On August 31st 2023, we reached out to the publisher after this posting was brought to our attention, which indicates that the company was dissolved on June 6th 2023. The original review was written in May, and published in July. During July and August we’d heard from many subscribers that they had been offered not ideal contracts and had already updated the review in terms of that, so it was clear to us that the company was still active.  We reached out to the publisher in August and did not hear back from them until November 2nd. During that time they continued to offer contracts.

On November 2nd, David MacDonald, the managing editor of Golden Storyline Books, replied to my August email. He said that they dissolved the older company before starting a new legal entity, but when I asked to see the information about the new legal entity he informed us this was “personal information” and that he didn’t feel comfortable sending it out. None of this lines up with general professional behaviour and expectations.

This is also particularly concerning because when authors he had offered contracts to asked him these same questions, he also refused to answer them.  The dissolving of the company raises so many questions, and there have been no real answers. He was never rude or mean in his emails but he consistently brought up vague plans and said vague things that sounded nice but were unrelated to the line of questioning. It remains a concern that the publisher is unwilling to share the legal status of the company. We will continue monitoring the situation. If you’ve been affected by this, please email us: support@authorspublish.com

January 28th, 2026: I have heard first hand accounts from authors under contract that the situation at GSB is worsening. Please steer clear.

This small press bills itself as “is an independent traditional publisher with an ethos that matches our origins.” They are open to publish a wide range of nonfiction and fiction books including, “Mystery/Thriller, Crime Fiction, Sci-fi/ Fantasy, Young Adult, Woman’s Fiction, Historical Fiction and Suspense/ Psychological.”  They list memoir among the many nonfiction genres they are open to.

Based on the 34 books currently listed on their site, they very much seem to generally favor thrillers and fantasies with a few exceptions. This could be interpreted as a good sign that they’ve discovered what their audience is most interested in. I couldn’t really see examples of young adult or woman’s fiction listed here, and very little nonfiction.

Their covers vary from passable to extremely dated. They do publish work in paperback as well as digital editions, although they appear to publish digital editions first.

Their website does a fairly good job at focusing in on the more recent publications on the landing page, which very much seems focused on readers over writers, which is a good sign. Although their featured recent publications stretch back almost three years. Although  one of the books I looked into further was listed on the site as being published in November 2022 and on Amazon it’s listed as being published on Jan 15th 2023, so they could be publishing even more books per year than it initially appears.

On their about page, and elsewhere on the site, they talk about a global distribution network and promotion using vague language, with no actual proof or details. There are no named distributors, and they don’t have a list of publications that have featured reviews of their authors, etc. More telling than that is the level of attention/engagement their books seem to receive. Most of their books have between 1-6 users rank it by clicking on the Amazon stars, and between 0-3  actual reviews.

A lot of the pages that should contain substantial information — like the publishing process one, don’t disclose helpful information about what their publishing process is.  The about page talks a lot about general ideas, and not when they were founded and who was involved. It’s hard to know much about the staff/editorial process based on what they disclose, and the only name I managed to track down in connection to the press was the managing editor, David MacDonald, although I couldn’t find out anything more about him or his experience.

Having seen a contract, thanks to an anonymous source, I can confirm that the royalties are based off  of net (never as ideal as gross but standard for small presses) and that they are asking for a significant percentage of adaptation rights, which for me sets off some warning bells.

This is the sort of small press that seems to be the best fit for authors who have had a hard time finding an agent or larger traditional publisher, who also don’t want to deal with the logistics of self publishing,

To learn more about their submission guidelines, go here.

Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2023 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.

She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.

Cape Magazine has been published since 2020, and so far they’ve produced four issues. Each downloadable edition contains writing from around 35 contributors.

Each issue is themed, and the past themes have included “This is the End,” “Unamused,” “Die by the [S]word,” and “Teeth and Feathers.” Right now they’re seeking submissions for their next issue, themed “Excommunicado.” The deadline to submit writing for this issue is August 30.

Poets may submit up to three poems, 40 lines or fewer each. Authors of prose (fiction or nonfiction) may submit up to 2,000 words (one or multiple pieces, as long as the total is 2,000 words or fewer). Cape Magazine also accepts wild word experiments of all kinds, in any style: “If you’re a mad scientist who loves to experiment, please send your findings!”

All submissions should respond to the theme “Excommunicado.” Broad interpretations of the theme are welcome. Cape reads submissions anonymously, so submitting authors should take care to remove identifying information from submitted writing. Submitting authors can expect a response within two months of the submission deadline.

Cape accepts submissions via email, not online or by post. They accept simultaneous submissions but ask that authors withdraw work published elsewhere. They do not accept previously published work, including writing published on social media.

Cape only accepts submissions that follow the guidelines they’ve posted online. Please read these guidelines in full before submitting. They do not accept submissions outside the posted submission windows.

If you would like to learn more or submit to Cape, please visit their website here.

