What I Learned by Writing for Anthologies

I’ve had two types of experience with anthologies.

My first experience with contributing to an anthology was simple. I submitted a story, was accepted, and received a flat fee and free copies. I wasn’t required to do anything else, although I was asked to do readings and appearances.

The other type of anthology I worked on was a collaborative effort, organized by the leadership of my local writing group. One of the main purposes of this project was to learn all about writing and publishing a book by doing, which was quite a different experience.

At first, I didn’t intend to participate in the anthology but changed my mind after one meeting. After all, the only thing I had to do was crank out 7,000 words. Easy, right? I failed to realize there would be a lot more involved than simply writing a short story and editing it. 

Time Commitment

For the anthology, we had numerous meetings and got to visit a local Bed & Breakfast, the setting for our stories. This part of the project was very exciting and enjoyable. I love history, and even though I planned to write a contemporary piece, touring this historic B & B and speaking with the owner was a treat. I drew inspiration for one bit of my story from his personal wedding tale.

I didn’t anticipate the amount of discussion and business type meetings needed. They weren’t quite as much fun as visiting historic sites or having lunch with the gang. In addition, the project required plenty of emails regarding details. 

Each author did multiple revisions of their story, with everyone in the group critiquing along the way. This was a great support, but took longer than I expected.

Surprises

A few surprises cropped up along the way. Some contributors dropped out. In hindsight, this probably happens with every project. Not being on the overseeing committee, I’m not sure how much that affected the overall end product. For some projects, losing experienced authors could throw a wrench into the works.

Costs

Costs grew slightly as we went on, mostly for editing. Our organizer had a good grasp on the finances needed, so no huge bombshells there. Budgeting could be troublesome for someone less cost aware and experienced.

Cover Design

No one in our group was a graphic designer, and members had different opinions, myself included, on what the cover should look like. From this and talking with other anthology authors from various projects, it seems it might be better to decide on a graphic artist or completed cover design ahead of time.

Content

In the end, the anthology became a collection of different romance subgenres, which I think we were all pleased with. Whether or not an anthology project is genre specific might be something to weigh before you commit. Having everything in one genre could make the book easier to market. For us, it was primarily a learning experience, and having a variety of stories worked well.

Contest, Book Signing, and Promotion

We held a contest for local library patrons. The winner had a character in the book named after them. As it turns out, I was the author who got to use the lady’s name! That was fun.

I loved having a book signing and hanging out with the other authors. It’s always fun to meet with my writing group. I even ran into an old friend from high school!

Group marketing didn’t seem to go well. There had been plans to do group sales and in person events, but due to unavoidable circumstances, that fizzled. Some contributors bought copies wholesale to resell on their own. I did a few blog posts and giveaways to promote internet sales, but those were not terribly effective.

All in all, it was a great learning experience, and I’d do it again.

A few questions to ask before you agree to work on an anthology.

Do your writing goals line up with the other contributors? If it’s primarily a learning experience, you’ll have a different mindset than if you are focused on sales.

Are all of the stories in the same genre? If you plan on marketing the book, will any of the stories make it difficult for you to sell to your particular audience?

What is the time commitment? Will you be required to edit other people’s work? Will you be expected to contribute in other ways?

How will sales be conducted? 

What will be required from each contributor as far as participating in meetings, promotions, critique and editing, and other specifics such as book cover design?

Make sure to find out all the details such as theme, costs, and deadlines.

Have you contributed to an anthology? Do you have any tips to add?

Other Posts in This Series

WHAT I LEARNED BY ENTERING WRITING CONTESTS

WHAT I LEARNED BY BEING ON A PUB BOARD

Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.