My preferred genres to edit can be summed up into a few categories:

• Fantasy
• Sci Fi/Dystopian
• Literary Fiction/Speculative Fiction
• Literary Nonfiction/Memoir

I've also enjoyed editing academic work, romance, and poetry, but deep down I know that these narrative styles are the ones I feel most comfortable with—my personal elements.

That said, I love some specific dynamics and also want to see more experimental ones this year. Here are my top ten:

1. Fantasy - Unique magic systems
2. Fantasy - Morally grey hero/main character
3. Fantasy with queer characters
4. Villain who thinks they're the hero
5. Story wherein the main character leans heavily on a platonic best friend who is pivotal to the story
6. Nonfiction that deals with complicated family dynamics
7. Nonfiction about an education journey
8. Nonfiction about queer identity
9. A story that uses unconventional narrative elements (case study excerpts, epistolary entries, folklore inserts, poetry asides, etc.)
10. A story told in reverse

Of course the list of manuscripts I'd love to see is lengthy and I love surprises but maybe this short list will give an idea of what I'm after.

As always, ask me anything and let me know if you or someone you know has one of these literary unicorns!

Alabama
Alabama Book Festival
Birmingham, AL; inactive
alabamabookfestival.org/welcome.html

Monroeville Literary Festival
Monroeville, AL; Annual; Feb 26 - Feb 28, 2026

• Admission - FREE (registration required)
• Award Dinner/Lunch - add'l fees up to $93

https://www.monroevilleliteraryfestival.com/​

About Monroeville Literary Festival
The Monroeville Literary Festival is two days of fun, food, and literary arts in the Literary Capital of Alabama. Born in 2020 from the 22 year heritage of the Alabama Writers Symposium, the Monroeville Literary Festival is a community event that welcomes friends, old and new, to explore the writing, music, and art of the literary South.

Arizona
Tuscon Festival of Books
Tuscon, AZ; Annual; Mar 14-15, 2026

• Admission - FREE

https://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/

About Tuscon Festival of Books
The Tucson Festival of Books (TFOB) is a registered non-profit organization that made its debut in March 14-15, 2009 on the campus of The University of Arizona. The inaugural festival featured 450 authors and presenters and welcomed 50,000 regional visitors, all made possible with generous support from our sponsors and the energetic goodwill of 800 volunteers. The Tucson Festival of Books is fortunate to have the support of two of the city’s leading institutions among its co-founders, The University of Arizona and The Arizona Daily Star: community-focused organizations who help to further the mission of TFOB. 
The festival is now a community-wide celebration of literature and one of the largest book festivals in the United States.

California
L.A. Times Festival of Books
Los Angeles, CA; Annual in April; April 18-19, 2026

• General Admission - FREE
• Some Panels/Workshops - Fees vary

events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/​

About L.A. Times Festival of Books
The L.A. Times Festival of Books, hosted by the University of Southern California, is the largest literary and cultural celebration of its kind in the country. Set against the scenic backdrop of USC’s University Park campus, engage in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor events for all ages, including author interviews and panels, book signings, exhibitor booths, food and cooking demos and more! Whether you’re passionate about fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or children’s books, the festival has something for everyone.

Anime Expo
​Los Angeles, CA; Annual in July; July 3-6, 2025

• Adult 4-day pass: $157.65
• (other passes also available)

https://www.anime-expo.org/

About Anime Expo
Anime Expo (AX) started in 1991 as “Anime Con” by the members of UC Berkeley’s anime club, Cal Animage Alpha. While AX has grown drastically over the years, the core goal has remained the same: to welcome attendees for a fun and memorable experience. Each year, Anime Expo brings together fans and industry from Japan, the US, and all over the world for the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America. Anime Expo features the best in Japanese entertainment, music, fashion, and video games. Anime Expo is organized by SPJA, a 501c3 non-profit organization with a mission to inspire the world through Japanese animation and culture.

Florida
Amelia Island Book Festival
Fernandina Beach, FL; February 28, 2026

• Admission - FREE

About Amelia Island Book Festival
During the Festival, visitors will have the opportunity to meet more than 100 exhibiting authors from across the country. Many of these authors are self-published and come to Amelia Island to introduce you to their work.
If you're a writer, we'll have engaging and hands-on writing workshops.
Back by popular demand is the Kids Zone a fun filled area to keep the young ones engaged.
Ultimately, you’ll find unlimited opportunities to enrich your life with books in a fun loving, festive atmosphere. ​

JAX Urban Book Festival
Jacksonville, FL; Jan 24, 2026

• Admission - FREE (registration required)

https://jaxurbanbookfest.com/
​
About JAX Urban Book Festival
The JAX Urban Book Festival (JUBF) is an annual celebration of literature and culture founded by acclaimed author Dr. V Brooks Dunbar, “Dr. V,” and DREAMWEEK INC., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to fostering social progress and community engagement inspired by Dr. King’s vision. Held each January as part of DREAMWEEK JAX, the event showcases Jacksonville, Florida as a vibrant hub for arts, culture, business, and social progress.

Georgia
The Savannah Book Festival
Savannah, GA; Annual; February 7, 2026

• Admission - FREE
  
• Add'l panel fees
  

​https://www.savannahbookfestival.org/festival-saturday/​

About The Savannah Book Festival
The Savannah Book Festival is one of the nation’s leading invitation-only book festivals.  The 2026 Annual Savannah Book Festival will continue to celebrate nationally-recognized and local authors for their contributions to literacy, ideas, and imagination. Festival Saturday is free and open to the public, featuring solo author presentations in seven venues, throughout the day, around the Telfair, Chippewa and Wright Squares in historic downtown Savannah. Our Headlining Author events, featuring some of the most prominent names in the book world, are ticketed at a nominal fee.

