Hello Writer Friends!

We’re popping into your inbox with 3 fabulous things today.

1. This is your LAST CHANCE to register for our Substack Playbook for Writers course. The one platform agents and editors have recommended to us this past year is Substack, so … we did a deep dive so we can teach you how to get started (with content your audience actually wants), how to utilize all the extras Substack offers (it’s NOT just a newsletter service), and how to grow organically! Get info HERE.

   1. Unlimited replays, so you can watch (and rewatch) on your own schedule!

   2. A course workbook!

   3. An incredibly thorough course designed to help you get started, get noticed, and get subscribers!

   4. The course starts Monday. Even if you can’t (or don’t want to!) attend live, be sure to claim your spot so that you receive all replays and course materials to save for when you’re ready to engage!

2. Write a book with us this August! Our popular AUGUST STORY SPRINT is back.

   1. Daily community writing sprints on Zoom!

   2. Weekly group mentorship sessions!

   3. Pop-up writing challenges!

   4. Friends, encouragement, and plenty of progress on your WIP!

   5. Get more info HERE and join the fun!

3. After you write your book with us this August, take a look at these 14 publishers who are accepting submissions this fall!

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Before you submit to anyone on this list, go to their submissions page and confirm their current status (and how they want you to submit). This list reflects verified information at the time of research.

• Skyhorse Publishing
  One of the fastest-growing independent publishers in the country, distributed through Simon and Schuster, Skyhorse accepts unagented submissions across a wide range of nonfiction categories including history, true crime, politics, rural living, humor, health, and military. They also publish commercial fiction through imprints including Arcade Publishing for literary fiction and Talos and Night Shade Books for speculative fiction.
  Submissions page

• ECW Press
  One of Canada’s most versatile independent publishers, ECW accepts unagented submissions across a broad range, including popular culture, biography, memoir, mystery, graphic novels, and essay collections. Check their website for their current acquisitions wishlist before submitting.
  Submissions page

• Llewellyn Worldwide
  A major independent publisher specializing in mind, body, and spirit titles with wide distribution, Llewellyn accepts unagented proposals for books on wellness, self-help, astrology, tarot and divination, paganism, meditation, and metaphysical topics.
  Submissions page

• Entangled Publishing
  A commercial fiction publisher with a strong track record in romance, romantasy, new adult, and YA across multiple imprints, including Red Tower Books, Amara, Mischief Books, and Mayhem Books. Entangled accepts unagented submissions through imprint-specific portals on their website. They’ve launched numerous New York Times bestselling authors and are consistently open to debut writers. Check the submissions section of their website for currently open imprints and specific genre guidelines, as each imprint has its own requirements.
  Submissions page

• Black Rose Writing
  An independent press that accepts unagented submissions year-round across a wide range of commercial fiction genres, including mystery, thriller, horror, romance, science fiction, and literary fiction.
  Submissions page

• Aethon Books
  A growing independent publisher focused on commercial speculative fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, progression fantasy, and thriller. Aethon accepts unagented submissions and has built a strong reputation in the SFF community for working closely with authors.
  Submissions page

• Oceanview Publishing
  An independent publisher specializing exclusively in mystery, thriller, and suspense, distributed through Independent Publishers Group for wide bookstore reach. Oceanview has published International Thriller Writers Award winners and New York Times bestselling authors and accepts unagented submissions year-round.
  Submissions page

• Poisoned Pen Press
  Now an imprint of Sourcebooks, one of the largest independent publishers in the country, Poisoned Pen is one of the most prestigious mystery publishers in the world, with Edgar Award winners and New York Times bestsellers, including Freida McFadden and Darcy Coates in their catalog. They accept unagented submissions exclusively in adult mystery across all subgenres including historical mystery, cozy mystery, psychological suspense, and international crime fiction.
  Submissions page

• Chicago Review Press
  A well-regarded independent publisher specializing in narrative nonfiction, history, biography, and popular culture. Chicago Review Press accepts unagented proposals and is a particularly strong option for writers working on accessible, well-researched nonfiction for general readers rather than academic audiences.
  Submissions page

• Baen Books
  One of the most well-known and well-distributed publishers of science fiction and fantasy in the country. Baen accepts unagented full manuscript submissions year-round via their online submission form.
  Submissions page

• Angry Robot Books
  An independent UK-based publisher with strong global distribution and a devoted community of SFF readers. They accept unagented full manuscripts during their annual Open Door submission period. They publish adult science fiction, fantasy, and horror and are known for genre-bending work and bold, diverse voices. As of July 2026 they are closed to general unagented submissions outside the Open Door window, so watch their website and socials closely for the fall announcement.
  Submissions page

• Flame Tree Press
  An independent UK publisher with strong international distribution. Flame Tree Press accepts unagented submissions of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and supernatural fiction.
  Submissions page

• Turner Publishing
  An award-winning independent publisher based in Nashville, named five times to Publishers Weekly’s Fastest Growing Publishers list and distributed through Ingram. Turner accepts submissions directly from authors and agents year-round for both fiction and nonfiction across a range of genres, including history, mystery, romance, YA, health and wellness, business, and cookbooks.
  Submissions page

• Andrews McMeel Publishing
  One of the largest independent publishers in the country, distributed through Simon and Schuster. Publishes poetry, inspiration, humor, gift books, and children’s books. They explicitly welcome submissions from creators as well as agents and accept them via email or mail year-round. A
  Submissions page

If you’d like help crafting a query letter that gets results, developing your manuscript to submission readiness, or building a strategic querying plan from the ground up, our ICONIC mentorship program can help!

Our most recent graduate had 8 literary agents offering representation and just sold in a 6-figure pre-empt deal to a major house!

You can learn more about our ICONIC mentorship program here.

Substack is quickly becoming agents’ and editors’ most recommended platform for writers, and it’s SO much more than a newsletter service. Learn everything you need to know to get started, get discovered, and grow!

PLUS learn how to use Substack’s discoverability features to your advantage and explore the extras (like podcast hosting!).

If you’ve wondered if Substack is right for you, or you’ve started one and need help growing, this is the course for you!

Three live classes. UNLIMITED replays. A course workbook.

Hurry! Registration is limited, and today is the last day to use our early bird discount!

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Hello-hello, writer friends!

💌 It’s that time again! Let’s pull up your throne of procrastination, chug that lukewarm coffee, and dive in—because you’ve earned this glorious mess of industry news and legitimate ways to get PAID!😉

As always, if you didn’t grab your FREEBIES for signing up, be sure to get them here: Writer’s Paycheck Booster Pack!

Thank you for your support of The Writer’s Paycheck and this dynamite growing community. 🧡 ~ Mary & C.J.

P.S., If you find this issue helpful, feel free to forward it! Word-of-mouth is how we grow. ❤️

Psst … Every newsletter we send out features a fresh batch of handpicked leads. Enjoy!

Why Every Serious Writer Needs a Substack Right Now (And why we built a course to help you! Info on early bird discount below!)

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from publishers, agents, and publicists, it’s that Substack is now the number one platform they recommend for writers who want to build a sustainable career. We hear it in every industry conversation, at every conference, and from every marketing professional who’s paying attention to what’s actually working right now.

Let’s talk about why.

The Algorithm Problem

Is social media dead? Nope! It’s still a key component in growing your audience. But here’s the problem with building your entire platform on social media: success there is measured by an algorithm that is built around short, punchy content designed for minimal attention spans. Longer, more thoughtful content can absolutely work, but it’s a much harder climb. The algorithms weren’t designed with writers in mind.

Substack was.

The platform was built specifically to reward the kind of content writers are already good at creating: substantive, voice-driven, relationship-building writing that earns loyal readers over time. There’s no algorithm deciding who sees your work. Every subscriber you earn gets every post you send, directly to their inbox.

Substack also has some fabulous discoverability tools that mean it can help potential subscribers find you!

Kathleen Schmidt, a publishing PR veteran with over 30 years in the industry who has worked with major publishers including Penguin Random House and Hachette, has written publicly that as traditional media coverage of books continues to shrink, authors and publishers need to pivot toward direct audience development. Substack, she notes, has seen explosive growth in book coverage precisely as mainstream media coverage declines. Literary agents, editors, publicists, and prominent cultural journalists are all active on the platform. The readers who are there want to read. That matters enormously for writers.

What Substack Does That Social Media Can’t

People subscribe to a writer’s Substack because they’ve already decided they like that writer. They’re not casually scrolling past your content. They opted in, which means they’re actively choosing to show up for what you have to say. That’s a completely different level of reader relationship.

What this community wants is access. The insider behind-the-scenes stories about how your book came to be. The funny, true, longer-than-a-caption stories about your life as a writer. The things that are too nuanced for a social media post and too personal for a press release. Substack turns you from “just another author” into “internet friend” with one subscription, and that shift is what’s directly responsible for building the kind of loyal fanbases that make book launches actually work.

