Book Blog Tour Packages

If you are looking to utilize our journal space as a way to publicize a new book, we recommend checking out our book blog tour packages as a stop on your blog tour. The packages contain many of our most popular columns and posts shown below, as well as advertisement slots, and you get to choose the dates you need.

DaguerreoTyped

DaguerreoTyped is our monthly historical photo prompt writing contest. Every month, we pick a historical photo, and we ask you to write something about it in the genre of your choice, including fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or hybrid. The winner receives $25 and is published in a standalone post in the months following each contest. To enter, follow the instructions on the contest guidelines page where a new photo is posted every month. A new contest opens on the 1st of every month and closes on the last day of every month. Click here to read past published DaguerreoTyped responses.

100-Word Stories

Our 100-Word Stories contest is our regular monthly writing challenge to get your juices flowing, where we read your stories of exactly 100 words, and pick the best story each month. It’s an especially good contest if you’re suffering from writers’ block or need a little help with fine-tuning some editing skills. The winner receives $25 and is published in a standalone post in the months following each contest. To enter, follow the instructions on the contest guidelines page. A new contest opens on the 1st of every month and closes on the last day of every month. Click here to read past published 100-Word Stories.

Fiction

We want to read your microfiction, flash fiction, short stories, hybrid, and short novelettes. There are multiple ways for your fiction pieces to end up on The Coil: If you just have a short story you want to submit, you can submit it here directly to The Coil year-round where it is read by Coil submission readers, or you can submit it to Alternating Current Press, where it is read by ACP submission readers, during their open-reading fiction period from February 1st through May 31st of each year, with May being their free-submission period to celebrate Short Story Month. Accepted non-contest stories will receive $10 after publication.

If you wish to compete for $100 and other prizes, you can submit your fiction to the Luminaire Prose Award from July 1st to October 31st of each year, with winning pieces appearing on The Coil. If you write historical fiction, you can consider our DaguerreoTyped contest (detailed above), our Alternate Histories column (detailed below), or competing for $100 and other prizes by submitting your historical fiction to the Charter Oak Award year-round, with winning pieces appearing on The Coil. Click here to read regular fiction that’s been published on The Coil, or click here to read Luminaire Prose Award pieces, DaguerreoTyped pieces, Alternate Histories, Charter Oak Award pieces, or historical fiction.

Poetry

As with fiction (detailed above), there are also multiple ways for your poetry to end up on The Coil: If you just have a poem you want to submit, you can submit it here directly to The Coil year-round where it is read by Coil submission readers, or you can submit it to Alternating Current Press, where it is read by ACP submission readers, during their open-reading poetry period from March 1st through May 31st of each year, with April being their free-submission period to celebrate Poetry Month. Accepted non-contest poems will receive $10 after publication.

If you wish to compete for $100 and other prizes, you can submit your poetry to the Luminaire Poetry Award from November 1st to February 28th/29th of each (overlapping) year, with winning pieces appearing on The Coil. If you write historical poetry, you can consider our DaguerreoTyped contest (detailed above) or compete for $100 and other prizes by submitting your historical poetry to the Charter Oak Award year-round, with winning pieces appearing on The Coil. Click here to read regular poetry that’s been published on The Coil, or click here to read Luminaire Poetry Award pieces, DaguerreoTyped pieces, Charter Oak Award pieces, or historical poetry.

Historical Writing

Historical writing has its own mention here because we’re such history nerds. You can submit historical fiction, historical poetry, historical nonfiction, and historical hybrid year-round through our monthly DaguerreoTyped contest (detailed above) or through the Charter Oak Award for Best Historical, open year-round, with winning pieces appearing on The Coil. You can additionally submit historical fiction year-round to our Alternate Histories column (detailed below). Click here to read DaguerreoTyped pieces, Alternate Histories, Charter Oak Award pieces, or all historical writing.

Alternate Histories

History and science are our passions at The Coil. But what if something in history had been altered, changed for better or worse? We seek fun, interesting, sad, quirky, well-researched fiction on alternat(iv)e histories for any person, place, event, idea, or time period in history, and submissions are open year-round. Essays are also accepted, if you want to dabble in scholarly what-ifs. Accepted or solicited pieces will receive $10 after publication. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read published Alternate Histories.