Bio: Ella Peary is the pen name for an author, editor, creative writing mentor, and submission consultant. Over the past five years, she’s written hundreds of articles for Authors Publish, and she’s also served as a copywriter and copy editor for a wide range of organizations and individuals. She is the author of The Quick Start Guide to Flash Fiction. She occasionally teaches a course on flash fiction. You can contact her at ellapeary@gmail.com.

As writers, we tend to get so excited when we finish our book that we just can’t wait to get it out into the world. Some writers want to skimp on services like competent development editing or beta readers beyond their best friends. Some are tempted by visions of dollar signs, then movie deals, then television series, then world domination…(See how quickly things can spin out of control?) And sadly, some have lost their grounding and forgotten why they’re writing in the first place.

I can point out these flaws because I’ve been there. Let’s dive in and see what can be learned from these errors.

Mistake #1: Pitching to literary agents before the manuscript was ready

Yep, that was me. The book was completed. I’d had several beta readers offer input and even made edits based on their feedback. I hired a copy editor who also offered a few developmental comments, all of which I acted upon. I decided I was ready to secure a literary agent. So, I queried and queried and queried. I received plenty of “Thanks, but no thanks” responses.

I also pitched at writing conferences. This was a better experience and here’s why: After submitting my three chapters or fifty pages, at least I received “Thanks but no thanks and here’s two reasons why… .”

Now I had something to work with and that’s exactly what I did.

Lesson learned: The feedback I received from the literary agents was invaluable for me. It caused me to ask: How do I fix that issue? As a novice fiction writer, I was able analyze my skill weaknesses and search for a solution. Take a workshop or a class if need be. The biggest lesson, however, was I needed to be prepared to revise (and revise and revise) my manuscript.

Mistake #2: Being uneducated about the industry

Guilty as charged. Looking back on my own journey, I now ask myself, “What was I doing querying agents when I didn’t understand a thing about the author-agent relationship?”

What did I want from a literary agent? Did I even understand their function in the industry and what they do for authors? And what about self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What is this hybrid publishing I keep hearing about? How can I avoid scams? Yikes! I realized I needed to get myself educated.

Lesson learned: I am sure there are a variety of paths to getting these questions answered. I chose to join several professional writers’ organizations. These offer seminars and resources that have helped me immeasurably, plus I appreciate the networking aspect of the groups. I also encourage reading reputable blogs and information about the industry. Secure a complete understanding of all the various publishing approaches – self-publishing vs traditional publishing vs small press publishing – before deciding which is right for you and your book.

Mistake #3: Not having a clear writer’s purpose

I do believe that having a fuzzy idea of my writer’s purpose when I took the next step in promoting my book, whether querying a lit agent or chatting to a reader, was a huge obstacle. It interfered with my messaging and my confidence.
When I say, “writer’s purpose,” I’m not talking about my reason for writing this particular book, but rather for writing anything. What motivates me to write? What motivates you to write? And if your answer is “For the big bucks,” you might want to dig a bit deeper!

I found that I was flailing with my personal response, which caused me to be unfocused when I spoke about my debut novel.

Lesson learned: Once I permitted myself to indulge in uninterrupted quiet reflection and meditated on the question “What motivates me to write? What is my purpose?”, I finally found clarity. My writing purpose applies to both my nonfiction and fiction works.

I write to help others and to start conversations.

Finally, clarity of purpose helped me to define my goals and decisions for moving forward. I decided to put all my efforts into pursuing small presses for publication of my debut novel set in the late 1970s around themes of emerging feminism and social injustice and music. As a result, at the next regional writers’ conference I attended, I skipped pitching to the literary agents on the roster and focused on the small press publishers instead.

In the past, regardless of who I pitched to, I must admit I’d be anxious about the whole process. But this time, I found I was relaxed and enjoyed chatting about my book and its marketing possibilities. Perhaps this was due to more practice with pitching. However, I believe my ease was related to being connected to my purpose.

The best news of all is that my debut novel, That Summer She Found Her Voice, has been picked up by Apprentice House Press and will be published Spring 2024. Based on my journey, being open to revisions, learning all you can about the industry, and taking time out to define your own writing purpose are vital steps toward securing your own publishing success story. Best wishes.

Bio: Jean Burgess is a writer, editor, and playwright with a background in theatre and education. Her debut novel, That Summer She Found Her Voice, will be published by Apprentice House Press and available Spring 2024. Follow her publishing journey by signing up for her monthly newsletter at http://www.jeanburgessauthor.com.

Are you writing a tear-jerker scene? Or a passionate love scene? How about something humorous? Emotions are a powerful tool to engage readers. You want them laughing, crying and getting involved with the characters. What are some of the techniques you can use to embellish the emotions? From asking the famous “what if” question and adding the question, “how would you feel,” you can progress to character development to dialogue to add that extra zest to the story. Here are some tips to make your emotional scenes believable and engaging.