And here’s something many writers don’t know: Substack now functions as a full publishing ecosystem, not just a newsletter platform. Notes lets you post shorter content directly into a feed that other Substack readers can discover, comment on, and share, and it now supports video and scheduling. The recommendations feature creates a cross-promotion system where other writers recommend your publication to their subscribers. There are community tools, live events, podcasting capabilities, and a growing internal discovery system that actively helps new readers find you.

The platform has over 35 million active readers and writers, and that number keeps climbing.

The other thing Substack offers that no social media platform can match: you own your audience. Every subscriber is on your email list. Not Substack’s list. Yours. If the platform disappeared tomorrow, you’d still have your readers’ contact information and the ability to reach them. That kind of ownership is something writers have never had access to through social media, and it’s one of the most compelling reasons the publishing industry has shifted its recommendations so definitively toward Substack.

The Platform Where Agents and Editors Are Actually Watching

Literary agents are on Substack. Not just recommending it for writers, but actively using it themselves, publishing their own newsletters, sharing industry insights, and watching what’s happening in the writing community there. Editors are there. Publicists are there. Book critics and journalists who used to write for traditional media outlets are building significant audiences on Substack as those outlets shrink.

What this means practically is that a well-executed Substack puts your writing in front of the people you want to network with, not through a cold query in a slush pile, but through the quality of your work and your voice over time.

For nonfiction writers in particular, a strong Substack is increasingly part of what agents expect to see when evaluating a proposal. It’s proof of concept, demonstrated audience, and platform all in one place. For fiction writers, the benefit is slightly different but just as real: a Substack builds the kind of reader loyalty that makes your book launch something your community actually mobilizes around, rather than something you announce into the void.

Social media isn’t out. But Substack is in, and the gap between writers who understand how to use it and writers who are still treating it like a basic newsletter is only going to grow.

If you are serious about making a career out of writing, there’s no other way about it. You need a Substack. The question isn’t whether to start one. It’s whether you’re going to build it strategically or wing it and wonder why it isn’t growing.

We Built a Course to Help You!

That’s why we put together The Substack Playbook for Writers, a three-session live virtual course designed to help you build a Substack that helps launch your career. We’ll help you:

• find your umbrella topic

• set up every part of your Substack correctly

• migrate your existing subscribers without losing anyone

• use the platform’s growth tools the same way successful writers are using them right now

• and more!

You’ll leave with a 90-day growth plan and a reader-focused publication built for your writing career, not just your next book launch.

Sessions run July 27 through 29 from 1 to 3 pm ET, with replays sent daily so you can attend on your own schedule. The course is $147, with an early bird rate of $97 through July 12th. You’ll get six hours of instruction, unlimited replay access, and our course workbook.

Registration is LIMITED. You can learn more and grab your spot here!

⌨️ Publishing News

(Industry News & Insights)

1. How adorable is this Jane Austen bookstore?

2. Um… this is wild: AI Michael Caine narrates Odyssey audiobook | The Guardian

3. Anyone enjoy horror? Eli Roth Partnering with Publisher for Horror Books

Get 7 more NEED-TO-KNOW Industry News links with your paid subscription, including more articles on:

• Are YA books coming back?

• A new home for self-published authors…

• & more!

💼 Job Board

• Content Marketing Writer - Intro

• Freelance Finance Content Writer - Mint Studios

• BONUS: Book Writing Project - Freelance

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• Ghostwriter needed!

• Paranormal romance writer needed!

• & more!

Feel free to enjoy them on us! Just use the 7-day free trial (it’s commitment-free!).❤️

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ON THE BLOG:

• Blog: How to Write a Synopsis That Sells Your Book

• Blog (paid subscribers only): 30 New(er) Literary Agents Who are Currently Building Their Lists!

NEED TO KNOW (in the paid section below):

→ How to Build a Thriving Writing Career When Traditional Publishing Is in Upheaval

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• The Storyteller’s Weekly Journal

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Finding the right agent is one of the most important steps in a writer’s publishing journey, and querying agents who are actively building their lists is a great place to start! New and newer agents are hungry, motivated, and genuinely excited to find their next great project. They have more time per query, they tend to respond more personally, and because they’re building a career alongside you, they’re often fiercely committed advocates.

Every agent on this list has been cross-referenced against QueryTracker, agency websites, and industry sources. That said, agent information changes quickly. Always verify directly on the agency website and QueryTracker before you submit.

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1. Ava Lauren Grayson
Lowenstein Associates
Joined Lowenstein in 2026 after several years as an editor at Quill and Flame Publishing House. Seeking literary fiction, horror, romantasy, gothic, YA, romance, fantasy, and narrative nonfiction. Especially interested in debut authors, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ stories, and genre-blending work. Will consider any genre if the writing is compelling.

Query: ava@bookhaven.com with QUERY in the subject line and first chapter attached as a Word document. No response within 8 weeks = pass.

2. Olivia Emerick
Metamorphosis Literary Agency
A Boston College English and Classics graduate whose publishing background includes literary magazines and theatre production. Seeking commercial fiction for YA and adult audiences in romance, fantasy, mythology, dark academia, horror, thriller, and dystopian genres. Especially interested in genre-blending manuscripts and passionate about representing neurodivergent and disabled authors. Not seeking children’s, MG, dark romance, science fiction, high/epic fantasy, literary fiction, or nonfiction.

Query via QueryManager on the agency website.

3. Gemma Paynter
P.S. Literary Agency
Associate agent at PSLA with over a decade of background in marketing and strategy, including time at Harlequin. Seeking adult fiction and nonfiction that subverts expectations. In nonfiction: narrative projects blending memoir with expertise, pop culture, pop science, fashion, design, and history of subcultures and counterculture. In fiction: immersive atmosphere, twisty storytelling, and offbeat wit.

Query via the agency website.

4. Maria Carolina Ministeri
Ginger Clark Literary
One of the newest members of Ginger Clark’s team, joining in June 2026. Born in Venezuela, raised in South Florida, and fluent in English and Spanish. Started in publishing through the Writers House intern program. Seeking adult, crossover, and YA fiction across genres with compelling characters, complex relationships, and immersive settings real or imagined.

Query: mministeri@gingerclarkliterary.com with “mcm query” in the subject line and first 15 pages included.

5. Charlie Serabian
Martin-Newens Literary Management
Came to agenting from a background in screenwriting and commercial film production, previously at Global Lion Intellectual Property Management. Seeking genre fiction of all kinds with a special love for sci-fi and fantasy with strong style, prose, and characterization. Also seeking narrative nonfiction, American Indian voices, fitness and wellness, outdoors, cookbooks, and travel.

Query via the agency website. Note: Jess Taylor (#6) is also at Martin-Newens. Query only one at a time.

6. Jess Taylor
Martin-Newens Literary Management
Spent six years acquiring children’s books, YA, nonfiction, and fiction for a Virginia-based publisher before joining Martin-Newens. Seeking young adult, new adult, and select romance.

Query via QueryManager on the agency website. Note: Charlie Serabian (#5) is also at Martin-Newens. Query only one at a time.

7. Natalie Sun
Hannigan Getzler Literary
NYU English graduate who joined HG Literary (now Hannigan Getzler) to assist Carrie Hannigan and is now actively building her own list. Primarily interested in YA and adult fantasy of all kinds but will read any genre of fiction. Loves found family, original magic systems, complex dynamics, retellings, and romance.

Query via the agency website. Note: Jillian Schelzi (#18) is also at Hannigan Getzler. Query only one at a time.

Read more

Hello-hello, writer friends!

💌 It’s that time again! Let’s pull up your throne of procrastination, chug that lukewarm coffee, and dive in—because you’ve earned this glorious mess of industry news and legitimate ways to get PAID!😉

As always, if you didn’t grab your FREEBIES for signing up, be sure to get them here: Writer’s Paycheck Booster Pack!

Thank you for your support of The Writer’s Paycheck and this dynamite growing community. 🧡 ~ Mary & C.J.

P.S., If you find this issue helpful, feel free to forward it! Word-of-mouth is how we grow. ❤️

Psst … Every newsletter we send out features a fresh batch of handpicked leads. Enjoy!

⌨️ Publishing News

(Industry News & Insights)

1. Authors Guild just put out a FASCINATING study on where readers are getting their books from and the impact on author income

2. Also FASCINATING? This article from the Guardian

3. And this article on the complexities of AI for publishers is EXCELLENT

Get 7 more NEED-TO-KNOW Industry News links with your paid subscription, including more articles on:

• Let’s talk about Manga…

• The real issue publishers are facing with AI

• & more!

💼 Job Board

• Script Reviewer - Crealon Media

• Movies & TV Reporter - Valnet Inc. (Freelance)

• BONUS: Editing and Ghostwriting for Novel

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• Ghostwriter needed!

