HWA Elections, BookLife Spotlights and Halloween in July
Authortunities #73 │August 3—31
🌳What’s in this issue?
August seems to be the month for workshops and classes. While we wait for all the presses to reopen, this is a good time to relax and learn some new skills because September is full of open calls to keep you busy. Here are your author opportunities organized by date and emoji, plus…
Horror Writers Association candidates announced (I’m one)!
How to get a BookLife Spotlight in Publisher’s Weekly!
Halloween in July fundraiser video schedule!
🍃Bullet Points
The Horror Writer Association (HWA) candidates have been announced! Up this year are three Trustee positions, as well as the offices of President and Secretary. I’m running for President unopposed along with Becky Spratford for Secretary. Offices are a two year commitment that begin on November 1, 2024 and end on October 31, 2026. Good luck to all the candidates! Full details here.
Speaking of the HWA, it’s still Halloween in July and all the videos are going up. Tonight, find out what industry pros think of the current state of horror, and where it's going. With Ellen Datlow, Brian Keene, Lisa Wood, Lisa Kröger, Maxwell I. Gold and moderated by myself. To watch is free, but donations are appreciated.
Catch this week’s Extra podcast in which Sarah Walker of Weird Fiction Quarterly talks about her publication and gives writers some tips on getting on top of the slush piles. Listen to “Getting Weird with the Wonderful Sarah Walker” here.
I enjoyed
’s Substack post “destigmatizing self-publishing: what literary authors can learn from indie authors.” Includes an interview with indie romance novelist Libby Waterford. Read it here.I just subscribed to Jane Friedman’s The Hot Sheet after listening to her in a few recent seminars and reading her book The Business of Being a Writer. I have a new author crush. Find Friedman’s The Hot Sheet here.
Orbit, a division of Hachette Book Group, recently announced the launch of Run for It, a new horror imprint. Run for It will become the division’s fourth imprint, alongside the existing Orbit, Redhook, and Orbit Works imprints. Read the details here.
The 66th issue of The Sirens Call Zine is 281 pages containing 200 pieces of fiction and poetry from 110 different authors and poets, and all free to read. See whose in this issue!
- reads selections from Nina D’arcangela’s Ladies of Horror monthly ekphrastic challenge. I loved her treatment of my poem "I've Lived Through Worse..." Listen in here.
Please welcome
to Substack with her ! I’m noticing a lot of spec and horror people on this platform (and I like it!). Is that just me?
While I find author opportunities everywhere, I want to give special credit to some of my favorite sources here. angelaysmith.com/subscribe
Comments, questions, compliments or concerns?
🦝This calendar is organized by emoji! Use [ctrl F] to find what you want fast.
🟢 opening subs
🔴 closing subs
⭐ networking
💼 conference
🎤 open mics
🎓 education
♻️ reprints
🏆 awards
💰 grants
🟢 Each month, BookLife runs the Indie Spotlight feature, a thematic roundup of self-published books from a broad range of genres and topics, both online and in print in Publishers Weekly magazine. Every month's Indie Spotlight is open to all types of books: fiction and nonfiction, adult and children's, secular and religious, written and graphic. As long as the subject matter matches the month's topic, a book can be included. For September, submit picture books and other illustrated titles, including graphic novels until September 1.
https://booklife.com/about-us/booklife-s-indie-spotlight.html
🟢 The SFPA Speculative Poetry Contest is open until August 31 to all poets, including non-SFPA-members for speculative poetry in any form. Prizes will be awarded for best unpublished poem in 3 categories. Winning poets will be awarded $150 First Prize, $75 Second Prize, $25 Third Prize and publication on the SFPA website for first through third places in all categories. $3 entry fee, the contest is chaired by Angela Yuriko Smith and judged by Stephanie M. Wytovich.
https://www.sfpoetry.com/contests.html
🟢 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 11.59pm EST to enter. No fee to enter and have work posted. $5 fee to be eligible for the $250 cash prize. New prompt every Friday. This week’s prompt is: Turn Up the Heat ☀️.