Iowa
DSM Book Festival
Des Moines, IA; Annual; inactive
https://beaverdalebooks.com/event/dsmbookfestival

About DSM Book Festival
The Des Moines Book Festival connects people who love books with the people who create them, and features nationally acclaimed authors, hands-on workshops, and children’s activities.  Beaverdale Books will once again be the festival’s official bookseller offering attendees the chance to purchase books and get them signed by the authors.

Louisiana
Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival
New Orleans, LA; Annual; Mar 25-29, 2026

• Admission - $40-$100
• LitPass, VIP available
• Membership tiers available $50-$2500

https://tennesseewilliams.net/

About Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival
The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival is a French Quarter celebration of literature, theatre, cuisine, and music.
We'll celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2026, and over the past four decades, we have hosted thousands of events featuring thousands of literary luminaries and stars of the stage and screen.
Book and theatre lovers come to New Orleans from all over the country and abroad for our writer's craft sessions, literary panels, theatre events, literary walking tours, culinary events, author interviews, and music events. And don’t forget our Stella Shouting Contest!
The Festival’s mission is threefold: to serve the community through educational, theatrical, literary, and musical programs; to nurture, support, and showcase regional, national and international writers, actors, musicians, and other artists; to honor the creative genius of Tennessee Williams, who considered this city his spiritual home.

Nebraska
​Nebraska Book Festival
Eastern NE, Omaha or Lincoln; annual; usually in Fall

• Free and open to the public

About Nebraska Book Festival
The festival is held to celebrate Nebraska’s literary heritage and contemporary authors and to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. By gathering together contemporary writing talent of our state and surrounding areas, the festival provides an opportunity for participants to cultivate an understanding of our history, culture and community.

Virginia
Williamsburg Book Festival
Williamsburg, VA; Annual; Mar 7, 2026
www.williamsburgbookfestival.org/

About Williamsburg Book Festival
Our annual family-friendly event brings together a dynamic mix of authors, poets, speakers, illustrators, and publishers from Virginia and beyond. The 2026 festival will be held from 10 am to 4 pm at the William & Mary School of Education, offering a full day of literary discovery and connection.

In previous posts I've talked about finding an agent, submitting to publishers, and the differences between traditional and self publishing. 

However, if you don't have a novel in hand, but an essay or short story, and agent might give you a sidelong glance for your inquiry.

Many writers of shorter works across multiple genres turn instead to smaller publications like literary magazines, journals, newspapers, and magazines. These publications typically have a different submission process and it's important to read the guidelines thoroughly for each one, since they're all a bit different.

Note:
This practice is great even for those who aspire to writing book-length work since you can later add the publication to your list of reasons why a bigger publisher should buy your book. (A compelling argument for debut authors!) So don't throw out or bury those chapters and short stories that got cut from the main book. Consider publishing them anyway as standalone pieces.

​Step 1: Write the thing! Follow your heart.
Sometimes Step 1 and Step 2 are interchangeable, depending on how you work best. Do you like to write and then get it published? Or do you find inspiration in prompts and requests?

Step 2: Find a publication.
My go-to for years to find new literary magazines and journals is Newpages.com. Look for a publication that is looking for writers like you!

Step 3: Read all about it!
​Read what the publication has published in the past to get a feel for their tastes and follow the submission guidelines exactly. It would be disappointing to do all that work only to get rejected because you didn't follow the stated rules.

Step 4: Profit?
Many publications pay their contributors but it's important to note that some do not. Some are so small they simply don't have the capital to pay their contributors. In these cases they typically offer something else as compensation like free copies of the journal and of course you get to add that awesome line on your resume of publications.

Hopefully this quick look at short form publication has been helpful and offered a starting place or two for you in your writing endeavors!

US Based Events

Mad Monster
Mad Monster Party; US location varies

• Concord, NC; Feb 21-23, 2025
• Atlanta, GA; Mar 7-9, 2025
• Phoenix, AZ; July 11-13, 2025

https://madmonster.com
Mad Monster Facebook Profile
"Err on the side of creepy." Mad Monster Party is a celebration of all things horror with an emphasis on horror in cinemas.

Days of the Dead
US location varies; $40-$80 per day

• Las Vegas, NV; Jan 17-19, 2025
• Atlanta, GA; Feb 21-23, 2025
• Chicago, IL; March 28-30, 2025
• (All Monsters Attack) Chicago, IL; May 9-11, 2025
• Indianapolis, IN; June 13-15, 2025
• Phoenix, AZ; July 11-13, 2025

https://www.daysofthedead.com/

Sleuthfest
St. Petersburg, FL; Hilton Bayfront Hotel; May 14-18, 2025

• Member rate: $400; Nonmembers: $425
• Day Passes: $125; Agent & Editor Appts: +$25-$100

https://www.sleuthfest.com

Conference for mystery, thriller, and suspense fiction writers. Sleuthfest provides writers at any point in their publishing journey with techniques to improve their craft, information on publishing, marketing, and the business of writing, along with insight from best-selling authors, industry professionals, and forensics experts.
Sleuthfest also gives authors networking opportunities that are an invaluable component of any writer's toolkit, helping attendees achieve their publishing goals.

