Founded in 1998 by David Appelbaum, then editor of Parabola Magazine, Codhill Press has always focused on publishing books for the “serious seeker”, and most books contain a spiritual element, many are still rooted in Buddihism. This includes work of fiction, poetry (including a chapbook series), and creative nonfiction. Their mission statement from the start has been “There is no more important function of writing at this time than to call us to awaken. The state of siege under which human consciousness—human conscience—is living has not abated in the time since Blake wrote. The seriousness of the situation has only intensified. To serve our memory of what is truly important: to that the writer should be a guide.”

They publish between four and six books a year. They also run a yearly poetry contest that has a fee attached. The current publisher is Susannah Appelbaum.

Because they publish so few books a year, please spend  time on their site, researching the books they previously published to ascertain if your work is a good potential fit before submitting. One of the reasons we stress this, particularly with small publishers, is that often publishers we review get deluged with submissions that do not in any way fit, and they then have to close to submissions, sometimes permanently, sometimes temporarily. Our mission is to make information more accessible, but when subscribers abuse that information it can cause long-term harm.

They respond to all submissions they are interested in within 90 days, and if you have not heard back from them by that time, assume rejection.

They do not disclose who their distributor is.

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 2021 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.

The University of Michigan Society of Fellows

The University of Michigan invites recent PhD graduates in the arts, sciences, and humanities to become resident postdoctoral scholars in the Society of Fellows. The Society of Fellows is an interdisciplinary intellectual community in which the postdoctoral fellows are joined by senior fellows to share their work in progress. Fellowship appointments are for 3 years and include an annual stipend of $60,000 plus benefits including health insurance and additional research funding. International applicants are welcome and underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Deadline is September 15, 2022. For details, go here.

Merlyn Climate Grants 

Merlyn Climate Grants are offering grants for individuals between the age of 13 and 30 who have a clear vision for impacting climate and environmental justice, support for science, and a free press. Applicants may request from $500 to $3,000 and be based in New England or New York. Grants underwrite activities that have a positive impact on the fellow’s community – such as carbon footprint reduction, community action, artistic and dramatic productions, organizing, training, and outreach.

Deadline is September 15, 2022. For details, go here.

The Fulbright Global Scholar Award

The Fulbright Global Scholar Award allows U.S. academics and professionals to engage in multi-country, trans-regional projects. As a truly worldwide award, U.S. scholars will be able to propose research or combined teaching/research activity in two to three countries with flexible schedule options; trips can be conducted within one academic year or spread over two consecutive years. Projects are welcome in all disciplines, as well as those with an interdisciplinary focus. The minimum length of the total grant is 3 months and the maximum is 6 months.

Deadline is September 15, 2022. For details, go here.

Fulbright Scholar Program

The Core Fulbright Scholar Program offers over 500 teaching, research, or combination teaching/research awards of 2-12 months in over 125 countries. Opportunities are available for college and university faculty and administrators as well as for professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, independent scholars, and many others. In addition to several new program models designed to meet the changing needs of U.S. academics and professionals, Fulbright is offering more opportunities for flexible, multi-country grants. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to apply.

Deadline is September 15, 2022. For details, go here.

McCall MacBain Scholarships

The McCall MacBain Scholarships are about much more than financial support. This program brings together a diverse group of scholars who aspire to lead with purpose – individuals who have demonstrated leadership potential and an inner drive to make a positive impact in other people’s lives. As a McCall MacBain Scholar, you’ll be able to pursue a fully funded master’s or second-entry professional undergraduate program at McGill University. The scholarship covers tuition and fees for the full normal duration of the master’s or professional program, a living stipend of $2,000 CAD per month during academic terms, and a relocation grant for moving to Montréal. The program is open to full-time students in all disciplines.

Deadline is September 21, 2022. For details, go here.

FIJ Diversity Fellowship 2022

In their commitment to increasing diversity in the field of investigative journalism, the Fund for Investigative Journalism is offering three, six-month Diversity Fellowships. The fellowships are open to individual applicants from groups underrepresented in investigative journalism due to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical ability, gender or religion. The Fund is partnering with three news organizations who will each host a fellow in their newsroom: The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, USA TODAY, and Wisconsin Watch. To apply, journalists need to submit a proposal for an investigative story they would work on during the six-month fellowship, while embedded in one of these three newsrooms. The Fund and host outlets will review and score proposals jointly. Journalists will receive $30,000 for the six-month fellowship, and host outlets will receive modest grants to cover other costs of the investigations. Fellows will be supervised by key staff at the host outlets, and they will also be able to request free legal help and editorial mentorship from the Fund.

