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Please use the new resource list instead. Forum regulars can add to that list if logged into the forum.
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Acknowledgement: this list was originally based on Jo Hart's Helpful Writing Sites & Blog Posts Masterlist.
Writing Tips
Inspiration
writing prompts. Ideas to inspire creativity. Homemaster
Character
Make Your Characters Earn Their Keep. Comments on designing secondary characters, by Wendy Lyn Watson.
Description
Emotion Thesaurus. Comprehensive list of descriptions of responses to emotions (ie, body language). (Greta)
Plot and Structure
McKee, Robert, Story, It Books, 1997. Primarily intended for screenwriters, this book contains wonderful details on organising the plot and structure of any story. Peter McLennan
Style (dialog, grammar, etc.)
11 Infographics That Will Help You Improve Your Grammar and Spelling. Grammar and spelling tips. (SarahLouise)
Top 8 Tips for Writing Dialogue. Recommendations for writing realistic dialogue, by Ginny Wiehardt.
The Little Red Writing Book by Mark Tredinnick - This book liberated me to write as I want to write, not as I thought I should. It covers do's and don'ts, but most importantly, when to break the rules and how. I read it from cover to cover without a break and it's now doing the rounds of my writing friends. (Paula Boer)
The Little Green Grammar Book by Mark Tredinnick - A companion guide to the one above, this is half technical (a bit heavy) and half how to do what and why, plus more how and when to break the rules. More of a reference manual. (Paula Boer)
The Writing Book (A Workbook for Fiction Writers) by Kate Grenville - An easy to read 'how to' for emerging writers, including challenging exercises to get you out of your comfort zone. (Paula Boer)
Guide to Grammar and Writing. Very comprehensive on-line notes on grammar and punctuation (albeit US-based). Peter McLennan
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (19th Ed.), Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (ed. Susie Dent), Hodder, 2012. Much loved for its wit and wisdom since 1870, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable takes you on a captivating adventure through its trademark blend of language, culture, myth and legend. Shaggy Dog
Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English (Revised edition), Eric Partridge, Norton & Company, 1997. A useful, entertaining guide to picking the right words (and avoiding the wrong ones). Shaggy Dog
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (18th Ed.), Geoffrey O'Brien and John Bartlett, Little, Brown and Company, 2012. Shaggy Dog
A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, H.W. Fowler, Oxford, 2010. Shaggy Dog
Editing (revision, rewriting, etc.)
Formatting
Short Story Formatting. c/- William Shunn's blog. Justin-the-writer
Various
ANZ Authors. General advice. Paula Boer
Publishing Tips
Book Proposals
Fiction Book Proposal Course. emilywheeler
Query Letters
Fiction Book Proposal Course. Also has sections on query letters. emilywheeler
Synopses
Fiction Book Proposal Course. Also has sections on synopses. emilywheeler
Synopsis tips (Writers Victoria). tracyj
Taxation
Catherine, Caffeinated. US tax issues for self-publishers. tracyj
Cover Artwork
Fotolia. Stock photos. bizzey
istockphoto. Stock photos. bizzey
Magic Owl Design. Pre-made and custom covers for eBooks (by AWF member 'skate'). Peter McLennan
Stockfresh. Stock photos. bizzey
Marketing
Author Marketing Club. Book Marketing & Selling Tips for Authors. Peter McLennan
Reviews
Newtown Review of Books. On-line book reviews; can be requested to review your book. The Black Prince
Writers
Informative blogs and web sites of individual writers.
