copy or five copies for one-time publication rights. 

Shock Totem considers original, unpublished stories of dark fantasy and horror—mystery, suspense, supernatural, morbid humor, fantasy, etc. Stories must have a clear horror element. Looking for short stories up to 5,000 words (firm),  tightly woven flash fiction up to 1,000 words, and microfiction up to 200 words. They also look for nonfiction: journalism about real horrors such as disease, poverty, addiction.
Pays 5 cents per word (3 cents for reprints) with a $250 cap on all accepted stories.

RAY BRADBURY CREATIVE WRITING CONTEST
http://www.waukeganpl.org/programs/bradcontest.html
http://www.waukeganpl.org/programs/2010rbflyer.pdf

Deadline: postmarked by March 19, 2010. (No e-mail submissions.)
No fee, but a limit of one entry per individual
Categories: Creative writing (poems, essays, short stories), visual arts, multimedia

The three categories are divided into separate ones for high school students and adults, and Illinois residents and non-residents for a total of twelve categories. Creative writing entries may be no longer than two pages.

The theme for this year's contest is the relationship between life and death. The non-Illinois resident winner in each of the twelve categories receives $100. The Illinois resident winners receive $200.

The winning entries will be announced April 14.