Writer's Relief's video: Writer s Relief Cafe Q A COVID 19 The Impact On Publishing

Welcome to our Writer’s Relief Café Live Q& A Event: COVID-19: The Impact On Publishing Writers are wondering: Are literary journals are still accepting work and are literary agents still reading during quarantine? At Writers Relief (WritersRelief.com), we’ve been keeping tabs on journals and literary agents for over 26 years, so we’ll give you the scoop on what we’re seeing in the publishing industry right now. Some writers are expressing concerns about how the COVID-19 global pandemic will impact literary markets. Are literary agents and journal editors still reading and accepting work? YES! Agents and editors remain committed to reading and accepting work. The majority of literary journals are now online and have staff members who work remotely. Another indication literary journals will continue to accept work and publish is that Submittable is anticipating an uptick in submissions due to more writers being at home and having time to write. So they are preparing with upgrades that will increase the number of submissions individual journals can receive for the next couple of months. Writers ask: Will there be publishing delays? Keep in mind, even before COVID-19 changed the way we go about or lives, when your work is accepted, it’s usually not published for quite a while after the acceptance, even with online journals. Your work is accepted and then you wait for the publication date. Our researchers have been monitoring the situation. One or two journals are choosing to push back to late summer/fall – The majority are staying on their normal summer schedule. • Obviously, these are difficult times for many businesses, especially small businesses/presses. We can’t predict which individual small publishers may be overly stresses by the current economic situation. • The release date for a few books that were ready to go are also being delayed a couple of months. But these are books that were accepted many months ago. • Manuscripts you send out now are being read by agents. Those that are accepted, they’ll then work toward getting a publisher interested. This is a process that even without a pandemic can take months. So no reason to hold off when agents are reading and requesting manuscripts NOW. Writers play an important part in helping people cope with traumatic times. During the COVID-19 crisis, we encourage you to use your writing as a tool for healing and reflection. People in the arts continue to make a positive impact, and as a writer, you make an important contribution by sharing your words with others. Even if you’re staying in, you can still connect online with other writers and the writing community! Staying connected to one another as we are asked to physically stay apart is going to be very important. Writer’s Relief Facebook Café shares tips and offers support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/writersreliefcafe/ We have a resource on our website that lists writing groups by U.S. state and region that you may find helpful: List Of Writing Groups By State Or Region: https://writersrelief.com/writing-groups-for-writers/ Some writers may feel that right now, writing is irrelevant. It’s very relevant. If dealing with quarantine, working remotely, or having the children home all day leaves you no time to research the best markets for your work—we're here to help. Now is the time to get your writing into the hands of the right literary editors agents to boost your odds of getting published. We research and target the best markets. Our Review Board is open and we’re accepting clients. Short stories, poetry, personal essays, novels and memoirs! Submit to our Review Board. http://writersrelief.com/review_board/. Visit the Writer’s Relief website for many free writer resources. Writer’s Relief helps writers of short stories, poems, and personal essays submit to literary magazines. Writer’s Relief also helps novelists, memoirists, and other book authors submit to literary agencies for representation. We also help writers self-publish their books. Self-Publishing Relief can help guide you from completed manuscript to finished book. Self-Publishing Relief also offers marketing support for writers. Learn more here: http://selfpublishingrelief.com/ Call Writer's Relief today! (866) 405-3003 (toll-free)