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ON THE BLOG:

• Blog: The First Page Test: How to Hook Readers in Paragraph One

• Blog (paid subscribers only—FREE THIS WEEK): Someone Wants to Make Your Book Into a Movie

NEED TO KNOW (in the paid section below):

→ How to Build a Thriving Writing Career When Traditional Publishing Is in Upheaval

👉 Read the full feature via the paid subscription or 7-day free trail.

RESOURCE BOOKS!

• The Storyteller’s Weekly Journal

• The Storyteller’s Guide to SCENE WRITING

• Creating the HIGH STAKES STORY

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While publishing remains in a weird flux, and book sales are hit and miss, there’s some good news for writers.

The book-to-screen pipeline is more active right now than it’s been in years. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are both maintaining aggressive literary acquisition programs. Six-figure option fees for BookTok bestselling novels are no longer unusual. Streaming platforms are specifically hungry for the kind of character-driven, emotionally complex stories that traditional Hollywood studios have historically undervalued. And authors at every level, not just the famous ones, are getting calls from producers.

So let’s talk about book options, what the process looks like from beginning to end, what rights you need to protect, and what you can do right now to give your book a better shot at the adaptation pipeline.

What an Option Actually Is

An option agreement is not a deal to make your book into a movie. It’s a deal that gives a producer or studio the exclusive right to try to make your book into a movie, for a defined period of time, in exchange for a fee.

During the option period, which typically runs 12 to 18 months and is often renewable, the producer controls your screen rights. That means you can’t sell those rights to anyone else while the option is active. The producer uses that time to develop a screenplay, attach talent, and try to secure financing and distribution. Most optioned books never move past this stage. Industry estimates suggest fewer than 10% of optioned books reach production. That’s not a reason not to option your book. It’s a reason to understand what you’re agreeing to and make sure the terms protect you if the project doesn’t move forward.

If the producer does move forward, the option converts into a purchase agreement, and they pay the full purchase price for your rights. The option fee itself, which is typically 1% to 5% of the eventual purchase price, usually gets applied against that amount.

The Money

Option fees vary enormously based on the book’s profile, the author’s track record, and how much the producer wants the property. (And also on the size and finances of the studio or producer who wants the option.)

For a debut novel from an unknown author, an option fee might be a few thousand dollars. For a BookTok bestseller with an existing audience, six figures is a possibility. Every time an option renews for an additional period, there should be an additional payment. Make sure your agreement specifies this explicitly.

The full purchase price, paid when the project moves into production, is usually negotiated separately and can range from tens of thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the project. How you share in profits from the film or series itself is a separate negotiation. Don’t sign away those terms without legal counsel. An entertainment lawyer can help if you don’t have a literary or film agent on board to look over the contract.

What Rights Are Actually on the Table

This is where writers get into trouble most often, because “screen rights” is not one thing.

A producer might want theatrical rights (film), television rights, streaming rights, or all of the above. They’ll almost certainly want sequel and prequel rights, which means if your book is part of a series, or if you intend to write more books in the same world with the same characters, you need to understand exactly what you’re signing. A producer can option a property that includes the characters and themes of the work, which could affect your ability to use those characters in future books if the option language is broad enough. (No really. A member of The Writer’s Sanctuary’s staff ran into this when a studio tried to sneak in language that would give them rights to all worlds, characters, and storylines for any additional books published in the series, and that included print rights!)

Producers will also typically ask for spin-off rights and sometimes merchandising rights. They want to know they can build a franchise if the first project works. This is reasonable for them to ask for. It’s also reasonable for you to negotiate what you’re comfortable giving and under what terms.

Rights you should fight to keep if at all possible include audio rights, stage rights, and the right to publish sequels and related books without interference. Make sure your agreement specifies exactly which rights are being optioned and includes a general reservation clause stating that any rights not expressly granted remain with you.

What Your Publishing Contract Has to Do With All of This

If you’re traditionally published, this conversation starts earlier than you might think. When you sign a book deal, your publisher will want to negotiate subsidiary rights, which include film and television.

The best practice is to KEEP dramatic, film, and television rights for yourself unless your publisher has a proven track record of selling them and specific affiliations or relationships that make them genuinely better positioned to do so than you are. This is a negotiating point, and your agent should be fighting for it. If you’ve already signed a deal and granted these rights to your publisher, talk to your agent about what that means for your position if a producer comes calling.

If you’re self-published, you own all of your rights by default.

The Clauses You Must Have

A reversion clause is non-negotiable. This is the provision that returns your rights to you if the producer doesn’t move the project into production within a defined period. Without a reversion clause, your rights can be tied up indefinitely in development limbo. For the option period itself, make sure there’s a clear end date and that renewal is not automatic.

A holdback provision will often appear in the agreement as well. This limits your ability to exploit certain reserved rights during the option period, for example preventing you from staging a theatrical production of the same story while a film is in development. Make sure you understand exactly what holdbacks are being requested and for how long they apply.

Make sure your agreement specifies credit terms, meaning how your name appears in connection with the project.

IMPORTANT!

This is crucial. Do not sign an option agreement without an entertainment lawyer reviewing it. If you have a film agent, their legal department will do this.

How to Make Your Book More Optionable

The books that attract producer interest tend to share certain qualities. They have a premise you can describe in one sentence that immediately creates a visual in the listener’s mind. They have a strong, defined world that translates to screen. They have characters who drive the action rather than simply reacting to it. They have dramatic, escalating tension with clear stakes. And they have a commercially accessible entry point even if the subject matter is complex.

Commercial genre fiction, particularly psychological domestic suspense, thriller, romantic suspense, fantasy with strong world-building, and horror, is performing especially well in the streaming adaptation market right now. Netflix and Amazon are actively acquiring across these categories. Amazon’s MGM Studios has been particularly aggressive in the domestic thriller space.

Scouts for streaming platforms and production companies are watching social media for books generating organic reader excitement.

Series potential is a significant bonus. Streaming platforms in particular are looking for intellectual property with franchise potential, characters and worlds that can sustain multiple seasons or projects. If your book is the first in a planned series, say so clearly in any conversations with producers.

Finally, don’t wait for a producer to find you. If you have a traditionally published book and an agent, have a conversation with your agent about actively pitching to production companies. If you’re self-published, book fairs like London Book Fair and Frankfurt are places where rights deals get made, and there are scouts and producers active there. This is not a passive process. Writers who end up with adaptation deals are often writers who put themselves and their work in the right conversations.

The adaptation world is more open to more kinds of writers than it’s ever been. Streaming changed that. The writers who navigate it successfully are the ones who understood the process going in.

If you want to talk through how to position your book for adaptation potential, how to evaluate an option offer, or how to protect your rights throughout the publishing and production process, we can help! You can learn more about our ICONIC mentorship program here.

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Hello-hello, writer friends!

💌 We’re giving all of you FREE full access to this week’s newsletter - as our way of saying THANKS for being here!! Enjoy!!!

As always, if you didn’t grab your FREEBIES for signing up, be sure to get them here: Writer’s Paycheck Booster Pack!

Thank you for your support of The Writer’s Paycheck and this dynamite growing community. 🧡 ~ Mary & C.J.

P.S., If you find this issue helpful, feel free to forward it! Word-of-mouth is how we grow. ❤️

Psst … Every newsletter we send out features a fresh batch of handpicked leads. Enjoy!

Congratulations to our Pitch Writing Contest Winner, Inessa Sage! You get a 1/2 hour call with Root Literary Agent Samanatha Fabien!

And congrats to runner-ups Kayleigh Fan & DeAnna Yvette!

(Also, 3 of you finalists have manuscript requests from Root Literary!!! You’ll hear from us soon!)

⌨️ Publishing News

(Industry News & Insights)

1. Okay, let’s pull it together, guys — Judge Halts Anthropic's $1.5 Billion Author Deal Over Transparency Concerns | PCMag

2. Eco-friendly printing, print-on-demand models, recycled materials, and renewable energy, while promoting diverse voices — How Independent Publishers Are Helping Advance Sustainability

3. James Patterson teams up with Vanderbilt University to launch early literacy institute — pledging $10 million

Get 7 more NEED-TO-KNOW Industry News links with your paid subscription, including more articles on:

• Indie authors redefining the publishing world!

• A new publishing imprint in town!

• & more!

💼 Job Board

• Chronic Condition Personal Experience Writers - Bezzy (Freelance)

• Editorial Assistant (NYC Hybrid) - Harper Collins Storytide

• BONUS: Contributing Writer, Pop Culture (Freelance)

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• Article Writer Needed!

• Game Development Writer Needed!

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ON THE BLOG:

• Blog: How to Write a Plot Twist That Genuinely Surprises People

• Blog (paid subscribers only—FREE THIS WEEK): The Writer's Guide to Revising a Manuscript Without Losing Your Mind

NEED TO KNOW (in the paid section below):

→ How to Build a Thriving Writing Career When Traditional Publishing Is in Upheaval

👉 Read the full feature via the paid subscription or 7-day free trail.

RESOURCE BOOKS!