StokerCon
Stamford, CT; Annual in spring/summer (May/June) June 11-15, 2025

• Full Event Pass: $300
• Day Passes: $200
• Virtual Only: $75; Virtual Add-On: +$40

https://www.stokercon2025.com

Hosted by THE HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION (HWA) is a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals around the world, dedicated to promoting dark literature and the interests of those who write it.

Bram Stoker Awards
At StokerCon Gala Banquet for the given year; annual; March-June

• Ticket to banquet (does not include StokerCon Pass): +$100

www.thebramstokerawards.com/the-bram-stoker-awards/

​Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement. To ameliorate the competitive nature of any award system, the Bram Stoker Awards are given "for superior achievement", not for "best of the year", and the rules are deliberately designed to make ties possible.

The winners are announced and the Bram Stoker Awards presented at a gala banquet, normally during the period between March and June. (See StokerCon for tickets)

ThrillerFest
NYC, NY; Annual in spring (May); June 17-21, 2025

• 5-Day Pass: $525
• (other passes and events available; see prices here)

https://thrillerfest.com/
 
ThrillerFest is the annual conference of the International Thriller Writers. This unique, popular, and rapidly expanding organization was created in 2005 by several bestselling authors in order to bring thousands of writers, readers, publishers, producers, editors, and agents together to promote and support thriller authors everywhere.
 
The ThrillerFest conference has six main components: Master Class, CraftFest, QueryFest, PitchFest, ThrillerFest, and the Awards Banquet, all with different price tags.
 

• Master Class provides an educational workshop for aspiring writers, debuts, and midlist authors where they gain advanced training from the masters of craft in an intimate, day-long training session.
• CraftFest showcases bestselling authors and subject matter experts who kindly offer their advice and assistance to advance attendees’ writing techniques.
• QueryFest offers instant feedback on a query letter or first two pages of a manuscript by an industry expert.
• PitchFest pairs writers with agents, producers, and editors, providing an opportunity for attendees to pitch their manuscripts.
• ThrillerFest proper, the final two days of the conference, provides readers with an opportunity to network with authors—everyone from debuts to bestsellers. Expect innovative panels, spotlight interviews, and workshops to educate and inspire.
• The Thriller Awards Banquet honors the year’s ThrillerMaster, Silver Bullet Award recipient, Thriller Legend, Thriller Fans, and Thriller Award winners.

MisCon
​Missoula, MT; Annual on Memorial Day weekend; June 20-23, 2025

• Adult Four Day Pass: $70.00
• (other passes also available)

MisCon is a 4-day celebration of fantasy, science fiction, and horror that takes over the Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown every Memorial Day Weekend.
 
Through discussion panels, hangouts, games, readings, craft demos, and workshops, we bring fans together with authors, artists, game designers, actors, costumers, and other professionals in the world of speculative fiction.​

Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference
Corte Madera, CA; annual; July 18-20, 2025

• 3-Day Pass (new attendee): $650
• (other passes, scholarship, and rates available)

https://www.bookpassage.com/mystery​

The conference's collegial atmosphere really sets it apart. From the opening session to the closing reception, participants and faculty spend a lot of time together in meals, informal gatherings, and evening presentations. Participants come to the conference from all over the country to learn the craft of mystery writing, and many of them return to hone their craft in repeat visits.

Here's what you'll find at this 3-day conference:

• Authors offer classes on setting, dialogue, and character development.
• Editors, agents, and publishers tell participants what they need to know to get published.
• Writers in the various mystery genres show how to write about private eyes, amateur sleuths, cyber-crimes, and police protagonists, as well as stories in historical settings.
• Participants learn how to work with editors, agents, and publicists. 
• Conferees meet with panels of detectives, forensic experts, prosecutors, defense lawyers and other crime-fighting professionals who share their expertise and help authors bring realism to their writing. 
• Optional, private evaluations of manuscripts can be arranged for Conference participants.
• Many delicious and healthy meals are included in the conference, served on our beautiful outdoor patio.

World Horror Convention
US Location varies; Currently on Hiatus
https://worldhorrorconvention.com/index.html
 
Hosted by the World Horror Society (disbanded? 404). The World Horror Convention is an annual gathering of professionals in the horror industry; publishers, authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, dealers and, of course, horror fans. WHC serves as both an industry insider’s networking event and a chance for fans of the genre to get together, meet some of the creative talents in the field, and generally spend a weekend celebrating All Things Scary.
 
The World Horror Convention (WHC) is an annual literary-based event for the horror industry, centered around authors, publishers, editors, artists and others related to the creation and production of scary books.
 
Currently there is no World Horror Convention scheduled.

​
International Literary Events 
Bouchercon
Location varies; Annual season varies (see below)
https://www.bouchercon.com/
 
The World Mystery Convention is a nonprofit, organization which holds an annual convention in honor of Anthony Boucher, the distinguished mystery fiction critic, editor and author.
 
Bouchercon’s mission is to introduce, attract, and promote readers and writers by producing outstanding, inclusive events to grow and sustain the mystery community. Bouchercon® is the annual world mystery convention where every year readers, writers, publishers, editors, agents, booksellers and other lovers of crime fiction gather for a 4-day weekend of education, entertainment, and fun!

The first Bouchercon took place in 1970 in Santa Monica, California. Subsequent Bouchercons have been held in many cities across the United States, as well as in Toronto and the UK.

When I first started reading (and writing) literary nonfiction, I was convinced that I was a fiction-lover at heart and that the experience would be interesting but that I'd ultimately go back to my fantasy novels. Oh how I was wrong.

