Click here for your FREE ebook: The SPARREW One-Year Anniversary Ebook!
****************************************************
SPARREW ISSUE FIFTY-SIX
Welcome to the SPARREW Newsletter!
The newsletter for Self-Publishers, Authors, Readers, Reviewers, Editors and Writers!
Welcome to the September 2026 issue of the SPARREW Newsletter! So glad to have you on board!
Once upon a time, I didn’t call myself a writer because I thought that I had to be published in order to have that right. It was a teacher in my junior high class who corrected this misconception, and he let me know that it was totally okay to call myself a writer even if I wasn’t published yet.
Too often, I hear stories about how other writers out there run into similar problems. People they are close to often say hurtful things like:
“You’re not a writer until you are published.”
“Your book isn’t real because it’s an audiobook.”
“You’re not an author until your book is published.”
“You’re not an author because your book isn’t a bestseller.”
My response to this kind of negativity? STOP THE INSANITY!
It’s really discouraging how non-writers think it’s okay to create guidelines and rules that writers must abide by. These non-writers have no idea the kind of hard work and dedication it takes to actually write a whole book, edit and revise a piece for publication, or survive the onslaught of rejection until that acceptance finally comes along. And it’s because they don’t understand it that they don’t get to define it.
Writers, break free from those negative comments and keep writing anyway! Keep submitting your work. Keep writing books and stories. Keep promoting your audiobooks, because they really are books – just in a different medium. (Someone DID write them, you know!)
Don’t allow another person’s opinion to put you into some kind of mental prison that prevents you from writing. Ignore the negativity and keep doing what you love doing: Write!
We’ve got a great issue for you this month!
Readers may recall my author interview with G. Lawrence. She has returned in this issue, this time for the self-publisher interview. Her books have achieved quite a bit of success and she took the time to share about her experiences in self-publishing them. Don’t miss this interview!
In my role as Executive Editor at Twisted Dreams Press, I learned about the author David O’Mahony when he submitted short stories to our anthologies. David has a new book out this month, and he is here to share all about it in the author interview below. Check it out!
One of the writers in my online network caught my eye when they announced that they are taking on the role of poetry blogger for the HWA. Not only this, but they are a BayCon Poet Laureate! Sumiko Saulson has had numerous poems published in various publications, along with some poetry books that have garnered many glowing reviews! Check out the writer interview with this amazing poet to learn all about their journey!
And Tony Riches is back with another article for this issue. This time, Tony offers tips on how to get your book turned into an audiobook. Tony has had many of his novels made into audiobooks, so he knows a thing or two about this! If you’re an author who is interested in getting an audiobook created from your book, check his article out!
The lovely Carolyn Howard-Johnson returns with a new Tricky Edits column, and this time, she’s here to break some rules! Don’t miss her column in the editing section of this newsletter!
I hope you enjoy this issue! Feel free to drop me a note or connect with me on social media! I'd love to connect with you!
Enjoy this issue!
New post at Dawn Colclasure’s Blog:
Catch up with me online!
Check out archived issues of the SPARREW Newsletter here:
https://sparrewarchives.blogspot.com/
All current issues will be posted on my website here:
https://www.dmcwriter.com/the-sparrew-newsletter
****************************************************
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!
The SPARREW Newsletter is now a paying publication!
If you have an article you think might fight our needs, please send it our way!
We are interested in articles on the following topics:
Self-Publishing
Authors (interviews, articles promoting new releases, book marketing and promotion, website building and pointers, etc.)
Anything to do with books (analysis, reviews, breakdowns, etc.)
Book Reviewing
Editing and Editors
Writing
Each article should be no more than 2000 words. Must include a headshot and bio with your submission. Payment is $10 through PayPal, on publication. Reprints welcome and you retain all rights to your work. You grant SPARREW Books the right to reprint your article in a future ebook edition as well as the right to promote your article online.
Submit your work to Dawn at DMCWriter@gmail.com with "SPARREW Submission" in the subject line. Please submit your article as a .doc or .docx file. No PDFs. Any articles not relevant to the newsletter will be deleted unread. Please send your best work; articles will be published as-is.
****************************************************
ATTENTION WRITERS OF BOOKS AND ASPIRING AUTHORS!
A new publishing company is in town! This indie press specializes in horror, but it is also open to books in other genres.
Twisted Dreams Press is a brand new independent publisher accepting submissions of short story collections, novelettes, novellas and novels from authors in a variety of genres!
Check out the new website to find out all the details!
Be sure to follow us on our Facebook page and our other social media platforms, which are all easily accessible from our website and Facebook page.
Please like our Facebook page
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our news
****************************************************
MY SEPTEMBER SUBSTACK POSTS:
Don’t Listen to the People Who Say Your Writing is Too Much
Do You Prefer to Avoid Controversy with Your Writing?
Strange Thoughts and Stranger Ideas
Getting it Right the Second Time Around
Thank you, Horror Tree, for publishing my article "Extreme Horror May Not Be For Everyone, But Some of Us Still Read It" on September 10.
Thank you, First Chapter Plus Magazine, for publishing my article "An Exploration of the Biopunk Subgenre" in the September 2026 issue of. My article is on page 22.
Thank you, Wicked Shadow Press, for including my story "The Book of Lost Recipes" in the new anthology, Flash of the Dead: Halloween '26. Here is the link for the paperback.
Thank you, Alien Buddha Press, for including my short story "Blood Moon" in the new anthology, Thirteen Signs of the End: New & Recurring Nightmares from Alien Buddha Press. Get your copy here.
****************************************************
Motivational Quote:
“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”—Ray Bradbury
****************************************************
SELF-PUBLISHER CORNER
Self-Publisher Interview with G. Lawrence
1. What can you tell me about your experience as a writer?
I don't really know what to say to this, other than it's the only job I've ever really, truly loved and I'll be a writer until the day I die.
2. What made you decide to write a book?
I always loved reading, and at some stage, decided I had something to add to the world of literature. Mine might always remain a small contribution, but still, I took a step into that world and made myself part of it. I'll always be proud of that.
3. What circumstances brought you to the decision to self-publish your book?
I tried one round of sending my first book off to agents and although I got positive comments about the quality of my writing, I generally was turned down. One even told me there was no point writing historical fiction about the Tudors because Phillipa Gregory had "done" the Tudors.
Feeling rather discouraged, I talked to another writer, Terry Tyler, who at that point was a friend on social media (we met in real life much later) who had been very encouraging about my work. She told me I should just go ahead and self-publish, allowing the readers to make up their minds about my books. I did, and my books proved popular, popular enough that a couple of years later I left my full-time job and became a full-time author.