• The Storyteller’s Weekly Journal

• The Storyteller’s Guide to SCENE WRITING

• Creating the HIGH STAKES STORY

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🔐💎You’re behind the velvet rope, baby. Only paid subscribers get this kind of access. Here you goooooo…

⌨️ More Publishing News

(Industry News & Insights)

1. How indie authors are redefining the publishing world - The Daily

2. NEW IMPRINT in town! — PW Close-Up: Eerdmans Unveils Here Below Books Imprint

3. Audible officially in the Netherlands — Audible officieel live in Nederland - inct

4. Good News! — Bloomsbury and NLT hail Hastings reading programme as 'blueprint' for tackling reading crisis

5. From counterculture to pop culture: The story of indie publisher Headpress Books - The Mancunion

6. Marvel TV’s Brad Winderbaum Takes Comics Publishing; Dan Buckley Exits — “From events like Civil War, Secret Wars, X-Men: Age of Krakoa, and the soon to be released Marvel Midnight imprint, to the expansion into video games, television, animation and more…”

7. Indie-to-Icon: 8 Independently Published Authors Who Shot to the Top of Best Seller Lists

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Get Paid to Support Indie Bookstores. Yes, Really.

This is an exciting opportunity, both for published and unpublished writers, aaaaand you get to support indie bookstores at the same time. It’s a win-win!

If you haven’t set up a Bookshop.org affiliate account yet, you’re leaving money on the table.

Let’s talk about what Bookshop.org is, why it matters for you right now, and exactly how to use it, because this is one of those things that takes about ten minutes to set up and then keeps paying you back indefinitely.

What Bookshop.org Is and Why It Exists

Bookshop.org launched in January 2020 with a simple, genuinely good mission: give readers a way to buy books online without handing all the money to Amazon, and direct that money toward independent bookstores instead. It’s a certified B-Corp, which means it’s legally accountable to do what it says it will do.

Since launching, Bookshop.org has donated over nearly 48 million to indie bookstores! In 2025 alone it reached nearly $70 million in revenue, a 55% jump over the year before, which means it’s not a scrappy little nonprofit hoping to survive. It’s a serious, growing platform with over four million readers and relationships with more than 3,400 independent bookstores across the US and UK.

Here’s how it works. When someone buys a book through Bookshop.org, the indie bookstore affiliated with that sale earns 30% of the purchase price, which is roughly the full profit margin on the sale. If no specific bookstore is chosen, the profits get pooled and distributed evenly twice a year among all participating indie bookstores, even ones that haven’t made a single sale themselves.

Here’s the part that’s directly relevant to you: there’s an affiliate program for authors, and it’s one of the simplest and most underused income tools in publishing. (And you can use it before you’re published!)

How the Affiliate Program Works for Authors

Signing up is free and takes about ten minutes. Once you’re in, you get your own Bookshop.org storefront where you can list your books, create curated reading lists, and generate affiliate links to use anywhere online. Newsletter, Instagram, your author website, wherever you’re sending readers who want to buy your books.

Every time someone clicks your affiliate link and buys a book on Bookshop.org, you earn a 10% commission on the list price of that sale. If you’re a traditionally published author, that 10% is on top of your normal royalty. Bookshop’s own website describes this as a way for authors to effectively double their royalties on sales you drive, and while “double” depends on your specific royalty rate, the point stands. You’re earning more per sale than you would if that same reader had clicked an Amazon link.

Compare that to Amazon’s affiliate rate, which is 4.5% for books. Bookshop affiliates earn 10%. And when someone buys through your Bookshop link, an additional 10% of that sale goes into the indie bookstore pool. So you earn more, and indie bookstores earn too. That’s a genuinely good deal for everyone involved.

What You Can Do With Your Storefront

Once your account is set up, you have a few tools worth using strategically.

1. List your own books. This is the obvious one. Your storefront becomes a place readers can land and buy directly, with your affiliate link already embedded, so you’re earning that commission automatically.

2. Build curated lists. This is where authors tend to undersell themselves. You can create themed reading lists: books that are similar to yours, books that inspired you, books you recommend for readers who love your genre … you get the picture. These lists live on your Bookshop storefront and any sale made through them earns you the 10% commission. A well-built list of comp titles or genre favorites is passive income that works whether you’re watching or not.

3. Generate individual affiliate links for any book. When you’re recommending someone else’s book in your newsletter, on Instagram, or on your website, link to it through Bookshop instead of Amazon. You’ll earn 10% if someone clicks through and buys, and you’ll be supporting indie bookstores at the same time. This applies to every book recommendation you ever make, not just your own titles.

4. Use the widget code. Bookshop lets you generate embeddable widgets that you can put directly on your author website, so visitors see your books with a buy button already linked to your affiliate account. You don’t have to redirect anyone or add extra steps. The link is built in.

Bookshop uses last-touch attribution, meaning whoever’s affiliate link was clicked most recently before the purchase earns the commission. So if a reader clicks your link, browses around, and then comes back to buy a few days later, you still earn the commission as long as your link was the last one they clicked. As with any affiliate program, you’re required to disclose your affiliate relationship when promoting your links, which is a standard practice.

A Note About Where Your Books Live on Bookshop.org

If you’re traditionally published, your books are almost certainly already on Bookshop.org. Most traditional publishers distribute through Ingram, and Ingram is Bookshop’s primary distribution partner. You don’t have to do anything special to get your books listed. You just need to set up your affiliate account and start directing traffic there.

If you’re self-published through KDP (Amazon’s self-publishing platform), your print books may be harder to find on Bookshop.org because KDP and Ingram don’t always sync cleanly. One way around this is to also distribute your print books through IngramSpark, which puts them into the same distribution network Bookshop uses. It’s worth investigating if this is your situation.

Big News for Indie Authors: The Draft2Digital Partnership

In February 2026, Bookshop.org announced a major partnership with Draft2Digital, one of the largest digital publishing and distribution platforms for indie authors. This is significant news if you self-publish your ebooks.

Through this partnership, self-published ebooks distributed through Draft2Digital are now available for sale on Bookshop.org and therefore through all 3,400+ indie bookstores on the platform. If you’re a Draft2Digital author, all you have to do is log into your publishing dashboard and opt your books in to Bookshop.org as a distribution channel. That’s it. Your ebooks then become available through indie bookstores for the first time, and 100% of Bookshop’s ebook profit goes directly to the affiliated indie bookstore making the sale.

Before this partnership, indie ebook authors basically had Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, and a few others. Now they have indie bookstores too.

Why This Matters Beyond the Commission

Amazon now controls a substantial portion of how books are discovered, sold, and read in the English-speaking world. That level of market concentration is not great for writers, for readers, or for literary culture generally. Bookshop.org exists specifically to offer an alternative, and the more readers use it, the stronger that alternative becomes.

When you direct your readers to Bookshop instead of Amazon, you’re not just earning a slightly better commission. You’re contributing to keeping indie bookstores economically viable. Indie bookstores are where authors get shelf placement, where local communities discover books, where kids develop reading habits. They’re worth keeping alive.

You can set up your affiliate account at bookshop.org/affiliates/profile/introduction.

If you're ready to work on the business side of your writing career alongside the craft, that's exactly what we dig into inside ICONIC, our year-long mentorship program for writers who are serious about building something sustainable. You can learn more at ICONIC.

Recent Icons have:

• had agents enter a bidding war over their manuscripts

• signed publishing contracts

• launched thriving indie careers

• and networked their way into co-writing a commercial series with an established New York Times bestselling author

We have limited spots available, and we’d love to talk to you about whether Iconic is the right fit for where you are right now.

Learn more about Iconic here.

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Thank you for supporting The Writer’s Paycheck. We hope this week’s issue moves you closer to the writing life you want (and pays a few bills while you're at it). We’re cheering you on every step of the way.

— Mary & C.J.
(Slightly caffeinated. Definitely behind on deadlines. 100% here for you.)

Hello-hello, writer friends!

💌 It’s that time again! Let’s pull up your throne of procrastination, chug that lukewarm coffee, and dive in—because you’ve earned this glorious mess of industry news and legitimate ways to get PAID!😉

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Thank you for your support of The Writer’s Paycheck and this dynamite growing community. 🧡 ~ Mary & C.J.

P.S., If you find this issue helpful, feel free to forward it! Word-of-mouth is how we grow. ❤️

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(Industry News & Insights)

1. Oh hey, Substack. We see you: How Substack became the new book tour

2. Publishers and Authors Sue Meta, Alleging ‘Massive’ Copyright Infringement - and literally NO ONE is surprised

3. This is wild: Man admits to $48M publishing scam targeting seniors

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Okay, first things first. You finished a draft! We’re cheering for you, and we hope you celebrate.

But … as soon as you’re done celebrating and are ready to get back to work, that manuscript is staring you down. It’s full of possibilities. And plot holes. And clunky phrasing. And subplots that seem to have been run over by a bus halfway through the story.

