Anthologies are an excellent way for a writer to break into publishing. They can also do a lot to expand the audience for your existing titles. Blog ninja and Master and Commander of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Alex J. Cavanaugh, has edited several anthologies, and gives us the skinny on how they can help your career.
by Alex J. Cavanaugh
Anthologies offer something for everyone – the authors, the readers, and the organizing team.
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group recently released its second anthology, Parallels: Felix Was Here. Previously, we’d put together The IWSG’s Guide to Publishing and Beyond.
Comprised of short essays from various IWSG members, the Guide was put together as free gift to our members and to any writer seeking assistance. The second anthology was the result of a yearly contest and offered the authors royalties. Both were a huge undertaking for the IWSG team to put together.
But the anthologies embody what the IWSG is all about – offering support and providing opportunities for writers at all levels to achieve their goal of being published. When you’re in an IWSG anthology, there’s a sense of family. All the winners become friends and offer support for each other. Watching that unfold is worth any amount of effort.
So, for anyone considering submitting to an anthology, putting together one, or even reading such a collection, I offer these tips and advantages.
Anthology Tips
For writers:
- Follow the instructions. The guidelines are in place for a reason. Submitting something that doesn’t fit or is the wrong word count is not the way a writer wants to be eliminated.
- Stick to the given themes, but try to steer away from those regular tropes. This is when you want to be original and let your voice shine.
- Be sure to run your entry by your critique partners before submitting. You want to catch all of the mistakes before sending in your entry.
- Include all your contact information.
- Don’t think you’ve failed if you don’t make the shortlist. Sometimes, the entries are really strong and good submissions are eliminated due to a lack of room. Don’t despair – that story can be submitted elsewhere.
For anthology organizers:
- Make the guidelines for submission specific. Let the writers know exactly what genre, topic, and word count, and don’t forget the deadline.
- Mention all of the benefits – royalties, proceeds go to charity, etc.
- State how the entries will be judged, and if using outside judges, have them set and in place before announcing anthology.
Advantages to Writers
- Provides a sense of achievement, particularly for writers who have little or nothing published prior.
- It gives the writer status with a credible publisher. This looks good when they’re submitting to other publishers or magazines. Often they will be listed on retail sites, adding credibility.
- It strengthens a writer’s skills by thinking outside the box. They might have to try a new genre or format.
- Often, a writer will appear in the same book with authors they admire.
- A writer’s effort to get published in an anthology is easier and cheaper than self-publishing. All a writer has to do is write a story and submit it. The publisher handles the rest, including the cost. Often there are royalties for the author or an upfront payment.
- It builds a sense of community amongst contributing authors or serves to strengthen an existing community. (The authors in the Parallels: Felix Was Here anthology started their own blog )
- Being a part of an anthology means there are several authors promoting the same book. It really helps with the marketing effort.
Advantages to the Anthology Editing Team
- Recognition for the organization and/or publisher putting together the anthology. It’s a great way to draw attention to a group. It promotes cross-readership and exposure for the contributing authors and for the host organization.
- A pool of talent means every author brings a different skill to the project. It provides more options for the organizer and/or publisher.
- Critiquing sharpens a writer’s skills. Reading through varied submissions gives the judges a chance to observe various writing styles and possibly learn about a genre in which they’re not real familiar. It’s a reminder of what elements combined constitutes a good story.
- ‘Team work makes the dream work.’ It was fun collaborating with everybody else, rating the different stories. All of the judges brought something new to the table. The combined effort resulted in the best stories being selected.
- Team work means that the marketing doesn’t fall on the shoulders of just one person. It’s a collaborative effort of the organization and the authors, and marketing efforts are multiplied.
Advantages to Readers
- Readers are introduced to new writers. If they enjoyed the anthology piece, they will seek out other work by that author.
- Stories are short and can be read quickly. This makes the book easy to digest.
- An anthology shows many different interpretations of a theme or genre. It provides variety.
- Sometimes, the proceeds for anthologies go to a charity. Readers are giving back to a cause when they buy the book.
