This blog would like to see your pen quiver.
I'm looking for contributors to write book reviews, author interviews, and essays on topics of interest to readers and writers. For more than three years, I've been the sole captain at the helm of this blog-ship and now I'd like to open it up to outside submissions. Read on for more details...
Book Reviews: Lively reviews which objectively examine a book's merits and, if warranted, demerits. The great John Updike had a set of rules which are the guiding philosophy of The Quivering Pen; potential contributors are well-advised to read them. While the focus of the blog is primarily contemporary literary fiction, I'm also open to considering reviews of poetry, genre fiction, classic literature, and some non-fiction (biography/memoir, history, and narrative non-fiction). [Please note: at this time, The Quivering Pen is not accepting reviews of books which have been self-published or author-subsidized.]
Author Interviews and Profiles: Traditional Q & A or feature profiles of contemporary writers are always welcome. Please query first before submitting the interview/profile.
Essays and Features: General interest articles of interest to readers and/or writers. Topics range from examining trends in fiction, anecdotes about the reading life, current issues in publishing, and just about anything which would appeal to people who are accused of "going around with their nose stuck in a book."
My Library: Readers are encouraged to send high-quality photos (minimum 150 dpi) of their personal home libraries or bookshelves, along with a description of particular shelving challenges, quirks in sorting (alphabetically? by color?), number of books in the collection, and particular titles which are in the To-Be-Read pile.
Fiction: The Quivering Pen is also open to publishing flash fiction (250-1,000 words) or, in some very rare cases, serialized novellas (as we did last year with Henning Koch's "The Bones"). When submitting fiction, please indicate this by beginning the email subject line with "Fiction submission."
My First Time: The Quivering Pen continues to welcome guest posts from published (or soon-to-be-published) authors for the My First Time series. Have a story to tell about your first "virgin" experience in writing and/or publishing? Send it to me, along with an author photo and a short bio note. Email me for more guidelines.
Word length: Ideally between 1,000-2,500 words, but longer pieces will also be considered if the subject warrants.
Payment: At this time, I'm only able to compensate contributors with virtual hugs and handshakes of appreciation. I wish I could pay you, but for now you'll have to settle for the satisfaction of knowing your words have reached an audience of about 20,000 per month.
What about recipes? Profane haiku? Interpretive spelling demonstrations? Can you format Choctaw, cuneiform, or High Valerian?
ReplyDeleteCan I write something? I'm not very good at writing, but I am a friend of your wife.
ReplyDeleteKirby, absolutely!
ReplyDeleteAny friend of my wife is...well, she's still just a friend of my wife. But I do pay attention to what she says (some would say "obey") and I've certainly heard your name bandied about the house lately....so yeah, feel free to send me something whenever you get the chance.
Thanks!