The lesson is, book agents don't always know everything about the reading public.
4. What has your experience as a self-publisher been like?
I prefer the freedom of self-publishing, of being an indie, but there are admittedly ups and downs. You have to take on all roles yourself, so you're the writer, at least partially an editor, and proofreader (although I have an excellent proofreader in Julia Gibbs, who checks my final drafts) as well as often being your own accountant, manager and promoter. I think many indies, including myself, struggle with promoting our books, in particular. Writers, fairly often, are more introverted than extroverted and therefore the promotions side can be taxing.
5. How do you respond to the negative stigma attached to self-publishing and self-published books?
Generally, I remind such people that the Brontes, Beatrix Potter, Hugh Howey, Amanda Hocking, Rupi Kaur and Andy Weir were all self-published originally.
Snobbery of this sort is ridiculous and it is dying out, I'm happy to say. When I first started out, it was much more prevalent.
6. What is one very important lesson you have learned as a self-publisher so far?
Write the books you want to read, and write every day, even if only a paragraph. Writing becomes like muscle memory if you work at it, the words flow better.
And read. You have to read in order to write. That is essential.
7. What do you know now about self-publishing that you wish you knew at the beginning?
Nothing.
If I knew all the twists and turns and complications, I never would have gone ahead. I would have become paralysed by feelings of my own ineptitude. I'm glad I just took a plunge and found my way by swimming the crazy river of self-publishing. I figured out, and still figure out, problems along the way, enjoy the highs, and mourn the lows. If I knew everything that was coming when I started out, it wouldn't have been half the adventure it has been.
8. A lot of authors of self-published books have reservations about promoting and marketing their book. Some even feel that it is a form of vanity or self-importance. What is your opinion about this?
As I said before, I think that comes from the fact most writers are more introverts than extroverts. It's not always true of course, but I think writing as a career calls to those who have deep inner worlds within them, and perhaps struggle to reveal them to others through other channels.
As for it being self-important or a form of vanity, that's silly really, and most impractical. Writers have to eat and pay bills, support family and buy clothes or shoes, just like anyone else. If we don't promote our books, no one will read them, which is a shame by itself, but it also means writers cannot live on writing alone.
Writers need to be paid firstly so they can survive, but secondly, so they can go on writing, adding to the wondrous world of the arts, something which is deeply important to the human race.
9. How do you promote your books and what form of book promotion has worked the best for you?
Mainly I use social media but I've done promotions with FreeBooksy too.
10. What are some other important things you have learned as a self-publisher?
It might be easier to ask what I haven't learned. The list is too extensive to go through!
11. Do you feel that self-publishing is a viable choice for other authors?
Absolutely. Without independent authors, the literary world would be a very dull place.
12. Do you feel that self-publishing their books has helped many unknown authors finally get the recognition their books deserve?
In some regards. Andy Weir started out as a self-published author and obviously is a well-recognised name, deservedly so, now, and there are others who have done very well. So, there are grand success stories out there, but I read a lot of indie books and quite often find myself thinking those authors haven't had the recognition they deserve.
In all honesty, though, most indies aren't seeking fame and fortune. Whilst it would be nice in some ways, it's not the best reward.
What most indies live for is the moment someone tells them that their book meant something to them. That's an astonishing, awe-inspiring moment, to know you touched someone with your writing. That's why most writers write, to forge a connection between people, through books.
ABOUT G. LAWRENCE:
“I am an independently published author, and proud to be so. Living in a little cottage in Wales in the UK, I love where I live as much as I love to write.
The age of the Tudors has been an obsession for me since I was a child, and many of my upcoming books will centre on that time, but I also pen the odd dystopian fiction or historical fiction from other time periods. I will be releasing all my titles on amazon, for kindle, paper and hard back, and soon to come, audio books!
I studied Literature (with a capital L) at University and usually have twenty or more books I'm currently reading. Reading and writing are about mood for me, and I haven't found a genre I didn't enjoy something about so far...
I can often be found on social media, sharing my books and any interesting historical site I have managed to find that week, so come find me if that’s what you like to see!”
SELF-PUBLISHING NEWS:
"To self-publish or not to self-publish?" by RK Wallis
via Litopia
AUTHOR CORNER
Author Interview with David O’Mahony
1. When did you start writing?
I think the first story I ever wrote was when I was 12, maybe 13. It had something to do with the devil being summoned to a pub, though it’s been lost to time (probably for the best). I did some more sustained writing toward the end of secondary school, when I would have been 16 or 17, and had made some headway on a couple of fantasy novels when a mix of college and, later, work got in the way. But I got better, and despite intermittent false starts over about a decade, returned to it with gusto from about 2023.
2. What was your journey towards becoming an author like?
Meandering, haha. I’m a copy editor, among other things, and found I got so burned out telling other people’s stories that for years I didn’t have the energy to tell my own. And I lived abroad briefly, then went back to college for graduate studies and that took up a lot of energy. Got married, bought a house, and had three kids as well! I think I’m making up for lost time.
3. What can you tell me about your latest book? (Feel free to include an excerpt.)
I’ve just released my third collection, In the House of Sorrows. They’re bundled as a series, Shadow and Starlight, but while some of the stories are related, and many are in the same story universe, they’re all standalones.
My first two, The Ties That Bind and What Gets Left Behind, were loosely themed around connection and remnants, respectively, but In the House of Sorrows is more general. It’s got folk horror, hauntings, occultism, cosmic horror, and even one very sexy story I’m hoping my parents don’t read. There’s also quite a strong Irish flavour to this book, though that wasn’t deliberate. It’s easily the best collection I’ve released so far, with 14 previously published stories and 6 getting their first run out in the book.
This is an extract from the opening story, “Apotheosis.” It’s in my top 10 favourite pieces that I’ve written, and is about an entity mummified in a bog who, for centuries, was worshipped as a deity, but as the story opens that belief has faded and the village is trying to distance itself from it.
This is the bog maiden, simply known as God, reacting to the last time they tried to get rid of her, despite her having saved them all:
God watched them die in droves from her peat-walled hall. Weak little things, she thought. Cursory things. Only when the blue-eyed child had landed on her threshold begging for help, starving and her skin already sloughing off her bones, did God take pity. She was supposed to care for everything in the bogland, wasn’t she? And weren’t these mawkish humans part of the bog now as well? The toads and lizards loved her for keeping them fed, why not these creatures? So she’d absorbed the thing even as the agony nearly tore her apart. But when she turned to the humans, all twilight skin and furnaces for eyes, instead of letting her sit at their hearths they tipped her into the filthy peat like a memory they couldn’t stand to face. The blue-eyed ones jeered at her, leered at her. She spat black oaths at them even as the copper blades cut her throat, cut her hands from her, spilled her essence into the ground she’d come from. Some spells don’t need to be cast. They just need to be felt.