An anthology is a lot of work to put together. The amount of emails going back and forth between the IWSG admins and the judges was incredible. Plus, the publisher had to coordinate with the authors of the winning entries and put the book together. But the results are something everyone can be proud of. If you are considering submitting to an anthology or putting one together, I highly recommend it!
by Alex J. Cavanaugh (@alexjcavanaugh) June 12, 2016
What about you, scriveners? Have you submitted your work to any anthologies? Have you had your work published in one? How did it affect your career? Have you ever edited an anthology? We’d love to hear your anthology experience.
A Caveat: One thing you don’t want to do with an anthology is ask the contributors to review it. That’s a very big no-no, especially on Amazon. It can get the anthology taken down. I was in one charity anthology where the editor asked all the contributors to write reviews, and when I let her know this could bring down the wrath of the Mighty Zon, one contributor said she “always reviewed” her own books. She may have so few sales she’s not on Amazon’s radar but this kind of stuff can get you banned from Amazon for life. Check out my post on Disappearing Amazon Reviews.
If you’re wondering what Ruth and Anne are up to this week: Ruth asks some thought-provoking questions about women over fifty. And Anne continues to poison people for fun and profit on her book blog. This week she talks about Belladonna, aka Deadly Nightshade.
AN UPDATE ABOUT COMMENTS: For some unknown reason, Alex is being blocked from replying to comments. But he can make a regular comment, so scroll down to find his responses. Every time I think I’ve got this tech stuff under control, some new nasty comes along to thwart me. I apologize for our current tech demons, everybody!
Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design, graphics, and technical editing.
A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, comprising of a website, monthly blog hop, and Facebook groups.
He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, CassaStorm, and Dragon of the Stars. The author lives in the Carolinas with his wife. You can find him at Alex’s Website, Insecure Writers Support Group or follow Alex on Twitter.
BOOKS OF THE WEEK
The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond
Parallels: Felix Was Here
Available in paperback on Amazon
OPPORTUNITY ALERTS
Bartleby Snopes Dialogue-Only Story Contest. $10 FEE for unlimited entries. Write a story under 2000 words, using only dialogue–no tags. No other restrictions. Prize: minimum of $300, more with more entries. All fees go into the prize pot. Deadline September 15th.
Call for anthology submissions! Wising Up Press is accepting submissions of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction for their “Kindness of Strangers” anthology. Prose: 5,000 words or fewer. Poets may submit up to five poems. They accept simultaneous submissions and previously published work. Deadline Sept. 1st
WASAFIRI NEW WRITER PRIZE £6 ENTRY FEE. 3 Prizes in Poetry, Fiction and Life Writing. Winners will receive £300 each and their entries will be published in the literary journal Wasafiri. Deadline July 15, 2016
FUTURESCAPES WRITING CONTEST NO ENTRY FEE. Sci-Fi authors! FutureScapes is an annual writing competition that asks writers to envision a future world, and tell a story about it. Up to 8,000 words. $2,000 prize for first place, $1,000 prize for second place, and $500 prize to each of the four runners-up. Deadline is July 15, 2016.
Up the Staircase Quarterly is reading submissions for their upcoming 90s issue. Love 1990s music and culture? They’re looking for poetry and artwork involving and inspired by 90s music, TV shows, movies, fashion, games, technology, food & drink, and trends. NO FEE: Deadline July 1st
The Moth International Short Story Prize Judged this year by John Boyne, The Moth awards £3000 and publication to the best piece of fiction under 6000 words, open to anyone. Second and third place prizes include £1000 and enrollment in the Circle of Misse writing retreat. $12 FEE. Deadline: June 30
It was a dark and stormy night! The Bulwer-Lytton Contest is open until June 30th! This is the famous bad writing contest where you submit the worst opening sentence you can come up with. No fee; no prize but bragging rights. Just fun.
