Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Leesburg First Friday: Susan Coll

April 1, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Leesburg Town Hall, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg, VA

This Friday, novelist Susan Coll will share a proven technique for getting ideas out of your head and onto paper. Coll is events and programs director at the D.C. independent bookstore Politics & Prose and is author of several dark comedies, including Acceptance: A Novel, which was made into a Lifetime movie starring Joan Cusack. Her newest novel, The Stager, has been named an Editor's Choice by The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. Register here


 
What We Learned Last Month

 In March, Jon Peede, publisher of the renowned Virginia Quarterly Review, offered a behind-the-scenes view of the operations and decision-making processes of a literary publisher. According to Peede, literary journals receive tens of thousands of submissions each year, which they must sort through to find the right essays, poems, short fiction, and non-fiction for their readers. It's all about fit. That's the first rule in bettering your chances of getting published. 

Familiarize yourself with the journal, zine, or website. While it may not be affordable to subscribe to dozens of literary journals, invest in at least two or three and check out others at your local library. The Writer's Center offers a wide selection for you to purchase and browse as well in our book gallery. You can also visit Poets & Writers for a list of literary magazines and a ton more resources for writers.

Next, look for opportunities to contribute to journals based on topical issues. For example, universities and colleges have literary journals and alumni magazines that might be open to publishing interviews or profiles of distinguished alumni. Finally, in your cover note, be sure to inform the editors of your writing credits and any credentials you may have related to the topic of your submission.

The Writer’s Center–Leesburg Committee offers events the first Friday of every month except for December, January, July, and August. $6 for nonmembers; $4 for members and Leesburg residents









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