🟢Authortunities 24 Week Publishing Coach Certification
Authortunities #102 │February 22 — March 22
🚀 Launching Today: My Publishing Coach Certification Program!
After years of development, I’m finally launching an idea close to my heart—a Publishing Coach Certification Program. For the past seven+ years, I’ve mentored and coached authors through the writing process, only to see them struggle at the finish line. They needed guidance beyond the manuscript—querying agents, navigating self-publishing, formatting, cover design, uploads, and everything in between.
By I’ve helped publish dozens of books and, last year, I began offering Publishing Coaching on Reedsy. The demand was overwhelming—far more than I could handle alone. That’s when I decided to create a solution: train and certify more coaches to provide expert guidance at every stage of the publishing journey.
Introducing the Publishing Coach Certification Program
A 24-week, self-paced course with weekly group calls, designed to train publishing coaches to support authors from ideation to publication and beyond—including marketing, publicity, and platform building. Whether traditional or indie, our focus is to help authors choose the best path for their goals and execute it with confidence. See the program syllabus here.
✅ Flexible & Affordable – $48/month, pause anytime
✅ Real-World Experience – Certification includes coaching an author from the Authortunities Hub community
✅ Financial Liberation – Certified coaches set their own rates and run their businesses independently while upholding quality and ethical coaching standards
A Win-Win Publishing System
This program is designed to empower everyone:
📚 Coaches – Build a thriving business doing what they love
✍️ Authors – Get expert, affordable publishing support to reach their goals
📖 Readers – Enjoy a diverse selection of high-quality books
I hope this evolves into more than a program. I want a publishing revolution. It all starts now in the NeighborHub. 🎉
🌟 Join us and be part of something transformative. 🌟
🌳In the NeighborHub
Apart from the excitement at finally opening up the certification program, we’ve been busy doing some neighborhub clean up. The open mics have grown up enough to need their own space. What started out as a simple weekly ekphrastics challenge has grown into a full blown Multimedia Collaborative Lab. The Smalltown Tales Arcade has a new scene prompt ready and waiting. We are getting ready for some fun events, including the Writers Block Party on March 21.
You are always welcome to hang out in the Authortunities Hub.
🌳Authortunities Press-ing Matters
In Space and Time world we are busy reading. Many submissions are on their second reads now and we are narrowing it down… but not enough. We are still considering 267 fiction subs alone and I know we do not have that many pages. Thank you for making it so hard to choose 😂
Our upcoming Space and Time Flash is coming together and cover art has been chosen. We will be putting together our first team of guest editors. More details on how to join that team soon.
14 Spooky Stories for Boys and Girls is on schedule in edits. The entire collection is reminiscent of one of the Alfred Hitchcock anthologies for young readers. It’s almost like someone was a big fan 👀
Last week I mistakenly claimed our Coven of the East: Reclaiming Asian Women’s Magical Histories would be open until Feb 28th… but that deadline was yesterday. My typo is your extended deadline for fiction and nonfiction pieces that explore the intersection of magic, identity, and history. Payment is $0.08 per word (pro-rates) for pieces up to 1,200 words. I’m editing this with Pauline Chow. Submit your work here.
🌳In Other News…
Epic adventures await—Escape into magical worlds with free fantasy books from incredible authors! Swords, spells, and adventure are just a click away.
Have you checked out Shepherd for curated book lists? Authors share their favorite books and find readers for their own. Totally free for authors with over 3.2 million visitors in 2024. Ready to connect with some readers?
Read Lindann Loschiavo’s recent post on The Chrysalis BREW Project. She explains how to use funnels in your pre-book launch sequence. Read “Insights from LindaAnn LoSchiavo” here.
Authortunities may contain affiliate links that might earn a small fee at no extra cost to you. Any comments, questions, compliments or concerns?
My authortunities are organized by emoji! Use your “Ctrl+F” keys to find what you want fast. Video tutorial on how to do this.