The Masters Review Short Story Award for New Writers will award $2000 for the best piece of fiction by an emerging writer. Up to 6000 words. Second and third place prizes will be $200 and $100. All three stories will earn publication and agency review by Amy Williams of The Williams Agency, Victoria Marini of Gelfman Schneider, and Laura Biagi from Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc. in New York.$20 FEE. OPEN: May 15 – July 15
MYSTERY AUTHORS! Here’s a list of 15 small presses that specialize in mysteries and do not require an agent for submissions. It’s compiled by “Authors Publish” Newsletter–a great resource.
Remember in November Creative Nonfiction Contest. Sponsored by Hippocampus Magazine. $1,000 grand prize plus complimentary registration to HippoCamp 2017. $150 runner-up ( $25 honorable mentions. Previously unpublished memoir excerpts and personal essays of up to 4,000 words are eligible.. $12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 23, 2016.
THE ROCABERTI CASTLE WRITERS RETREAT October 7th-12th, 2016 Held at Rocaberti Castle, Figueres, Spain (75 miles from Barcelona.) Not only is this the vacation of a lifetime in an enchanting castle, but participants get real publishing and movie deals here. Out of the eleven writers who attended the first Rocaberti retreat, one had her script optioned before the end of the retreat, two are currently in the midst of negotiations for books and scripts, and deals are in the works for several others. If you put “AA” for Anne Allen on your application, you’ll get a 10% discount.
A very thorough look at the benefits of writing for anthologies…thanks for this, Alex! I know how much work it must have been to put it together…the results look worth it, for sure.
Elizabeth–Thanks much for stopping by and commenting. I know how many blogs you visit because of your fantastic “Twitterific” weekly blog round-ups. Readers–want to know what’s going on in the writing blogosphere? Follow @elizabethscraig!
Thanks for the opportunity, Anne!
Alex–I’m so glad you could take time from your busy schedule to visit us. Anthologies are a fantastic way to jumpstart a career. After my first publisher went belly-up a decade ago, anthologies and blogging were the two things that got my career back on track.
I liked themed anthologies, because it gives me a chance to push my skills on a theme I’m not comfortable (for the record, I was published in one of Alex’s anthologies). Some additional tips:
1. When writing a story to theme, avoid ideas that are low hanging fruit because everyone else will be doing them. I always try to figure out what type of story everyone is going to gravitate to. Like if it’s a mystery theme with a chef, everyone’s going to have a murder of a food critic in the restaurant. So I might veer to something a lot more unusual like a chef recruited by a spy.
2. Hang a lantern on the theme. You should not be able to remove it from the story without destroying the integrity of the story.
3. Get it in early. Due to timing of a call, I sent a story off on the last day of the submission period to a pro rate market. I got a personal rejection from the editor (my first one actually), who said that he would have accepted it, but all the slots were full.
Linda–These are really helpful tips. Thanks! Especially about how we need to make sure the theme can’t be removed and how important it is to submit early!
Alex—Thanks for the complete run down and usable advice!
Bravo. Though I’ve been working on novel-length manuscripts for longer than I care to mention, my publishing successes have always been with short stories. Whether magazines or anthologies, they have treated me well. You’re offering great advice here.
Alex, you are right on the mark. More than one of my short stories submitted to anthologies have gone on to be shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis (Canada’s award for crime fiction.) Last year, I won an Anthology short story contest (the winner and several other stories will be in an anthology this year.) That short story (Hook, Line and Sinker) made me a finalist along with Margaret Atwood for the Arthur Ellis (she won, dammit.) But sometimes anthologies can bring you to the attention of superstar writers, as well, if you appear along side them.
Melodie–It’s seriously awesome that you got to be a finalist with Margaret Atwood! It all goes to prove how valuable anthologies are!
Writing short stories is so different from writing novels. It good practice for learning to cut out unnecessary words. Being part of an anthology is perfect if you haven’t written enough stories for your own collection.
Hi, Anne and Alex,
Good article outlining all the good stuff about anthologies. I know boxed sets have been of great benefit to me based on the points made in this post.
Anthologies give writers more opportunities for submissions, plus the stories are shorter, so it doesn’t take as long to create and polish each one.
What a lovely post. I’ve contributed short stories to three anthologies so far. I particularly loved working on the one raising funds for a charity. We were scattered across the world, but working for a cause brought us together. Such a wonderful experience.