It’s fine. No, really. It is. Wasn’t it F. Scott Fitzgerald who said the art of writing is the art of rewriting?

We once heard a published author say that writing the first draft is like filling a sandbox with sand. Revision is turning that sand into a castle.

That’s the most accurate analogy we’ve heard. Revision truly isn’t about fixing what’s wrong. It’s about discovering what the book actually wants to be, and then making it that. Your first draft was you telling yourself the story. Revision is where you tell it to the reader. Those are two different jobs, and they require different approaches.

Let’s walk through it.

Step one: Put it down and walk away

That’s right. Back awaaaaay from the manuscript. Leave it alone for a couple of weeks.

This isn’t procrastination. (Okay, FINE. Sometimes it turns into that, but that’s not the point.) Letting the story rest is the most important thing you can do for the quality of your revision. When you’re too close to a manuscript, you read what you intended to write rather than what’s actually on the page. Your brain fills in the gaps, smooths over the rough spots, and supplies the emotional context that you felt while writing but which you may not have actually transferred to the page. Distance fixes that. When you come back after a real break, you read it closer to the way a reader will, and that’s the perspective you need.

Use the time to read widely in your genre, start a new project, or just rest. Then come back.

Step two: Read the whole thing before you touch anything

When you do come back, your first job is to read the entire manuscript from beginning to end without changing a single word. This is harder than it sounds. Every instinct you have will tell you to stop and fix that clunky sentence on page four, to rewrite that scene that’s been bothering you, to cut that paragraph right now. Don’t. Keep reading.

You need the full picture before you start changing things, because a problem in chapter three might be caused by a setup issue in chapter one, and a scene that feels slow in the middle might actually be needed later in the book, rather than being cut. Revising before you’ve read the whole thing is like trying to rearrange furniture in the dark. You keep moving things around without understanding the room.

As you read, keep a separate document open and take notes. (Or even better, print out the manuscript and make notes on the pages. Trust us. You see your story much clearer when you’re reading it on paper.) Note what’s working, what’s not, where you got bored, where you got confused, where you felt something. When you get to the end, you’ll have a map of the whole manuscript, and you can start making real decisions.

Step three: Fix the big stuff first

Now you’re ready to revise, and you’re going to do it in layers, starting from the largest structural level and working your way down to the sentence level. Never start with the sentences. If you line-edit before you’ve fixed the structure, you will fall in love with beautiful prose in scenes that need to be cut, and then you’ll struggle to cut them.

The first revision pass is about the story as a whole. Ask yourself the big questions. Does the plot actually work from beginning to end? Does every scene move the story forward, deepen character, or do both? Is the pacing right, or are there places where the story slows to a crawl or rushes through moments that deserve more attention? Does the ending feel earned, or does it arrive before the reader is ready for it?

Look at your protagonist’s arc first. Who are they at the beginning? Who are they at the end? Is there a clear, meaningful change between those two points? Is that change earned through the events of the story, or does it feel like it happens because the story needed it to? If your protagonist is essentially the same person on the last page that they were on the first page, you have a character arc problem, and that’s the first thing to solve.

Then look at your structure. A story is a promise made to the reader early on about what kind of experience they’re having, what’s at stake, and what they’re reading toward. Does your opening chapter make that promise clearly? Does the middle of your book deliver on it with escalating stakes and complications? Does the ending keep it?

Cut what isn’t working at this level without mercy. This is where whole scenes get deleted, subplots get restructured, and sometimes chapters get moved or combined. It feels drastic, but it’s the most important work you’ll do on this manuscript. Save your cuts in a separate document so you don’t feel like you’re losing them forever. Who knows? You might need pieces of them later.

Step four: Revise at the scene level

Once the big structural issues are handled, go through the manuscript scene by scene. Every scene needs to have a job. It needs to start somewhere and end somewhere different. Something has to change, whether that’s external circumstances, the relationship between characters, a character’s understanding of the situation, or the reader’s understanding of what’s actually going on.

If a scene starts and ends in the same emotional place with nothing altered, cut it or combine it with another scene. If a scene exists only to deliver information, find a way to embed that information in a scene that’s also doing something else. Scenes that exist only to explain things are the single biggest cause of pacing problems in fiction.

Check your scene openings. Do you start too early, with characters waking up, driving somewhere, or arriving at a location before anything of interest has happened? Most scenes should start later than you think, closer to the moment when things actually get interesting. Check your scene endings too. Most scenes should end before you think they do. The instinct to tie everything up at the end of a scene kills momentum. Cut the last paragraph and see if the scene is stronger without it.

Step five: Revise at the character level

With the structure and scenes handled, go through the manuscript one more time with your eye specifically on character. Read only for how your protagonist thinks, speaks, and moves through the world. Is their voice consistent? Does it feel like the same person on page two hundred that it did on page two? Does every decision they make feel true to who they are, or are there places where they do something because the plot needed them to rather than because it’s what they would actually do?

Do this for your secondary characters too, one at a time. Each significant character should be distinct enough that if you covered the dialogue tags, you could still tell who was speaking. They should each want something, even if it’s small, and they should each be changed by the events of the story in proportion to their role in it.

Look at your antagonist specifically. Is the antagonist a real person with comprehensible motivations, or a placeholder for opposition? The strength of your antagonist is directly proportional to the strength of your story’s conflict. A weak antagonist makes everything else feel low-stakes, no matter how well-written the rest of the book is.

Step six: The line edit

Now, finally, you get to play with sentences. This is the pass where you’re looking at the prose itself: word choice, rhythm, clarity, grammar.

Read your dialogue out loud. Every single word of it. If you stumble while reading it, your reader will stumble while reading it. Dialogue that sounds wooden or unnatural on the page almost always reveals itself immediately when spoken. This is also where you’ll catch dialogue that’s too on-the-nose, where characters say exactly what they mean in situations where real people wouldn’t.

Look for adverbs, especially in dialogue tags. “She said softly” and “he answered angrily” are almost always telling you something the dialogue itself should be showing. Trust your dialogue to carry the emotion. If it can’t, rewrite the dialogue.

Look for the places where you’ve explained something that the reader could have figured out on their own. Overexplaining is one of the most common prose-level problems in early drafts and one of the easiest to fix once you learn to see it. If you’ve written a scene where a character is clearly nervous and then added “she felt nervous,” delete that second part. Show the reader and then trust them.

Look for sentences that all sound the same. Variety in sentence length creates rhythm and pace. A series of long, complex sentences slows the reader down. A series of short sentences speeds them up. Mixing both does something far more interesting than either one alone. Read your prose out loud and listen for places where it all feels the same. That’s where you vary it.

Step seven: The final read-through

When you’ve done all of that, do one final read of the complete manuscript, as much as possible in one sitting or across a couple of days, reading for the overall experience. You’re not looking for problems at this point. You’re asking whether the book does what you intended it to do, whether the emotional journey resonates, whether a reader would finish this and feel something.

If the answer is yes, you’re done with your revision and ready for the next step in the process, whether that’s beta readers, a critique partner, or submission.

If the answer is not quite, go back to whichever layer needs more attention and do it again. Revision isn’t a single pass. For most writers, it’s three or four, sometimes more. That’s not failure. That’s craft.

The writers who make revision feel impossible are the ones who try to fix everything at once, who sit down with the manuscript and try to address structure and character and sentences and pacing all in the same pass. Work in layers. Trust the process. The book will tell you what it needs if you give it the space to do that.

Ready? Go get that manuscript and change sand into a sand castle. And don’t forget to celebrate when you’re done!

If you want help thinking through your specific revision and figuring out where to start, we can help! You can learn more about our ICONIC mentorship program here.

Hello-hello, writer friends!

💌 It’s that time again! Let’s pull up your throne of procrastination, chug that lukewarm coffee, and dive in—because you’ve earned this glorious mess of industry news and legitimate ways to get PAID!😉

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Thank you for your support of The Writer’s Paycheck and this dynamite growing community. 🧡 ~ Mary & C.J.

P.S., If you find this issue helpful, feel free to forward it! Word-of-mouth is how we grow. ❤️

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(Industry News & Insights)

1. Fraud in the World of Self Publishing - WHAT TO KNOW

2. Cool book stats on Americans Reading Print vs Digital and How Many are in Book Clubs

3. What’s Ahead for Paramount Global Publishing? “The new imprint will develop new publishing content based on properties from Paramount’s various divisions, such as Paw Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek, and Yellowstone, complementing the work of its licensed publishers, which include Random House Children’s Books, Bendon, Insight Editions, Studio Fun International, PI Kids, IDW, and more. The imprint will also allow the company to generate original intellectual properties with potential for extension into entertainment and experiences.”

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• Blog: The Savvy Writer’s Guide to School Visits

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NEED TO KNOW (in the paid section below):

→ How to Build a Thriving Writing Career When Traditional Publishing Is in Upheaval

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Most writers know about contests. They know about submitting to magazines. What most writers don’t know, and what nobody in your corner of the internet is talking about nearly enough, is that there’s…

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Hello-hello, writer friends!

