These free newsletters are not only worth the time and space they take up in your inbox, but they’ll also help you publish. They’re a range of places to pitch articles as well as insider tips to understand the publishing industry better. When these 13 newsletters show up in my inbox, I open them immediately, because they teach new methods for publishing, a new outlet to pitch my work, or a tool I can use to make my writing life easier and more productive.
When you want to know where and how to pitch, sign up for these writing newsletters for ideas, inspiration, and options directly to your inbox.
Kate McKean’s Agents and Books Substack
Do you want to know how to write a query? Or find out when the best time to send your query to an agent. Or what to do if a publisher reaches out with a potential offer for you? Kate McKean, a vice president, and agent at Morhaim Literary Agency answers your questions before you even have to ask.
She has a free substack option packed with information. You can also pay to be part of her 50 Queries Club in which she analyzes queries and the first ten pages of the corresponding book in order to help aspiring authors publish.
Read it before you sign up and you can sign up for Fifty Queries and other exclusive content here.
Erika Dreifus’ The Practicing Writer
This monthly newsletter is packed with useful information. You’ll find places to submit and pitch your writing, tips about craft, residencies open for applications and so much more.
You can read the current issue or just sign up here.
James Durston’s 50 Calls for Journalism/Writing Pitches
Every week, James Durston sends out 50 calls for pitches and other writing opportunities via his Substack newsletter. You can get the first ten for free. For all 50, you’ll need to sign up for a paid subscription to his newsletter.
The opportunities vary from editors’ calls for pitches to contests to residencies. When you subscribe to the paid version, you also receive interviews from editors and journalists with more information about writing and getting your words published.
Sign up here for the newsletter. if you choose the paid version, you save 17% by paying for a yearly subscription.
Trish Hopkinson’s Poetry Submissions
Trish Hopkinson posts regular calls for poetry submissions on her website. She also runs a Facebook group where you’ll find another stream of places to submit your poetry.
Check out the Where To Submit section of her website. Plus you can sign up for her newsletter on that page. And request to join her No Fee Call For Poems Facebook group here.
Jane Friedman’s Newsletters & Resources
When you’re looking to learn about the business or writing and getting published, Jane Friedman’s website is the place to go. Whether you want information on how to query an agent or how to self-publish (and so much more), you’ll find what you need.
Jane has three different types of writing newsletters, including a monthly e-mail called Electric Speed with digital tools and resources.
Sign up for Electric Speed here.
Where to Pitch
Susan Shain put together the Where to Pitch website to help you figure out where to pitch your ideas. It includes a searchable database of topics that lead you to your list of potential places to pitch. There’s also a fabulous Freelance Writing 101 section that covers everything from how to get started to staying organized to strategy.
Sign up by entering your e-mail on the sign up on the main page of the website.
Submittable’s Newsletter
If you’ve been regularly submitting your work, you probably already know Submittable. Their framework for submitting writing has become a standard for many publications. Their weekly newsletter, called the Submishmash Weekly, keeps you apprised of opportunities for writers, artists, and filmmakers to submit their work.
Learn more and sign up here.
Author’s Publish
Author’s Publish dedicates itself to sending submission opportunities that are free to submit, open to everyone and are from legitimate publishers. You’ll find posts listing new literary magazines and commercial magazines plus they’ll let you know when specific publications are open for submissions.
Read the back issues or sign up directly on the main page of their site.
Entropy mag
This one isn’t really a newsletter, but it’s an excellent place to read when you’re looking for a home for your work. Entropy is a website dedicated to literary works and non-literary content related to the literature. They have a regular monthly feature called Where to Submit that is most definitely worth checking out.
The Master’s Review
The tagline at the top of the website calls this “a platform for emerging writers,” and in it you’ll find submission information to literary magazines and contest information along with interviews and other information to help bridge the gap between experienced and emerging writers.
To sign up for their updates, go to the Master’s Review website. A dialogue box should pop up with their sign-up. If not, scroll down to the bottom. The sign-up is on the bottom left of the page.
Freedom With Writing Newsletter
This website shares lists of commercial magazines to publish and be paid as well as posts like How I Earn 4K A Month Freelancing. They periodically e-mail longer resources and pdf books like a Paid Publishing Guidebook with hundreds of publishing opportunities. It’s a bit of a pain to have to enter your e-mail each time to receive these pdf resources, but if you’re already signed up, you won’t receive duplicate e-mails.
You can sign up for the newsletter at the top of the Freedom With Writing main page. It’s hard to miss.