Alex, really great post. Yes, anthologies are great fun. I’ve been on both sides of the contributing/editing fence, and it’s always a terrific experience to see your work featured alongside great writers. Gives you a real boost. Thanks for this post today. With the horrible news from Orlando, I need a ton of things to keep me focused. Your post was one of them. Good thing I have an anthology to edit. All the best, Paul
I have been lucky to have four short stories included in three anthologies. It is exciting to be part of a larger project with authors you don’t know. Part of a small temporary community of sorts. And, I am proud to be able to mention them when I query.
Thanks for shining a light on anthologies, Alex and Anne. I’ve been fortunate to participate in two international anthologies, with another two in the works. Each was such great fun to do. Not only that, but they forced me to write outside the fiction zone I typically write in, which I think is important for honing my writer’s chops. Lo and behold, I discovered I can write short stories and non-fiction. Who knew?
As you note, Alex, it’s also a terrific opportunity to connect with other writers. Anne, Ruth and I met via blog interviews, and in my mind anthologies are an extension of that networking platform.
At a recent workshop I taught, a man said he wanted to buy a book I’d written, and asked if I had something less “female” than romantic fiction. I was happy to oblige by selling him a copy of a non-fiction anthology I’d participated in. He was thrilled and went away smiling.
Anthologies have now become my favorite way to get more stories out there.
Debbie–Thanks for bringing up the networking aspect of anthologies. That may be the most important part of all–getting to know the other authors in the anthology. There are so many things authors can do to help each other. Interviewing is one of them. Thanks so much for interviewing Ruth and me!
I love reading anthologies just for the reason you gave–it introduces me to new authors.
Linda, thanks for the added bits.
Melodie, that’s awesome!
Mind, good to hear.
Debbie, that worked!
Alex–I am so sorry that WordPress is blocking your responses to comments. This has never happened before. I will try to get hold of Barb and see if she knows what’s up. Meanwhile, thanks for the creative solution to responding. I’m glad at least they’ll let you comment
Appreciate your insight and tips, Alex. I hadn’t thought about the advantages to this extent.. Anne, thank you for hosting. Have a great week!
This is a really interesting post and thank you for it. I have never written a short story and am afraid I couldn’t do it! I know how to write long, but not short. Maybe I should try. What I don’t know is how does one find out about an anthology leader looking for writers?
Sorry, Alex, that your comments are being blocked somehow. I know you put a lot of work into this lengthy article. It was a helpful post to all who are considering anthologies. May the sales be high with this your latest anthology.
Thanks, Roland!
Yes, anthologies can be a great way for an author to help his/her writing career. And the opportunity offered by IWSG was such a great chance for writers to get published. It sounds like a lot of work, but so worth it. Love the IWSG community. It is such a supportive group of writers.
I enjoy reading anthologies for many of the reasons Alex mentions – in particular, “trying out” new authors and getting a feel for whether I’d like to read more of their work. I hadn’t really thought about anthologies from the perspective of a writer or the editors. Really interesting insight into the process from that side of things.
Hi Alex, hi Anne and Ruth, yep, you summed up the whole anthology scenario very well. Its good to be a part of an anthology in some way, that’s the reason I contributed to 3 Penguin anthologies. And IWSG is by itself a winner, so imagine being a part of an anthology brought out by it.
Hi Rachna! *waves* 3 Penguin anthologies! That’s awesome. 🙂
Thanks, Natalie! We’ll be doing another anthology this year.
Thanks, Rachna!
I’ve had mixed experiences with anthologies. When done right, as I’m sure this one was, they can be awesome. Thanks, Anne and Alex.
Robyn–It’s true that not all anthology experiences are good ones. There are plenty of scam anthologies out there. The scam poetry anthology has been around for nearly 100 years, but newbie writers still fall for it. That’s the one where everybody who submits gets accepted, but you’re required to buy the book–usually in advance. It costs a huge amount and is crammed full of bad poetry and is entirely worthless.