Essays, Articles, Trends, & Journalism

We look for well-written and topical essays, articles, and columns. We are really geared toward a literary scene and are seeking works that reflect that atmosphere, but we are open to all universal pieces and ideas. We love pieces that incorporate current events, culture, rural landscapes, diverse voices, books, science, holidays, personal experiences, craft, and history. Quotes and stats should be referenced or cited. Accepted or solicited pieces vetted through our editors and submissions portal will receive $10 after publication; there is no payment for promotional guest columns or automatic posts as part of a book tour package. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read all published essays, or check details below for specific essay columns. (Promoting a book? Guest posts and essays are part of our book blog tour packages.)

Memoir & Personal Essays

We look for well-written and topical personal essays, memoir, creative nonfiction, and hybrid essays on most any topic of general, universal, or literary interest. Accepted or solicited pieces vetted through our editors and submissions portal will receive $10 after publication; there is no payment for promotional guest columns or automatic posts as part of a book tour package. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read published personal essays. (Promoting a book? Guest posts and essays are part of our book blog tour packages.)

Booklists & Listicles

We like booklists and listicles on book-related, writing-related, and publisher-related literary topics. Best books for the summer, hot new books from such-and-so press, 15 books about witchcraft for Halloween, etc. Everyone loves lists! Accepted or solicited pieces vetted through our editors and submissions portal will receive $10 after publication; there is no payment for promotional guest columns or automatic posts as part of a book tour package. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read published booklists, or check out some of our reoccurring booklist columns, such as Leah Angstman’s Nerdy & Random Bookshelf, our Indie Book Radar staff picks, or our Most Anticipated Books monthly picks. (Promoting a book? Booklists are part of our book blog tour packages.)

Pitching Columns

We are always interested in running ongoing themed columns by guest editors or authors. If you feel you have an interesting series idea that incorporates either your own work or the acquired work of others, please send us a pitch to coil (dot) acpress (at) gmail (dot) com. Authors will receive $10 per column after publication. Please note that we cannot pay column editors additionally at this time; it can only be a labor of love until we hit the big time.

Artwork Profiles, Comics, & Graphics

We consider artist profiles that talk about the artists, their craft, their style, and show a sampling of their work in a visual presentation. We accept comics, graphics, illustrations, and artwork portfolio essays with a universal appeal. Material should be enough to fill a full post; we aren’t as inclined to take one single picture as we are to take several panels and pieces to make a meatier showcase post. Accepted artwork posts will receive $10 after publication. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to see our published art, or dig deeper into published artwork, comics, or graphic essays.

Book Reviews

We have multiple book-review options and opportunities. First, we accept completed book reviews. We look for well-written book reviews that are analytical or that draw comparisons to history, culture, or something topical, especially in an essay style. We have a vast readership and will feature any style, genre, author, or publisher, large and small alike, if the review is well-written and of interest to our readership. Accepted or solicited full book reviews will receive $10 after publication. Submit completed full reviews through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read our published book reviews.

Need some ideas for books to review in order to submit full book reviews? Or just want to read and review something different? This is our public list of authors and publishers who’ve requested a book review from The Coil. These books are open for anyone to review, including our staff and including you!, on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wish to review any of these books, email us at coil (at) acpress (at) gmail (dot) com, and we will get you in touch with the author or publisher for a review copy. If you commit to a review, please finish it. When you are finished with the review, please submit it via Submittable here. Accepted or solicited full book reviews will receive $10 after publication.

If you are an author or publisher of a book and wish to have your book reviewed, see our page on getting your book reviewed, or purchase one of our book blog tour packages that includes a staff review.

If you love reading and reviewing books and wish to join The Coil as a staff book reviewer, please fill out the form here. We expect at least one book review per month from our staff reviewers, and we encourage reviews from our requested book review list. Staffers will also get assigned books to read, review, microreview, and/or interview the author, as needed for book blog tour packages, and are expected to meet those deadlines. Reviewers receive $10 per standalone finished review; or $35 per book blog tour package of microreview, full review, full interview, and booklist paragraph for one single reviewed title.

Indie Book Radar: Microreviews

This is our regular column of brief book reviews or microreviews where the literary world (and our staff!) can talk about what we’re all reading. Each column contains multiple writers sharing a single paragraph each about a single current favorite read; you contribute one microreview paragraph per book, not the entire column. This is an excellent way to talk about indie books that you’re reading or that are forthcoming, especially books you want to get on everyone’s radar. Accepted or solicited microreviews will receive $10 after publication. Submit completed single microreviews through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read our published Indie Book Radar microreviews. (Promoting a book? Microreviews are part of our book blog tour packages.)