Australian Writers
Jo Hart. Writes mostly children's and young adults' stories. Her blog contains a vast amount of helpful information.
http://janet-woods.com Janet Woods is a West Australian writer mainly of historical romances. As well as being about her books the website has some good articles about writing, especially characterisation. Mike Murphy
http://www.annajacobs.com Anna Jacobs is a prolific West Australian writer and has been active in mentoring a lot of WA writers. She writes mainly historical sagas but has also, under other pen-names including Shanna Jay, written fantasy and science fiction. Her web site is mainly about her books and upcoming talks on writing (which are many and regular) and includes a short list of links to other writing sites. Mike Murphy
ANZ Authors. A site with content about many ANZ authors. Paula Boer
Overseas Writers
Writing Organisations
Australian Writer's Marketplace Online. Comprehensive list of Australian and NZ publishers and agents. Not free.
http://www.austlit.com.au Australian Literature Review. Interviews with authors, agents, publishers. News of recent publications, competitions, requests for stories for anthologies. A good way of getting news about the industry as it is a "live" website with new articles appearing regularly. - Mike Murphy
ANZ Authors. Contains a chat facility for traditionally-published writers. Paula Boer
For a list of state and other writers' centres, see here.
Writing Forums/Advertising for Authors
Angie's Diary A high profile community of writers offering the opportunity to have work reviewed, published and sold (USA). Paula Boer
ANZ Authors. A site for ANZ authors. Paula Boer
Book Country. A US-based community of writers that can provide peer reviews to participants. Peter McLennan
Books, Pages and Blogs. A place for readers and authors. Helping authors promote their books, and helping readers find books. Paula Boer
Bookvetter. Review exchange site. The service is free, and offers an independent source of feedback for books seeking reviews and interaction with a global audience. Peter McLennan
Poetry Forum. UK-based poetry forum. PGB
Writing Forums. Large US-based writing forum. Peter McLennan
Agents, Publishers, etc.
Please note whether the organisation is Australian or not.
Agents
Traditional Publishers
Allen & Unwin. They offer something called The Friday Pitch, in which they accept digitally-submitted manuscripts on any Friday. Submissions should be emailed to fridaypitch@allenandunwin.com; check this page for full information. emilywheeler
Harper Collins does not accept unsolicited material. emilywheeler
IFWG Publishing An American publisher specialising in speculative fiction and children's books. They publish in paperback (POD) and e-book in parallel. They also have a spec fiction blog, and an annual short story competition, plus publish a quarterly magazine SQ (for Story Quest). Paula Boer
Momentum Books. They are a digital publisher who accept manuscripts on Mondays from 12.00AM till 11.59PM (Sydney time). Email queries@momentumbooks.com.au for more information (or check out their submissions page), and submissions@momentumbooks.com.au to submit. They're a branch of Pan Macmillan if that makes anyone more comfortable about them.
emilywheelerPan Macmillan accepts manuscripts on Mondays, provided they are submitted electronically and arrive between 10.00AM and 4.00PM Sydney time. Click here for more information. emilywheeler
Penguin Books offer The Monthly Catch on the first to the seventh of every month. During this week you can send your manuscript and a 300-word synopsis to monthly.catch@au.penguingroup.com. Full details can be found here. emilywheeler
Random House only accepts submissions from unpublished fiction authors if they come from an agent, or have obtained a positive assessment from a credited literary agency. See here for their submission guidelines. emilywheeler
Text Publishing will accept manuscript submissions, in hard copy only, at any time. Send them the first three chapters and they'll get back to you if they want to see more. Their submissions page has full information. emilywheeler
Self-publishing Support
Love of Books. Brisbane-based self-publishing support services.
Preditors and Editors. An American site that describes various scams used against writers, and lists some companies that perpetrate them. Peter McLennan
Self-publishing Coach. Info about how to self-publish, including eBooks. Jasignature
The Perfect Plot. Jill Paterson's blog, with detailed information on the self-publishing process. Craven
Mystery Writing is Murder. A published author explains why she went into self e-publishing as well as traditional publishing and has also created a blog spot for editors and other useful people to leave their details for authors to consider. Mike Murphy
ePublishers
Amazon. American eBook publisher with distribution including Kindle.
Smashwords. American eBook publisher, with distibution to Apple store, Barnes and Noble, etc.
Journals, Anthologies, Short Story Collections, etc.
