In the past few years many writer's groups have started to publish anthologies containing short stories, articles and poems written by their members. This can be a valuable tool in getting your work noticed, but there's also a caution attached.
If you are invited to enter a short story, article or poem, the first thing you need to know is who else will be published in the anthology? Who will edit it? What will it sell for? Who is the publisher?
These are important things for you to know, for if the quality of the anthology is poor, that can be detrimental to your platform building. I've noticed many times visiting editors and agents picking up copies of anthologies when they are guests at conferences or writer's groups. These are also sometimes given as gifts in baskets presented to the visitors. Just as you want to put your best foot forward with your own writing, you need to make sure that the writers you are associated with also do the same.
It's most important that all the work be edited by someone qualified to catch all the problems so the work shines. So make sure you check all these points before submitting to any anthology. Then help publicize the books, offer them at your book table when you attend conferences and support the publisher in any way you can. These anthologies can be very valuable for spreading the word that you are indeed a fine writer worthy of publication.
0 comments:
Post a Comment