I brought up this betrayal (of my fiction-loving identity I'd crafted for myself) during a conversation with a locally recognized literary nonfiction author and they said something that stuck with me:
 
"You know you don't have to choose. You can love both."
 
Such a simple concept I had lost amid our cultural definitions of genre and one that I was overjoyed to be reminded of!

When my partner asked me this question I hesitated, trying to think of a succinct way I could explain what had become, to me, a "vibe". Immediately the question feels like the setup for an incredibly pretentious answer about "high brow" literature or some such.

Turns out, what sets "literary" nonfiction apart is more about subject emphasis and narrative style. Here's what I mean by that:

When you read a nonfiction book--an autobiography, say--the events are more or less chronological and factual. When you read a textbook, the experience is similar. Now history, self help... you get the idea. This is what I'd always thought of as nonfiction before making the effort to learn more about it. (Booooring!)

Literary nonfiction uses narrative styles and craft elements from fiction stories. The story may be true, but the way the story is told can jump through time and is told from one perspective (usually). The emphasis of the subject matter is set pretty firmly in the introspective, sometimes verging on the philosophical. Literary nonfiction books might encompass memoir or other life writing, essays, and collections of stories--even poetry!

In literary nonfiction, the events of the story are less important than how they impacted the person telling the story. The events become a tool or "way in" to examining the bigger question of what it is to be human, the evolution of our own psychology, or cultural expectations.

The work I read that introduced me to the genre and stole a piece of my heart ranges from graphic novels to essays to memoir and full length books. If you're looking for a place to start, I recommend investigating which of these might resonate with you:

Essays/Short Form (free pdfs):
On Keeping a Notebook by Joan Didion
Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
The Fourth State of Matter by Jo Ann Beard
​The Pain Scale by Eula Biss

Books/Long Form (buy or request from your library):
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel (graphic novel)
​The Guardians by Sarah Manguso
In the Wilderness by Kim Barnes
Educated by Tara Westover
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

To put it simply: Book editing is broken down into stages. These stages sometimes overlap and often one stage has different names for the same thing. (Not helpful.)

I can only speak for myself and what definitions I use, but I'll also include some other terms I've heard and seen offered from other freelance editors or authors. Approaching this from an independent or self-published author standpoint, here's what the process might look like after the heavy-lifting of writing the book is finished.

1. First thing's first. Finish your manuscript.
​2. Read your own work for developmental/structural edits and revise as you see fit.
3. Get Beta readers for your book. Sometimes this includes a sensitivity reader and many freelance editors also offer Beta/Sensitivity reading as a separate service. Think of it like an informal manuscript evaluation.
4. Manuscript Evaluation (optional) Best for getting a feel for your book. An evaluation is a comprehensive look at the vibes of your story with detailed notes about what's working in your favor, and what might need further revision.
5. Developmental & Structural Editing (professional)
6. Line editing (professional)
7. Copy editing (professional)
8. Proofreading. Read aloud and then again backwards to catch errors before your book goes to print.

After you've typed "The End" and given yourself a well-deserved break, it's time to edit your work as much as you possibly can before anyone else reads it (except maybe your best friend who has been dying to read your book and simply can't wait any longer).
​
​Work big picture, moving those puzzle pieces around, then sharpen your focus to a page, then a paragraph, then a sentence level. You're mimicking the professional stages of editing to the best of your abilities (and yes, every stage really is important, no skipping!).

This stage is especially important whether you're looking to publish traditionally with a publisher, or do it yourself.

​Ask you Beta readers questions! When employing Beta readers it's best to have a structured approach. That way, your reader knows what to look for, and you get the type of feedback you're looking for. win/win.

Here are some example questions you might have in a Beta reader survey or report:

1. What was your overall impression of the story? Was it compelling? Unique?
2. Was there anything you didn’t like about it? If so, what?
3. Did the story grab you at the beginning? If not, where did it really begin for you?
4. Were there any points where you started to lose interest? How was the pacing?
5. Was the story easy to follow? If not, why not?
6. Was there anything particular that you found confusing?
7. Did you notice any inconsistencies (in the plot, characters, or anything else)?
8. Did you find the main character engaging? If so, what was most engaging about them? If you didn’t find them engaging, why not?
9. Overall, which characters did you find the most engaging, and why?
10. Overall, which characters did you find the least engaging, and why?
11. Were you able to keep track of the characters, i.e. who was who? Were there too many?
12. Did you find the ending satisfying (not necessarily happy)?

Sensitivity readers can be found to assess the representation of a character's race, cultural or religious practice, sexuality, or any sensitive topic that might be accidentally misrepresented or need clarity.

Okay, I know I said earlier that all the stages are necessary. That was kind of a white lie. You don't HAVE to get a manuscript evaluation unless you want to. It's less a formal edit where you get a marked up manuscript back (like you would with a developmental or line edit) but more like comprehensive feedback on how you're doing with your own edits. It can be confidence bolstering if the evaluation includes some market or genre notes and can be helpful in finding the right niche for a book.

Evaluations are great for those just getting started (offering broad direction for revisions), or those super confident in their own skills and/or manuscripts that have had thorough edits already done. Because of the aforementioned market/genre notes this stage is best left to a professional who will have read widely and understand the industry expectations. It's their business to know the business, you know?

aka: Substantive Editing; Structural Editing; Content Editing

This is probably the stage that has the most interpretations (and names) and what exactly is explored in your manuscript will depend on the editor. As I can only speak for myself, here's my understanding and practice of this stage.