https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
🟢 Poetry Wales is open until August 13 with two submissions calls: or Poetry Wales 60.2, Winter 2024 and 60.3, Spring 2025. Open to all poems on all themes, but 60.2 will be slanted towards innovative forms and imagined realities and 60.3 calls for poetry “45 lines or shorter by new Welsh poets.” Payment: Poems £20/page, Reviews £67.50/1500-word review, and Articles £150/3000 words.
https://poetrywales.co.uk/submissions/mc_cid=56e912c143&mc_eid=1781a35ef5
🟢 Eye to the Telescope 54 is open until September 15 for submissions of poetry on the theme “Outlaws,” to be edited by Melissa Ridley Elmes. The issue will appear on October 15. Payment: US 4¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $4, maximum $25.
https://eyetothetelescope.com/submit.html
🟢 Pretend You Don’t See Her, a Women of Horror Anthology from Kandisha Press, is open until December 15 for stories from 3000-5000 words about “ordinary, often forgotten ladies with dark secrets.” Payment: Royalties will be paid through either Pubshare.
https://kandishapress.com/submissions/
⭐ AUG 3 · Halloween in July presents “The State of Horror 2024,” a panel discussion on the horror past, present, and future with Ellen Datlow, Brian Keene, Lisa Wood, Lisa Kröger, Maxwell I. Gold and moderated by Angela Yuriko Smith. A fundraiser to support the Horror Writers Association’s scholarships and the University of Pittsburgh Horror Studies Archive.
https://www.pledge.to/2nd-annual-halloween-in-july
🔴 AUG 4 · Stone’s Throw closes for submissions of “the same dark fiction, crime and noir as our usual submissions” from 1-2,000 words, with the prompt: “sex, desire, or lust lead to the undressing and undoing of those involved.” Payment is $25 USD.
https://www.rockandahardplacemag.com/stones-throw-submissions
🔴 AUG 4 · 12 Spooky Campfire Stories for the Bravest of Boys from Authortunities Press closes for middle grade stories that could have appeared in one of Alfred Hitchcock’s anthologies for young readers if they were still being published today, up to 2k words. Submissions capped at 100 and limited to one submission per author. Payment is .01 per word. Weekly updates on this call every Saturday in Authortunities.
https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/authortunities-press-LRs7l
🔴 AUG 4 · Griffith Review 86 opens submissions until August 4 for poetry with a theme of “Leaps of Faith” to explore “the things we believe in – from science and superstition to politics and preppers – and why.” Payment is AUD $200 per poem and AUD $500 for “work commissioned for GR Online.”
https://www.griffithreview.com/for-writers/
⭐🎤 AUG 4 · 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.
⭐ AUG 4 · GoIndieNow presents This Week In Indies for 2024 a weekly Sunday chat show that covers issues relevant for Indie artists and the scoop on who is publishing what and where you can get it. Broadcasting every Sunday at Noon ET/11a CT/10a MT/9a PT.
🎓 AUG 6 · Mastering Self-Publishing: From Novice to Pro - Q&A with Dale Roberts Join the self-publishing master Dale Roberts as he delves into the insights from his latest books, "Self-Publishing for New Authors" and "Advanced Self-Publishing for Authors." Free.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUodO2grzooGNYouqEeZxLYDpFTAdA-cQiB#/registration
🎓 AUG 6 · Workshop: How to Turn Your Book Idea into a Bestseller This free workshop is taught by Chad Allen will cover developing your writing plan, building your platform and how to choose the right publishing path for you. With Q&A.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpcuGorDgvE9R9vQn3hJ1ve05nfK0gvp3w#/registration
🎓 AUG 6 · Infusing Your Story With Humor—DP Lyle and Tim Maleeny is the latest offering from the Outliers Online Ongoing Writers Conference where all classes are taught by working, best-selling authors with two classes per month, every month on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 4 pm PST. “In this class, Tim Maleeny and DP Lyle will delve into examples of humor that work and establish the principles you need to sprinkle humor into your stories. Attendees can then offer situations and we will interactively toss around ideas to make that scene funny, yet still move the story forward. Armed with this knowledge, you can then kick your storytelling up a notch.“ Costs $45.
https://www.outlierswritinguniversity.com/ongoingconference
⭐🎓 AUG 8 · Author Marketing with StoryOrigin Indie authors have to worry about their websites, newsletter subscriptions, beta readers, book reviews, and more. Wouldn't it be cool if there was one site to help ease the marketing burden? That's the idea behind StoryOrigin, and Evan Gow, who created StoryOrigin, is here to tell us all about it. Starts 1 pm ET, free.