💌 It’s that time again! Let’s pull up your throne of procrastination, chug that lukewarm coffee, and dive in—because you’ve earned this glorious mess of industry news and legitimate ways to get PAID!😉

As always, if you didn’t grab your FREEBIES for signing up, be sure to get them here: Writer’s Paycheck Booster Pack!

Thank you for your support of The Writer’s Paycheck and this dynamite growing community. 🧡 ~ Mary & C.J.

P.S., If you find this issue helpful, feel free to forward it! Word-of-mouth is how we grow. ❤️

Psst … Every newsletter we send out features a fresh batch of handpicked leads. Enjoy!

⌨️ Publishing News

(Industry News & Insights)

1. “The decline of reading is a greater challenge to our industry than AI could ever be," says Joanna Prior, CEO of Pan Macmillan. “Publishers can no longer expect today's readers to ‘meet us on our terms’ … Publishers must make the book ‘as accessible, as urgent, and as socially relevant as the notification.’”

2. Harlequin to Co-Produce AI-Generated ‘Microdramas’

3. The AI Witch Hunt Feels Familiar Agree or disagree - this is an interesting article: “Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: we’re not debating technology. We’re debating who gets to be creative, and on whose terms. And that fight never really ends. It just finds new weapons.”

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→ LAST CHANCE! Enter our Storyteller’s Pitch Contest by April 1st!

Every pitch receives professional feedback, finalists get judged by literary agents Suzi Townsend and Samantha Fabien

(PLUS receive a career strategy session with NYT’s best selling authors C.J. Redwine and Mary Weber)

The winner gets a call with Samantha Fabien!

🔥Check out the details HERE!

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ON THE BLOG:

• Blog: The Chapter Ending That Keeps Readers Turning Pages

• Blog (paid subscribers only): WHY FICTION WRITERS SHOULD BE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE NONFICTION MARKET

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→ 20 Contests to Enter This Spring! (Some have deadlines THIS WEEK!)

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We know, we know … you’re a storyteller. You live in the land of character arcs and plot twists and fictional worlds you’d genuinely rather inhabit than the one you woke up in this morning. (And hone…

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Hello-hello, writer friends!

💌 It’s that time again! Let’s pull up your throne of procrastination, chug that lukewarm coffee, and dive in—because you’ve earned this glorious mess of industry news and legitimate ways to get PAID!😉

As always, if you didn’t grab your FREEBIES for signing up, be sure to get them here: Writer’s Paycheck Booster Pack!

Thank you for your support of The Writer’s Paycheck and this dynamite growing community. 🧡 ~ Mary & C.J.

P.S., If you find this issue helpful, feel free to forward it! Word-of-mouth is how we grow. ❤️

Psst … Every newsletter we send out features a fresh batch of handpicked leads. Enjoy!

⌨️ Publishing News

(Industry News & Insights)

1. Idris Elba anyone? London book fair roundup: Idris Elba’s thriller deal, the rise of romcom, and fights against censorship

2. Interesting Article on How Adults Took Over YA

3. Court Rules Tracy Wolff Did Not Plagiarize Crave Series

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→ Enter our Storyteller’s Pitch Contest by April 1st!

Every pitch receives professional feedback, finalists get judged by literary agents Suzi Townsend and Samantha Fabien PLUS receive a career strategy session with NYT’s best selling authors C.J. Redwine and Mary Weber, and the winner gets a call with Samantha Fabien!

🔥Check out our free blog post below on how to write a pitch that gets editors, agents, and readers to pay attention!

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ANTHOLOGY ALERT!

Announcing the 2026 R.H.S. Anthology!

Some secrets stay hidden because we’re afraid to look. Others stay hidden because they’re waiting.

If you’re already a member of the Red Herrings Society, submission deadline is April 7th! If you’re NOT yet a member, you can join here!

ON THE BLOG:

• Blog: How to Write a Pitch That Gets Editors, Agents, & Readers to Pay Attention (✨just in time for our pitch writing contest!✨)

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Let’s talk about one of the most misunderstood tools in a writer’s arsenal, because we see this go sideways constantly, and it’s costing people queries, sales, and reader trust.

Comp titles are not ab…

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Get Feedback on Your Pitch PLUS a Chance to Get a One-on-One With a Top Literary Agent!

Enter the Storyteller’s Pitch Writing Contest!

HOW IT WORKS

• Your Pitch — Submit a pitch of no more than 150 words. No completed manuscript required — just your story, distilled. (You can submit as many as you like as separate entries!)

• Entry Fee — $20 per entry. Enter as many times as you’d like; there’s no limit on submissions per person.

• Written Feedback — Every entrant receives written feedback on their pitch. All 20 semifinalists receive enhanced written feedback on their pitch.

• The Finals — 10 finalists are invited to submit a query letter alongside their pitch for review by Suzie Townsend and Samantha Fabien.

• Are AI-generated pitches accepted? No. All submissions must be original, human-written work.

• Who owns my pitch if I enter? You do. Entrants retain all rights to their work. Entering the contest does not transfer or license your intellectual property in any way. Nor will we publish your pitches, as stated in the Contest Rules.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

March 6 = Contest Opens

April 1 = Submissions Close (11pm PST)

April 27 = Semifinalists Announced

May 11 = Finalists Announced

May 26 = Winner Announced

EXTRA INFO

🏆 Get Your Pitch in Front of Top-Tier Literary Agents! Finalists will have their pitches and query letters (yep, finalists get to submit those too!) read and judged by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary and Samantha Fabien of Root Literary —an invaluable opportunity for exposure and direct industry feedback!

📝 Receive Written Feedback on Your Pitch — Guaranteed Every single entrant receives written feedback on their pitch. You’ll get actual notes that tell you what’s working and where to sharpen your hook. Whether you advance or not, you’ll walk away with something actionable.

✒️ Gain Confidence in Your Story’s Hook The feedback you receive will help you understand how your pitch lands with industry professionals, giving you clarity and direction to craft an even stronger submission for future agent queries, OR … confirming you’re already on the right track!

Get more Info (and check out the finalist prizes!) HERE.

Hello-hello, writer friends!

💌 It’s that time again! Let’s pull up your throne of procrastination, chug that lukewarm coffee, and dive in—because you’ve earned this glorious mess of industry news and legitimate ways to get PAID!😉

As always, if you didn’t grab your FREEBIES for signing up, be sure to get them here: Writer’s Paycheck Booster Pack!

Thank you for your support of The Writer’s Paycheck and this dynamite growing community. 🧡 ~ Mary & C.J.

P.S., If you find this issue helpful, feel free to forward it! Word-of-mouth is how we grow. ❤️

Psst … Every newsletter we send out features a fresh batch of handpicked leads. Enjoy!

⌨️ Publishing News

(Industry News & Insights)

1. Stellar Blade Studio Shift Up Expands Self-Publishing Plans (Insider Gaming)! Any gamers interested?

2. Check out this interesting perspective on Saying Goodbye to the Mass-Market Paperback | The Guardian

3. Attention writers of graphic novel, manga, and manhwa! HarperAlley Announces Inaugural Adult List

Get 7 more NEED-TO-KNOW Industry News links with your paid subscription, including more articles on:

• Are literary agents banning AI in queries?

• Which book did readers just vote the number one of all times?

• Diving into a literary SCAM!

• & more!

💼 Job Board

• Academic Editorial Internship, Spring/Summer 2026 - Bloomsbury

• Conferences Assistant, Academic & Professional Marketing - Bloomsbury

• BONUS: 2026 Fall - 2027 Spring Internship Program: Design, Adult Books - Penguin Random House

—> You can unlock 7 new additional listings with a paid subscription. Including:

• Publicist needed!

• Children’s book designer!

• & more!

Feel free to enjoy them on us! Just use the 7-day free trial (it’s commitment-free!).❤️

7-Day Free Trial

→ Join us for our April 2026 Writing Retreat with LITERARY AGENT Susie Townsend

Learn More!

WRITER SPOTLIGHT: Deena Graves!

Meet Deena Graves, whose first chapter of HEARTSTONE took the win in our recent 1st Chapter Contest!

HEARTSTONE follows a dragon analyst who reluctantly enters an elite Department of Dragon Defense legion to salvage her mother’s prolific dragon research. But the golden boy in charge of her training is hiding something, and her revered mother may have been just as dangerous as the terrorist father she spent her life trying not to become.

Deena is a sci-fi/fantasy author living outside Nashville, Tennessee. When she’s not wrangling stubborn characters into following her carefully laid plots, you can find Deena rewatching Star Wars, geeking out over book nooks, or building things out of wood — because apparently crafting entire fictional worlds wasn’t enough.

Find Deena on Instagram and Bluesky, or catch her reposting and commenting on #BookTok over on TikTok!