Book Excerpts

We consider standalone excerpts from novels, memoirs, collections, and other books. This column is excellent for promotional purposes to coincide with a book’s release date, to drum up early exposure, or during the dates of a book blog tour. Excerpts are only considered for published books or books on preorder, and not from works-in-progress that have not yet been edited and published. We do not pay for book excerpts; they are considered promotional material that is not created specifically for journal submission. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read published book excerpts. (Promoting a book? Book excerpts are part of our book blog tour packages.)

Cover Reveals

We’re thrilled to host the cover reveal for your book! Once you’ve got the artwork ready, you can choose your reveal date, and we’ll show your new book to the world. You can also choose an optional giveaway upgrade with your reveal. Cover reveals are never put behind paywalls, so they are free for everyone to see. We do not pay for cover reveals; they are considered promotional material that is not created specifically for journal submission. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to see published cover reveals. (Promoting a book? Cover reveals are part of our book blog tour packages.)

Book Giveaways

We’re happy to host giveaways for books, ARCs, swag packs, and any kind of book-related merch on our journal. Our audience of eager readers is always looking for something new, and everyone loves the chance to win freebies. Book giveaways are never put behind paywalls, so they are free for everyone to see. You are responsible for mailing your own giveaway items to the winners. We do not pay for book giveaways; they are considered promotional material that is not created specifically for journal submission. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to see active book giveaways going on right now, and click here to see past giveaways that we’ve hosted. (Promoting a book? Book giveaways and homepage giveaway ad banners are part of our book blog tour packages.)

Spotlights & Profiles

This column is for exposure and spotlights on authors and literary endeavors, in the vein of an in-depth profile. It’s a good outlet for book blog tours that just want to spotlight a book, or for someone to spotlight his or her own project, local literary places or projects, or neat organizations doing good things for the literary world. We will pay $10 for in-depth, journalistic profiles of third parties that are not directly involved with the author, but we do not pay for self-promotional spotlights, such as highlighting your own book, or a literary agent discussing what her agency is looking for, etc. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read published spotlights.

Interviews

We have multiple interview options and opportunities. First, we accept completed interviews. We look for interesting and engaging interviews and conversations with literary figures, authors, editors, publishers, agents, heads of literary organizations, artists, people doing creative things in the world, etc. We’re especially interested in topical conversations (new books released, upcoming speaking engagement, film adaptation, something pertaining to holidays/events). Interviews should be full-length, and the answers should be interesting. Accepted or solicited full interviews will receive $10 after publication, paid to the interviewer. Submit completed full interviews through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read our published interviews.

Need some ideas for people to interview in order to submit full interviews? This is our public list of people who’ve requested an interview from The Coil. These folks are open for anyone to interview, including our staff and including you!, on a first-come, first-served basis, and interviewees will provide reading or research materials as necessary. If you wish to interview any of the people on this list, email us at coil (at) acpress (at) gmail (dot) com, and we will get you in touch with the interviewee. If you commit to an interview, please finish it. When you are finished with the interview, please submit it via Submittable here. Accepted or solicited full interviews will receive $10 after publication, paid to the interviewer.

If you are a literary figure, author, editor, publisher, agent, head of a literary organization, artist, etc., and wish to be interviewed, please fill out the form on Submittable, or purchase one of our book blog tour packages that includes a staff interview.

If you love interviewing and wish to join The Coil as a staff interviewer, please fill out the form here. We expect at least one interview per month from our staff interviewers, and we encourage interviews from our requested interview list. Staffers will also get assigned books to read, review, microreview, and/or interview the author, as needed for book blog tour packages, and are expected to meet those deadlines. Interviewers receive $10 per standalone finished interview; or $35 per book blog tour package of microreview, full review, full interview, and booklist paragraph for one single title.

Self-Interviews

We accept self-interviews from authors who have at least one published book. A self-interview is where you ask yourself the questions that you want people to know, and answer them yourself. Humorous, odd, quirky, intimate, and/or getting deeply personal with previously unknown parts of your life works the best. We do not pay for self-interviews; they are considered promotional material. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read our published self-interviews. (Promoting a book? Self-interviews are part of our book blog tour packages.)