4. What sort of methods do you use for book promotion?
This is the bit I, like a lot of writers, find hardest. I’ve never gotten far with trial reels or Instagram posts, though I’ve done a bit better with Facebook and even my own website. But I’ve been involved with promoting an anthology of Irish horror – they were kind enough to name it after one of my stories, A Graveyard for Gods – and I’ve learned a lot about promotion methods that way. But definitely social media; it’s essential, even if you have misgivings over Meta’s or Google’s use of personal data.
5. Where do you get your ideas for stories?
From all over. One of my older stories, “A Winter’s Wrath,” is a yule/Christmas tale (I took apart seasonal elements and made them into something more sinister) but kicked off in my head after I went for a walk and saw five gravestones in a row on a hillside next to the local church. So the first line is “Five graves on a hillside”, but in this case it’s the character’s family.
A piece in my latest book, called “Final Voyage,” was inspired by a visit to a graveyard where a clutch of my ancestors are buried. While proofing it recently, I realised I’d written a few other stories into it, to do with various people buried there, so I guess I’ll have to revisit some of those, haha.
Occasionally, I’ll get a random “what if” floating through my head. My story “Atonement,” for example, is “what if you prayed and something you didn’t expect answered”. I keep a list of story submission calls, too, and go back to it for inspiration every now and then even if I’m not writing for that specific publication. Other times the actual title might occur to me, without any story at first, or I might think of a line or scene and then write a story around it.
6. What are you working on right now?
I have a novella and two novels on the go. The novella, The Undying, is a mix of undead occultism and ghost stories, and is set in an old house in West Cork. Two characters – one is an undead grave robber, the other a medium – are in the area for different reasons, but their storylines collide. It’s been a lot of fun to write.
I’ve also written the opening chapters of a medieval horror fantasy, When the World Breaks, which will bring in elements of ancient Irish mythology with cosmic horror and is about three people who have to work with the declining Celtic gods to try and repel an entity that’s breaking into our world. I’ve been quite liberal with how I’m incorporating mythical elements, though; there’s no strict retelling of anything, nor is it an attempt to be historical fiction, though it is set in historical regions of Ireland and Britain.
I’m much further along on a cosmic horror/ghost story novel called Worlds Without End, which is set on a fictional island off the coast of New England (an homage to Lovecraft, King, and Poe). That also leans quite heavily on Irish folklore, actually, and I’ve used that island as a setting for a couple of other stories. That will probably be out in 2027, provided I actually finish it this time…
Meanwhile, I should have a novella, Nothing Stays Buried, out in October this year. That blends witchcraft, curses, and hauntings with a little bit of possession.
7. Any advice for other authors?
Write the stories you want to read first and foremost. The only boundaries in horror are the ones you set yourself, so it’ll be good for you to push a story out to see how weird it can be. Also, horror doesn’t have to be scary. Creeping dread is just as effective. Don’t feel boxed into a genre, either; I’ve written literary horror, dark fantasy, light fantasy, literary fiction, and even a children’s chapter book (one copy currently exists, which was a gift for my daughter, but I will hopefully get it published someday).
ABOUT DAVID:
David O'Mahony is a horror and dark fantasy writer from Cork, Ireland. His work has found a home in more than 80 anthologies and magazines, including with KJK Publishing’s Horror Collection, Books of Horror, British Fantasy Society, Dead Fox Publishing, Cloaked, Inkd, Temple Dark Books, and others. He has written nonfiction at Irish Examiner, where he is a columnist. He is the author of three collections - The Ties That Bind (2024), What Gets Left Behind (2025), and In the House of Sorrows (2026) - as well as the forthcoming novellas Nothing Stays Buried and The Undying. Find him at his website or Threads.
AUTHOR NEWS:
"One-Star Book Reviews From People Who Are Really Upset And How To Manage" by Rachel Thompson
via BadRedhead Media, LLC’s All Things Book Marketing!
"Beyond the Booksigning: How Themed Bookstore Events Turn Readers into Loyal Fans" by Rachel Carrington
via WritersWeekly
"Paid Newsletter: Smart Income Stream or Expensive Distraction?" by Penny Sansevieri
via Writers In The Storm
"Do Authors Need Agents to Sell Their Work in the World of Film & Television?" by Mark Heidelberger
via FundsforWriters
REVIEWER CORNER
My Reviews:
Dawn Reviews Books:
Reader Views:
“Sophie Moon and the Honeybees” by Szilvia S. Jennings
“Enemy of the Future” by R.E. Trout
“Beyond Jupiter” by C.L. Hamilton
“The Sentinel’s Sight” by M.D. Osborne
Other Book Reviews:
“The Weight of One Pomegranate” Explores Grief and Moving Forward"by Linda Hitchcock
"Play the Game and Win the War in Ava Reid’s Latest Dystopian Tale" by Kiersten Bjork
"Ann Garvin Turns Up the Suspense in “Tell Two Friends”" by Laura Anne Bird
"Magic and Forbidden Desire Collide in “The Queen’s Bodyguard”" by Natalia Kavale
"Chloe Benjamin’s “Under Story” Bends Time in a Tale of Love and Loss" by Kristin Keaton
"The Worst of Both Worlds in “Exit Party”" by Riley Harker
"The Man Who Made the Beatles" by Linda Hitchcock
"Epeolatry Book Review: Fear Farm by Vincent Ralph" by Joseph Pietris
"Epeolatry Book Review: Blood & Steel by Helen Scheuerer" by Joseph Pietris
"Epeolatry Book Review: The Witching House by John Everson" by Joseph Pietris
"Epeolatry Book Review: This Movie Doesn’t End the Way We Want by Hailey Piper" by Corinne Pollard
"Epeolatry Book Review: The Lamp in the Window by Tom Mead" by Joseph Pietris
"Epeolatry Book Review: Pictures of You by Josh Malerman" by Joseph Pietris
"Epeolatry Book Review: Rituals in the Night by Jon Cohn" by Stephanie Ellis
"Epeolatry Book Review: In These Gilded, Ghostly Hearts by Gwendolyn Kiste" by Catherine Jordan
"Epeolatry Book Review: The Coffin Chronicles by Megan Diedericks" by Luc Dantes
"Epeolatry Book Review: Fitcher’s Bird by A.G. Slatter" by Stephanie Ellis
“The North Doesn’t Speak” by Clifton Wilcox
“Mystery of the Lake’s Illusion” by Mausum Sharma
“Blood of Yarumaya” by Kevin D. Miller
“The Letter That Never Existed” by David Lastinger
“Muppit Boy and the Wheel of Power” by Michael J. Bowler
“Divided Grace” by Clifton Wilcox
“Generation VI: The Road to Pronoia” by Jeff Wimperis
“Lazarus: Chronicles of the A.N.U.B.I.S. System” by R. Garcia Vega
“Final Chanss” by Alan Mitchell
“A Prophet Named Ike” by Evelyn M. Exley
“The Double Date and Other Stories” by Douglas Young
“A Soul’s Caress: Breathe” by Camelia Bennett
“A Perfect Saturday… almost” by Dave Jones, PsyD
“Lost, and Found at Sea” by D.O. Molina
“To Know Good and Evil” by Daniel V. Meier, Jr.