CONGRATULATIONS DEENA!

ANTHOLOGY ALERT!

Announcing the 2026 R.H.S. Anthology!

Some secrets stay hidden because we’re afraid to look. Others stay hidden because they’re waiting.

If you’re already a member of the Red Herrings Society, submission deadline is April 7th! If you’re NOT yet a member, you can join here!

NEED TO KNOW (in the paid section below):

→ The Direct-to-Reader Revolution: How Writers Are Building Businesses They Actually Own

👉 Read the full feature via the paid subscription or 7-day free trail.

ON THE BLOG:

• Blog: 10 Fantasy Subgenres With Thriving, Growing Audiences (And What Readers Actually Want From Each One)

• Blog (paid subscribers only): Spring 2026 Open Calls: 15 Paying Magazines Accepting Work Right Now

RESOURCE BOOKS!

• The Storyteller’s Weekly Journal

• The Storyteller’s Guide to SCENE WRITING

• Creating the HIGH STAKES STORY

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Spring 2026 Open Calls: 15 Paying Magazines Accepting Work Right Now

One of the best things you can do for your writing career is submit regularly. Not obsessively, not desperately, but consistently. …

Read more

25 Places Paying for Your Blog Posts and Articles Right Now

As a THANK YOU for being part of the Writer’s Paycheck community, we’ve put together 25 vetted, paying markets that are actively acquiring content from freelance writers right now! We’ve included what each market pays, what they’re looking for, and a direct link to their submission guidelines so you can start pitching today.

All information was verified the day of publication, but it’s a good idea to check the individual submissions guidelines and calls for material yourself in case the publication has made any changes.

1. Listverse

   1. Pay: $100 per published list

   2. What They Want: Top-10 style lists on bizarre, lesser-known, or fascinating topics. Lists must have at least 10 items and run 1,500 to 2,000 words. They love crime, history, science, unsolved mysteries, misconceptions, and anything weird or surprising. Sources must be reputable.

   3. Payment via PayPal within 30 days of acceptance. No prior experience required. Published daily with millions of monthly readers.

2. Writer’s Digest

   1. Pay: $0.30 to $0.50 per word (print); $50 to $100 (online)

   2. What They Want: Articles about the craft and business of writing. Categories include writing technique articles (1,200 to 2,500 words), author profiles (800 to 1,200 words), market reports, and guest columns on nonfiction and children’s writing. They publish an editorial calendar with themed issues. Pitches should explain why the article benefits their readers and why you are the right person to write it.

   3. They do not accept AI-generated content. Response time is 2 to 4 months.

3. Chicken Soup for the Soul

   1. Pay: $250 per published story or poem, plus 10 free copies of the book

   2. What They Want: True, first-person inspirational stories and poems up to 1,200 words for themed anthologies. Current open topics include stories about dogs (deadline March 2026) and holiday stories about November and December (deadline February 2026). They publish roughly one new title per month and receive thousands of submissions per book, selecting only 101 pieces.

   3. No AI-generated or AI-assisted content accepted. Non-exclusive rights, so you retain your copyright.

4. Narratively

   1. Pay: $200-$300 for personal essays; higher rates negotiable for longform

   2. What They Want: Untold human interest stories in narrative nonfiction format. They publish personal essays, reported features, photo essays, and longform true crime. Submissions for The Personals column are currently open. They do not accept fiction, poetry, or opinion pieces. Known for literary-quality storytelling with depth.

   3. Stories have been adapted for TV, film, and podcasts. Strong track record of launching writer careers.

5. Elite Personal Finance

   1. Pay: $300 per guest post

   2. What They Want: Articles on personal finance, business, saving money, loans, credit cards, identity theft, and making money online. Posts should be 1,000 to 3,000 words. The site claims to spend over $100,000 per year on content. Submit your pitch by emailing info@elitepersonalfinance.com with the title of your post idea.

   3. They are open to recurring work with strong writers. You can also submit identity theft personal stories for additional compensation.

6. The Sun Magazine

   1. Pay: Nonfiction pays $300–$2,000 and fiction pays $300–$1,500; $100 to $200 for poetry

   2. What They Want: Personal essays, short stories, poems, and interviews. An independent, ad-free literary magazine with over 60,000 print subscribers. They want writing that maps the human landscape and is not afraid to be vulnerable or sit with difficult truths. Work should generally be under 7,000 words. They accept reprints at half the normal rate. Submit via Submittable at no charge.

   3. First-time authors and award-winners alike are welcome. Response time is several months. Highly competitive (less than 1% acceptance rate) but one of the most respected and best-paying literary markets in the country.

7. Her View From Home

   1. Pay: Pageview-based model: writers earn $5 for under 499 pageviews and up to $100 for 4,000+ pageviews within the first 30 days of publication, and writers are responsible for invoicing.

   2. What They Want: Personal essays written from the heart on motherhood, marriage, kids, faith, grief, and life. Over 1,000 contributors. They accept both original and previously published content, as well as timely pieces responding to current events.

   3. One of the most accessible entry points for writers who want to start building a published portfolio. Review their site to understand their voice before submitting.

8. Briarpatch Magazine

   1. Pay: $150 to $350 depending on length and type

   2. What They Want: Political and social justice writing on topics such as grassroots activism, electoral politics, economic justice, labor, gender equity, and Indigenous struggles. Profiles and short essays under 1,500 words pay $150. Feature stories and photo essays of 1,500 to 2,000 words pay $250. Research-based and investigative pieces of 2,000 to 2,500 words pay $350.

   3. Open to both new and experienced freelancers.

9. The Adventure Cycling Blog

   1. Pay: $150 to $250 per article

   2. What They Want: How-to articles, trip reports, bike overnights, and inspiring or amusing stories related to bicycle travel. First-time writers are paid on the lower end of the range, with rates increasing for repeat contributors. A great niche market for outdoor and travel writers who enjoy cycling.

10. Sixty Inches From Center

    1. Pay: $150 per article

    2. What They Want: Arts writing, creative writing, and experimental forms about topics and practices relevant to the cultural landscapes of the Midwest and Chicago.

    3. Open to writers and artists of all experience levels and backgrounds. Pitches accepted on an ongoing, rolling basis. All writers are paid. A strong option for writers interested in arts criticism, cultural commentary, or the intersection of art and community.

11. WeAreTeachers

    1. Pay: $100 per published post

    2. What They Want: Articles on teacher life, classroom strategies, and education-related topics. Most blog posts run 500 to 700 words. Review their site before submitting to understand their style, tone, and format.

    3. A strong market for educators who write or writers with knowledge of the education space.

12. DAME Magazine

    1. Pay: $350 to $750 for reported stories (essays may be paid at a lower rate)

    2. What They Want: Essays, news, analysis, and reported features covering politics, race, civil rights, gender, sex, reproductive rights, LGBTQ issues, disability, class, entertainment, and culture.

    3. A women-led, independent, reader-funded publication. They want journalism that is both accessible and intersectional. A strong fit for writers with a point of view on issues that matter to women and marginalized communities.

13. SAVEUR

    1. Pay: Up to $0.30 per word

    2. What They Want: Food journalism with a point of view. SAVEUR uses food as a lens into culture, travel, politics, and art. They love stories that unearth off-the-beaten-path recipes and traditions, spotlight everyday cooks doing extraordinary things, and center historically marginalized food cultures with care. Pitch via email to alex.testere@saveur.com with the subject line "JOURNALIST PITCH: [topic]." Limit yourself to two story ideas per email. Include a proposed title and subtitle, your background, and why the story matters now.

    3. They use up to 15 freelance contributors per issue and are explicitly open to new and unpublished writers. BIPOC and LGBTQ+ voices are especially encouraged. Allow two weeks before following up. One of the most respected food publications in the country with both print and digital editions.

14. Planetside (SFWA Magazine)

    1. Pay: SFWA professional rates (10 cents per word for original nonfiction)

    2. What They Want: Original nonfiction articles relevant to creators of science fiction and fantasy. Published by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. They accept essays, how-tos, listicles, and reported pieces, typically 800 to 1,000 words.

    3. Open to both SFWA members and nonmembers. Writers of color and underrepresented identities are encouraged to submit. Submissions opened January 1, 2026. They do not publish fiction.

15. Oregon Humanities

    1. Pay: $200 to $300 for online pieces; $500 to $1,000 for essays and features

    2. What They Want: Essays, photo stories, and multimedia exploring the experiences and perspectives of Oregonians. Published in their Beyond the Margins online series and in the Oregon Humanities print magazine. Only open to Oregon-based creators.

    3. Payment varies by length and complexity. A strong option for Pacific Northwest writers interested in cultural and community storytelling.

16. Open Secrets Magazine

    1. Pay: $25-$100 per essay

    2. What They Want: Personal essays of 1,000 to 2,000 words. A literary magazine that values intimate, thoughtful, essay-driven storytelling.

