Your book has been published, praised by many and suddenly it’s a year later and you feel the steam has gone out. Although rushing to finish your next book may (or may not) sound appealing, contributing to anthologies can be a great way to continue building your brand between books and a nice break in between full-length work, and we’ve got 5 reasons that are sure to convince you!
Anthologies are a published collection of poems, short stories, essays and other small pieces strung together by a common theme. Most anthologies gather up some of the top authors or interesting authors grouped together so being a part of this “in-crowd” is sure to give you more exposure, especially if there are some established authors in the mix who have a good platform that can up your “discoverability” by being part of the collection.
Although the publisher will edit your essay, poem or journal, you are still in complete control of what you want your piece to be about. Being a part of a collective work gives you the chance to branch out and explore a side of your writing you haven’t personally published before.
Anthologies are having a moment and can even become bestsellers or receive press and accolades (especially if so many high profile authors are involved) that you may not receive on your own yet – so this is a chance to have a bestselling or highly-recognized book on your resume to further your own next work, and even bring new readers to your past work.
There’s a networking component that comes with contributing to an anthology. While you’re building relationships with other contributors, you’re also building relationships with valuable people in an industry who can be a friendly face when you’re on your next project.
An anthology is also something to add to your resume. Publishing companies are always interested in your previous publications. Any book, including an anthology, reinforces your skills and bankability. The anthology markets you to both readers and potential publishers.
If the reasons listed above aren’t convincing enough to start contributing to anthology, just check out two of our very own authors and the anthology projects they are a part of that are getting great attention recently.
Grant Jarrett – The House That Made Me
Focusing on the one place we all have in common, 19 different authors talk about their childhood home, looking at it from Google Earth, and how it influenced their writing and shaped them into who they are today. This anthology, spearheaded by award-winning SparkPress author Grant Jarrett, has been featured in ELLE magazine and received rave reviews from Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly. A nice project while he’s between novels!
We can all look back and remember our first crush and the first introduction into the longing, desire, pain and misery that is love. In Crush, authors dive into what it was like to long for someone for the first time and how it remains with them still today. Client Caroline Kepnes, author of YOU and HIDDEN BODIES, contributed along with some great authors and garnered attention in Entertainment Weekly and more. This was also nicely timed just after her own book came out, giving us some added time to keep up her momentum!
Natalie Crandall is our Social Media Coordinator and a Midwestern girl at heart, born and raised in the countryside of Wisconsin. From a young age, Natalie was involved in an obsessive amount of extra curricular activities, yet her love of literature and art shined through and helped her create a nationally ranked literary magazine in high school.
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