Improbable Press Blog — Atlin Merrick
Writing Stage Fright: It'll Never Be This Difficult Again
That first book or short story you're writing for an editor…one you were asked to submit? It's tough. You second guess yourself, sure you're writing rubbish, you'd rather get abducted by aliens so no one expects anything of you, but: Do not take over SETI my friend! Instead? Keep going. Writing a Book Never Gets Very Easy, However… Cooking a birthday dinner never gets easy either, neither does rearing a child, buying a house, or finding a new job. Yet we've all done some of these many times more than once, so we, me, you and I — we can...
'Write What You Know' is Absolute Garbage
"Just a wee reminder that whatever you're writing right now…it's worth every moment of your time. It doesn't matter if there has been a story 'like' it—there's always been stories of falling in love, growing up, and on and on—this is your story told your way." I recently posted that on Twitter and several folks said they needed those words that day. Which has inspired me to also put those words here so you can see 'em again and, more importantly, weave them into your soul. No one can tell a story like you do, absolutely no one. I don't...
Submission Guidelines? I'm a special writer, I don't need no stinkin' guidelines!
Atlin Merrick Publishing Reference Submission Guidelines Writer's Guidelines
By Atlin Merrick Just…just go around me. I'm going to be here awhile, stretched out on this grass, staring at the fluffy clouds while I tell youngsters to get off my lawn. Which is to say I am a tiny bit exhausted. O so weary of others doing what I used to do, and now I just want to squirt everyone with this hose I'm not holding and holler "Learn from my mistakes for heaven's sake! I also didn't follow submission guidelines! And do you know what it got me? Don't you walk away while I'm yelling at you!" Submission...
Breathing Deep: sirens in wheelchairs, trans shapeshifters, and autistic sea monsters
Atlin Merrick Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging Volume Blue Volume Silver
The thing we want to do with the cryptid books is what we want to do with all our books – tell adventure-mystery-eerie-cool stories about everybody else. You know who I mean by everyone else, so I'll say little other than across volume blue and volume silver we have a siren in a wheelchair, an autistic sea monster, a trans shapeshifter, gay characters, disabled characters, minority characters – these two books (and a pending third) are filled with adventure tales about people who are these things but not just, not only – and half the time simply incidentally. Breathing Deep...
Royalties and Who’s Out to Get You
Atlin Merrick Publishing Reference Royalties
By Atlin Merrick Okay, you’ve signed a contract with a small press and you’re doing the butt-wiggle dance of joy. You probably sent your book to a lot publishers and at last your work found a home. Whether you’re a new writer or have been published before, it’s a relief to know you’ve found someone else who loves your work as much as you do. And—WAIT! Screeching To a Halt: Loving Small Presses That! It’s that I want to bold and italicize: We love your book, too. I can nearly 100% guarantee that that’s why any small press anywhere...