17. CRAFT Literary

    1. Pay: $200 for original short fiction and creative nonfiction; $100 for flash pieces; $50 to $100 for craft essays and author interviews

    2. What They Want: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and essays about the craft of writing. Their craft section publishes 1,500- to 2,500-word essays that examine elements of storytelling, plus in-depth interviews with fiction and CNF writers about their process. Every published creative piece includes an editor's introduction and a craft essay by the author. No submission fees. Submit via Submittable, one piece per genre at a time.

    3. Open year-round to emerging and established authors, including international writers. Highly selective but a respected credit in the literary community.

18. The Threepenny Review

    1. Pay: $400 per story or article; $200 per poem or Table Talk piece

    2. What They Want: Fiction, memoirs, critical essays, poetry, and short observational pieces (called "Table Talk"). A quarterly review of arts and society founded in 1980 in Berkeley, California, with a good sized readership. Critical essays run 1,200 to 2,500 words, stories and memoirs up to 4,000 words, and Table Talk pieces up to 1,000 words.

    3. They welcome new writers and pay on acceptance. Submit via their online system or by mail during their annual reading window of January 1 through April 15 only. No simultaneous submissions. They typically respond within days. One of the best-paying and most respected independent literary magazines in the country.

19. Slate

    1. Pay: ~$0.50 per word (rates start at $350 per piece, confirmed upon acceptance)

    2. What They Want: Sharp, surprising arguments and reported pieces on news, politics, culture, technology, business, and life. Slate is known for fresh takes that don't take conventional wisdom for granted. Pitch via email to the editor for your section; all names and email addresses are listed on the pitch page. Keep pitches concise with a clear argument and a one-to-two-sentence bio. Full drafts can be attached but a pitch in the body of the email is still required. Pitches are accepted year-round on a rolling basis.

    3. They welcome writers of all backgrounds and do not require a CV. Read the site first to get a feel for their voice. They even include a sample pitch that landed a story, so you can see exactly what works.

20. Longreads

    1. Pay: $500 starting rate for essays and $350 for reading lists.

    2. What They Want: They publish narrative nonfiction, personal essays, reported features, profiles, dispatches, narrative reportage, oral histories, and critical essays. They also publish curated reading lists.

    3. A well-respected publication in the literary journalism space.

21. Travel + Leisure

    1. Pay: Flat rates vary by story type.

    2. What They Want: Original travel articles, destination features, and experiential travel writing. One of the highest-paying travel publications in the world. Only original, unpublished work is accepted. Competition is stiff, but the payoff is significant.

    3. A dream market for travel writers with strong narrative skills and a unique angle.

22. The American Scholar

    1. Pay: Up to $500 per piece (up to $250 for website-only pieces)

    2. What They Want: Essays and articles on public affairs, literature, science, history, and culture. Published by the Phi Beta Kappa Society since 1932, this quarterly magazine considers nonfiction from known and unknown writers alike. Send only one piece at a time (no simultaneous submissions).

    3. They accept fewer than two percent of unsolicited work, but every issue includes unsolicited pieces, and past unsolicited articles have won National Magazine Awards. Responses may take several months. Read the magazine before submitting to get a feel for their voice and range.

23. Trails Magazine

    1. Pay: $0.50 to $2.00 per word for features (starting at $500 for a 1,000-word piece); front-of-book rubrics pay a minimum of $0.50 per word; newsletter pieces pay a flat $75

    2. What They Want: A print-only quarterly focused on backpacking and human-powered overnight adventures (think multi-day trips, bikepacking, canoe camping, and mountaineering), primarily in North America. They're looking for adventure narratives, profiles of compelling people in the backpacking community, environmental and public lands reporting, provocative essays on outdoor culture, and destination pieces highlighting lesser-known backcountry spots. Shorter rubrics (300–600 words) include gear reviews of niche products, skills pieces, trip reports, recipes, and book reviews.

    3. Pitch via email to the editor for your topic area: all names and addresses are on the contributor page. They welcome new writers, especially for shorter front-of-book pieces and their weekly Hiker Box newsletter.

24. The Bitter Southerner

    1. Pay: $500 for features (1,500–5,000 words); $150 for shorter "From the Southern Perspective" pieces (1,000–3,000 words)

    2. What They Want: Real stories about the American South, as it is today. They publish narrative nonfiction, personal essays, journalism, profiles, opinion pieces, poetry, photo essays, and audio projects. Features are deeply reported with strong narrative arcs. They welcome storytellers of all kinds and from all backgrounds, as long as the work reflects the contributor's perspective or experience with the U.S. South.

    3. Submit through their Submittable portal with either a full draft or an in-depth 350-word pitch outlining your approach, plus links to previously published work. They're a general-audience publication, so no academic essays. If your story is time-sensitive, note that in the subject line.

25. Mental Floss

    1. Pay: Lists start at $150 and go up based on length; short features (500 words) start at $125; longer features (800–1,500 words) start at $200 and increase based on reporting and research.

    2. What They Want: If you've ever fallen down a Wikipedia rabbit hole at 2 a.m., this is your market. Mental Floss covers history, science, entertainment, language, pop culture, art, and "stories so interesting readers absolutely must share them." They're always looking for new voices. Pitch one of four editors depending on your topic: entertainment and pop culture, animals and science, history and culture, or general news and nostalgia. If you don't hear back within two weeks, it's a pass, and you're free to pitch elsewhere.

    3. This is a great entry-level market for writers who are curious about everything and can make the obscure feel irresistible.

Ready to get paid for your writing? Polish up some pitches and hit send!

Want to Become the Author Publishers Can’t Ignore?

Finding publishers who accept unagented submissions is just the first step. The real question is: what makes them say yes to you?

Publishers are looking for more than a good manuscript. They want authors who know their niche, have a clear identity, and come with a platform that proves readers are paying attention.

That’s exactly what we build in Iconic, The Writer’s Sanctuary’s mentorship program for authors who are serious about creating a lasting, marketable career.

We work with you one-on-one to:

• Hone your niche so you stand out in a crowded market

• Clarify your author identity so publishers know exactly how to position you

• Build the platform that makes acquisitions editors take notice

No generic advice. No fluff. Just focused, personalized strategy to make you the kind of author publishers want to invest in.

We have limited spots available for authors ready to make 2026 the year everything changes.

If you’re tired of polished manuscripts getting lost in the slush pile and ready to become truly brandable, let’s talk.

Learn more about Iconic here.

Hello-hello, writer friends!

💌 It’s that time again! Let’s pull up your throne of procrastination, chug that lukewarm coffee, and dive in—because you’ve earned this glorious mess of industry news and legitimate ways to get PAID!😉

As always, if you didn’t grab your FREEBIES for signing up, be sure to get them here: Writer’s Paycheck Booster Pack!

Thank you for your support of The Writer’s Paycheck and this dynamite growing community. 🧡 ~ Mary & C.J.

P.S., If you find this issue helpful, feel free to forward it! Word-of-mouth is how we grow. ❤️

Psst … Every newsletter we send out features a fresh batch of handpicked leads. Enjoy!

⌨️ Publishing News

(Industry News & Insights)

1. Check out this FASCINATING article where 99designs Studies the Book Cover Designs of New York Times bestsellers

2. Also, let’s talk about Why You Should Embrace Rejection | Psychology | The Guardian

3. Finally, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, Stormlight Archive is Getting a Movie / TV Show. Thoughts?!!

Get 7 more NEED-TO-KNOW Industry News links with your paid subscription, including more articles on:

• Publishing’s current power shift…

• Are publishers recruiting AI engineers?

• What Children’s & YA Books ARE SELLING like hotcakes?

• & more!

💼 Job Board

• Senior Marketing Manager/Assistant Director of Marketing, Union Square & Co. - Hachette

• Marketing Design Intern - Hachette

• BONUS: Freelance Writer (Remote) - OutKick

—> You can unlock 7 new additional listings with a paid subscription. Including:

• Publishing Summer INTERNSHIP!

• Marketing Assistant needed!

• & more!

Feel free to enjoy them on us! Just use the 7-day free trial (it’s commitment-free!).❤️

7-Day Free Trial

→ Join us for our April 2026 Writing Retreat with LITERARY AGENT Susie Townsend

Learn More!

NEED TO KNOW (in the paid section below):

→ The Scary Thing Amazon Isn’t Telling Writers

👉 Read the full feature via the paid subscription or 7-day free trail.

ON THE BLOG:

• Blog: The Fantasy Writer’s Guide to Filling a Medieval City (Because Your Characters Need More Than a Tavern and a Castle)

• Blog (paid subscribers only): How to Position Your Book in a Crowded Market (before you finish writing it!)

RESOURCE BOOKS!

• The Storyteller’s Weekly Journal

• The Storyteller’s Guide to SCENE WRITING

• Creating the HIGH STAKES STORY

💵Want a FREE subscription?

Share this newsletter with friends!

More friends = FREE MONTHS!

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