Developmental editing is my favorite part. This is where the storytelling as a whole can really bloom into something remarkable. Characters are explored and given depth and motives, the whole plot is analyzed to look for any holes and the order of events and perspective shifts might be shuffled around to see when and where the story can have the greatest impact on the reader.

Developmental editing can also include notes regarding genre expectations. If you think you're writing a young adult mystery novel, but the adults save the day at the end, then it might not be a YA novel after all. Development is there to give you a nudge and point out that your story might work better in your chosen genre if you rewrite that last bit.

Do the subplots add to the story or distract from it? Should I reveal the murderer at the beginning of my mystery novel, or toss them in with a red herring? When should the romantic interest of my romantasy novel realize that they're in love with my main character? Right away? After they slay the troll together?

If you're asking yourself these questions, you're working on development and structure.

Like Developmental Editing, the scope of services in Line Editing can shift. For example, I bundle my Line and Copy Editing together since in my mind, they're nigh inseparable (read why I think so under the next section).

Line editing, strictly speaking, is sentence level editing that includes word choice. This stage is for clarifying sentences that might be worded a bit awkwardly, clarifying dialogue so that it sounds natural, moving sentences around within a paragraph. Sort of like small scale Developmental Editing.

Copy Editing is typically just a grammatical check. This is the sort of thing many writers lean on AI programs like Grammarly to help out with (even if the silly computers don't always get the nuance and implications right!).

I combine Line and Copy Editing in my own business because as I reword sentences or correct word choice for clarity, I'm prompted to add or remove punctuation like commas, em dashes, or periods to accommodate the changes. Some editors will add some light copyediting into their line edits for this reason, reserving a more thorough focus on grammar for a standalone copyedit service. Either way that separation is a little fuzzy and it works out in my clients' favor if I simply combine the two and don't have to restrict myself or my work flow.

Copy editing is also where style guides are implemented (if not sooner) and checks are made for things like proper citations and dialogue formatting.

aka: Proofing

Proofreading is the final step and covers just about everything. It's like copyediting in that it looks for grammatical errors that might have been missed, but proofreading is also incredibly important after developmental changes. For example, if a character's name is changed during the developmental edit because it's discovered that two characters have the same name, the proofreader will need to make sure the names match up to the correct characters.

Read your book aloud (especially dialogue) cover to cover to catch mistakes or awkward phrasing, read paragraphs backwards to catch grammatical errors or misspellings.

You can never have too many proofreaders or proofread too many times. Inevitably, mistakes like typos will make it through, but this stage is where we try our best to slay those sneaky buggers with the power of our mighty red pens!

So you've finished your book and have decided that self publishing is the method that you're most interested in. Many authors move to self publishing as a secondary option, after trying to secure a traditional book deal and losing patience with the tedious process. However, an increasing number of authors are moving directly to self publishing methods, including those who have been traditionally published with some success in the past.

Why, if they experienced success, would they move to a different method of publication? Finances, usually. Many authors discover only when they're in the thick of it that being traditionally published doesn't mean they can sit back and let the publisher do everything for them. They have to market and publicize their book just as much (sometimes more). With this understanding, they opt to cut out the middle man, do more work themselves, and keep all the profits for themselves.

To be clear, self publishing is NOT the same as hybrid or vanity publishing (and those are two very different methods as well!). Hybrid publication is more or less the same as the self publishing process except that the author pays a third party (hybrid publisher) to do the things they might not be able to themselves. This includes formatting, cover design, etc. Typically hybrid publishers are not as involved as traditional publishers and are there to provide services to the author for book production—not market or distribute the book.

It used to be true that if an author self published, they practically sealed their fate as never being eligible for a traditional publishing deal. Thankfully, this has changed and there are many self published authors who have gone on to have successful traditional book deals for their subsequent books and even new editions of previously self published works. (Take The Night and its Moon by Piper CJ for example.)

In a nutshell, self publishing is the most demanding of all the publishing routes because every responsibility is on the author. However, by doing all the work themselves, the author doesn't have to split their profits with anyone either.

When self publishing, a huge bonus and the reason many authors pursue this method, is that there's no oversight. No one to tell you what to do, whether to change your title or characters, no one to dictate your cover art or formatting, but this can also be a huge problem: there's no oversight.

Unless you partner with a third party company with professionals who can format and check your work before it goes to publication, you are relying solely on yourself to learn the ins and outs of book production, marketing, legalities, and the logistics of how to get your completed book into the hands of your readers.

Not to fret! There is a slew of self publishing guides out there and checklists to help you get started and ensure that you don't miss anything important. There are free (and paid) webinars to attend to learn more, events where you can network with other professionals and find resources, and of course, tutorials you can find on the internet.
​
(Check out the resources linked at the bottom of this post.)

Yet another facet of the process to consider is whether you plan to produce a printed book you can hold in your hands, or an ebook, or both. Consider cost, formatting differences, and distribution options.

Perhaps obviously, ebooks have become popular in no small part due to their low overhead cost. Alternately, printing costs can vary from the cost of materials to print just a few, to the rates associated with higher print runs.

There is also the matter of distribution to consider. If you create an ebook, you can sell the book through a personal website as well as one of the aforementioned platforms, or any other digital method you can devise.

If your book is printed, aside from physically handing them out to readers, you'll want to get it featured in a catalog for bookstores to purchase from, approach bookstores in person, and get creative with the retail options available to you. Many horror stories abound about authors who ordered a large first run, gambling on how well their book would sell, only to sit on those copies for years.

