Alberta writer loses thousands to self-publishing service with little to show
thealbertan.com – Sunday April 12, 2026
After spending nearly $30,000 to turn his gardening columns into a book, Charles Schroder says he was left with unfulfilled promises.
A St. Albert Gazette gardening columnist is speaking out after spending approximately $30,000 USD on self-publishing services he says delivered little in return, hoping other aspiring authors avoid the same mistake.
Charles Schroder said he turned to self-publishing service Writers Clique to turn years of his Gazette gardening columns into his book, Urban Gardening.
Invoices show he paid roughly $30,000 USD for publishing and marketing services between November 2023 and March 2024.
Schroder said he contacted Writers Clique after receiving three recommendations and was impressed early on.
“They sounded really good. They said let me see the manuscript, and they had a writer there that wrote a summary of the book… it looked like the best gardening book that has ever been written,” he said.
After deciding to go with Writers Clique, the first quoted cost was about $5,000 USD, but additional charges followed.
Schroder said the company promised broad distribution but he has seen little return beyond $300 in Amazon royalties.
The Decolonial Passage is Open for Submissions on the Theme of Ecology | Submit by April 30
brittlepaper.com – Sunday April 12, 2026
The Decolonial Passage, a literary magazine centring African, African-American, and Black diaspora writing, is open for submissions throughout April 2026 for its third issue, themed Ecology. All genres are welcome this month: poetry, short fiction, flash, and creative nonfiction.
The issue takes its cue from Martinican environmental engineer Malcolm Ferdinand’s framework of decolonial ecology, which argues that confronting ecosystem destruction is inseparable from the demand for equality and emancipation and that colonial domination cannot be undone without also transforming the colonial relationship to land, landscape, and non-human life. The editors want work in which human beings are in relationship with their natural environment, plants, and animals, seen through that decolonial lens.
Indie authors are redefining the publishing world
dailyuw.com – Saturday April 11, 2026
Throughout writing this series, I’ve realized that one of the biggest myths about the publishing industry is that there is a single “right” way to publish a book. As nice as that idea may be, there is no golden standard or easy-to-follow tutorial. Every author needs to choose the path best for them.
One of the most important decisions an author must make is whether or not they choose to traditionally publish their book with the help of a publishing house or to self-publish it.
In recent years, self-publishing (also known as independent or indie publishing) has grown exponentially. According to Bowker, the official ISBN agency for the United States, over 3.5 million books were self-published last year, a 38.7% increase from 2025. In comparison, only 640k books were traditionally published in 2025.
FSG Closes its MCD Imprint, McDonald to Depart
publishersweekly.com – Friday April 10, 2026
In a memo this morning, Mitzi Angel, president and publisher of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, informed the staff that the publisher is closing the MCD publishing program. As a result of the closure, MCD SVP and publisher Sean McDonald will leave FSG April 15.
MCD was launched in 2016 and was the brainchild of then FSG publisher and president Jonathan Galassi. MCD’s goal was "to create a space to publish work and experiment with publishing styles, forms, and genres that are at the edges of FSG’s traditions," Galassi told PW at the time of the launch. But times have changed in the publishing industry and in her memo, Angel wrote that due to “the financial realities” of the industry, FSG has decided to “redirect our attention to FSG’s core programming under the FSG umbrella.” That lineup now includes AUWA Books—which was launched by McDonald in March 2023 under the direction of Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, the drummer and joint frontman for the Roots—FSG Originals, Picador, Quanta Books, and the newly-revived North Point Press.
New Publisher Listing: House of Kel
firstwriter.com – Thursday April 9, 2026
Independent publisher specialising in finely crafted science fiction, fantasy and romantasy. Seeks imaginative, well‑developed manuscripts that explore journeys beyond the known. Focuses on elevating distinctive voices within speculative fiction and related genres.
New Literary Agent Listing: Kelly Karczewski
firstwriter.com – Thursday April 9, 2026
Represents fiction and nonfiction. In fiction, seeks sharp, contemporary, commercially driven work with strong hooks, surprising prose, lightly speculative elements, spiky humor, or central unlikeable female characters, along with queer stories in horror and literary fiction. In nonfiction, represents digital creators in the self‑help space, including personal finance, mental wellness, and sex and dating, and looks for expert‑driven nonfiction by authors with a defined specialty or professional niche, as well as distinctive Substack voices.
Submit Applications for Literary Projects Grant Program (Canada)
www2.fundsforngos.org – Wednesday April 8, 2026
Deadline: 04-Aug-2026
The Literary Projects Program provides funding of up to $8,000 for professional non-profit organizations and collectives in Toronto to support literary arts creation, presentation, professional development, and magazine publishing. An additional Accessibility Grant of up to $5,000 is also available for eligible projects.
About the Program
The Literary Projects Program supports one-time or time-limited literary arts projects that contribute to the growth of Toronto’s literary sector.
It funds projects involving:
- Creation
- Presentation
- Professional development
- Literary and arts magazine publishing
Projects must take place within Toronto, and digital projects are also eligible.
Question and Agent: Amanda Orozco of Transatlantic Agency
debutiful.net – Tuesday April 7, 2026
Welcome to Debutiful’s Agent Week! We gathered some of our favorite literary agents representing the most exciting debut books and asked them questions about what makes them love a submission, their agenting style, and the books they’re working on.
Amanda Orozco has been a literary agent at Transatlantic Agency since 2020, where she is drawn to stories from Asian and Latinx writers. Her clients include Shoshana von Blanckensee, m. mick powell, and Nick Medina. She seeks work where protagonists have a distinct voice and personality, where the plot is clever, quirky, gritty, or twisty.
We dug into why writers should know everything in publishing takes more time than they’d expect, representing both fiction and nonfiction, and her opinion on genre with a capital G.
Yen Press Launches New Translation Imprint, Avocado House
publishersweekly.com – Tuesday April 7, 2026
Yen Press has announced the creation of Avocado House, a new imprint dedicated to fiction and nonfiction in translation, curated by publisher and editor-in-chief JuYoun Lee. The imprint aims to publish approximately 12 titles per year.
Avocado House grows out of Yen On, the company's existing prose imprint, which has published literary fiction in translation including Keigo Higashino's The Miracles of the Namiya General Store and Kiwamu Sato's Tezcatlipoca. The new imprint gives translation work a distinct identity and dedicated home within Yen Press, which was founded in 2006 as a joint venture between Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group,
"As divisive as the world can seem at times, books have always remained a great unifier—helping us find commonalities across cultures while celebrating our unique differences," Lee said in a statement. "Avocado House aims to be a true home for authors, a place where their voices can connect with readers far beyond borders and language barriers."
Peelhouse Press Launches as a New Boutique Imprint Focused on Artefact‑Quality Fantasy Books
firstwriter.com – Tuesday April 7, 2026
A new player has entered the small‑press landscape with a distinctly tactile vision. Peelhouse Press, a boutique imprint founded by fantasy author Michael S. Jackson, has officially launched with a mission to create books that feel less like mass‑market products and more like artefacts from the worlds they depict.
Jackson, best known for his epic fantasy series Ringlander, describes the imprint as a response to a growing appetite among readers for high‑quality, collectible physical editions. “Readers want books that feel special,” he has said in recent discussions about the project — books that justify their physical presence in an increasingly digital age.
Get the free newsletter | Submit a news item or article | Get Writers' News for your website
