They used to be part of a larger press Oghma, but at some point that press underwent a major re-branding and is now called Roan & Weatherford. There is no mention of Oghma on their site now, and Oghma’s catalog redirects to a different press. There is a line on Roan & Weatherford’s site that causes me to pause. They say “We’re out of the à la carte services game, but that just allows us to devote all our efforts to our contracted authors”, because back in 2020 when I first reviewed Young Dragon they were very clear that they were a traditional press (and that may have been the case).

You can see what they published here, to get a feel for what they are interested in. Their covers range from good to decent.

They don’t have a distributor listed on the website that I could find. As you can see from their home page they are more focused on selling books then recruiting authors, which is a good sign. They also  have clear outlines for what they are seeking which is always helpful.

As far as I can tell they actively started publishing in 2020. They have no formal about section on the website and no information about staff that I could find. Both companies seem to submit books for awards.

To read their full submission guidelines, go here. They plan to reopen to submissions in April 2025.

Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2020 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.

Updated: July 19th 2021.  They have closed early to submissions without announcing any change on their website, or their Twitter that I could find. This is unfortunate.

Soft Skull Press is a small publisher of literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid work currently based in New York. They publish a wide variety of quirky and well-written work. They have published a number of well-known authors, including Maggie Nelson.

They are a niche press. They are now an imprint of Catapult Press and they are distributed by Penguin Random House.

From June 29th to July 20th, they are accepting unagented submissions of complete manuscripts.

Per their website statement “We are primarily seeking and strongly encouraging submissions from BIPOC writers and underrepresented voices of any race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, class, and physical or mental ability.”

Please respect these guidelines.

This three-week period is the one time per year that they are open to unsolicited submissions. They are open to agented submissions year-round.

All submissions must be made through Submittable. There is no submission fee.

In the cover letter field you should include a one-paragraph summary of your project, a total word count, a brief author bio, and your contact information.

Submissions must be full-length, previously unpublished manuscripts. You must also include a separate statement of intent making it clear why you think your work is right for them. Visit their catalogue here in order to determine if your work is a good fit.

Simultaneous submissions are fine. They aim to respond within six months of the submission period end date.

Visit their Submittable here.

Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2020 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.

Holly Garcia

Do you feel overwhelmed by the thought of writing an entire novel cover to cover without feedback? Maybe you’re a new author who hasn’t found their audience yet. Or perhaps you’re an established author who is looking to try out a new genre, but you aren’t sure how your current audience will react to this dramatic change. Have no fear. In this article, I’d like to talk to you about three different platforms to try your hand at in the form of serialized fiction.

What is Serialized Fiction?

Serialized fiction refers to shorter pieces of fiction released in a separate, chronological order. What this ends up looking like online is a work of fiction being released chapter by chapter.

The ways you can do this are endless. You could post it on your own blog or include it in an email newsletter. But, if you’re looking to build an audience or looking to expand your audience into a different genre, using one of the many platforms specifically built to host this type of writing might be your best option.

A quick Google search will list several different platforms to publish your serialized fiction. This article will cover three specific platforms, Wattpad, Raddish, and Kindle Vella, in more detail.

Wattpad 

Wattpad was launched in November of 2006 by Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen out of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. Their audience is estimated to be between 70-90 million readers, and they have a little something for everyone. From poetry and fanfiction to historical fiction and werewolves (yes, they have an entire category dedicated to werewolves), no matter what you enjoy reading or writing, Wattpad has content to consume.

When it comes to writing on Wattpad, there are mixed reviews. For example, if you’re Anna Todd, author of the popular book-turned-movie YA series, After, you’d have a pretty glowing review. Todd first published her book on Wattpad, which became a best-selling series and ultimately ended up on Netflix. Before her success, Todd had never written or published professionally, and while this might sound like a dream come true, keep in mind that Todd’s experience is the exception, not the rule.

In my personal experience publishing on Wattpad, I’ve not had much success. My work is a piece of fan fiction (something I’ve never considered doing seriously). It’s something I do for fun or to spark my creativity. While fan fiction is widely popular on Wattpad (fun fact, that’s what After started as), the style of my writing is not.

Radish Fiction  

Radish Fiction was launched in November of 2015 by Seung Yoon Lee. They are estimated to have +500 million reads and +2,000 published authors.

The main difference between Wattpad and Radish is the guidelines and quality of the content that is published.  They have in-house writers; other writers must be reviewed by their in-house team and accepted before they can publish.

