Alberta author urges caution after book publishing deal cost him more than $40,000
cbc.ca – Sunday June 28, 2026
Two years after publication, Charles Schroder says his book is apparently discontinued
An Edmonton-area writer who spent more than $40,000 on a publishing service is urging other aspiring authors to be cautious when looking to put out a book.
Charles Schroder, an 88-year-old writer whose gardening column is a regular feature of the St. Albert Gazette newspaper, told CBC it’s not even possible anymore to buy a copy of his book Urban Gardening: Planning to Preserving, which was published in April 2024.
“As far as I know, Amazon has discontinued it,” Schroder told CBC News this week. “I'm not sure about Barnes and Noble, and I have received no inquiries from any other booksellers.”
Schroder used a Florida-based company called Writers Clique, which he learned about from a friend. He put together a draft, made up of his columns, and submitted it.
"They gave it to one of their writers who wrote an absolutely beautiful review of the book,” Schroder said. “I thought it'd be a bestseller. She had written [the review] so well. And so I was hooked.”
New Literary Agent Listing: Tess Callero
firstwriter.com – Friday June 26, 2026
Represents platform‑driven nonfiction across self‑development, business, mind/body/spirit, health, wellness and related areas, developing proposals from initial concept to full submission. Also handles adult mystery, thriller, suspense and romance. Clients include bestselling authors appearing on major US, UK and Canadian lists.
Nominations open for Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing 2026
www2.fundsforngos.org – Wednesday June 24, 2026
The Val Wood Prize 2026 invites writers aged 16 and above to submit original, unpublished short fiction inspired by the titles of Val Wood’s books. The competition theme is “Titles,” and each entrant may submit only one entry based on a title from Val Wood’s published works list.
The prize includes £100 and a signed copy of Val Wood’s upcoming novel for the winner. Two runners-up will each receive a signed copy of the novel, and the winning entry will be published on the Val Wood website and promoted on social media.
What is the Val Wood Prize 2026?
The Val Wood Prize 2026 is a short fiction writing competition for writers who want to create an original story inspired by the title of one of Val Wood’s published books.
The competition encourages writers to explore how a title can shape a story’s idea, mood, character, setting and direction.
The 2026 competition theme is “Titles.”
How to Research for Narrative Storytelling: 5 Takeaways from ‘You Are A Writer’
pen.org – Wednesday June 24, 2026
For emerging writers, the research process can be riddled with questions. Where do you begin? How do you know which facts deserve a place in your story and which should be discarded? And at what point do you simply have to force yourself to put down the books you’re reading, pick up a pen, and start writing?
The first workshop in PEN America’s 2026 You Are A Writer series brought together three accomplished writers — moderator John Manuel Arias (Crocodopolis) and speakers Charmaine Craig (My Nemesis) and Judy Batalion (The Last Woman of Warsaw) — who provided guidance to early career writers on how to conduct research for narrative storytelling. If you missed the session, check out five takeaways below and make sure to register for the upcoming sessions.
1. Consider the variety of forms research can take.
Research often involves digging deep into the archive, but that’s not all it can be. Over the course of Batalion’s career, she’s also conducted plenty of interviews and on-the-ground research. For her nonfiction work The Light of Days, which provides accounts of young, Jewish women who resisted Nazism, she traveled to Będzin — and, upon her arrival, learned that the whole Polish city sat atop a hill.
“No one mentioned that [in books], because that wasn’t an important part of the World War II testimony,” Batalion said. “But when you’re writing descriptively about a place and trying to understand someone’s hiding, or their journey, or their dangerous risk-tasking effort, you need to know that.” She acknowledged that financially or otherwise, traveling to the places you’re writing about isn’t always a possibility, but said her senses aid her greatly when she can put them to use.
New Publisher Listing: Airmont Publishing
firstwriter.com – Wednesday June 24, 2026
We believe that every great book begins with a powerful idea and a passionate author. Our mission is to discover exceptional voices, develop meaningful stories, and connect authors with readers around the world.
As a traditional publishing house, we are committed to providing authors with a professional publishing experience built on editorial excellence, creative collaboration, and long-term partnership. We actively review unsolicited manuscripts and welcome submissions from both established and emerging authors whose work demonstrates originality, quality, and market potential.
Our publishing program includes literary, historical, and mystery works, as well as history, biography, narrative nonfiction, and children’s and young adult stories, along with other works that inspire, inform, and entertain readers. We work closely with our authors throughout the editorial, design, production, and distribution process to ensure every book reaches its fullest potential.