⭐ AUG 8 · Halloween in July presents “Back in the Day (part 1)” for #throwbackthursday. Brian Keene is joined by living legend panelists John Skipp, Chet Williamson, Douglas E. Winter and David J. Schow to discuss what has changed in publishing and horror fiction over the years. A fundraiser to support the Horror Writers Association’s scholarships and the University of Pittsburgh Horror Studies Archive.
https://www.pledge.to/2nd-annual-halloween-in-july
🎓 AUG 8 · Establish (or Improve) Your Email Newsletter with Jane Friedman This 90-minute class will cover best practices of email newsletters, how to avoid the mistakes most prevalent in the writing community, plus the pros and cons of using the popular newsletter platform Substack. In partnership with Writer’s Digest, class costs $89. 1 p.m. EDT.
🔴 APR 9 · 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
⭐🎓 AUG 9 · Rattle Magazine’s livestream Poetry Critique of the Week Rattle's editor hosts a livestreamed poetry critique on YouTube and Facebook, offering suggestions and feedback. The viewing audience is encouraged to participate. The goal is to help us all become better poets through the honest sharing of our reactions, similar to the experience of an MFA roundtable workshop. Critique of the Week at 4 pm EST.
https://www.youtube.com/@RattlePoetry/featured
🟢 AUG 9 · Reedsy Prompts calls for short fiction between 1,000 - 3,000 words based on one of five prompts. Writers have until the following Friday at 11.59pm EST to enter. No fee to enter and have work posted. $5 fee to be eligible for the $250 cash prize. New prompt every Friday.
https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
🔴 AUG 10 · Get Authored’s Rising Talent Competition opens for a query letter, synopsis, and the first ten pages of their unpublished manuscript up to 3k words of any genre for entry into their contest. “Our focus is on securing representation for authors, supporting diverse voices, and championing ambitious storytelling. All reviewers are literary agents or published authors.” Up to 12 finalists will be named with one grand-prize winner with a minimum prize pool of $1,000. Last chance entry fee $75 until August 10.
⭐ AUG 10 · Halloween in July presents “We Are Coming for the Children: The Scary Truth About MG Horror” HWA's own Becky Spratford leads authors Chuck Wendig, Justina Ireland, Dan SaSuWeh Jones and Lora Senf in a rousing discussion of horror for younger readers. They discuss what makes middle grade stories different, best tips for creating them and how each of these authors found their way to horror, among other things. Not to be missed! A fundraiser to support the Horror Writers Association’s scholarships and the University of Pittsburgh Horror Studies Archive.
https://www.pledge.to/2nd-annual-halloween-in-july
⭐🎤 AUG 11 · 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.
⭐ AUG 11 · GoIndieNow presents This Week In Indies for 2024 a weekly Sunday chat show that covers issues relevant for Indie artists and the scoop on who is publishing what and where you can get it. Broadcasting every Sunday at Noon ET/11a CT/10a MT/9a PT.
🎓 AUG 11-16 · Elk River Writers Workshop at Chico Hot Springs is designed for students who are serious about fostering a connection with place in their writing.
https://manager.submittable.com/opportunities/organization/10268
🔴 AUG 13 · Poetry Wales closes for two submissions calls: or Poetry Wales 60.2, Winter 2024 and 60.3, Spring 2025. Open to all poems on all themes, but 60.2 will be slanted towards innovative forms and imagined realities and 60.3 calls for poetry “45 lines or shorter by new Welsh poets.” Payment: Poems £20/page, Reviews £67.50/1500-word review, and Articles £150/3000 words.
https://poetrywales.co.uk/submissions/mc_cid=56e912c143&mc_eid=1781a35ef5
⭐🎓 AUG 13 · How to Get Published from Alex Davis events will be a four-week online writing course covering topics such as Getting Short Stories Published, Getting a Literary Agent, An Introduction to Self-Publishing and Making a Living as a Writer. Sessions will be recorded for those unable to attend in person. Tickets £35 or £55 including one-hour author one-to-one.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-get-published-tickets-902266672907?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
⭐🎓 AUG 13 · Black Lawrence Press presents Melissa Llanes Brownlee – Small but Mighty: Exploring and Writing Micros and Flash Under 400 Words at 8 pm EST. Attendance is free. Zoom registration required.