“Runaway Cecilia” by Catherine Duffy
“The Remaking of Myles” by David Rosenbaum
“The Silver Knight” by Evelyn M. Exley
“The Night the Carousel Came to Life” by Michael Gray
“Violence and Debauchery at the Salt Creek Little League” by Jesse Severson
“Traitor or Hero” by Matthew Eberz
“The 20th PID Book” by Nancy Finston
“Evanswood: Part 2” by Evelyn M. Exley
“Infernal Tramps: Tales of Weird Terror” by Alex Grass
“Kenny and the Heiresses of Surith” by Joseph K. Adou
“An Unconscious Choice of Chaos” by Tessa Kinsela
“Soul Moon: First Encounter” by Camelia Bennett
“The Harlot of St. Cecelia’s” by Darcy Graves
“The Warm Planet” by Evelyn M. Exley”
“The Adventures of Syd: Rescue on Tangier Island” by Danielle Simone
“Across Time and Starlight” by Alessandro Candotti
“Wolf in Wanderley” by Dave J. Andrae
“Alice and Louise and the New Democracy” by Ron Kreymborg
“Drop: The Police Annals of Jax, Book II” by J.R. Lightfoot
“The Man From Rock Bottom” by Stephen Eric Johnson
“Between You, Me, and the Fence Post” by Hunter Snow
“The Nightingale Kept Singing” by Teddi Ahrens
“Dodecahedron” by T.G. Monahan
“Peter Little Wing and the Bay of Islands” by Regan W.H. Macaulay
“Ninety-Second Street: Brooklyn Stories” by Gerry Coleman
“I Am the House” by C.B. Harper
“Pivoting From Blue” by Skip Van Gardner
“The Alive 5 Weaponized” by Mark W. Dean
“The Firehand File” by Bob Van Laerhoven
“Feathers, Treasures, & Sandy Paws: The Trilogy” by Shirley Lee Baldwin
“The Counterfeit Journalists” by Robert Russin
“The Girl with Free Feet” by Rose Gong
“A Debt Reforged” by Bryan James Beck
“Maddy and Mia: Growing Pains” by Pamela Adler
“Continental Drift” by Robert Dawson
“Dancing in the Purple Rain” by Judy L. Mohr
“Paw Paw Secrets” by Cindy Clark
“The Boom of the Bittern” by Andrew Smith
“Rescuing the Rain Man” by Amy Schisler
“Rise Gloriously” by Joseph Jean Baptiste Jolicoeur
“Fighting Edge” by Margaret Mizushima
“Cinderella Effect” by Daniela Mannucci
“This Outpost Earth” by Christopher B. Mines
“Sun Gods” by Matthew Di Paoli
“Snow Speaks Up” by Tom Curtain
“The Athanatoi and the Star of Inanna” by Janine Baranski
“The Evolution of My Smile” by Monique Rardin Richardson
“Blood and Faith” by Collin Vaness
“The Spider and the Sword” by A.W. Di Marzio
“Pismo Beach Sniper” by Topper Jones
“Adams Morgan Fugue” by Alex Fardon
“Shell Yeah! A New Shell for Heywood” by Ruth Amanda
“A Study of Shattered Spells” by Josiah DeGraaf
“Scars of the Unbound” by Miranda Howman
“Hidden in Half Moon Bay” by Cindy Clark
“Shadows from the Sun” by John Gargrave
“Stanger in the Smoke” by C.L. Hamilton
"Anita Brookner by Hermione Lee review – an enigmatic literary great given her due" by Lucy Atkins
"The man who shaped Trump: book sheds fresh light on ruthless Roy Cohn" by Martin Pengelly
"The Bridge by Colm Tóibín review – betrayal and survival in the High Pyrenees" by Alexandra Harris
"Profits, Prophets, Coaches and Kings by Jared Diamond review – how to change the course of history" by Steven Poole
"A Death of One’s Own by Terry Eagleton review – meditations on arriving at a full stop" by Kathryn Hughes
"People With Money by Jess Ho review – race, class and gender collide in this outlandish but overcooked satire" by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
"‘It leaves holes inside of you’: graphic novel aims to remember the history and horror of genocide" by David Smith
"Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson review – quirky postwar nostalgia from the Life After Life author" by Lucy Atkins
"Hawking by Graham Farmelo review – the dark side of genius" by Philip Ball
"The Castle by Jon Ronson review – bizarre tales of modern masculinity" by Anthony Cummins
"What Should My Children Do? by Daniel Susskind review – the case for embracing tech in the classroom" by Simon Usborne
"Taipei Story by Rebecca F Kuang review – the torture and hilarity of learning Chinese" by Kit Fan
"Gone Guru by Nadine Browne review – a clever and funny metafictional caper" by Catriona Menzies-Pike
"A Thought Without Collision by Adrian Duncan review – a brilliant interrogation of philosophy and wonder" by Daisy Hildyard
"End Times Fascism by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor review – the fightback starts here" by Daniel Trilling
"The Rouse by China Miéville review – a mighty achievement from the ‘new weird’ author" by Stuart Kelly
"All the Wrong Moves by Anthony Scaramucci review – confessions of an ex-Trumper" by Zoe Williams
"Safe Spaces by Tice Cin review – a kaleidoscopic vision of precarity, music and grief" by Sana Goyal
"Redwood by Ben Macintyre review – a superbly wrought tale of cold war defection" by Oliver Bullough
"The Strangers by Naomi Alderman review – where has this odd new species come from?" by Keiran Goddard
"My Year in Paris With Gertrude Stein by Deborah Levy audiobook review – gripping vision of a fearless writer" by Fiona Sturges
"Cul-de-Sac by Eleanor Limprecht review – a powerful and timely novel about domestic abuse" by Bec Kavanagh
"No Land to Stand On by Mahmoud Khalil review – a searing account of political imprisonment" by Houman Barekat
9-3-2026 Latham's Last Words: The Fungus by Harry Adam Knight
09/07/2026 Kerry E.B. Black Binges Books!