Deadline is September 27, 2022. For details, go here.

The Camargo Foundation Fellowship Fall 2023 and Spring 2024

The Camargo Foundation has announced the call for applications for its Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 Fellowships. It welcomes applications from artists, scholars, and thinkers (such as curators, journalists, critics, urban planners, independent scholars, etc.) from all countries and nationalities. Since 1971, the Camargo Foundation has awarded residencies to nearly 1500 individuals as part of its mission to support advanced research, experimentation, and interdisciplinary approaches in the Arts and Humanities. Since its creation, the program has gathered an esteemed panel of scholars and arts professionals annually, to select fellowships from a large pool of applicants from around the world. The selected applicants are awarded residencies in a stunning, contemplative environment where they have the space, time, and freedom to think, create, and connect. The Camargo Fellowship not only provides time and space for the residents, but also initiates exchanges within the group and develops a collective spirit, which is one of the program’s distinctive features. The interactions developed among the program’s fellows are a vital element of this program.

Deadline is October 1, 2022. For details, go here.

WNDB 2023 Mentorships

In 2023, WNDB will offer fifteen mentorships split among the following categories: Picture Book Text (PB), Middle Grade (MG), Young Adult (YA); and Illustration (IL). (Please note there is NO separate nonfiction category and both fiction and nonfiction writers will enter their application by target age category). The winners will communicate with the mentor for approximately one year in a mentor/mentee custom-defined program. This mentorship period will run from January to December 2023. This is an opportunity to be matched with an experienced children’s book creator and receive individual support and feedback on a completed draft of a work-in-progress or your portfolio. They strongly encourage applicants to submit their application materials early.

Deadline is September 30, 2022. For details, go here.

Fellowships for Creative and Performance Artists and Writers

The American Antiquarian Society offers visiting fellowships for historical research by creative and performing artists, writers, film makers, journalists, and other persons whose goals are to produce imaginative works dealing with pre-twentieth-century American history, literature, and culture. Successful applicants are those whose work is for the general public rather than for academic or educational audiences. The fellowships will provide the recipients with the opportunity for a period of uninterrupted research, reading, and collegial discussion at the Society, located in Worcester, Massachusetts. At least three fellowships will be awarded for residence of four weeks at the Society at any time during the period January 1 through December 31. Fellows will receive a stipend of $2000.

Deadline is October 5, 2022. For details, go here.

Nottingham Research Fellowships 

The Nottingham Research Fellowships are aimed at outstanding postdoctoral researchers who are at the early stage of their academic careers from all academic disciplines represented at the University of Nottingham. Candidates must have been awarded their PhD. Candidates will be assessed on their quality, potential, trajectory and track record, relative to their career stage. The scheme is open to external (including international) and internal candidates. The University of Nottingham will act as sponsor for any candidate who does not have the right to work in the UK. Benefits include three years’ independent research funding, covering salary costs at c. £42,155 to £53,353; the link to a permanent academic post, subject to performance; additional funding for research expenses totaling £75,000; childcare costs of up to £15,000; and access to mentoring, career development and networking with the wider fellowship community.

Deadline is October 6, 2022. For details, go here.

Forbes Editorial Internship 2023

Each summer, Forbes selects student reporters to join the Forbes newsroom as their Editorial Intern Class. Their interns have written dozens of posts for Forbes.com and contributed to their biggest flagship lists, including the Forbes 400 ranking of the wealthiest Americans and America’s Top Colleges. As an intern, you will be assigned to a beat—Wealth, Business, Education, Innovation, Lifestyle, Money, etc.—and work closely with corresponding editor throughout the summer.  You will receive support and mentorship to meet professional goals, accelerate your learning and hone your writing and storytelling skills. Forbes aims to offer employees the flexibility they need in order to be successful. Therefore, this role can be based out of Jersey City, NJ, offering a hybrid work schedule, or can be fully remote.

Deadline is November 1st, 2022. For details, go here.

Arthur Molella Distinguished Fellowship

The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation is accepting applications for the Arthur Molella Distinguished Fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History (NMAH). They seek to appoint an experienced author or senior scholar (at the associate/full/emeritus professor level or equivalent) from the history of technology, science and technology studies, business history, museum studies, STEAM education, or an allied field. Smithsonian staff are not eligible. The specific arrangement is flexible: the Molella Distinguished Fellow may use the funds as a sabbatical supplement; for several short-duration visits; for a single residency focused on research and writing; or for a series of lectures leading to a major publication. The Molella Distinguished Fellow is invited to participate in the intellectual life and programmatic activities of the museum; to take advantage of the expertise of the museum’s research staff; and to consult the Institution’s vast invention and technology collections (see http://collections.si.edu/). The Lemelson Center will assist in arranging a visa for non-US citizens, provide a workspace, and facilitate startup procedures at the Smithsonian.