🟢 opening for submissions
🔴 closing to submissions
🚀 fiction prose
📖 nonfiction
🪶 poetry
🎨 visual art
♻️ reprints
🏆 awards, contests & grants
⭐ learning, performing & networking
🟢📖🚀🪶 FEB 22 · BookLife is open until March 1 for submissions of self-published books related to travel, global culture, and food for their Indie Spotlight feature, a thematic roundup of self-published books both online and in print in Publishers Weekly magazine. Each Indie Spotlight is open to all types of books as long as they match the month's topic. Submissions close for self-published romances and nonfiction titles devoted to the topic of relationships.
https://booklife.com/about-us/booklife-s-indie-spotlight.html
🟢🚀 FEB 22 · Reedsy Prompts is open until the following Friday for short fiction between 1,000 - 3,000 words based on one of five prompts. Writers have until the following Friday at 11.59 pm EST to enter. No fee to enter and have work posted. $5 fee to be eligible for the $250 cash prize. This week’s prompt is: Illusion or Reality? 🌀.
https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
⭐ FEB 21-23 · Neurodivergent Publishing Conference is a virtual conference for neurodivergent folks in the writing and publishing sphere to come together, connect, and grow together. It is a space for NDs, by NDs. Look for more information as it becomes available.
⭐🚀 FEB 22 · Master Class: Bestselling Pacing with NY Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry from 10am - 1 pm PST (1-4pm EST) via ZOOM. Novels can be short or long—and in some genres very long—but they should always move along at a brisk yet compelling pace. NY Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry, author of over fifty novels in multiple genres, is your tour-guide for a journey through the art and science of pacing. Workshop costs $50. Proceeds benefit families displaced by the LA wildfires and emergency animal shelters.
https://www.jonathanmaberry.com/classes-workshops.cfm
⭐ FEB 22 · Roadmap to Yes—Plotting Your Path to Publication with Jane Friedman, hosted by Midwest Writers Workshop. In this masterclass, you’ll learn the mechanics of how traditional publishing works and how to prepare submissions materials for your novel, memoir, or nonfiction book. Learn what it takes to capture the attention of a New York publisher or literary agent, plus what expectations you should have so that you approach this (often frustrating) process with the right expectations and mindset.
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/xkwaj8e
⭐🪶 FEB 23 · Rattlecast livestreams, is part interview and open mic with a prompt-based open mic. Hangout with Rattle editor Timothy Green and Katie Dozier. Each Rattlecast begins with an interview, a writing prompt, and poets reading from the last week’s prompt. | Rattlecast at 8 pm EST.
⭐🚀 FEB 23 · Writers Circle Join this virtual Science Fiction and Fantasy focused writing group sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society to workshop your latest WIP, get feedback from fellow local authors and advice on getting your work sold to professional markets from people who've done it! Every second and fourth Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 pm EST. Virtual meetings take place on Zoom.
https://zoom.us/j/91064908740pwd=TENjZ25HenRNOHhtcHFaRlZnOGE3dz09#success
🟢🚀🏆 FEB 23 · The Short Story Challenge 2025 is a global creative writing challenge with four competitive rounds. Writers are assigned unique prompts to craft original stories, starting with 2,500 words in eight days and culminating in a final 1,250-word story written in 24 hours. Feedback is provided for every submission, and writers retain all rights to their work. With over $17,500 in cash prizes, this competition offers an exciting opportunity to showcase talent and creativity. Costs $67 to enter.
https://www.nycmidnight.com/ssc
🔴🪶 FEB 28 · Rattle Magazine’s “Poets Respond” challenge calls for poems inspired by “a news story or public event from the previous week, and has been written in the time since.” Selected poems will appear as the Sunday poem at Rattle.com which appear to over 10,000 people via RSS feed and daily email service. Poets will receive $100 and a free print magazine subscription. Each week's deadline is Friday midnight PST.
