Writing for Anthologies by Julie Bonn Heath

Julie Bonn Heath

The anthology market offers great opportunity for publication for both new and seasoned writers. My first opportunity for publication came through an anthology book and helped me brand my name as a writer. This led to hundreds of articles published, speaking engagements, blogger jobs and my own compilation book, “Then Along Came an Angel: Messengers of Deliverance”. For seasoned writers, anthology writing can assist with keeping your name in the game, further developing your platform and even bring appearance opportunities.

Because I teach anthology classes, I receive questions about the current anthology opportunities in regards to the economy and I am pleased to let you know that although the small story markets decreased sharply a few years back, the current economic situation is not greatly affecting the opportunity for publication through anthologies.

Here are some of my tips for publishing in nonfiction anthology books:

Spruce up your writing skills. I recommend reading, underlining and re-reading the book “Writing for Story” by Jon Franklin. Make sure you read the award-winning stories within the book that Franklin has written.

Choose a story from your life or someone else’s that evokes emotion and has a defining moment of a lesson learned or impact. If you have a memoir in you but hesitate to send it out because “memoirs aren’t selling well”, smaller stories in anthology books may be the answer for you.

Format your story with the title and your by-line at the top. Double-Space and use size 12 Times New Roman Font.

Write the story as if it is fiction-using dialogue and thoughts throughout. Watch for passive verbs. Then re-write it. You aren’t done with your story until it shines. Note: Do not do this all in one day. Let your story sit a day or two before going back to make changes.

Send it to your critique partners or read it to your writing group. Consider all suggestions.

Finalize your story and write another as you look for markets.

Find market listings through: Chicken Soup (link to http://www.chickensoup.com/form.asp?cid=possible_books), Adams Media (link to: http://www.adamsmedia.com/Default.aspx?tabid=495), Funds for Writers (link to: http://www.fundsforwriters.com/) and TheContestingAnthologist (link to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheContestingAnthologist/?yguid=178686743). If you are on Yahoo or Google Groups, I recommend that you do an “anthology” search to see which groups actively discuss anthologies and provide market information.

BIO:

Julie Bonn Heath (www.juliebonnheath.com) is an author and PR/Marketing Consultant. She offers blog tours as one of her many services. She has stories in the anthologies “Classic Christmas”, “Nudges from God”, “Living by Faith”, “Then Along Came an Angel” and the upcoming “Chicken Soup for the Friend’s Soul”. Read stories from her angel book and view tour information with Joan Wester Anderson at http://www.thenalongcameanangel.blogspot.com