 $35,000 funds may be used flexibly to support teaching buyouts, travel for several short-term visits, living expenses for longer residences up to six months, and related research expenses. Dates are flexible.  Fellows may begin their residencies on/after 1 June 2023 through 31 May 2024.

Deadline is November 1, 2022.For details, go here.

NmaHassan Muhammad is a 2022 Ebedi Fellow. His children’s manuscript, Hamood’s Wish Tree, written to honor the memory of his young son, has been longlisted for the 2022 Wakini Kuria Prize for Children’s Literature. NmaHassan  writes from Minna, Nigeria. He can be reached at Twitter handle, @NmaHassanM

When I was a teenager I remember being shocked by the fact that most of the adults around me didn’t read more than one book a year. But they all told me that they were busy, and when I was older I would understand, and I wouldn’t have time to read.

I now read around a hundred books a year. I did that before I had a full-time job. I continued to read that much after getting a full-time job and getting married. When I was pregnant I assumed having a child would change all that. And while becoming a mother has changed every aspect of my life, I still read one hundred books every year. I am not counting children’s books either. The habit of reading is such a part of me that while other things have gone by the wayside (watching anything), no matter how busy I am, I always make sure I have time to read, even if it is just ten minutes before bed.

I believe that reading is an important part of being a writer. I think of it as part of my job as a writer to continue reading. There is a lot of attention paid to the idea that writers have to read to be good writers, and that is true. But I think to be a published writer you don’t just have to read, you have to read strategically, in a way that supports your life as a published writer.

If you are not convinced that you have to read to become a writer at all, this article is for you.

If you want to learn how to read in a way that best supports your career as a published writer, this is the article for you. You might already be doing a few of these things, but you are probably not doing all of them. As a published poet with three collections under my belt, and an aspiring novelist, I feel all of these steps have helped me get where I am, and they are going to help me get further.

Read the genre you write in

I know a lot of authors who write young adult (YA) fiction and don’t actually read it. A friend of mine who is writing a YA novel confessed that the last YA book she read was in high school. She is now in her fifties. The same goes for literary fiction, surprisingly. I think this is less likely to happen in genres like science fiction, but I might be incorrect.

I am going to use YA as the example genre in this section because most people have some familiarity with it. Even if that familiarity is dated.

Even if you don’t love the genre you’re writing in, you should be reading it. You should have read the classics. In the YA genre that includes books like The Outsiders and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. you should also have read at least three books that have been published in that genre in the last few years, if not more.

This is important for a number of reasons. If you don’t read within your genre you don’t understand what is standard and what is not, what is controversial and what is just par for the course. You can’t come in with just a one-book filter — if all you read of YA was Divergent, your filter would be very different than from someone who had only read The Fault in Our Stars.

The more you read in your chosen genre the more you can learn from the good choices (and the mistakes) that other authors make. One of the YA books I read and loathed, had a very well written fight scene. The book was mostly a waste of time, but that one scene really helped me write one of the most important scenes in my own novel. Of course, you can learn some of those lessons outside of your genre, but not always.

Many authors especially in North America, now have access to Libby and Overdrive through their library systems. Through Libby and Overdrive, it is easy to access thousands of eBooks and audiobooks. There are waitlists for many of the most popular books, but even those tend to move quickly. It is easy to read widely in your genre through these services, and even if you don’t finish all of the books you borrow, just reading the first twenty pages or so can teach you a lot.

If you don’t live within a geographic area that gives you access to these valuable websites, this article is also worth reading. Personally, I know that for the Toronto Public Library system, non residents who visit Toronto can pay 120 dollars (Canadian) at any library and sign up for a year’s worth of access to both apps. Now this might sound like a lot of money, but if you are an active reader that really isn’t much. I read an average of a 150 books through Overdrive every year, and I can’t imagine how much that would cost me at a bookstore.

Read books that have been recently published

First, you learn what is being published right now and who is publishing it. But what’s even more important, at least from a publication standpoint, is that many publishers and agents want you to compare your book to two or more recently published books in your query letter. The more you read, the more accurate those comparisons can be.

It is important to read outside of your genre too. I think the best writers are diverse readers who read a whole range of recently published work, so they understand what is currently happening in contemporary publishing.