https://blacklawrencepress.com/events/
🎓 AUG 13 · Do's and Don'ts of Book Cover Design: Q&A with Miblart Whether you're a self-published author, small press publisher, or aspiring cover designer, this session will equip you with the knowledge to create covers that captivate readers and boost sales. Don't miss this opportunity to have your questions answered by industry professionals from StoryOrigin and Miblart. Free.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvdOCurjIsEtVI2bATdyttUSGupCzma0sb#/registration
🎓 AUG 14 · How to Leverage Your Book to Maximize Sales and Profits Presented by author and marketing expert Tom Ruwitch who will reveal how to use your book to attract leads, engage prospects, and inspire them to buy -- your book, your services, or anything else you wish to sell. From the St. Louis Publishers Association, $10 for nonmembers.
https://www.stlouispublishers.org/event-5794503
🎓 AUG 14 · Workbooks That Work Taught by Anne Janzer, this 75 minute class will cover everything from figuring out how the workbook fits with your other offerings to the nuts and bolts of production and formats, including The most common mistakes people make when creating a workbook from an existing book, How to use a workbook to support your books and/or teaching, speaking, or consulting and Multiple styles of interactive questions, including a few you may not have considered. Class costs $25 via Zoom.
https://janefriedman.com/workbooks-that-work-with-anne-janzer/
🔴 AUG 15 · Disability and the Speculative closes “but may close sooner if the book is filled” for poetry “exploring the intersection of disability and the speculative.” Payment one copy of the paperback.
https://disabilitypoetics.com/call-for-poetry-anthology-1
🔴 AUG 15 · Radon closes to submissions of short stories and poetry containing elements of anarchism, transhumanism, dystopia, and/or science fiction for their September issue. Payment: 1 cent per word for original work, half a cent per word for reprints.
https://www.radonjournal.com/submit
🔴 AUG 15 · Barahm Press, a new micropress committed to uplifting BIPOC diasporic voices, closes to submissions of “poems that weave magic and reflect our interconnectedness and humanity.” To be published “on our digital platform alongside evocative visual work but also be woven into a collaborative spell, culminating in a limited edition letterpress broadside.” No payment at this time.
https://www.barahmpress.com/submissions
🔴 AUG 15 · Arc Poetry Magazine is now closed for applications from candidates wishing to be Arc’s next Poet-in-Residence for the 2024/2025 program year. The PIR contract fee will be $10,000, pending funding. Candidates should be Canadian citizens or have a permanent residency in Canada.
https://arcpoetry.ca/resources/arcs-16th-virtual-poet-in-residence/
🟢 AUG 15 · Riddlebird opens until October 26 for literary fiction, personal essays, and genre fiction from 650-5000 words focusing on humor and lighthearted pieces until full. Payment is $100.
https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/riddlebird-Ae4Nk
🔴♻️ AUG 15 · Luna Station Quarterly closes for “speculative fiction written by women-identified authors” from 500 to 7000 words. Reprints considered at least 3 years past their initial publication date. No poetry. $10 USD plus a lifetime digital subscription to the magazine.
https://submissions.lunastationpress.com/
⭐ AUG 15 · 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 is hosted by Strong Women - Strange Worlds and features Amanda Cherry, Arinn Dembo, Kristin Illarmo, Brianna Malotke, Angela Yuriko Smith, and Rue Sparks. Pre-register.
https://strongwomenstrangeworlds.weebly.com/
🟢💰 AUG 15 · Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest opens for submissions of published and unpublished humor poetry with prizes of $2,000, $500, $250, and ten Honorable Mentions of $100 each. The winner will also enjoy a two-year gift certificate from co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value). The top 13 poems are published on the Winning Writers website. No fee to enter.
