Improbable Press Blog

By Atlin Merrick First, that title is a little misleading – these are easy ways for everyone to promote their book, but they do favor the shy. If you're ever, ever not clear on how to move forward with self-promotion know that you can talk to your publisher. They can't read minds and they really want to help you because it helps them. Producing a book – ebook or paperback – is a pricey endeavor; publishers want to make their money back and share your great words with the world. So talk to them! Promoting Your Book:Social media | Newspapers...

By Atlin Merrick "Any usual advice you can give on doing PR for my book?" Yes! And also no! I was asked this question by a writer the other day, and I've got a lot of yes for them (which follows), and a certain amount of no, because there's nothing really 'usual' about promoting a book. Each writer has their own way of engaging with the world, so their usual may not be yours. That said, the first thing you want to do is know, down deep in your bones, that you are vital to your book's success. Writing is...

I've always loved cool-creepy cryptid stories. That's why Improbable Press is doing a cryptid anthology in 2021, and why I encourage you to submit a story (after checking out our guidelines above). What I'm encouraging me to do is read again, about these creatures I loved so much as a kid. The Loch Ness monster (Nessie, I still have the artwork I drew of you when I was eleven!), Bigfoot (you're famous in Oregon, where I used to live), and jackalopes (hello Moon, spokes cryptid for our pending anthology). Do I believe in these creatures? Yes. Also no. See, it's...

A hot flush of embarrassment washed over Ronan when he realized he’d been caught staring, though the other man didn’t seem to mind. In fact, when he finally made eye contact it was to wink. He seemed to be wearing smudged eyeliner despite the bruising across much of his face. Ronan couldn’t tell whether it had been added after the fact or just never washed away. He looked thirty-something and his eyes were the warmest shade of brown Ronan had ever seen. The blush returned for a second wave – he’d gone from staring at this stranger’s chest to staring...

Holidays… Japan's celebration of the new year, Ōmisoka. The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.  The African-American holiday of Kwanzaa. The pagan-derived Christian holiday of Christmas. These are your prompts this week, be directly inspired by them, veer wildly, combine, mush, mix, invent a holiday or celebration all your own As ever these challenges are here to prompt writing of any and all kinds. What you write may be connected or unconnected, loud or quiet, polite or profane. You do you. The Whole Point is to Write Something If you want to write something that is. And maybe think about that this...