Resources for Writers

Free Self-Publishing Online

smashwords.com is a self-publishing platform and online bookstore for independent ebook authors and their readers. They offer multi-format, DRM-free ebooks, ready for immediate sampling and purchase, and readable on any e-reading device.

booksie.com Writers can post novels, short stories, poetry, articles, and more on the Booksie site for free, as well as receive and respond to comments and communicate with other writers.

yudu.com. Yudu offers free interactive digital publication, hosted on the yudu site (you do it yourself). For a fee, the marketplace option lets you sell your books on the site.

Writing Raw is a bi-monthly literary zine where any author can self-publish fiction or poetry that will be archived online.

Where to Submit

Duotrope. A free database of over 2100 current markets for short fiction, poetry, and novels/collections in all genres.

Poets and Writers Tools for Writers. Grants and awards, guide to writing contests, literary magazines and small press databases, literary agents, conferences.

The New Pages Big List of Literary Magazines. Focuses on literary print and online magazines, listed A to Z, with google search engine.

Creative Writers Opportunities List. This Yahoo group posts calls for submissions and contest information for writers of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

authorconnect.com. A databank for promoting published or unpublished writing. Entries are free. Includes links to resources and services for writers.

Out of the Drawer and Into Print — Terry Ehret’s blog includes tips on self-publishing and other resources for writers. (Terry was Sonoma County Poet Laureate 2004-2006)

Tools and Tips

bartleby.com/110 — Roget’s International Thesaurus (85,000 words)
bartleby.com/100 — Bartlett’s Quotations

www-math.uni-paderborn.de/dictionaries/Dictionaries.html — Links to dictionaries in several languages, plus acronym, slang, technical and miscellaneous dictionaries

www.encyclopedia.com —

www.visualthesaurus.com —

www.thesaurus.net —

wordnik.com, a comprehensive online wiki-dictionary that includes defintions, pronounciation, etymologies, synonyms.

Poe War Writer's Resource Center. Articles on writing and marketing writing. Listings of freelance writing jobs.

writers.net — Writing resources, news and discussion for authors/writers, editors, publishers and agents. A free Internet directory.

www.writersquest.org offers a free research portal and annotated links to everything from forensics for writers to names databases, to writing prompts and information on publishing.

Newswire services that send press releases to newspapers, radio, TV stations and search engines: www.pr.com and www.prleap.com (free) and two fee-based services: www.prweb.com and www.prnewswire.com.

Logos Editing. Editorial services, including manuscript critique, development, organization and structural editing, and detailed line editing.

Low Fat Fiction. Guy Biederman teaches writing workshops in Sonoma and Marin counties. Contact Guy for information: Guyb@sonic.net

Write Livelihood: Learning Through Language. Author Jordan Rosenfeld offers editing services, SF Bay Area workshops and links to other writers' websites.

Write Now! A book about writing, writer's block, rejection, publishing and selling your book by San Francisco author Joseph Sutton.

Poetry Flash. A poetry review and literary calendar for the West distributed free on the West Coast (with a national subscription circulation). The calendar is updated online at www.poetryflash.org.

Sonoma County Book Festival. Annually in Old Courthouse Square and other venues in Santa Rosa. Usually 3rd Saturday in September, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission. The 2011 book festival will take place on September 24.

Sonoma County Literary Update. Calendar of literary events, readings, workshops and classes for writers, lists of writing groups and conferences.