https://rattle.submittable.com/submit/30232/poets-respond-online
🔴🚀♻️ FEB 28 · Modern Mummies Anthology from Cat Eye Press is closing for short fiction that updates the “mummy genre” from 1,500 - 5,000 words. There will be a March 1—15 submission window exclusively for BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, Disabled, Neurodiverse, and other underrepresented voices. Payment is $0.05 USD per word; $0.01 for reprints.
https://www.cateyepress.com/submissions
🔴🪶🏆 FEB 28 · Bill Hickok Humor Award closes for a single unpublished poem. Winner will receive $1,000. Winning poem will appear in the 2025 issue of I-70 Review. Submit one to three unpublished poems with a $15 entry fee.
http://i70review.fieldinfoserv.com/bill-hickok-humor-award-for-poetry.html
🔴🚀🏆 FEB 28 · Apex Magazine Monthly Flash Fiction Contest Submissions close to all for speculative flash fiction at midnight. Winner will be announced no later than the 15th of the following month and be paid $0.08/word or $10, whichever is more, and published on the Apex Magazine Patreon as an exclusive the month following and will be included in the forthcoming issue of Apex Magazine.
https://apexbookcompany.moksha.io/publication/apex-magazine-flash-fiction
🔴🪶 FEB 28 · Strange Horizons is closing for speculative poetry with Lisa M. Bradley (she/her/hers) as February’s editor. Payment is $50 USD per poem, regardless of length or complexity.
http://strangehorizons.com/submit/poetry-submission-guidelines/
🔴🚀🪶 FEB 28 · Fahmidan Publishing is closing for manuscript submissions for their digital chapbooks at a maximum of 30 pages for poetry and 7500 Words for prose. Payment is 30% royalties.
https://www.fahmidan.net/publishing-submissions
🔴🚀 FEB 28 · Beach Reads is closing for romance short fiction between 2,000 to 6,000 words. “We’re searching for the light and fun stories for those longer, warmer days. These might be a slice of life or a simple romance – anything that might bring smiles, and maybe a tear.” Payment is anticipated to be $20 and Royalty Share of D2D sales.
https://inkdpub.com/submissions/
🔴🚀 FEB 28 · This World of Vile Wonder: Horror Tales of the Scientific Revolution is closing for horror fiction of all subgenres “set between the years 1500 and 1700 ce.” Work should be from 5-10k words. Payment is $75.
🟢📖🚀🪶 MAR 1 · BookLife is open until April 1 for submissions of self-published books related to humor and satire for their Indie Spotlight feature, a thematic roundup of self-published books both online and in print in Publishers Weekly magazine. Each Indie Spotlight is open to all types of books as long as they match the month's topic. Submissions close for self-published books related to travel, global culture, and food.
https://booklife.com/about-us/booklife-s-indie-spotlight.html
🟢🚀🪶🏆 MAR 1 · TeenQuill Writing Contest is open for poetry and play monologues from to students aged 12 to 19. Authors of selected works will receive a $50 Amazon e-gift card and publication in Kinsman Quarterly. Selected works will also be featured on its website, promoted on social media platforms, and included in printed advertisements. One student will be selected each season.
https://www.kinsmanquarterly.org/teenquill-writing-contest
🟢📖🚀 MAR 1 · Write or Die Magazine is open for free submissions of essays and essays and fiction for the first week of the month. There is a $3 submission fee for the rest of the month. No fee for author interviews. “Payment is approx. $50.”
https://writeordiemag.com/submission-guidelines
🟢📖🚀 MAR 1 · The Forge Literary Magazine is open for fiction and nonfiction, including flash and micro, until the free submissions quota is full. “If there is no free link, we’ve hit our quota.” Payment is for $100 flat rate, regardless of length.
