Start a 10 minute timer, and then open to a random page. Write down the first sentence you see and go from there, making up your own story and plot, doing whatever you want to do, but keeping in mind that first line.

If at any point you get stuck, you just open the book to another page, and choose another random line and insert it as the beginning as a new paragraph or stanza. Then proceed from that point.

You can easily repeat this step, of opening up the book and choosing a random line, whenever you get stuck. Even if your not stuck but you feel like your story could use more variety, I encourage you to do this step.

Switchback has an aesthetically pleasing website and it easy for readers to access the poems or stories online. If you are interested in submitting to Switchback it is worth reading the latest issue to see what they tend to publish. After all you do not have to pay in order to read.

Because Switchback is published by a Master’s program, it is a more respected then many of online journals out there. After all it is part of a larger respected institution. Also since Switchback has been around a while it has established a reputation of publishing good emerging writers work. They publish less then 1% of the work submitted to them though, so it is not an easy to journal to be for.

For each issue they publish, Switchback offers an Editor’s Prize. The amount of the prize varies but during this reading period they will  award $200.00 to the submission best addressing the theme: Rising. Additional prizes in the amount of $75.00 and $50.00 will be awarded to the first two runners up. You do not need to write within this theme in order to submit, but your work will not be considered for the prize, unless it deals with this theme.

The editors are consistently trying to figure out ways they can support their authors. That is one of the reasons they offer the editors prize. They also sponsor readings, and do other things to engage their community of writers.

Switchback is only open to submissions twice a year for short periods, so it is important to submit during these periods. They will not consider work outside of these periods.

They consider three poems at a time, one short story, or one piece of non fiction. Fiction and non fiction should both be under 7500. Submission is easy, you just have to have a Submittable account, and it is easy to create one if you do not already have one. The majority of journals now use Submittable. Switchback is also open to simultaneous submissions, they just want to be notified if your work is accepted elsewhere.

In conclusion, Switchback is a great journal and it is an honor to be published by them. They have many readers who might enjoy your work. Switchback also really supports the writers they publish that you might even get paid. You can visit their website if you are ready to submit, or just considering it: http://www.swback.com/

Kestrel has nice easy to use website. The print journal is well bound, the cover art is generally beautiful. If your work is accepted for publication you will receive two copies of the edition your work appears in.

Kesteal has a relatively high acceptance rate for such an established journal. They accept approximately 10% of the work submitted to them. This is in part due to the fact that they only accept submissions through the mail, unless you live outside of the U.S. or are submitting art work.

If you live within the U.S. the only way you can submit is through the postal service, unless you are submitting art work. When you submit through the mail you must include an SASE (a self addressed stamped envelope), so that they can respond.  The editor’s are known for giving personalized feedback to over 80% of the people that submit.

You should submit 3-5 poems or one piece of short fiction or nonfiction and submit it. Fiction must be under 5000 words, but there are no stated limits for non-fiction. They prefer fiction to have developed characters and a consistent point of view. When it comes to non-fiction, they prefer creative non-fiction, literary essays, and memoir.

They generally respond to all submissions with three months. So if you haven’t heard from them by then, send them an email. Also if you submit the same piece simultaneously and it gets accepted elsewhere, send them an email to inform them that your piece is no longer available.

In conclusion, Kestrel is a great journal to submit to despite the additional hassle of snail mail, because they are prestigious, established, and offer contributor copies. Also, there is a fair chance that your work will get accepted. Even if it’s not you will most likely get personal feedback from the editor that could prove to be helpful in the future. You can visit their website here: http://www.fairmontstate.edu/kestrel/

However self publishing is far from straight forward. This article is not intended to guide you through all the steps, but if you have already decided to self publish, this should help you make the decision about whether to  self publish electronically (versus print). I will focus on three major factors: cost, logistics, and career.

Self publishing electronically is free. You do not have to pay any of the major sites. Barnes & Nobles, Smashwords, or Amazon, don’t charge anything up front. Instead you pay them with your profits. Depending on what site you use, and which options you choose, you could end up giving them between 30% and 70% of the money you make. 70% is very close to how much a traditional publishing company takes, but they are using the money to print your book and publicize it.

Publishing an e-book, means that you have to do your own publicity for that book in order to sell copies. Some of that publicity can be done for free, by setting up Facebook pages, starting Twitter accounts, as well as by giving away books, which does not cost you any money directly.

However people regularly spend upwards of $2,000 dollars to promote their e-books, in the hope that the book will take off. They spend this money on websites, conferences, promotional material, and any number of other things. But it is their choice to spend that money, you do not have to.

An E-book is logistically easier to handle than a print book, because there are so many well formed channels that make selling and purchasing an e-book easy. However not everyone reads e-books. There is still a large portion of the market that you will not even reach with an e-book, because they do not like reading on electronic devises.

In terms of career, it may not ultimately matter if you self publish first. Many self published authors have had long standing careers and even sign deals with traditional publishers. Books that were originally published electronically are published in hardcover or paperback by the main stream publishing company.

A lot of emphasis has been placed in the last year on e-book authors that later become even more successful through a more traditional publishing deal. Fifty Shades of Gray by E.L. James became a print bestseller long after it became an e-book best

In conclusion, self publishing an e-book can be a lot of work and very expensive, or free and easy (if you don’t put much energy into publicizing the book). Just make sure you self publish in a way that makes you happy. After all that’s the best part of self publishing. You get have control over the work you created.