Self publishing can be expensive and it can cost only a few dollars. Self publishing can be a lot of work but also very rewarding. Ask yourself if you're excited about doing it all yourself, or would you rather have a more involved helping hand?

How much work do you as the author, want to be responsible for? Do you mind splitting profits with anyone?

For many authors the publishing world is incredibly nebulous. To break this down into simplest terms, modern authors have three main choices when it comes to publishing. They can pursue independent or self-publishing options, hybrid, or traditional publishing.

All "traditional" means is that an author goes to an existing company to sell their book and hand off much of the work to the business to produce and sell their book.

It's important to note that no matter what route an author chooses to publication, they are still operating as a small business and must advocate for themselves. You're more like a subcontractor than an employee. That said, even in traditional publishing, there's a fair amount of legwork involved in promoting and marketing your book in order to get sales. No publisher, no matter how big, will do absolutely everything for you. Your book is your baby, fight for it!

The benefits of traditional publishing are that they have a larger budget for many things; entire departments devoted to different aspects like graphic design, typesetting, art, editing, early production stages, printing, publicity, etc.; wider distribution; reputation and prestige; marketing; and general guidance and insights into the industry that comes from experience and being well connected.

Within traditional publishing there are two main groups of publishers, assuming you, the author, have written a novel (fiction) or other trade publication like a memoir or book of poetry. There are the Big 5 publishers and small or independent presses.

Note: This is an incomplete look at traditional publishing, keeping the scope narrowed to trade book publishing in the interest of keeping this as straightforward as I can. There are also University Presses and other academic presses like W.W. Norton for example. There are (at least) thousands of literary journals and literary magazines that publish short form work, chapbooks, and joint works like anthologies that can be pitched or contributed to. The possibilities really go on and on.

You might have heard of the "Big 5" publishers before. This is referring to a specific handful of publishers who own a crazy amount of imprints and smaller houses. (For a visual representation, check out this map of how the publishers relate to one another.)

​The Big 5 we're talking about are (I've linked each publisher's resource pages below):

1. Penguin Random House
2. HarperCollins
3. Macmillan
4. Simon & Schuster
5. Hachette

Being so large and diverse generally means that these publishing houses are where most of the money in the industry is. The Big 5 can afford to pay out larger author advances, have a bigger distribution network, and better funded marketing departments for your book.

This can also mean that they're so big, authors might seem like an easily overlooked speck in the bigger system. These larger houses also wield more robust legal and design teams and oftentimes veto rights over book details like title and cover art.

It's those legal teams that give pause to many approaching the industry and this is where an agent can be your best friend. Agents are advocates and advisors when it comes to negotiating contract specifics in the author's favor. (More on literary agents in a future dedicated post.)

Small or independent presses are pretty much what they sound like. They're smaller scale traditional publishers who have proportionally smaller budgets and resources (usually). That said, because of their limitations, small presses tend to share the work and instead of having a designated graphic designer, maybe they also do preproduction work. The publisher might also be an editor or publicist, etc.

Small but mighty! Small presses tend to have a more human presence and are interested in publishing what they consider to be great literary work rather than what fits into the current marketing trends, so it's important to research what they value and what they're looking for in a book they publish. Because of their size they can afford to spend more time with their authors, sometimes coaching them or working with them for years to develop a single book. Many small presses will also publish books of poetry which are rarely accepted by Big 5 publishers, given their lackluster track record in sales.

Small presses don't have as large a pool to draw from when it comes to paying authors advances, so understanding these two options and what you want out of a book deal is important. If you're after a bigger advance and are willing to be flexible to get your book to market to the widest audience, then looking more closely at the Big 5 might fit your career goals. If you don't mind a smaller advance (if an advance is even possible), you're confident in the quality of your book and aren't looking to compromise any artistic choices, then small press publishing might be a good choice.

It's a myth that all small press or independent publishers are less successful establishments. Here are a few examples of wonderful independent publishers who've found national and global recognition.

1. GrayWolf Press
2. Europa Editions
3. Milkweed Editions
4. New Directions
5. Mango
6. Melville House
7. Island Press

So what does any of this mean? Where do I start?
​

1. If you want to traditionally publish your book, it's in your best interest to get an agent, first and foremost (assuming you've already edited your book to within an inch of its life. Agents and editors alike aren't interested in seeing first drafts). Getting an agent will NOT cost you anything. This is an important note given the truly unfortunate number of scams out there that are designed to take advantage of new authors.
   
   Many traditional publishers will not accept unsolicited or unrepresented work, which is meant to curb the monumental amount of work submitted for publication at any given time. So rather than hunting for the one needle in the haystack who will take unsolicited and unrepresented submissions, save yourself the headache and begin querying agents instead.
   
   
2. Once you have an agent, they will use their connections in various publishing houses to find an editor who would love your book. They send your manuscript strategically to publishers who are interested in your genre or voice, giving it the best chance of being accepted somewhere.
   
   
3. Once there's an interested editor or three, there can be an auction (it's always exciting to see people who are willing to fight for the right to work with you to publish your book!) in which bids are made and the book is sold to the winner. Depending on your relationship with your agent and their policies, you can usually veto the decisions at this point, choosing who you want to work with of those interested. Feels powerful, no?
   
   
4. Great, your work has been bought by a publisher and you have an assigned editor you're working with now. Your book might go through one or two rounds of revisions, or many. The editing stage really fluctuates depending on the author, editor, and book. The process generally looks like a back and forth between author and editor until you're both happy (within your publishing deadline!). There are lots of background things happening in the publishing house while this is happening. Marketing efforts are coordinated, cover art is being drawn, merch ideas are pitched, etc.
   