https://forgelitmag.com/submit/
🟢🪶 MAR 1 · Rattle Magazine’s Ekphrastic Poetry Challenge opens until the last day of the month for ekphrastic poetry in response to selected visual art posted on their page. Two winners receive $100 and publication online.
https://www.rattle.com/ekphrastic/
🟢🪶 MAR 1 · Strange Horizons is open until March 31 for speculative poetry with AJ Odasso (they/them/theirs) as March’s editor. Payment is $50 USD per poem, regardless of length or complexity.
http://strangehorizons.com/submit/poetry-submission-guidelines/
🟢📖🚀🪶 MAR 1 · The Threepenny Review opens until “mid-April” for submissions of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Payment is $400 per story or article, and $200 per poem or Table Talk piece.
https://www.threepennyreview.com/submissions.html
🟢🚀♻️ MAR 1 · Modern Mummies Anthology from Cat Eye Press is open until March 15 exclusively for BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, Disabled, Neurodiverse, and other underrepresented voices with short fiction that updates the “mummy genre” from 1,500 - 5,000 words. There will be a March 1—15 submission window exclusively for BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, Disabled, Neurodiverse, and other underrepresented voices. Payment is $0.05 USD per word; $0.01 for reprints.
https://www.cateyepress.com/submissions
🟢🚀 MAR 1 · Electric Spec is open until April 15 for speculative fiction stories of “science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre” between 250 and 7000 words for their May issue. Payment is $20 per piece.
http://www.electricspec.com/Submissions.html
🟢🚀 MAR 1 · Flame Tree Fiction Newsletter calls for monthly themed submissions from newsletter subscribers only (free to subscribe) up to 1k words for $0.08 per word USD for original fiction.
https://www.flametreepress.com/submissions/
🔴📖🚀🪶🎨♻️ MAR 1 · THEMA, a theme-related journal that serves as source material and inspiration for teachers of creative writing, is closing for fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art on the theme of “The Lost Sock.” US residents submit by postal mail, electronic submissions for international. Payment is USD $10 for fiction under 1,000 words; $25 for longer stories, $25 for essays and $10 per piece for poems and visual art.
https://themaliterarysociety.com/submissions.html
🔴🚀 MAR 1 · The Joining: Scenes of Wedding Terror is closing for horror stories between 2,500 and 5,000 words in length concerning the rite of matrimony. Stories “need not concern only the event itself. They might take place at any time, so long as nuptials are central to the narrative.” Payment is .02 per word.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xVEpj9Mg2JebvkDObUIeVYc9VC-vxlVyxrSn-pqGJ-M/edit?usp=sharing
🔴📖🚀🪶 MAR 1 · SUSPECT Journal's Themed Portfolio: Eco is closing for submissions exploring the theme of "Eco-" for a special portfolio scheduled for publication starting June 5, 2025 to commemorate World Environment Day. They accept fiction and essays (up to 6,500 words) or poetry (up to 10 pages) from authors who identify as Asian. Payment is $100 USD per accepted contribution.
https://singaporeunbound.org/opp/eco
🔴🚀 MAR 1 · Book XI, is a journal of literary philosophy, is closing for creative writing and philosophical reflection “that draws on, addresses, or illuminates broadly philosophical themes.” Payment is $200 USD per piece, $50 per poem.
🔴📖🚀🪶🎨 MAR 1 · IHRAM magazine, a project of the International Human Rights Art Movement, is closing for fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art written to the theme “The Evolving Gaze: Society’s Voice for Masculinity.” Payment is $50 USD per piece, $25 for visual art.
https://humanrightsartmovement.org/ihraf-publishes
🔴🚀🎨 MAR 1 · Bikes in Space Anthology, a project of Microcosm Publishing, is closing for fiction and visual art featuring feminist bicycle science fiction with the theme “Disability & Bikes in Space.” Payment is USD $50 minimum.