We understand that publishing is more than printing books – it's about helping authors share their ideas, stories, and expertise with the world. Our team is dedicated to maintaining high publishing standards while fostering a supportive environment where talented writers can thrive.
Whether you're a first-time author with a remarkable story or an experienced writer looking for a publishing partner, we invite you to explore the opportunities available.
We are always looking for compelling manuscripts and exceptional authors who are ready to make an impact through the power of books.
New Magazine Listing: FrontSources Magazine
firstwriter.com – Tuesday June 23, 2026
Online magazine covering media, advertising, marketing, leadership and technology, showcasing the remarkable accomplishments of businesses and entrepreneurs. Through our stories, we aim to inspire transformation, spark creativity, and enlighten professionals around the globe.
Laois author to host free creative writing workshops and publishing webinars for aspiring writers
laoistoday.ie – Monday June 22, 2026
A Laois author is set to help aspiring writers take their first steps towards publication through a series of free online workshops and publishing webinars.
Mountrath native Helen Cullen has curated the Brunel University New Writers Programme for the second year running, bringing together award-winning authors, literary agents and publishing professionals to offer guidance and support to emerging writers across Ireland and the UK.
The initiative is designed to help writers develop their craft while also providing practical advice on submitting work to publishers, literary agents, publications and writing competitions.
Speaking about the programme, Cullen said she hopes it will encourage people who have always wanted to write to take the plunge.
Australia is publishing books too quickly – and everyone is losing out
theguardian.com – Monday June 22, 2026
Thanks to rushed deadlines, financial pressure and overworked staff, titles are going to market before they’re ready – and then sliding from view immediately
A Sydney author – I’ll call her Rebecca – vowed never to write another book after the deranging experience of publishing her first. She’s using a pseudonym because one day she might change her mind; the notoriously small Australian publishing industry does not tend to look with favour on authors who complain.
When Rebecca was proofing her debut – a work of nonfiction published by one of the big five – she discovered that a pivotal chapter had been cut. “I thought it was a mistake, that it had somehow been left out of the papers they’d sent,” she says. “Turns out they’d deliberately excised it and thought I wouldn’t notice.”
The proposed cover art for the book, which was set in one country, featured an animal native to another – and when the book went to a copy editor, the questions Rebecca got back were “absolutely out of touch”. References to hunting were queried on the basis they might offend vegetarians. Big mistakes slipped through the first print run and needed to be corrected in the second, including the name of a major character, which changed suddenly halfway through. “I’d assumed the publisher would take care of these things,” Rebecca says. “It felt like they were trying to shove me out the door and get the book out.”
Independent Creative Magazines Are Making a Comeback (And Here’s Why That Matters)
fluxmagazine.com – Monday June 22, 2026
The mid-2000s through the early 2010s saw print titles fold one after another, casualties of a digital transition that nobody had quite figured out how to navigate. The ones that survived did so by chasing clicks, flattening their editorial voice, and optimizing for search engines rather than readers. The result was a decade of arts coverage that felt somehow both everywhere and nowhere, present in volume but absent in perspective.
Something has shifted. Not dramatically, not with any particular announcement, but steadily and in ways that are hard to ignore if you spend time in creative communities online. Independent digital arts publications with genuine editorial identities are finding audiences again. Not massive ones, not in the way that lifestyle content farms measure traffic, but loyal ones. Readers who come back. Readers who share because they actually want to, not because an algorithm served something in front of them.
What Killed the First Wave
The first generation of digital arts publishing made a fundamental mistake: it tried to replicate print on screen. Longer issues, PDF downloads, subscription paywalls that made sense in 1995 and almost none in 2010. The audience wasn’t there for that model and the economics were brutal. It didn’t take long to realize that flipping through a PDF version of an actual magazine is annoying.
New Literary Agent Listing: Kat Lenahan
firstwriter.com – Monday June 22, 2026
Handles children’s fiction from picture books through middle grade and young adult, with a strong interest in character-led storytelling across genres. Seeks middle grade adventures featuring friendship, mystery, humour or contemporary themes, including detective stories, heists and heartfelt narratives. Looks for tween fiction with lively contemporary voices, and young adult work driven by flawed, compelling protagonists, atmospheric settings, speculative or darker elements, or emotionally rich romance. Open to picture books that are bold and funny, excluding toilet humour.
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