   
5. The author is offered a selection of artwork to choose from for the cover and if the publisher wants to change the title (your agent can negotiate your contract to state that the title can't change at the time of signing if you wish, but it's a gamble since the publisher can always deny it) you will get a selection to choose from. Once everything is finalized it goes into the next stages of production and marketing.
   
   
6. Publicists might step in at this point and begin coordinating events or appearances, in-person launches or interviews. Many of these events have become digital in recent years for a number of years, facilitated by COVID lockdowns proving that virtual events actually draw larger crowds since they can be international rather than regional.
   
   
7. The author and editor will get samples (galleys and ARCs (advance reader copies)) for proofreading and final edits. Once those are approved and edits implemented, it goes into the next production stages. If there's an ebook version (and when isn't there an ebook version anymore?) that will be complete a week or two ahead of the print version.
   
   
8. From signing the contract to your book being printed and ready for distribution in the warehouse, the timeline (according to the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 17th ed.) is approximately nine months (mirroring the human gestational period. Coincidence?). Everything can fluctuate of course, and nine months is meant to be a ballpark number to give you an idea of what to expect and how quick the turnaround should be. Delayed publications can hurt the publisher financially and hurt your marketing efforts too, so it's best to try as best you can to meet the deadlines for revisions with your editor.

This article written by Sylvia Liu for Writer's Digest includes some great tips and insights about steps you can take leading up to your book launch to bring you success (regardless of publication method). It's a great look at what kind of work you can expect to do as the author during the publication process.

MisCon
​Missoula, MT; Annual on Memorial Day weekend; June 20-23, 2025

• Adult Four Day Pass: $70.00
• (other passes also available)

https://www.miscon.org/
 
About MisCon
MisCon is a 4-day celebration of fantasy, science fiction, and horror that takes over the Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown every Memorial Day Weekend.
 
Through discussion panels, hangouts, games, readings, craft demos, and workshops, we bring fans together with authors, artists, game designers, actors, costumers, and other professionals in the world of speculative fiction.

​Anime Expo
​Los Angeles, CA; Annual in July; July 3-6, 2025

• Adult 4-day pass: $157.65
• (other passes also available)

https://www.anime-expo.org/

About Anime Expo
Anime Expo (AX) started in 1991 as “Anime Con” by the members of UC Berkeley’s anime club, Cal Animage Alpha. While AX has grown drastically over the years, the core goal has remained the same: to welcome attendees for a fun and memorable experience. Each year, Anime Expo brings together fans and industry from Japan, the US, and all over the world for the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America. Anime Expo features the best in Japanese entertainment, music, fashion, and video games. Anime Expo is organized by SPJA, a 501c3 non-profit organization with a mission to inspire the world through Japanese animation and culture.

Sakura Con
​Seattle, WA; Annual on Easter weekend; April 18-20, 2025

• Adult 3-day membership: $70-$120
• Prices are lowest at pre-registration and go up incrementally as the event approaches. See registration website for details and dates.
• (Other passes also available)

https://sakuracon.org/

About Sakura Con
Presented by the Asia Northwest Cultural Education Association, Sakura-Con is the oldest and most well attended anime convention in the Pacific Northwest.

Enjoy gaming, cosplay, cultural panels, dances, concerts, art contests, AMV’s, industry guests, over 100,000 square feet of exhibits hall, guests of honor, and more!

Remember that pre-registration helps ANCEA, a state and federal non-profit organization. As a member only event, we all work together to keep our event “by fans, for fans.” There are no additional fees for programming once you are at Sakura-Con, including for autographs, concerts, theaters, gaming, etc. (Pretty cool!)

Lilac City Comicon
Spokane, WA; Annual in June; June 7-8, 2025

• VIP 2-day pass: $35

https://www.lilaccitycon.com/

About Lilac City Comicon
Founder Nathan O'Brien had made it his goal to bring a slice of the comic book & pop culture world to the Inland Northwest. "As a freelance artist it's also been a personal goal of mine to support local businesses & provide an affordable event for all ages."

International SFF Events
World Fantasy Con
Brighton, UK; Annual around Halloween; Oct 30-Nov 2, 2025
Oakland, CA; Oct 22-26, 2026

• Adult in-person 3-day pass: £200
• (other memberships also available)

https://worldfantasy.org/​
 
About World Fantasy Con
The first World Fantasy Convention (WFC) was held in 1975 in Providence, Rhode Island (see retrospective of WFC) and it has continued as an annual gathering and reunion of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of light and dark fantasy art and literature. The convention is generally held on one of the two weekends bracketing Halloween, with some light early-bird programming usually beginning Thursday evening and the convention generally concluding Sunday afternoon, usually shortly after the World Fantasy Award Banquet. The awards banquet is a culminating highlight of the convention, offering awards ranging from lifetime achievement, to various aspects of art and literature. Additional highlights include an autograph reception, and often some sort of reception honoring the arts. Individual conventions often use programming and special events to highlight the themes of the convention and local flavor.
 
Partnering with Fantasycon 2025.

Fantasycon
Brighton, UK; Annual in late October

• Adult 4-day Attending (in person) Membership: £200
• (other memberships also available)

https://worldfantasy2025.co.uk/about-the-convention/
 
About FantasyCon (see also WFC above)
Run by the British Fantasy Society. Partnering with WFC for 2025.
 