9-10-2026 Latham's Last Words: Witch, Witch, Burning Bright by John W. Bloch
9-17-2026 Latham's Last Words: Header by Edward Lee
Extra Book Reviews:
"Do Not Read This (Terrifying) Book If You’re Claustrophobic" by Quinn
via What Is Quinn Reading?
Book Review: Tiny Dreadfuls by Sarah Faxon
via The Butchered Writers
"Book Review: “As We Fall Through Time” by Claire North" by Lachie F.
via Lachlan's Book Reviews
"Book Review: “Sea of Charms”" by Thomas J. West III
via Omnivorous
"Book Review: “First Druids of Shannara: Brona”" by Thomas J. West III
via Omnivorous
"Swoony Sunday Reading Update: “Sweetbitter Song”" by Thomas J. West III
via Omnivorous
"Book Reviews: Moviepalooza!" by Gina Dalfonzo
via Dear, Strange Things
"Book Review: “Lullabies for the Lost” by Mia Dalia" by Lachie F.
via Lachlan's Book Reviews
via DGKayewriter.com
"Swoony Sunday Book Review: “The Chromatic Fantasy”" by Dr. Thomas J. West III
via Omnivorous
Calls for Reviews
I’d love to find reviewers for my books! Contact me at DMCWriter@gmail.com if interested.
READER CORNER
BOOK BLOGS:
NEW IN BOOKS:
"The Best Books of Fall 2026" by Kristina Wright
via BookBub
"Cozy New Mysteries You Need to Read" by Shannon Maczko
via BookBub
"5 Short Story Collections Where Reality Is Broken" by Megan Giddings
via Publishers Weekly
"Celebrating Gloria Steinem" by PW Staff
via Publishers Weekly
"8 Folk Horror Books for Unsettling Reading" by C.N. Vair
via Writer's Digest
"Is Your Wife a Philosophical Zombie?" by Elana Gomel
via A Guide to Unreality
"These Disaster Thrillers Will Keep You Turning Pages" by Jeff Somers
via BookBub
"The Best Historical Fiction of Fall" by Angela Ericson
via BookBub
NEW BOOKS:
Ruthvika Rao
Genre: Literary Fiction
Meg Howrey
Genre: Literary Fiction
Murder at the Rose Show (The Stoney Ridge Cozy Mystery Series Book 3)
Kaylynn Smith
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Steven T. Gibbon
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Barry White: The Walrus of Wales
Rob Harris
Genre: Comedy Drama
Mere Joyce
Genre: Historical Mystery
Assisted Living: Old Grove Lake Trilogy, Book One
Gianaclis Caldwell
Genre: Cozy Eco-Horror
Scott Hawkins
Genre: Fantasy
Written by Diego Muzzio, Translated by Rahul Bery
Genre: Gothic Horror
Suzanne Junered
Genre: Psychological Thriller
An Immaculate Deception: A Novel
Isabela Livino
Genre: Gothic Horror
Rachel Harrison
Genre: Gothic Horror
Written by Kim Bohyun, Translated by Archana Madhavan
Gothic Horror/Crime Fiction
Written by Joseph Fink, Illustrated by Jessica Hayworth
Genre: Psychological Thriller
The Patron Saint of White Menageries: Stories
Lauren T. Davila
Genre: Short Story Collection
Mary G. Thompson
Genre: Science Fiction/Horror
Rick Powell
Genre: Short Story Collection
Kalynn Bayron
Genre: YA Paranormal Horror
Gretchen McNeil
Genre: Paranormal Suspense
White Raven (The Messengers of the Realm Trilogy - Book 1)
Stacey Marie Brown
Genre: Dark Fantasy
by M Ennenbach
Category: Poetry Collection
Kai Delmas
Genre: Short Story Collection
Theogony (Illustrated): The Birth of the Greek Gods
Original text by Hesiod, Translated by hugh G. Evelyn-White, Illustrated by Alexander Gabriel Zonderot
Genre: Mythology and Poetry
Horror Stories by Alex Tucker
Genre: Fiction Collection
Myths, Monsters and Memories: The Stuff of Inspiration
J. Rocky Colavito
Genre: Short Story Collection
Peregrination: The Epistemological Journey of Identity
Tom Cintula
Category: Philosophy and Theory
Ally Zetterberg
Genre: Suspense & Thriller
Emma Cline
Genre: Literary Fiction
Taipei Story: Deluxe Limited Edition
R. F. Kuang
Genre: Coming-Of-Age Fiction
Bo Wang
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Library of Leaving: A Novel
Emily Dunlay
Genre: Historical Fiction
Isn't He Romantic?: Love on the Vine #3
Adib Khorram
Genre: MM Romance
Mason Coile
Genre: Gothic Horror
Aiden Thomas
Genre: Queer Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Voice of a Century: The Life and Artistry of Marian Anderson (Significations)
Anthony Tommasini
Category: Biographies & Memoirs
Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
Category: Biography & Autobiography
Screaming in the Night: Sinister Supernatural Stories Vol 1
Edited by R.E. Sargent and Steven Pajak
Genre: Horror Anthology
So Far, So Good, So What?: Stories
Laura Shell
Genre: Short Story Collection
Michael R. Collins
Genre: Horror
lestat's poem: A Vampire Chronicles Inspired Collection, Book 1
Linda M. Crate
Category: Poetry Collection
By Various Authors
Genre: Anthology
In the Dust of the Fallen Rose
Darek Thomas
Category: Poetry Collection
THIS IS HOW A VILLAIN IS MADE: A Novella
Amanda Headlee
Genre: Horror
Jack Finn
Genre: Historical Horror
John F Zurn
Category: Poetry Chapbook
Adele Evershed
Category: Poetry Collection
Alice Blackwell
Category: Poetry Micro-Chapbook
Kevin Charles
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Emily St. John Mandel
Genre: Literary Fiction
Sarah Anderson
Genre: Literary Fiction
Kate Atkinson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Elizabeth Castellano
Genre: Literary Fiction
Written by Fernando Aramburu, Translated by Will Vanderhyden
Category: Psychological Fiction
Sebastian Barry
Genre: Historical Fiction
We Chase Shadows: We Solve Murders #2
Richard Osman
Genre: Cozy Mystery
The Thoroughbreds: The Academy Series #2
Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham
Genre: Women's Fiction
Peace Mbengei
Genre: YA Mystery & Thriller
J. Harris and Matt Anderson
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Justice for Jehanne: The Tale of a Medieval Survivor
Sara McDougall
Category: History
The Capitalist Era: The Making—and Unmaking—of the Global Mind
Jeremy Adelman
Category: History
The Last Invasion of England: 1688 and the Dutch Armada
Arthur der Weduwen
Category: History
Property Values: The Rise and Fall of the American Homeowner
Joshua Specht
Category: History
Cold War City: A History of West Berlin
David E. Barclay
Category: History
Sarah Edghill
Genre: Family Drama
James Kaine
Genre: Horror
Charlotte Barnes
Genre: Queer Romcom
Sam Fletcher
Genre: Fantasy
Edmund Stone
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Bryan Alaspa
Genre: Horror
Murder at Hollow & Hearth (A Fiona Mathis Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 1)