The storytelling style on Radish is more consistently paced than Wattpad, as staff plays a more significant role in the content, compared to Wattpad, which is largely community-based. Aside from being a staff writer, two other ways your work could end up on Radish are by being submitted to the platform, where their editors will decide if it is an appropriate fit, or if one of their editors reaches out to you and acquires your story.

I do not have personal experience with Radish, but from what I’ve researched, writers do get paid. When readers want to unlock additional chapters of the book they’re on, they can buy tokens to unlock additional chapters. These purchases are what generate royalty payments for the writers.

Kindle Vella 

The newest option for serialized fiction is brought to you by Amazon. The same platform you’re able to self-publish full-length books, you’re now able to publish serialized fiction. Although it’s currently only available to US based writers.

You can start publishing on Vella right now, but the readers will not get access until around mid to late July of 2021. According to Amazon’s website, they recommend releasing several chapters at the beginning of launching your story, so readers can get a feel for your story and get invested. After all, like Radish, authors will be paid 50% royalties on the tokens readers purchase to unlock other chapters of your story.

Even though Vella hasn’t had success yet, Kindle has a large audience, increasing your chances of finding readers for your work. I’ve already worked within Kindle’s self-publishing option (Kindle Direct Publishing) and have enjoyed the experience. I’ve also begun to upload a few chapters of a short murder mystery I’m working on to see how it performs.

Final Word

There is an infinite amount of places to self-publish your serialized fiction on the internet. When considering if a platform specialized in this style of fiction is right for you, answer the following questions for yourself.

1. Are you looking for a platform with content and style guidelines? If so, Radish is a good fit for you. While both Wattpad and Vella also have writer guidelines, they are not as strictly enforced as Radish as they are community-based platforms.
2. Are you looking for a platform with a large audience and lots of community engagement? If so, Wattpad is a good fit for you. Wattpad is a platform known for its diverse and passionate community. I mean, they did push a debut author to stardom in only a few years (Please remember, this is the exception, not the rule).
3. Are you looking for a platform where you’re able to earn money from your stories? Technically, this is possible on any of these platforms. With that being said, not all of the opportunities are created equally. Since I haven’t personally earned anything on any of these platforms, I won’t recommend one over the other. But, I will urge you to visit each of the websites and do some reading and exploring on them before you make your decision.

Whether you are a new or seasoned author, writing serialized fiction is another way you can build or increase your audience. Have you ever tried any of these platforms? Or perhaps, another one not discussed today? If so, I’d love to hear more about your experience. Happy writing!

Bio: Holly Garcia is the author of an upcoming self-published poetry collection, All The Ways I Loved You, and is working through her debut historical fiction novel. When she isn’t working on these projects, she writes non-fiction essays and is a freelance resume writer. Keep in touch at garcia.hc0502@gmail.com

Based in the UK, the other side of hope is funded by Arts Council England and the patronage of award-winning author A.M. Dassu. The journal is also supported by ArtReach and Journeys Festival International.

Although they admire writing by authors from all backgrounds, the other side of hope only accepts fiction and poetry written by authors who are immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Fiction and poetry submissions do not need to be themed; these submissions do not need to address the immigrant or refugee experience. the other side of hope accepts writing in English from around the world, but they are not able to accept translations at this time.

the other side of hope accepts nonfiction, reviews, and interviews written by anyone, as long as the work spotlights the immigrant or refugee experience.

the other side of hope will be published in print once a year, and they will publish new online content periodically. Right now through July 31, they are seeking submissions for their first issue.

Poets may submit up to four poems. Authors of fiction may submit two stories or standalone chapters from unpublished novels, 1,000 to 8,000 words. Or, authors may submit up to five works of flash fiction. Authors of creative nonfiction (not academic writing) may submit essays, creative ethnography, memoirs, reportage, criticism, and travelogues, 2,000 to 5,000 words. the other side of hope also accepts book reviews and author interviews, 500 to 1,000 words, that address the immigrant and refugee experience. Also, they occasionally publish illustrations and photography with brief commentaries.

the other side of hope accepts submissions via email, not through an online submission manager or by post. They accept simultaneous submissions but ask that authors withdraw work published elsewhere. They do not accept previously published work.

the other side of hope only accepts submission that follow the guidelines they’ve posted online. Please read these guidelines in full before submitting.

If you would like to learn more or submit to the other side of hope, 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.