Worldcon
International (Seattle 2025); Annual in August
https://www.worldcon.org/about-worldcon/
 
About WorldCon
Worldcon is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). It was first held in 1939 and, after a hiatus during WWII, has been held continuously since 1946.

Each Worldcon is an independent organization. Except for a small number of things (the administration of the Hugo Awards, the rules for selecting future Worldcon sites, and the process for changing the rules for the Hugo Awards and Site Selection), Worldcons are independent of each other.

This is the big one. Being an author is like any pursuit of success, unfortunately. No matter what route, be it traditional, self pub, hybrid, small press, or other, being an author means being your own boss.
 
There’s more to it than just writing. (If you just want to do that, then that’s 100% okay too, but that’s not a career, it’s a hobby.)

Unless you have loads of financial security and a budget to hire freelancers and third parties to edit, do layout, design, market, and publicize for you (even if you are traditionally published!). In this case, you can offset much of the work by throwing some money at it. Still work, but less strenuous.
 
Your options can be more or less boiled down to three different (broad) avenues.

• If you’re on board and fired up to do all the work (or have access to aforementioned monies) to find success, then self-publishing might be a good fit for you. This is also a great option for authors who desire complete control. The downside, however, is that you have complete control and responsibility.

 

• If you’re willing to put in some work but maybe don’t want it to completely consume all your time AND you have some cash to invest, then consider hybrid publishing. Hybrid publishers are largely pay to play, so be mindful of financial implications.

 

• If you’re willing to do a moderate amount of work but would really rather be guided, look to traditional and small press publishers to help you out.
  
  (I’m lumping these two options together for now even though they can be quite different. More on that later.)

There's also a secret fourth option: Social Publishing. This is when you publish your work on a blog or social media site. Novels can be serialized this way and pretty much all fan fiction starts this way. For the purposes of this post, I'm going to focus on the publishing avenues that have the potential to end with a printed book in your hands that you can flip through to enjoy that new book smell.

Not to get too into the weeds with this one since author rights is a hot topic right now, but just know that as soon as you write it, your work is protected, and you own 100% of the rights to it. Agents, editors, and readers are absolutely not out to steal your work and even if they were, they couldn’t because of aforementioned rights you own.

• Self publishing means that you keep 100% of the rights to your work, you do 100% of the work, and you keep 100% of the profits. This is especially appealing to many authors with self publishing being one of the easiest (and certainly fastest!) routes to publishing available right now.

 

• Hybrid publishing offers authors a contract that grants them printing and reproduction rights, usually for a limited time. The author retains rights for any other work based on the book (think like movies, video games, audiobooks, etc.) This varies, so be sure to read the contract carefully!

 

• Traditional publishing asks for the same rights as hybrid publishers at the bare minimum. Usually there are clauses in the contract that specify what subsidiary rights (which cover the above mentioned variations) the publisher is interested in buying.
  
  ​Usually traditional publishers have subsidiary rights specialists who pursue things like television show adaptations, movies, foreign language translations, etc. so purchasing these rights from the author (usually for a specified length of time) allows them to pursue bigger profits via different avenues. This is where having an agent is super handy since they help vet those contracts to make sure the author comes out on top and everyone profits.
  
  The author retains some rights but has less control over the decisions ultimately made. For example, instead of having the freedom to design your own book cover or hire an artist, authors are usually given several variations of a cover design that their in house graphic artists and marketing experts have whipped up, and you choose from those. The trade off is that you don’t have to worry about finding and securing distribution and spearheading marketing campaigns. (You still need to market, but you’re not doing it alone.)

These publishing options also have varied financial implications, as you might have guessed. First thing's first: there's not a lot of money in publishing. Being an author often falls into the category of "starving artist" by our culture, but it doesn't have to be that way. You might not make millions (or maybe you're the next best thing! We won't know until you try), but if you're strategic and willing to do the work, you can make a life in which you're certainly not starving (and hopefully happy!).

The overview of these below is broad and perhaps oversimplified, but I'm trying to keep things as direct as I can for these first few steps. There will be more in-depth posts that take deeper dives in the future.

• Traditional publishers offer an advance to authors for their book that is later paid back in sales. This has been under fire in recent years with social media movements like #publishingpaidme showing the disparity between socioeconomic factors and the amount of the advance paid to authors.
  
  This is more nuanced, but the basics are that you are given a sort of loan to live off of while your book is produced and released, which is paid back to the publisher in the form of book sales. If your book doesn't sell, the author can be responsible for paying it back!
  
  
• Small Presses are different in this regard, so I'm giving them their own point here. They are as advertised: small. So they don't usually have the funds to offer authors advances, or if they do, it's not as large as the bigger traditional publishing houses. This means you'd earn royalties more immediately since there's no advance to earn back. Sometimes their royalty rates are better because of this financial setup.
  
  
• Self Publishing is, of course, run 100% by you, and you can't really give yourself an advance unless you find some kind of small business loan (or better: grant). You get to keep what you earn though, rather than having it go to paying back your advance before you get royalties.
  
  
• Hybrid Publishing is, as mentioned previously, pay to play. So you don't get an advance and how the royalties work varies quite a lot. Usually authors get most or all royalties from sales but you've essentially given yourself the advance by paying the publisher and are now trying to earn it back for yourself!

Note: If you are writing something other than a novel (or novel-like life writing) then the publishing options expand and shrink accordingly.
For example, if you're a professor looking to publish a book of research, the process looks quite different and there's only really one model available: University Presses.

For the purposes of this blog and the hypothetical publishing journey we're on, I assume you're writing a novel or something similar. ​