Wow, that was in depth indeed. Good points on helping add credibility and exposing writers to new readers and vice versa too.
Wonderful piece on all the benefits of anthologies. I’ve never been very good with short stories, but I’ll have to consider the idea more seriously.
Fantastic post, Alex! I agree that there are so many advantages to anthologies. I regularly submit to them. I love being able to write short stories outside of my genre and experiment with styles. Plus I’ve learned so much about the craft by writing shorter works. I am a better writer because of it.
I have written for an anthology: Parallels! I’m so grateful to have made the cut and I’m so glad you pointed out that contributors should not post reviews. I was wondering about that point.
Thanks Anne and Alex – such an interesting and informative post – with the extra bonus of readers’ comments and thoughts – great to see and read and sometime take note of .. cheers Hilary
Hilary–The comments are always the most interesting part of the blog. i learn so much from our readers!
What an excellent explanation of the importance of anthologies. Thanks for this, Alex. I’m passing it along to everyone. This is a must-read!
Great post, Alex. I liked the Parallels Anthology particularly because of the theme. I always wanted to dip my pen in an alternate universe:) Thanks for all the work you put into this.
Anne, thanks for all the great info here.
Your post gave me a lot to think about, Alex (as always), and thanks for introducing me to Anne’s blog! Anne, thanks for hosting Alex and the IWSG anthologies! Your blog is a wonderful resource. I’ll be back to read more!
Louise–Welcome! We’ve got new posts every Sunday. Next week I’ll be talking more about Social Media scams.
Well written, Alex. You’ve included excellent tips. Thanks Anne, for featuring Alex.
Lori, just wait until you see the next IWSG Anthology Contest.
Tamara, your story was great!
Joylene, thanks!
Fundy, Anne posts some awesome stuff.
Great information on anthologies from two perspectives, Alex! Anthologies are wonderful, and the editors of anthologies often work closely with their authors, versus magazines, who tend to have a more amped schedule that doesn’t allow for that personal contact as much.
Shannon–That’s an excellent point! Anthology editors are much more likely to work with you and get your work to its best level. Magazine editors will often just pass if it’s not exactly how they’d like it, or they’ll publish it with just a quick spellcheck.
Great tips and reasons. While I’ve been tempted to submit to a few anthologies, I haven’t done so yet. One of these days I’ll jump in the pool! 🙂
Hi Anne and Alex,
This is a great, well thought out article on writing for anthologies. Anthology writing really does hone our skills as writers and gets the creative brain working overtime.
I have submitted to numerous anthologies and never been selected. It is discouraging. But I don’t quit. I took my latest rejected story and turned it into a short story. There is another anthology I might try or I will self publish.
Nancy
Nancy–Don’t get discouraged. Anthologies are so different. Ones like the Chicken Soup ones are highly competitive. And others may not be worth it. And remember there are other places to publish, like journals and magazines and contests. We always have a list of opportunity alerts for publishing at the bottom of each post. An online literary journal can be a good way to break into “print” too.
Excellent points. I’ve written for (and luckily been published in) a few anthologies. I love the theme writing, and afterwards reading the other author’s take on the theme. Lots of fun for everyone.
Shannon, good point!
Don’t give up, Nancy. There are more anthology opportunities out there.
Donna, it is a lot of fun.
Thanks Anne and Alex for the information. I’ve had limited success with anthologies because many of the publishers move on to other projects and close shop when hooking up with another group of publishers due to the economy. I enjoy reading them even more than contributing!
Eve–There are many, many kinds of anthologies, and they can be very different. Some like the Chicken Soup series are very solid and have been around a long time with big publishers. Others, like the IWSG anthos and most of the charity ones are put together by a group of volunteers and are indie published. A third type, often put out by a small genre publisher, generally ask for a particular theme “Christmas romance” or “time travel fantasy”. Those will often have a short time window for submissions. Sometimes those don’t get published at all if the publisher loses interest or goes under.
Small presses go under all the time. They always have. It’s not because of the economy at any particular time, but because of the nature of the book business. There’s not a lot of money to be made, and most small presses are labors of love run on a shoestring budget.
