How to Submit Your Writing: Three Resources from the Garden Party

Anyone who has taken a Tangled Roots Writing workshop knows about the detailed notes and handouts included in the workshop.  This afternoon writers gathered once again in my garden for a new workshop.  We discussed tips and trends for submitting our work out into the world - and then spread out with wine, cheese, fruit and chocolate, to research appropriate venues, format manuscripts and push the SUBMIT button!

Consider three choice resources shared in the workshop (read the articles linked to author names):

1. Have you read posts in Medium.com yet? What about serializing your novel into posts here and then sharing them for free?  If it's the first in a series of books, it makes sense for some authors:

·         “You’ve probably read in the news about the ongoing Amazon vs. Hachette battle or the recent deal between Amazon and Simon & Schuster. We won’t dive into the gritty details here. Suffice it to say they’re ugly. Technology is reshaping the business of storytelling, and the big players are tearing at each other’s coat tales as they struggle to catch up. Meanwhile, indie writers and voracious readers are forging a new world.” – Eliot Peper

2. I've heard so many seemingly serendipitous stories about author connections made with agents or publishers - but the randomness is not the predominant force here.  I think what happens is that an author is prepared to step into that opportunity when it suddenly appears because of the preparatory work they've been doing for years:

·         “Writers who have been active for years in reading in their genre can easily reference other works in their pitches and conversations with agents/editors, plus they can pinpoint how their style is similar to or different from other authors. They know what stands out about their work and where it follows conventions. They can have a conversation with another author, agent, or editor about the exciting works in the field, and what they like and don’t like about current trends.  And this is what it means to be a part of a discourse community; it makes it possible to strike up a conversation with someone you've never met before, but immediately have common ground and shared language that informs how you talk about a book or a project." - Jane Friedman

3.  Poet and Blogger Trish Hopkinson interviewed on The Fem:
F: What makes a piece of writing feminist?
TH: Feminist writing can be any writing that either celebrates diversity or undertakes the hard topics of social justice.

On her blog Trish compiles a thorough list of journals that undertake these topics and celebrate diversity and "communicate, educate, and broaden the perspectives of those who are treating others unjustly".  

Join the next Submission Garden Party Workshop in September if you want to gain new perspective and ideas on how to submit your work successfully to the right venues!