Maybe I'll Start My OWN Publishing Company!
A woman who did just that. Plus TONS of writing news and resources.
*For writing news and resources, scroll down*
What, Like It’s Hard?
I knew Sarah Fontenelle what seems like a lifetime ago: when we were both carefree twenty-somethings, acting in the occasional play at The Actor's Theatre of New Orleans. I knew Sarah was a psychologist, so I was surprised when I saw on Facebook that she and her father (also a psychologist) had started a publishing company called Le Bovier Book Publishing.
Sarah's gushing Facebook post was about their second book, a memoir by Colleen Hildebrand called In the Ether, and Sarah's intense passion for this book was so overwhelming and infectious that I contacted her right away. I had to find out more about the memoir and learn how Sarah had become an indie publisher.
According to Sarah, her father had written a draft of a parenting book, and she had ideas for a few other books. “I thought starting our own publishing company—for all of those unfinished books—would be easier than trying to convince an already established publishing company to take a chance on us,” she told me. I’m not sure if she STILL thinks this was the easier choice, but she has learned a lot in a short time about the world of publishing.
As for this memoir she was gushing about on Facebook, well, I read In the Ether and immediately understood why Sarah found it so special. Here's my summary:
When Colleen's seventeen-year-old daughter, Abby, falls in love with Ryan, a charismatic and deeply troubled twenty-two-year-old Marine, straight-laced Colleen and her husband are less than thrilled... but they try to stay open-minded. Then, after a bar fight gone horribly wrong, Ryan is incarcerated. Facing a five-year sentence, his relationship with Abby deteriorates... but through back-and-forth letters, his connection to Colleen grows. It's a heartbreaking story of an unlikely friendship between two very different people, and how much they had to learn from each other.
There is so much synchronicity and, as Colleen calls it, earthbound magic: both in the memoir itself and in then way the book became a reality. To me, Colleen and Sarah’s story proves: if a book is meant to be published, you'll find a way. It may not be the way you imagined, but it'll be a journey well worth taking.
Read my latest article, Memoir Author Colleen Hildebrand & Le Bovier Publishing Discuss In the Ether to hear from Colleen and Sarah about the process of writing and publishing the memoir, as well as about Le Bovier's scrappy beginnings... and their big plans for the future.
Writing News & Resources
For All Writers:
This weekend! Tons of FREE online prose and poetry classes from MFA and MA candidates at Northwestern . Sign up here for the Northwestern University Apprentices classes, Dec. 3 and 4!
Check out this list of FREE writing events (both virtual and in-person) for the month of December, hosted by The Writers Center.
Globe Soup is sponsoring a Paranormal Flash Fiction Challenge with a prize of £1,000. Deadline Dec. 12.
Looking for some podcasts on writing and publishing? Here are a few suggestions, and be sure to browse through their backlist to find episodes that interest you!
First Draft with Sarah Enni - Weekly conversations with storytellers about how their art informs their lives.
Track Changes - A podcast series (also from Sarah Enni) that lays out how a book goes from your laptop to the bookshelf. (I recently listened to the whole series and really enjoyed it. All the stuff you don’t know you don’t know about publishing!)
The Manuscript Academy Podcast - Hosted by an author and the agent responsible for creating Manuscript Wishlist, this podcast features interviews with top agents, editors and authors on the craft, business, and community of publishing. (Recently the editing style of their podcast has changed, and I have to say I’m not a fan. But their older episodes are great!)
The Good Story Podcast - Hosted by former kid lit agent Mary Kole, this podcast is all about writing, the craft, submission, publishing, and career- building for writers of all kinds and ability levels.
Hit Send Podcast — Two writers discuss behind the scenes workings of the publishing industry, with occasional guests.
Queries, Qualms, and Quirks - Published authors share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication. Author Sarah Nicolas interviews authors of all genres about how they got started writing, getting their book deal, and their experiences with publication.
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing - A podcast for emerging writers, who are looking to improve their work with an aim to having it published,
or for anyone who would like a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing industry.Writer Mother Monster - A conversation series devoted to dismantling the myth of having it all and offering writer-moms solidarity, support, and advice as we make space for creative endeavors.
Nothing says “the holidays” to me more than the movie Home Alone, and I loved this essay in Catapult Magazine by my friend Nancy Reddy: The Mom in ‘Home Alone’ Is a Messy and Magnificent Model of Motherhood.