Short Story Markets (Magazines). It is always a good idea to contact the magazines to obtain a copy of their submission guidelines BEFORE submitting your story. Diane Fordham
- Email: fastfiction@pacificmags.com.au
- Email: take5@acpmagazines.com.au
- Website: http://www.bauer.co.uk (Take a Break/Fiction Feast UK)
- Email: peoplesfriend@dcthomson.co.uk
- Email: womansweeklypostbag@ipcmedia.com
- Email: dearww@bauerpublishing.com (Womans World US)
21D. Not-for-profit literary and art magazine, publishing original fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Peter McLennan
Aurealis. Science fiction, fantasy or horror short stories between 2000 and 8000 words. Peter McLennan
Ampersand Magazine. Explores creativity, societal change and the human condition; any subject matter, particularly that which is unfashionable, unorthodox, illuminating or rare. Peter McLennan
amphibi.us US-based on-line journal for non-fiction/memoir, poetry, prose and flash fiction. Peter McLennan
antiTHESIS. Publishes a mixture of scholarly essays, poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction, as well as artwork, illustration, photography, reviews and interviews. Annual. Peter McLennan
Big Issue, The. Articles and issue-based stories. Peter McLennan
Burley. Literary journal for Canberra writers and readers, accepting fiction, poetry and non-fiction up to 4000 words. Peter McLennan
bytestories. Australian-originated web site publishing stories (maximum 300 words) based on real-life experiences. Peter McLennan
Canary Press. Short story magazine. They accept simultaneous submissions and payment is for first serial rights. Peter McLennan
Capsule. Online literary journal for stories of 250 words or less. Peter McLennan
COLORS Magazine. Globally-based quarterly hard-copy and internet magazine pitched at young people. Peter McLennan
Cordite Poetry Review. Poetry. Peter McLennan
Cutwater. Australian writing - fiction, literary journalism, poetry, comics and zines. (New site?) Peter McLennan
Diamond and the Thief, the. "...a couple poems and tales each month." Peter McLennan
dotdotdash magazine. Australian tri-annual magazine of short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, visual art, spoken word & other creative projects. Peter McLennan
Dumbo Feather. "...a magazine for people who want to be told a different story than the one they hear every day." Interview-focused. Peter McLennan
Eureka Street. Short articles on humane, ethical analysis or commentary on politics, culture or current events in Australia and internationally. Publishes hard-copy and on-line. Peter McLennan
fourW. Australian poetry and short stories. Peter McLennan
Glass: A Journal of Poetry. Accepts submissions between September 1 and May 31. Featherless Biped
G Magazine. News stories, features, opinion pieces and blog entries on green issues. Peter McLennan
Going Down Swinging. An anthology of literature, art, and spoken word, in a book/CD package. Peter McLennan
Griffith Review. "...celebrates good writing and promotes public debate." Peter McLennan
Haggard and Halloo. US-based online and print journal of short stories and poems. Peter McLennan
Harvest. "...a somewhat literary quarterly for literate quarters." Peter McLennan
HEAT. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry. Currently in limbo. Peter McLennan
Island. Publishes short stories, poetry, extracts from forthcoming novels, and articles and essays on topics of social, environmental and cultural significance. Peter McLennan
Kill Your Darlings. "An independent publication of fresh, clever writing that combines intellect with intrigue." Peter McLennan
kipple. Online Australian poetry. Peter McLennan
LIES/ISLE. On-line journal dedicated to expanding the domain of experimental literature. US-based? Peter McLennan
Lifted Brow, The. Australian bi-monthly magazine. Peter McLennan
Meanjin. Quarterly journal featuring Australian fiction and poetry. Peter McLennan
Miscellaneous Press. Anthology of fiction, non-fiction and poetry blog posts(?!). Peter McLennan
Murky Depths. Speculative fiction stories with sprinklings of horror and fantasy. UK-based. Peter McLennan
New Matilda. Australian website of news, analysis and satire. Peter McLennan
Offset. Australian hard-copy journal of prose and poetry. Peter McLennan