🟢 AUG 15 · Star*Line, the official print journal of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA), is a literary venue for speculative (including science-fiction, fantasy, and horror) poets and poetry enthusiasts. The site features interviews, articles, reviews, member news and letters, association business, and poetry. Star*Line is open for submissions year-round. Payment for poetry: 4¢/word rounded to next dollar, minimum $4. Nonfiction, 1¢/word rounded to the next dollar. Reviews pay a flat fee of $4.
https://www.sfpoetry.com/starline.html
🎓 AUG 15 · The Arcane University offers valuable video game development skills, including game writing, from experienced modders and industry professionals. In collaboration with TESRenewal, the AU aims to provide teaching and support to any and all members and applicants to help them to acquire, expand, or improve the skill set needed to contribute to Beyond Skyrim and/or their partnered modding projects. In addition, it serves as the primary location for learning or enhancing existing skills for the wider modding community, becoming the go-to place for anyone looking to learn. Free.
🎓 AUG 15 · How Fact-checking Works – and Why It Matters from PEN America, Kurt Sampsel of PEN America will provide an overview of the main types of fact-checking and what’s involved, followed by a conversation with Wilkine Brutus of WLRN radio Miami and Laura Zommer of Spanish-language information hub Factchequeado about the methods they use to verify information and how fact-checking helps them tell stories and inform their audiences. Free.
https://pen.org/event/how-fact-checking-works/
🎓 AUG 15 · Writing Cyberpunk and Steampunk Two of the most popular subgenres of science-fiction come into focus with this four-week course, exploring the origins of both movements, some core examples and how to write within the field! Join for a mix of steam-powered contraptions and the darker side of technology. Thursdays until September 5th. Class costs £35 or £55 ito incluse a one-hour author one-to-one. Organized by Alex Davis events.
💼🎓 AUG 15-18 · NecronomiCon Providence Celebrate the legacy of H.P. Lovecraft at NecronomiCon Providence, a biennial convention featuring talks, panel discussions, readings, and workshops on Weird fiction and art. Organized by the Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Council, this event also includes lectures, walking tours, art exhibits, film screenings, plays, and concerts, showcasing Lovecraft's hometown. $160 fro a General Pilgrimage Pass.
https://necronomicon-providence.com/welcome/
⭐ AUG 15 · Halloween in July presents “Back in the Day (part 2)” for #throwbackthursday. Brian Keene is joined by living legend panelists Ellen Datlow, Linda D. Addison and Steve Rasnic Tem to chat about what has changed in publishing and horror fiction over the years. A fundraiser to support the Horror Writers Association’s scholarships and the University of Pittsburgh Horror Studies Archive.
https://www.pledge.to/2nd-annual-halloween-in-july
🟢 AUG 16 · Radon opens to short stories and poetry containing elements of anarchism, transhumanism, dystopia, and/or science fiction until December 15 for their January issue. Payment: 1 cent per word for original work, half a cent per word for reprints.
https://www.radonjournal.com/submit
🔴 AUG 16 · 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
⭐🎓 AUG 16 · Rattle Magazine’s livestream Poetry Critique of the Week Rattle's editor hosts a livestreamed poetry critique on YouTube and Facebook, offering suggestions and feedback. The viewing audience is encouraged to participate. The goal is to help us all become better poets through the honest sharing of our reactions, similar to the experience of an MFA roundtable workshop. Critique of the Week at 4 pm EST.
https://www.youtube.com/@RattlePoetry/featured
🟢 AUG 16 · Reedsy Prompts calls for short fiction between 1,000 - 3,000 words based on one of five prompts. Writers have until the following Friday at 11.59pm EST to enter. No fee to enter and have work posted. $5 fee to be eligible for the $250 cash prize. New prompt every Friday.
https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
⭐🎓 AUG 17 · PARSEC, Pittsburgh’s premier Science Fiction & Fantasy Organization, welcomes the public to their monthly meetings held the third Saturday of each month beginning at 12:30 pm EST. Virtual Zoom meetings are available for those unable to attend in person.
https://parsec-sff.org/monthly-meetings/
🎓 AUG 17 · Writing Ghost Stories If you’ve ever fancied writing your own supernatural tales, then this day course could be for you! Over the course of the day you will be exploring atmosphere, characterisation, pacing and more, giving you the complete toolkit to send a chill down the spine of your readers. Organized by Alex Davis events. Class costs £30.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-ghost-stories-tickets-902323071597?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
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