Nora Kest
Genre: Cozy Mystery
The Cat Was Listening (River Reads Cozy Mysteries Book 2)
Clara Brook
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Welcome to the Kokoro Cat Clinic (Book 3 of We'll Prescribe You a Cat)
Written by Syou Ishida, Translated by E. Madison Shimoda
Genre: Literary Fiction
A. Rushby
Genre: Gothic Horror
Madeline ffitch
Genre: Literary Fiction
Female Life on Planet Earth: A Novel
Laleh Khadivi
Genre: Literary Fiction
Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel: The New Miss Marple Mystery
Lucy Foley, Agatha Christie
Genre: Mystery
by Michael Koryta
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Naomi Alderman
Genre: Literary Fiction
Shadow Before the Flame: The Hindenburg Disaster and the Prelude to War
Catherine Grace Katz
Category: U.S. History
Alex Stolis
Category: Poetry Collection
K. Ancrum
Genre: Queer Romantic Horror Thriller
All Hallows Eve: Stories of Halloween and Other Festivals of the Dead
Edited by Ellen Datlow
Genre: Anthology
The Band From Another World (An Alien Survival Guide Novel)
Kevin Garone
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Mercedes M. Yardley
Genre: Horror
Stephanie Sanders-Jacob
Genre: Coming-Of-Age YA
Jack Finn
Genre: Folk Horror
Gemma Files
Genre: Short Story Collection
John Evans
Genre: Horror
Margot McGovern
Genre: YA Horror
Josh Malerman
Genre: Gothic Horror
The Quiet Resurrection of Sister Evelida Livingston
Nick Wallin
Genre: Horror
Barbara Truelove
Genre: Horror
We Turn Gruesome At Night: Burnt Sparrow
Eric LaRocca
Genre: Gothic Horror
Ashley Woo
Genre: Gothic Mystery
I'm Not a Good Person, I'm a New Yorker
Jamal Hodges
Category: Poetry Collection
Moment of Weakness (girl/Mistress Expanded Editions Book 1)
Cyan LeBlanc
Genre: Lesbian Romance
Threat Level: Nightfall (FBI: Magical Threats Division Book 7)
TR Cameron
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Go Alone (A Kate Valentine Mystery—Book #10)
Blake Pierce
Genre: Mystery
This Movie Doesn't End the Way We Want
Hailey Piper
Genre: Gothic Horror
Charm of the Witch (Witches of Keating Hollow Book 18)
Deanna Chase
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Phantom Flux (Gold Medal Marine Book 5)
J.N. Chaney and Terry Maggert
Genre: Science Fiction
Charlotte Stevenson
Genre: Domestic Thriller
DE McCluskey
Genre: Horror
Head Under Water
Kiersten Modglin
Genre: Suspense
Ashley Grant
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Katherine E Winnick
Category: Poetry Collection
Poison In The Petals (A Sady Sawyer Cozy Mystery)
Nora Noor
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Hats off to Boo (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow Book 8)
Sara Bourgeois
Genre: Cozy Mystery
i(an win)terbaue(r
Category: Poetry Collection
Murder at the Harbor Bake-Off (A Greystone Harbor Cozy Mystery Book 6)
Nora Brinkley
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Murder at the Beach Party (A Tess Channing Coastal Cozy Mystery)
Poppy Grier
Genre: Cozy Mystery
J. Rocky Colavito
Genre: Horror Story Collection
By Various Writers
Genre: Anthology
EDITOR CORNER
Tricky Edits from Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Knowing When Rules Don’t Apply…and When They Do
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson,
author of the HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers
published by Modern History Press
Introduction: I ran into the quotation below as I was editing the next book for my HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers and it reminded me of how long it takes me to adapt to rules or ideas I’ve held for a long time and how difficult it is for me to convince my clients that participation in the marketing of our books is an essential part of publishing. Thus, I decided to share the excerpt below for you, hoping it would help convince you that it’s okay—even a necessity—to give up old habits or to break rules you have been living with a lifetime. Hold on to your hats. You might not like it at first but if you’ve heard something like it before—or if you’ve begun to notice—just as an example—that the dialogue you’ve been writing as you oh-so-carefully observe all the grammar rules that worked well enough for you from kindergarten through to high school are starting to feel a little stilted or that you’ve begun to wonder why no agent has accepted your manuscript for the story idea you think could go all the way to the number one position on Amazon’s bestseller list!
“Beware grammar rules that interfere with your choice to write believable dialogue—or limit your creativity. Play with rules. Destroy rules. Learn new ways to get around rules. It’s lots of fun!” ~ CHJ
“’It’s complicated’
“We hear that phrase everywhere these days.
“When it comes to language, the trick is to keep an open mind about “rules” that have been imposed on us from, what? Kindergarten? I didn’t encounter a class that acknowledged rules could fluctuate from genre to genre until I risked enrolling in a graduate seminar in writing while I was still a freshman. That’s where I heard that some rules were never rules at all and that never-break-a-rule-mentality is likely to confuse, even destroy creativity.
“Language is a beautiful, growing thing that sets us apart from other lifeforms and brings us closer to the things in life we love. Poets have been making up words, possibly since before writing was invented. We’re doing better about defending our independence only a few decades ago. These days even journalists are using storytelling, including dialogue in their reporting."
Denouement: So there it is…in quotation marks because I lifted it from Chapter Four in my own work in progress. I hope it will prepare you to be more willing to consider all the new stuff you have heard or are about to. An open attitude will prepare you to partner better with an editor—either accept their advice or defend your reasons for breaking whatever rule they believe you’ve been breaking. We writers—even great editors—never know all the specifics used by the wide array of professions that writing offers. But I know from personal experience that my motto “the more you know…” is therapeutic. In other words, writing can be less stressful than many of us believe it could be.