The Hunger is open for submissions! They want your weird and wild poetry, prose, and hybrid work through April 1. They also accept submissions without fees for the month of December!
New Pages is a great place to research literary magazines and find submission opportunities and writing contests. They also have a newsletter so you can stay updated via your inbox.
For a special issue, The Rambling is inviting essays (1500-2000 words) that document & reflect on your experiences re-reading a favorite or formative book from your youth. Deadline February 3, 2023. Send submissions to theramblingonline@gmail.com.
The Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize is now open — deadline February 8, 2023. The Prize is for a novel by a woman over the age of 18 that marries literary merit with unputdownability.
Thinking about self-publishing? This detailed guide tells you all the steps you need to take: How to Self-Publish a Book: A Guide for Aspiring Authors.
Be a Bestseller 4.0, the free online interview series for writers from Emma Dhesi is happening in January 2023. More info coming soon!
For KidLit Writers:
The Ultimate Craft & Business of Writing, Illustrating, & Publishing Children’s Picture Books is an excellent, interactive online course from the Children’s Book Academy that will run from Jan 9 - Feb 13, 2023.
The Voyage YA Best Chapters Contest is now open — deadline January 15, 2023. First place wins $1,000, publication in Voyage, and a consult with an agent. Fifteen other winners receive agent feedback on five pages.
From now until December 31, WriteOnCon’s Critique Boutique gives you chance to buy critiques on your manuscript pages or submission materials from industry professionals, including agents, editors, and traditionally published authors. You do not need to have attended WriteOnCon to buy a critique, and the prices are very reasonable (starting at only $29). Open to all genres of kidlit, from PB to YA.
You can’t be a writer without being a reader. Sign up with Multicultural Children’s Book Day to be a Diverse KidLit Reviewer and receive a free children’s or YA book. You don’t have to be a blogger as long as you’re willing to share your review on a site like Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Sign up ends December 31.
SCBWI (The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) will hold their annual conference in person in New York City February 10-12. They will also have a virtual conference on February 25.
In each issue, Writers Digest Magazine now has a guest post about the craft of writing and the business of publishing for children, middle grade, and young adult readers. And YOU could write one! Examples include: rhyming or page turns in picture books, advice for setting up school visits to connect with readers, using accurate and contemporary language and references for YA, etc.
Click here to learn how to pitch an idea for the "For All Ages"column.
For Querying Writers:
On December 8, The Good Story Company is offering a FREE Writing an Irresistible Query webinar with live query editing and feedback. Register to watch live or receive the replay.
Check out my post What Your Query Rejections Are Telling You: The 4 Types of Rejections and What They Mean.
Every Friday, Operation Awesome offers one free query critique through their #QueryFriday contest.
If you have the bandwidth for it, check out this insanely comprehensive spreadsheet of successful queries. Learn the details and read the actual query letters for books that got agent representation.
Looking for feedback on your submission package? You can nominate your query or first page for a critique on Nathan Bransford’s blog. Also helpful? Reading his past critiques.
Feb 15-17 Savvy Authors will sponsor their annual Sweetheart Pitchfest. This free event is for writers of all genres with a completed manuscript who are looking for an agent or editor. Register for free to learn more.
Writing Conferences
The Murphy Writing Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway will be January 13-16 at the historic Seaview Hotel near Atlantic City, NJ. Early-bird registration available until November 20!
The Writing Day Workshop “How to Get Published” Conferences continue to be held virtually...for now. I attended one of these conferences in person a few years ago, 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).
Registration is now open for the enormous AWP Conference (Association of Writers and Writing Programs). A great conference for literary and academic writers, it’s being held in March 8-11, 2023 in Seattle.
SCBWI (The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) will hold their annual conference in person in New York City February 10-12. They will also have a virtual conference on February 25.
The Washington Writers Conference will be held in Bethesda, MD May 12-13.
Super Early Bird tickets ($359) include FOUR agent-pitch sessions and are available through Dec. 31, 2022.
Early Bird tickets ($369) include three agent-pitch sessions and are available Jan. 1, 2023, through Mar. 31, 2023.
For more writing conferences, check out this list or this list of 19 Writing Conferences for Emerging and Established Writers.