The Questions That Really Matter

This is a series of fun and engaging set-questions for authors. This series is for authors only, and you must have at least one published book. To participate, download the questions here. We do not pay for this interview series; it is considered self-promotional material. Submit completed questions through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read our published Questions That Really Matter series. (Promoting a book? The Questions That Really Matter interview series is part of our book blog tour packages.)

Multimedia, Sound, & Video

This column focuses on multimedia literary posts with soundbites, videos, MP3s, audio book excerpts, book trailers, readings, podcasts, etc. Items can be hosted externally with links (such as hosted on YouTube or SoundCloud or Vimeo), or you can upload your files individually if they don’t have hosted links, and we’ll host them on our site. We will pay $10 after publication for exclusive, substantial multimedia material; we do not pay for material that is also available at/on another site, host, recording, etc., since it’s already available to the public elsewhere, but we are still happy to share it with a new audience. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to see multimedia posts, or you can check out soundbites, book trailers, or videos.

The Last Thing I Loved

We are seeking essays on the last thing you truly loved, something you felt so passionate about when you found out about it, heard it, tried it, tasted it, read it, saw it, revisited it, that you just had to tell everyone. Tell us that passion, and make us feel it. (We are not interested in passion toward your significant other; please be more creative than that.) Accepted or solicited essays will receive $10 after publication. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read The Last Thing I Loved essays.

Shelfies

We accept shelfies from authors who have at least one published book. Shelfies are where you take pictures of your bookshelves and talk about them. The shelfie can be in-depth or surface level, but we love to see what authors read and how they organize their books. Tell us what’s important to you about your books, and share as many photos as you’d like. Accepted or solicited pieces vetted through our editors and submissions portal will receive $10 after publication; there is no payment for promotional shelfies as part of a book tour package. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read published Shelfies. (Promoting a book? Shelfies are part of our book blog tour packages.)

On:Craft

This is a series for people in the writing, editing, agenting, or publishing business to talk in-depth about their craft or process. Tell us how you do what you do, and make us think of the process in a new light. Accepted or solicited essays will receive $10 after publication. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read published On:Craft essays.

The Collector

This series highlights odd or fun collections of items that authors have hoarded through the years. Do you collect something weird? Stamps and baseball cards are fine, but we are mostly looking for collections that go a little outside the norm, just for the fun of it. Accepted or solicited essays will receive $10 after publication. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read published Collector essays.

Naked Lunch Menu

Literary recipes! We look for well-made (and taste-tested) food and drink recipes with a literary bent. They can be based on food from books, be based on what characters might eat or drink, have punny literary titles, or simply be a recipe accompanied by an essay. We are open about that, but it should pertain to literature in some facet. Accepted or solicited essays/recipes will receive $10 after publication. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read published Naked Lunch Menu essays and recipes.

Made in Michigan

Our humble beginnings started in a small mid-Michigan farming town, and we’re still so nostalgic for those days of the Midwest in the 80s and 90s. This series is for those born and raised in Michigan, especially prior to the 2010s, to tell their stories of what the Midwest used to be. Go ahead and wax nostalgic. Go ahead and remember with rosy glasses. Because we remember, too. We’re primarily looking for stories from those who were born and raised there, but if you have some other deep nostalgic connection that you think we’ll like, give it a shot. Accepted or solicited essays will receive $10 after publication. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read published Made in Michigan essays.

A Bolder Boulder

As we look out our office window at the foothills of the Flatirons, we can’t imagine now calling anywhere else on Earth home except Boulder, Colorado. Tell us your Boulder, Denver, and surrounding Colorado stories to help us foster the literary community right here where we live. We’re especially interested in hearing from Colorado Indigenous Native Americans and those who were born and raised here, but if you have some other deep nostalgic connection to Colorado or the Boulder area that you think we’ll like, give it a shot. Accepted or solicited essays will receive $10 after publication. Submit through our Submittable portal here. Click here to read published Bolder Boulder essays.

Flatiron Foothills Publications News

If you are an author with work published on any of the Flatiron Foothills Publications imprints (Alternating Current Press, Augustan Age, Bench Press, Curiouser & Curiouser, Dyslexicon, Past Imperfect, and Resurrection Men), please let us know if you have writing news! We want to hear about your publications, awards, honors, upcoming events, etc. Submit your author news, no matter how big or small, through our Google Form here, so we can give you a shoutout in our newsletters and press announcements! Click here to read FFP news and announcements!

For the visually impaired or those using TTS reading aids: this is the end of the submission guidelines.

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