First of all, you must make your readers feel a connection with the characters. If there’s no connection, there’ll be no intense reaction to the character’s emotions. Once you make that connection, you can then ask yourself, what if this character lost her best friend. Would she/he/they cry? Of course. But is it enough to write, “She/he/they cried.”? Or would it be better to write, “The empty pain of loss wreaked havoc throughout her/his/their body like fire as tears made a fluid path down her/his/their cheeks and drenched her/his/their shirt.”? Perhaps a bit over the top, but it is important to make sure your readers feel the depth of the character’s emotions, be it sadness, anger, passion, fear and perhaps even a little humor (readers do enjoy a good chuckle now and then). If it’s a sad scene and the reader isn’t feeling sad, then the writer has failed to describe the character’s emotions. If the character is sobbing, the reader should be sobbing, too.

So, how does the writer get from the notion of a specific feeling, to actually embedding it effectively into the story? Well, like anything else, writers need to be observant of the world around them. We study people for specific character traits, physical appearance, communication skills, and use of dialogue, why not also study people to appreciate their expressions of emotion?

Dig deep into your own personal experiences. We’ve all experienced multiple forms of emotion. How we interacted with others, how we reacted, how we felt, all shaped our experiences. If you’re working on a scene entrenched in grief, perhaps the loss of a close loved one, then immerse yourself in memories of a time you experienced the same thing. How did you feel when a beloved parent or grandparent died? Or your life partner? Or a special pet? Write down your feelings, using every adjective that comes to mind. Bring the pain alive. Now transfer that pain of loss to your character, through facial expressions, physical reactions, and dialogue. Make it raw, intense. If you can feel it, your readers will feel it, too.

Dialogue is an effective tool to express emotions. But it’s not enough to have your character say, “I am so sad.” Make it personal: “I couldn’t sleep, my mind revolved around all those special moments we shared, all those special moments we missed. I feel so hollow. Empty.” And use dialogue tags effectively. “She said”, “he said”, “they said”, isn’t deep enough. Even “she sobbed,” is too shallow. Something more inclusive, like: “there was a definite catch in her voice as she spoke.”

Remember, however, that when writing emotional scenes, there’s no set length of passage required. Sometimes less means more in its effectiveness. Mystery author Kathy Reichs has mastered the art of subtle bullet point plot development. She uses this technique effectively in building tension and emotional content. Her strongest emotion is fear. The visual impact of reading short, sometimes one-word blunt sentences, almost written in point form, adds another layer to the building tension of the emotional content. Without ever saying her characters are terrified, the author paints that very sentiment. Very powerful approach.

Don’t forget to add a little humor. Readers enjoy a little chuckle now and then, just as your characters do. How can infuse humor into story? Study what other writers have done. Simple things like exaggerating a comment or a situation, misdirecting the reader’s attention then adding a little shock, like a sudden change in direction, to make them laugh, add a little silliness, play with one of your key characters to make them appear incompetent, clueless, or just plain inept, add some silly puns, or create a satire. A little humor can go a long way to lighten a tense moment in the plot.

Basically, for all emotions, you need a game plan for implanting viable emotions in your work. I choose to approach each emotion individually. For example, if you’re planning on writing a sad scene, I find this approach works well:

1. Study sadness in real life. Make notes (always make notes).
2. Don’t forget to explain why the character is so sad; has he/she/they experienced a recent loss of a loved one? A loss of a good job?
3. Make a list of adjectives to describe the intensity and type of sadness you’re planning to portray.
4. Don’t forget to instill imagery; describe actions, scenes, anything that might enhance the intensity of the characters sadness.
5. Using the notes taken above, write several paragraphs describing the character and the intensity of this sadness. This is always a good writing exercise, even if you don’t end up using all or any of it.
6. Have someone read your paragraphs. Ask them pointedly if they find the situation, the character to be sad.
7. Now write some dialogue between your ‘sad’ character and other characters in your story. Invoke some emotion in the words used, as well as in the dialogue tags. Dialogue is an effective means of evoking emotion, especially if it’s woven into action scenes. Body language, facial expressions, interaction with other characters and the setting itself, all add to the emotional content, but, once again, don’t overdo.
8. Remember, like anything else in writing, it’s all about balance. Don’t drag the story down by spending too much time on this emotion. Remember the bullet point approach used effectively by authors like Kathy Reichs. Sometimes less is more in the grand scheme of things.

Remember, you’re writing to entertain, so make sure you have all the tools at the ready. Like anything else in the writing experience, writing emotion is something that needs to be practiced, frequently and intently. And, observation is the key: you must look deeply into the world around you, study human interactions and come to a better understanding of people. Writing good emotions, deep emotions, transport the reader into the story, into its world. It brings the people, the setting and the plot itself to life.

Emily-Jane Hills Orford is a country writer, living just outside the tiny community of North Gower, Ontario, near the nation’s capital. With degrees in art history, music and Canadian studies, the retired music teacher enjoys the quiet nature of her country home and the inspiration of working at her antique Jane Austen-style spinet desk, feeling quite complete as she writes and stares out the large picture window at the birds and the forest. She writes in several genres, including creative nonfiction, memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction. http://emilyjanebooks.ca