https://duotrope.com/anthology/bikes-in-space-anthology-series-16112
🔴📖🏆 MAR 1 · Intrepid Times’ Pilgrimages Writing Competition is closing for narrative nonfiction from 1,200 - 1,800 words. Open to a variety of styles, including literary and personal. Winning writer will be paid $300 USD and have their original story and accompanying photographs published in Intrepid Times. Up to four runners-up will also be selected for publication at their standard article rates of $100.
https://intrepidtimes.com/pilgrimages-2025-travel-writing-competition-now-open/
🔴🪶🏆 MAR 1 · Deep Wild Graduate Student Poetry Contest is closing for “up to four pages of poetry or up to 3,000 words of prose” from currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students. authors will receive cash awards and five copies of the journal. The 1st Place prize is $200, 2nd Place $100, and 3rd Place $50.
https://deepwildjournal.submittable.com/submit
🪶⭐ MAR 2 · Rattlecast livestreams, is part interview and open mic with a prompt-based open mic. Hangout with Rattle editor Timothy Green and Katie Dozier. Each Rattlecast begins with an interview, a writing prompt, and poets reading from the last week’s prompt. | Rattlecast at 8 pm EST.
🔴📖🚀🎨♻️ MAR 3 · Collaborature Monthly Contest is open until the 17th of the month for fiction and poetry “written by more than one author or include a collaboration of two people (i.e., art and poetry).” Reprints are allowed. Payment is $20 USD.
https://collaborature.blogspot.com/p/contests.html
⭐ MAR 5-8 · Women in Publishing Summit is the biggest 4-day, online conference for women, and those who identify as women, in publishing. Our community and conference helps aspiring and published authors grow their craft, and publishing professionals expand their network and skills. Tickets cost $147, virtual event.
https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/
🔴📖🚀🪶🎨 MAR 6 · Talk Vomit is closing for fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art in a variety of styles, including humorous and literary to the theme of “The call is coming from inside the house.” Pay ranges from USD $10-30 for prose and $5-15 for poetry.
https://talkvomit.com/submissions/
🔴🪶 MAR 7 · Rattle Magazine’s “Poets Respond” challenge calls for poems inspired by “a news story or public event from the previous week, and has been written in the time since.” Selected poems will appear as the Sunday poem at Rattle.com which appear to over 10,000 people via RSS feed and daily email service. Poets will receive $100 and a free print magazine subscription. Each week's deadline is Friday midnight PST.
https://rattle.submittable.com/submit/30232/poets-respond-online
🟢🚀 MAR 7 · Apex Magazine Monthly Flash Fiction Contest Submissions open to all for speculative flash fiction until the last day of the month at midnight. Winner will be announced no later than the 15th of the following month and be paid $0.08/word or $10, whichever is more and published on the Apex Magazine Patreon as an exclusive the month following and will be included in the forthcoming issue of Apex Magazine.
https://apexbookcompany.moksha.io/publication/apex-magazine-flash-fiction
🚀⭐ MAR 7 · First Friday - Third Thursday Quick Read features 6 authors each reading a selection of speculative fiction for 8 minutes. There will be time for questions & answers at the end and a giveaway from the authors. This free event hosted by Strong Women - Strange Worlds features Ennis Rook Bashe, Kristina W. Kelly, Jody Lynn Nye, Shantell Powell, Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, and Angela Sylvaine and emcee/host Sarah Smith along with support from authors Anne Nydam and Terri Bruce. Pre-register.
https://strongwomenstrangeworlds.weebly.com/
🔴🚀🪶🎨 MAR 8 · subTerrain magazine is closing for “a stimulating fusion of fiction, poetry, photography and graphic illustration” to the theme of “dreams.” This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for some submissions so please check their guidelines carefully before submitting.
https://subterrain.ca/about/35/sub-terrain-writer-s-guidelines
✨ 🗓️ From this point on, exclusive access to upcoming weeks and always-open markets are a special perk for my amazing paid subscribers as a thank you for your support. 🌟
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