So just because you haven’t made it into one type of anthology doesn’t mean you won’t make it in another. Keep submitting!
I’ve had stories and flash pieces published in a few anthologies, and would love to have the opportunity to do it again sometime. I’ll pass this post along to my local writers’ group, so they can see the submission opportunities at the bottom.
Carrie-Anne Thanks! I was going to discontinue the “opportunities” section, but lots of people say they’d miss them, so they’re back!
With experience myself of being published in a couple of writer group anthologies, I found myself nodding along to everything above. Great article Alex.
I’m looking to self publish my own work, but something that used to worry me was the ‘fear’ of actually publishing that first piece. I was so worried that I wouldn’t do a good job on the end product because I would be teaching myself things I’d never tried before (cover / formatting / publishing etc).
When a group of fellow Flash Fiction writers started an anthology as a fun project and asked me in, it got that ‘first one’ out of the way. I’m out there now, and someone else took care of the scary stuff. And now I have people I’m more comfortable talking to if I have any queries when I have the time.
I would highly recommend getting work into an anthology. It feels great. And my mum finally has that physical book with her son’s story in it to make her feel proud 🙂
Brian–I just saw this comment. You make a great point! Family members love to be able to see you in print. It makes them feel their faith in you is paying off. Thanks for the reminder!
One of my goals is to start submitting to anthologies. Thanks for helping my motivation with this post!
Brian, glad you jumped on the opportunity and got the first-time jitters out of the way.
I just recently was accepted into my second anthology. It’s definitely exciting, and I agree for all the reasons you listed. And I am dying to see the cover for this, as it’s being done by Najla Qamber, and I love her work!
Leandra–Congrats on the acceptance!
I think that writing for an anthology is a great experience, even when I don’t get accepted. Some of those stories stretched my horizons and sold in other venues.
Tyrean–Thanks for bringing up that important point! I used to write a story every year for a certain contest. I never won, but I always placed those stories later. Some have been reprinted dozens of times, always bringing in a few $$. And I probably would not have written them if I hadn’t been trying for that win!
Excellent post! Being accepted in an anthology does give writers a sense of accomplishment. It’s also fun from a reader’s perspective to read a variety of stories and styles.
Excellent post. Thanks for sharing. I’m editing one anthology and compiling one of my own. We’ll see how that second one goes. 😉 But love the advice and tips here. You’re so right. Collaborations are fun and benefit everyone involved. (P.S. I’ve been wanting to post on IWSG for about a year and have been too insecure to actually do it. I know. Irony is fun. Perhaps that could be my first post: I’m too insecure to write a post for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.)
Sarah–Haha! You might get the Insecure Writer prize! Try it. You’ll like it!
An Insecure Writer prize. That sounds like the kind of prize I’d get. 😉 Really, great post.
I like reading anthologies because they introduce me to new authors, and even get me to consider an author in a new light.
Sarah, I hope you can join us for the IWSG. Don’t worry, we’re all insecure.
Alex & Anne
Thanks so much for this encouraging post! I love anthologies and completely agree they are good for stretching writer’s muscles and opportunities!
I just wish I had more time to devote to entering these submissions – short stories might take less time to write but can be harder to fully develop in a limited amount of words, taking more time in the long run!
Tara–It’s true that writing short stories takes more time than the equivalent pages of a novel. I have trouble finding the time myself. But they hold their value and are a great way to build an audience.
This is wonderful!
With regards to the first IWSG anthology, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience both sides, as a contributor to the collection, and as an IWSG admin helping to organize and collate the anthology.
It’s a real education! There’s so much that goes into it and I learned a lot.
Thank you Anne and Alex for this enjoyable post!
Michelle–Putting together an anthology is hard work. But I can see there are great rewards as well. Thanks for all you do for the IWSG!
Anthologies are great! I’m glad I decided to start submitting stories to anthologies. Working with my fellow Parallels: Felix Was Here authors to promote the book has been a great experience!
L.G. We’ll try to have some anthology opportunities listed in our alerts section later in the summer. Great to hear your experience was such a good one.