ABOUT CAROLYN:
My thanks to Dawn Colclasure for sharing my tricky edits in her free newsletter, many of them directly from the pages of the third edition of The Frugal Editor in my HowToDoItFrugally Series for Writers. I have been with SPARREW through thick and thin from its first edition in her generous #SharingwithWriters effort as part of giving back to the publishing industry. It has done a difficult but great job adjusting to the new model presented to us with the advent of the internet and digital printing. Hooray! It is big enough to accommodate all kinds of publishing and most of the preferences of forward-looking authors. Some of those authors—like me—have tried so many publishing models I’ve lost track. Thanks for coming back. Do find the entire series on a special Series Page offered by Amazon. And please watch for the addition of Word by Word: A Vocabulary for Success.
MORE ABOUT YOUR #SPARREW CONTRIBUTOR:
The triptych that Amazon provides the authors of series published by their KDP unit. It feels like a bonus.
Once a month Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares something writer-related she hopes might save some author from embarrassment (or make the task of writing more fun or creative.) The third edition of The Frugal Editor from Modern History Press includes contact list magic. It is the second multi award-winning book in her multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers. Find it on Amazon’s new buy-page for series where the e-book is offered with one click of online’s version of a set of books. (The availability—free—of that new page for authors with book series that appear on KDP’s pages is another of her #FrugalBookPromoterTips.) And her winningest book, The Frugal Editor, has been fully updated including a chapter on how backmatter can be extended to help readers and nudge book sales. And watch for her new book on—you guessed it—word lists!
Carolyn blogs sporadically on editing at The Frugal Editor and at her SharingwithWriters blog on other aspects of the publishing world and welcomes guest posts with ample author credit lines and links and welcomes guest posts complete with credit lines and ample links for her guests. She also tweets writers' resources and tips at her Twitter account using #FrugalBookPromoterTips hashtag.
New in Editing:
"Grammar Errors You May Be Making Right Now and How to Stop. Please." by Rachel Thompson
via BadRedhead Media, LLC’s All Things Book Marketing!
The state-of-the-art in spell-checkers
WRITER CORNER
Interview with Poet Sumiko Saulson
1. How long have you been writing?
I have been writing poetry since I was a kid. When I was in third grade, I had a business writing custom poems for greeting cards for people’s parties and weddings. Then I would have them printed. My mother, Carolyn Saulson, helped me run the business and we paid rent with it. She was a published poet herself. I put out my first poetry chapbooks as zines when I was sixteen (called “The Coffee Files”) and twenty (called “Untitled”). And I got paid $25 for three poems for the Tenderloin Times when I was twenty, and the San Francisco Chronicle included me in its article about up-and-coming neo-Beat poets in that same year of 1988.
2. What kind of writing do you do these days?
I'm an Afrosurrealist and horror writer, and I write novels and short stories, but I'm best known as a horror poet. My poems invoke ghosts, spirits, and connection to the ancestors. I use monsters and metaphor to talk about mental illness, and deeper subjects like homelessness, racism, and other societal ills that I think are themselves horrors. My short stories include psychological horror, body horror, science fiction, horror erotica, sci-fi erotica, afrosurrealism, and afrofuturism. Many of my stories center African American, and LGBTQ people, like myself.
3. What compelled you to start writing poetry?
I started writing poetry when I was a kid. It’s really funny to me now, but what inspired me was greeting cards. I loved little greeting card poems, and wanted to grow up to work for Hallmark. I was about nine years old at the time. I started reading horror since I was eleven, the first novel for adults I read was Peter Straub’s Ghost Story. And when I was thirteen that I became interested in horror poetry, as in the seventh grade, I became a big fan of Edgar Allan Poe. By the time I was fifteen, I was sure I wanted to grow up to be a horror poet, just like Poe himself, or perhaps a novelist, like Stephen King.
4. How do you feel about whether or not a poet should be paid when having their work published?
Ideally, we should be paid. I have certainly put work out into the world that I wasn’t paid for, but I will say that most of the time, I was paid. Even if it is a very small honorarium, like $5 or $10, it shows respect and appreciation for the artist. Writing is a job, and artists in all fields should be paid for our work. But doing free work for charity, or working with for-the-love unpaid markets, is also respectable, and poets should be respected even if they weren’t paid for their work.
5. How has writing poetry helped you in other areas of life?
Writing poetry is very therapeutic for me as a person who has bipolar disorder with psychotic features and post-traumatic stress disorder. It helps me to express my emotions and connect with other people in conversation about traumatic experiences and even symptoms that are easier to convey to people in poetic language than in plain conversation.
6. What was your biggest accomplishment as a poet?
I’ve been nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Poetry twice, and for an Elgin Award four times, I won a third-place Dwarf Star Award for Poetry, and was BayCon 2026’s Poet Laureate.
7. What are your thoughts about whether or not a writer should pursue an MFA in poetry in order to increase their chances of getting their work published?
I never got a Master of Fine Arts, and I didn’t get my Associates of Arts degree until I was fifty years old. I do think that I learned a lot about the craft of writing in college. I majored in English with certificates in creative writing and screenwriting, so nothing directly poetry-related, but I improved my ability at storywriting through the classes I attended pursuing a degree. So I would say that perhaps honing your craft would be a good reason to pursue a degree of any kind, although I do not know if it directly benefits one in terms of likelihood of being published.
8. What other poets have inspired you the most?
Edgar Allan Poe, Warsan Shire, and Langston Hughes are three poets that have very much inspired me, as well as Alice Walker, who I read a lot of when I was younger, and Tupac Shakur, who was a poet before he became a rapper.
9. What types of poetry are your favorite and why do you like them the most?
I just got done having a great deal of fun playing around with limericks and haikus. I have an affinity for rhyming poetry. I love abab rhyme scheme poetry, and often find myself falling into it consciously or subconsciously.
10. What are some of the challenges you have faced in writing poetry and how did you overcome them?
One challenge I ran into was the unpopularity of rhyming poetry in certain circles. I started to break up the rhyme schemes, try to overcome the stigma associated with it, and even tried my hand at non-rhyming poetry.
11. What is the best writing advice you have ever received and why do you feel it is important?
Toni Morrison said “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” Anne Rice was a fan of the quote, and often repeated it directly or paraphrased it when she was giving advice to me and other upcoming authors on her Facebook page. It’s great advice! The best way to avoid falling into mechanical writing is to simply write what you wish to read.
12. If you have books of poetry published, please list the titles and where they can be purchased online.
● Dance of Necromance: Poetry Book of the Dead, on Mocha Memoirs Press.
