Ghostwoods Books is a small publisher that has been around for five years now. They publish books in paperback and e-book editions. They publish sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction and non-gore horror novels for adults.

They recently ran a successful crowd funding campaign that will allow them to publish at least 6 books this year. Usually they have only published a few books each year. Their books look professional. They tend to have good covers and good blurbs.

They are currently open to manuscript submissions through Submittable. Manuscripts must be between 60,000 – 150,000 words in length. They are closing to submissions on December 31st 2015. So if you want your work to be considered for publication by Ghostwoods in 2016, you must submit before then.

Ghostwoods books has a good, easy to navigate website. It is easy to buy their books on the website and to learn more about their books and their authors. Authors get half of the proceeds for the book. Their contract covers world rights for your book for two years. After that they are open to negotiations. They have a lot of information about how their contracts work on their website here.

Make sure to include any information about previous publications (self or otherwise) in your cover letter.

To learn more about submitting visit their website here.

I moved onto the querying process with the same diligence. I researched a lot, followed agents’ blogs and Twitter accounts. By the time I started pitching agents, I’d thought I knew what was there to know about writing and selling a first novel. I was wrong. The process of pitching, which continues today, taught me even more than those months of studying:

My normal-length novel is too short for some agents

My contemporary romance novel is about 60,000 words, which is an acceptable length on the shorter side. However, there are some great agents and publishers who will only look at manuscripts longer than 70-75,000 words.

Agents have varying requirements and preferences

Some agents want 200-word synopses while others opt for 500 words or more. I currently have different sets of outlines, chapter summaries and synopses for my book. I also have varying lengths and styles of query letters.

Moreover, because I write in such a mainstream niche, I didn’t know before that there would be plenty of agents who specifically didn’t want romance.

You might not need an agent

Not landing an agent doesn’t mean the traditional publishing dream comes to an end. Many small and mid-sized publishers don’t require an agent for submissions.

The industry changes often

Agents leave, publishers change their demands, companies decide to call it quits. Writers have to keep up and maintain pitch lists accordingly.

While I was working on my book, I had a particular publisher in mind. I had read several of their books and loved everything from the authors’ voices to worldwide distribution. Their covers looked fun, professional and enticing. And you didn’t have to have an agent!

Imagine my disappointment when I learned they closed shop.

I killed my darlings due to advice from an agent, but I still question that decision

It took me ages to decide when my first chapter should start. I narrowed down my options to the present and a couple of years in the past.

When I begin in the past, it’s funnier, it lets you glimpse into the nature of the male protagonist faster, and it shows as opposed to tells.

Beginning in the now is more accepted as story experts repeatedly advise writers to begin at the latest moment possible. I find it better suited to my story’s tone to start earlier. However, one agent sent a personalized rejection, suggesting I cut back the background information. I keep going back and forth.

I routinely pick myself up with the famous rejection stories of bestselling authors.

As I collect form and silent rejections, I have to remind yourself a lot of celebrated authors today had to go through this numerous times. They didn’t give up.

I love and hate my manuscript.

One minute I think I’ve so much potential and decent penmanship. The other I’m wondering why anyone would want to publish me. The fluctuation, one that happens to many writers, is natural yet ultimately exhausting.

I love and hate the fact that I’m a writer.

I cannot not be a writer. I write in my head when there’s no access to a pen or computer. I think about my stories before I go to sleep. I love creating. I even love outlining and structuring my stories. But the constant need to market, query, wait and accept rejection depresses me. I do wonder if I’ll ever be able to make a living from my fiction.

As writers, our brains are in constant overdrive with doubts, fears and anticipation. Yet stopping would be the worst thing I could ever do for myself.

You’ll discover great publications such as this one.

Finding about as much as you can about the industry has its benefits. You discover many useful resources. I stumbled into Authors Publish this way.

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It’s a blessing and a curse to have to balance this certain manuscript with your other fiction, as well as your freelance writing business. My fingers do their best to keep up with my brain. A writer’s life is a daily roller coaster. Good thing I love roller coasters.

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Pinar Tarhan is a freelance writer, blogger and fiction writer for hire. She’s been published on Coffee Break for Writers, GoWeLoveIt, Bang2Write, Brazen Careerist and Be a Freelance Blogger among others. You can catch up with her on the blog Addicted to Writing, or on Twitter @zoeyclark.

Poems On Loss
Little Lantern Press is publishing a print anthology of poems on the theme of loss. The anthology will be edited by Lisa Megraw and Christina Thatcher. Submit 1-6 poems via Submittable. They are not accepting previously published poems. They close to submissions on December 10th. Contributors will each receive one free copy of the resulting anthology and a 30% discount on any additional copies. To learn more visit their website here.

HIV Here & Now Print Anthology
Indolent Books is seeking poems or works of creative nonfiction for The HIV Here & Now Print Anthology. There are no restrictions in terms of HIV status: the writer can be HIV-positive or HIV-negative or not know their HIV status. As long as the work relates in some way, literally or metaphorically, to HIV and its impact today. This anthology is about current experience. One must submit by November 30th. Reprints are accepted. Contributors receive one copy. To learn more visit their Submittable page here.

As AQR has grown, their unique contribution has been appreciated with Pushcart Prizes, O. Henry Awards, reprints in the Best American series, a Governor’s award, and praise from the U.S. Congress. AQR publishes fiction, short plays, poetry, photo essays, and literary nonfiction in all styles, from literary to experimental. They simply seek to serve writers and readers by publishing outstanding, impactful literature.

AQR is published twice a year in print, and each issue contains work from about 50 authors, both new and award winning. They accept unsolicited submissions from August 15 to May 15. Submitting writers can expect a response within about 6 to 16 weeks.

Fiction and nonfiction writers may submit short stories, novel excerpts, or literary nonfiction, generally not exceeding 50 pages. Poets may submit up to 20 pages of poetry, but no light verse. Playwrights may submit short plays, generally not exceeding 50 pages. Photographers may query by email or post before submitting photo essays.

AQR accepts submissions by post, but not online or via email. A cover letter and SASE should accompany all submissions. AQR accepts simultaneous submissions and asks that they be labeled as such in the cover letter. They do not accept previously published work.

If you’d like to learn more or submit to Alaska Quarterly Review, please visit their website at https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/aqr/guidelines.cfm.

We are seeking essays on a variety of types of books – fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, literary, academic, genre, etc.

We will pay 10 cents a word for these essays, with a maximum of $65. Essays should not exceed 1,500 words. We are open to reprints, but payment will be half.

Do not offer advice. Instead, let people learn by extrapolating their own lessons from your story. Focus on process  – the seemingly boring details that made it happen. Please stay as specific and concrete as possible.

The stories will be compiled in a forthcoming eBook, with the working title “How I Got My Book Published.”

You must name your publisher and agent, if applicable.

We plan to accept a minimum of 10 submissions for publication.

The goal of the book is to show the publication process from a wide variety of perspectives. The deadline for submissions is December 14th, 2015. Please send your submissions to submissions@authorspublish.com

The title of the email should be “How I Got My Book Published.”

Please include a short bio with your submission – 50 words max.

Payment will be via Paypal.