Overland. Publishes features, fiction, poetry, reviews, comment, artwork and opinion pieces. Peter McLennan
page seventeen. Annual journal of short fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Peter McLennan
Paroxysm. "Poetry and prose, ‘shotgun’ fiction, rapid-read novellas; tight, slick, hard hitting spoken word." Peter McLennan
Prime Books. SF ('Lightspeed') and fantasy short stories. US-based. Peter McLennan
Quadrant. Intellectual journal of ideas, literature, poetry and historical and political debate in Australia. Peter McLennan
Queen Vic Knives. Australian online short story, etc, journal. Peter McLennan
Rattle. Rattle publishes poetry, translations, reviews, essays, and interviews. US-based. Featherless Biped
Regime. Australian magazine of short stories, poetry and performance writing. Peter McLennan
Sleepers Almanac. Journal of short stories by starting Australian writers. Peter McLennan
Southerly. Publishes poetry & fiction, critical essays & commentaries from Australian writers. Peter McLennan
Spineless Wonders. Short, quality fiction produced by Australian writers. Short story, novella, sudden fiction and prose poetry. Peter McLennan
SQmag. SQ Mag is an international speculative fiction ezine, which publishes the best of its fiction in an annual print and ebook anthology. Jeffery Doherty
stop drop and roll. Looks to emerging and established writers and artists for new material that is bold, intriguing, intelligent, colourful, refined, passionate and many other words besides, with the notable exception of affected. Peter McLennan
Tower Journal. A portal for poets, fiction writers, essayists and others. Featherless Biped
[Untitled]. Hard copy Australian bi-annual anthology of 350-5000 word stories. Focuses on new writers; pays for accepted submissions. Peter McLennan
Verandah Literary Journal. Short stories, poems, scripts, non-fiction. Peter McLennan
visible ink. Annual Australian hard-copy journal of short fiction and poetry. Peter McLennan
Vignette Press. Theme-based Australian journal accepting fiction, non-fiction and poetry on its current topic. Peter McLennan
Visibility Fiction. On-line site for inclusive young adult fiction. Because everyone’s the main character in their own lives, so why not in fiction?! Peter McLennan
Voiceworks. Quarterly magazine that features new writing by Australian young writers. Peter McLennan
Westerly. Publishes lively fiction and poetry as well as intelligent articles. The journal aims to generate interest in the literature and culture of Australia, particularly Western Australia, and its neighbouring regions in South-East Asia and the Indian Ocean. Published twice yearly; pays for successful submissions. Peter McLennan
Freelance Editors
Christine Nagel Literary Services. Editing, proof reading, publishing project management (including design and print broking), manuscript assessments, and writers' professional development courses. Steve_77
Gillian Dite. Professional freelance editing services, specialising in medical, scientific, business and technical writing. Fiction copy-editing. tracyj
Manuscript Assessors
Affordable Manuscript Assessments. Assessments by Sally Odgers of children's books, fiction for adults, and popular non-fiction. Based in Tasmania. Andre.
Christine Nagel Literary Services. Editing, proof reading, publishing project management (including design and print broking), manuscript assessments, and writers' professional development courses. Steve_77
All-read-E. Small online manuscript assessment, copy editing and proofreading service. 10% discount on all services to AWF members until April 25th 2013: quote SO26077. Peter McLennan
Other Lists of Agents and Publishers
Australian Literary Agents' Association: Member List. List of ALAA members. ALAA code of conduct virtually assures legitimacy. Peter McLennan.
Australian Writer's Marketplace. Comprehensive list of Australian and NZ agents and publishers. There is a web site and hard copy (you may be able to find the latter in a library or bookshop). Not free. Peter McLennan.
SPUNC Members. List of 70+ independent Australian publishers. Peter McLennan.
Competition Lists
Australian Writers' Resource Competitions. Peter McLennan
Australian Writing Opportunities. Stringybark Stories