● Doodooality: Shots Fired from Uranus, on Dooky Zines
● Melancholia: A Book of Dark Poetry on Bludgeoned Girls Press
● The Rat King: A Book of Dark Poetry on Dooky Zines
13. Where can we find some of your poetry published in publications online?
The last five of these audio links are poetry. Go here.
14. What advice do you have for aspiring poets thinking of getting their work published?
Although it can feel intimidating to put yourself out there, it’s important to keep submitting your work. One strategy I have used to challenge myself to try for higher paying markets, is to start out by sending poetry to them, then if it isn’t accepted, go to a lower paying market. Often, a free market would be a last choice for me, but if you have a lot of poetry to put out there, just getting it out there can be invigorating.
15. What is it about poetry that you love and how does this influence your writing of poetry?
I think poetry is the most intimate of writing for me. It comes from a place of deep emotional connection and immediacy that can be hard to duplicate in prose.
ABOUT SUMIKO:
SUMIKO SAULSON is the BayCon/Westercon 2026 Poet Laureate, a Two-Time Bram Stoker Award® for Poetry for The Rat King (2022, Dooky Zines) and Melancholia (2024, Bludgeoned Girls Press). Four-Time Elgin Speculative Poetry Award nominee for these and Doodooality: Shots fired from Uranus (Dooky Zines), and novelist whose short stories, poetry and articles have appeared in over 50 publications, including Weird Tales, Locus Magazine, Strange Horizons, Nightmerica: Corruptions of an American Dream, and This Way Lies Madness. Winner of the Afrosurrealist Writers Award. Their latest novel, Somnalia: The Metamorphoses of Flynn Keahi (sequel to Happiness and Other Diseases) is available on Mocha Memoirs Press. Find them at @sumikoska or their website.
New for Writers:
"Yes, Write About Your Trauma, But Not for the Reasons You Might Think" by Maggie Langrick
via Jane Friedman
"Beyond Story: How to Use Case Studies in Your Nonfiction Book" by Amy Isaman
via Jane Friedman
"How Repeating Character Emotion Weakens an Emotional Scene" by Susan Watts
via Writers In The Storm
"Why Great Books (and Writers) Face Rejection" by E.S. Foster
via MetaStellar
"Turning Lousy Grammar into an Asset" by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
via Writers on The Move
"Q: Simultaneous submissions: who, what, where, when, why...and huh?" by Becky Tuch
via Lit Mag News
"Tips on Writing Middle Grade" by Karen Cioffi, Children's Ghostwriter, Editor, and Coach
via Writers On the Move
"What Is Speculative Fiction?" by Jeanette Smith
via MetaStellar
"The Difference Between Writing and Editing" by Jeanette Smith
via MetaStellar
"12 Paying Christian Markets for Writers" by Karoki Githure
via WritersWeekly
"Combined Fiction: At the Intersection of Genre & Literary" by Skye Rozario Steinhagen
via The Writer's Workout
"The Neuroscience of Flow: How to Silence Your Inner Critic and Unlock Your Best Writing" by Susan J. Foster
via Writer's Digest
"4 Tips for Writing Cozy Fantasy" by Lucy Jane Wood
via Writer's Digest
"The Soul of a Story and the Places It Hides" by Sarah Sally Hamer
via Writers In The Storm
"Introducing Your LinkedIn Audience to Your Other Writing Self" by Dan Brotzel
via FundsforWriters
FEATURE ARTICLE
How to Produce an Audiobook with Amazon ACX in Seven Steps
By Tony Riches
Audiobook editions have become important for many authors, not only as an additional income stream but also to help busy readers and those with visual impairment.
I’d always thought the costs of producing an audiobook would be a stretch, so was encouraged to learn that Amazon’s ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) part of Audible.Com and a subsidiary of Amazon. As the author, you decide how your audiobook is produced, who narrates it, and select your distribution channels.
I have previously made a one-off payment to narrators, but ACX offers a ‘profit sharing’ deal, where authors can sign up to a 50:50 royalty split with the narrator. I like the idea of entering into a partnership with the narrator who has an equal stake in the success of the finished work.
To enter into a royalty share deal, you need to select exclusive distribution of the audiobook through Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. Royalties of 40% are paid for exclusive distribution projects, so the rights holder and producer each earn 20% from each sale.
Here are the seven steps to take you from your edited manuscript to a completed audiobook:
Step One: Preparing your ‘pitch’
Once you’ve registered with ACX at this link, you can set up your first ‘project.’ You need to confirm you have audio rights for your book, then you will be guided through preparing your ‘pitch.’ You want to attract the best possible choice of professional narrators, so it’s important to spend some time on this.
For example, I emphasised the international sales and reviews, and included a link to the YouTube trailer. I also adapted the synopsis, highlighting the elements I thought would be important to any potential narrators. You'll also need to upload a two-page excerpt from your book as an Audition Script for potential narrators.
Step Two: Choosing your narrator
Wait to see who expresses an interest or listen to sample narrations (which you can filter by genre, gender, accent, etc.) and invite producers to audition for your book. As well as listening to auditions, you can look at the bio of potential narrators and discuss their approach.
Step Three: Agreeing the deal
You can make an offer to a producer on the special Production Offer Page – and if they accept, you can create a deal on ACX. It is recommended that negotiations take place within the ACX messaging system to document what has been agreed.
Step Four: Listen to the fifteen-minute sample
It is important to make sure you are happy with the tone and pace of the narration, as this is where you agree what might eventually become eight or nine hours of recording.
Step Five: Listen to each chapter
I’d underestimated how much of a challenge this is, as you need to be vigilant for any pronunciation issues or changes of pace or style. You can ask the narrator to make up to two rounds of corrections to your finished audiobook, and when you're content with the final version, you pay your producer directly, unless you agreed to a royalty share.
Step Six: Prepare audiobook artwork
I adapted the printed book cover to create the square format, although you could opt for a complete redesign if this isn't practical. Once you are happy with the artwork, you simply upload it and ACX do the rest once it has passed their quality check.
Step Seven: Promote the new audiobook
As with any book, there is a close correlation between time spent raising awareness and royalties earned through sales. I'm pleased to say I now have eight of my books produced as audio editions, and they have become a useful source of income. I've also had very positive feedback from people with vision impairment and others who like to listen to audiobooks on long journeys.
ABOUT TONY RICHES:
Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the lives of the early Tudors. As well as his Elizabethan series, Tony’s historical fiction novels include the best-selling Tudor trilogy and his Brandon trilogy, (about Charles Brandon and his wives). For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and follow his podcast series, ‘Stories of the Tudors and Stuarts’
***************************************
Thanks for reading! See you next month!