Read debut books

Debut books is a term used to refer to the first book an author publishes.

One of the mistakes many authors make is they read books by established authors like Stephen King and John Irving that don’t comply at all with length standards, and have long ponderous first chapters, and all sorts of other quirks.

These books would not be published if they were debut books. Reading them gives you the wrong impression about what is being published now.

Reading debut books gives you a good feel of what is making it through the slush piles and actually reaching agents and editors.

Also since most authors thank their agents in the book, you can usually see who is representing them. It gives you a feel for which agents are actually successfully representing new authors.

By reading the author’s bio you can often learn what literary journals they published in, or what other steps they took (writing conferences, MFAs, etc) to get where they are.

I have also found that I tend to prefer debut books. They tend to be very well crafted and much better than a lot of later efforts an author puts in, when publishing seems less like a challenge and more like something that’s going to happen.

Research your book by reading books

I love researching on the internet. It is so easy to look up facts. The novel I wrote relies a lot on geography and so I found myself Googling a large number of maps and also asking the internet specific questions, like “how long does it take to get from Venice to Umag by boat?”.

But in order to get deeper into the lives my characters really lead, I had to read books. The internet is a great way to resolve specific questions, or look at maps or pictures, but much of the information lacks depth.

My book involves refugees in transit between countries. I found that while podcasts helped, nothing beats a good long book for really conveying the experience. Not all stories require research, but if yours does, including books as part of your research is always a good idea, because the information is more likely to be correct and because books tend to go far deeper into a subject.

Pay attention to the publishers

The first thing I do, when I see a book, is look at the publisher. Now it seems obvious to me. But for over two decades I read books without, for the most part, noticing who published them. Most readers don’t notice the publishers, and if they do it is just in passing.

If I have never heard of a publisher before and I enjoyed the book, I usually look the publisher up and do research on them. If the same publisher has published a number of books that have something in common with mine, I add their name to my “To Submit” file.

I have learned quite a lot by paying attention to who publishes the books I read. Some of it is relevant to what I write, and most of it is not. For example, I know a lot about children’s book publishers because my chidren love books, but I don’t ever plan to write one. Still, that information helps me be more informed about how publishing works. It is a part of the bigger picture.

Even if you are not submitting directly to a publisher, it helps to know what publisher might be a good fit for your book. Author friends of mine who have mentioned the potential publisher for their novel in their agent query have had a very high success rate of landing an agent, and often a publisher, that way.

Browse in bookstores, buy in bookstores

This is currently not possible for me because of the ongoing pandemic, although I still often call up my favorite local bookstores and ask the bookseller for recommendations and about what they’ve recently read and what’s selling.

When I go into a bookstore I also pay attention to a publisher. Sometimes, if I have read an eBook that I like and the publisher claims to have good distribution, I look for the print version in the book store. If I can’t find it, I ask the booksellers about it. At a good bookstore, they often know if they carry that publisher or not. The same goes for publishers I have read about online but am not otherwise familiar with.

Browsing through a bookstore educates you in many ways. You should be looking at covers. What trends are prevalent right now? What subjects seem well covered? What books seem to move? What are the booksellers recommending?

What a lot of people do now is browse in bookstores but buy elsewhere. Often they just take pictures of the covers of the books they want to buy. This is not good, because it is so important that independent brick and mortar bookstores continue to be there.

Read the Front Matter and Back Matter

Front and back matter are a wealth of information, particularly in certain genres. Front matter is everything before the actual text of the book, things like the table of contents and acknowledgements.  Back matter includes bibliography and author’s bio.

The acknowledgements and the author’s bio can often be the most helpful parts of books. Acknowledgements often reveal the author’s agent (if they have one) and editor (many who freelance, and who you could theoretically hire to polish your book).

In the case of poetry and short story collections, acknowledgements are very helpful because they reveal where the author’s work has been published before, what journals and magazines have published them. The literary journals listed in there are usually a mix of the established and known (such as the New Yorker) and newer up and coming journals that are still becoming established but are most likely already respected within the publishing community.

Focus on submitting to those literary journals and magazines and your odds of having a full collection published usually increases dramatically.

In Conclusion

This might seem overwhelming initially, particularly if you don’t read very many books now. If that’s the case, pick one of the steps to start with and slowly build from there.

If you are already doing most of these things already, that’s great!

Bio: Caitlin Jans is a poet, a novelist, and the editor of Authors Publish Magazine. Her writing can be found in The Conium Review, The Moth, Labletter, Literary Mama, and elsewhere. She is the author of The Six Month Novel Writing Plan. You can follow her on Facebook.