How do you find an audience that wants to read what you've written??

How to share your voice and find your readers. Plus TONS of writing resources.

*For writing news and resources, scroll down.*

Do you write for yourself, or for your readers?

I’ve said it before (in this interview), and I’ll say it again: writing is such a paradox.

On the one hand, you have to do it for yourself, for the joy and self-satisfaction of it, because there’s no guarantee whatever you’re working on will ever be published or that people will read it.

But on the other hand, you are writing, most likely, to communicate: to share your thoughts and stories and unique perspective… so if no one reads your writing, what’s the point?

It can be a tough mental road to travel. It can be hard to keep going when you’re not sure if anyone will ever read what you've written.

How to find readers

So how do you find readers? How do you share your voice, connect to an audience, and build a writing community?

Great questions! All of which will be discussed during the Find Your Readers Summit, an online conference held July 22-25 (starting this Friday!).

We tend to think of writing as a solitary activity, but it doesn't have to be. In fact, the more you connect with other writers and readers, the more inspired you may become.

The Find Your Readers Summit is about growing your audience while you are still writing your book, and building your network after you finish it. There are sessions on:

• pitching agents

• hand-selling your novel at events

• sharing your stories as a newsletter

• hosting a virtual book event

• new ways authors are making money

And guess what… yours truly will be giving a talk on How to Find the Right Literary Agent! I’ll discuss the many things I learned during my time in the query trenches before (finally) signing with Ali Lake of Janklow & Nesbit.

You can watch the whole event live, for free, but it's also great to upgrade to the paid ticket. Check out my affiliate link for details.

Writing News

For All Writers:

• I cannot believe this is real, but Kwame Alexander is going to be the host of a reality TV show called America’s Next Great Author… and you could be a participant. They’ll be filming the pilot October 30 in San Francisco. Authors pitch their book idea to a panel of judges and receive feedback, advice, and a chance to win a cash prize. I guess this is really happening!?

• Trying to write a novel this summer? Read about my virtual course Getting Started on Your Novel! This series of do-it-on-your-own-time lessons will help you brainstorm ideas and develop characters, plot, and setting. At the end of the course you will have great opening chapters and a plan to finish the manuscript. All five lessons are available now for paid subscribers.  

• Do you like to read or write teen mystery, thriller, or suspense? Then check out this YA Summer Thriller Panel on July 21 with authors Kit Frick, Amanda Panitch, Dana Mele, and Rebecca Barrow. Brought to you by Politics & Prose.

• How can a first person narrator describe their appearance without the awkward, “I ran my fingers through my long, dark hair” or the overused look-in-the-mirror trick? Mary Kole from The Good Story Company provides some ideas in this great video: Character Description in First Person.

  • (P.S. My writer friends and I so love Mary Kole’s book Writing Irresistible Kidlit that we actually named our writing group The Mary Kole Fan Club.)

• Here’s a great Twitter thread from Sophie Flynn on how debut authors can market their books.

• Summer can be a great time to prepare submissions. Poets & Writers has loads of searchable writing contests, awards, and grants And New Pages offers an exhaustive list of writing contests, organized by deadline date.

• This #CoachHunt from The Authors of Tomorrow on July 23 looks really cool. Pitch your story idea, and a mentor will reach out to you if they are interested in being your mentor/writing coach. (TAOT also offer a lot of great publishing workshops.)

• International Literary Seminars is launching a unique and intensive series of workshops, lectures, and cultural offerings. Apply for this year’s program (held in Kenya!) and check out the website for contests, fellowships, and other offerings.

• Did you know there are some top-notch indie publishers to whom you can submit… without having an agent? Here are just a few. Make sure your manuscript is REALLY AND TRULY ready, and be sure to do your research before you query!

  • Polis Publishing 

  • North Star Editions (check out their kidlit imprints Flux and Jellyfish)

  • Page Street Publishing (is distributed by MacMillion)

  • Holiday House (books for young readers)

  • Persea Books (adult literary books)

  • Quirk Books (they like quirky books, obviously; they published the Miss Peregrine’s books and Pride & Zombies!)

For Querying Writers:

• On July 20, for only $5, The Good Story Company is offering a Story Snobs Pitch Contest. Pitch your premise for a chance to win a free submission editing package.

• On Jane Friedman’s blog, learn about 3 Common Pitfalls in Memoir Queries.

• I just learned about a very cool mentoring/pitching event called #PitchMe, taking place this fall. Here’s the timeline:

  • September 8: The submission window opens

  • September 22: Selected submissions announced

  • September 22-October 19: Mentoring takes place

  • October 20: Revised Twitter pitches posted; agents like their favorites

• Every Friday, Operation Awesome offers one free query critique through their #QueryFriday contest.

• The querying trenches are rough right now, and Twitter pitch parties can feel like a crapshoot, but still, as I always say, it’s a great way to meet other writers and it certainly doesn’t hurt to try. (After all, I found my agent through a Twitter pitch party. I am now an official success story!) So mark your calendar for these upcoming Twitter pitch parties. And be sure to read my article 13 Things to Know About Twitter Pitch Events.

  • August 1 and 2: #DVPit a Twitter pitch to agents for self-identifying, historically-marginalized authors and illustrators

    • August 1 (8AM - 8PM EST) for childrens & YA fiction/nonfiction

    • August 2 (8AM - 8PM EST) for adult fiction/nonfiction and for artists & illustrators using #DVart

  • September 15: #LatinxPitch — Twitter pitch for all unagented and agented Kidlit LATINX authors, author-illustrators, and illustrators

Writing Conferences (in person and virtual):

• Don’t miss the Find Your Readers Summit July 22-25 (starting on Friday!). This online event is about growing your audience while you are still writing your book and building your network after you finish it. Not to mention, I’ll be giving a talk Saturday morning on Finding the Right Literary Agent!

• WOWCON, WriteMentor’s online conference for kidlit writers, is coming up September 24 - 26.

• This New York Write to Pitch 2022 Conference looks intriguing. The Zoom portion is September 8-11 and the live part is September 22-25 in NYC. And there are pre- and post-content, too. They are calling it The Premier Career Launcher for Aspiring Authors. I’m going to be honest, there’s so much going on with this conference I’d need an entire day to study and digest the website, but it looks very professional and comprehensive, so take a look for yourself!

• This year the Writing Day Workshop “How to Get Published” Conferences will be held virtually. I attended one of these conferences in person a few years ago in Philadelphia, and I thought it was fantastic. I can’t vouch for the virtual version, but there are some benefits: recorded classes, no travel expenses, attend in your comfy pants. Plus, you can sign up for Zoom pitch sessions with agents for $29 a piece. Check out the upcoming conferences (and remember, anyone can attend from anywhere; just keep the time zone in mind). 

  • Kansas City Writing Workshop: August 5-6, 2022

  • Writing Conference of Los Angeles: September 9-10, 2022

  • Minnesota Writing Workshop: October 7-8, 2022

• For more writing conferences, check out this list or this list of 19 Writing Conferences for Emerging and Established Writers.