Writers are familiar with contests that lead to anthologies, but they don’t always know what goes into the effort to create one. If they are a published author, they have some idea what to expect. They know about editing and marketing. If they are self-published, they understand formatting and cover design.
But most of that involves one author. Working on an anthology involves many authors, all with different personalities and levels of experience. Coordinating efforts with multiple authors brings a challenge. It’s a mixed blessing with both positive and negative aspects. But ultimately, it’s worth the effort.
Dancing Lemur Press has put together numerous anthologies over the years and we’ve enjoyed the process. Some days it feels like herding cats, but it always comes together. What helps is the enthusiasm of the authors. There is always one in the bunch that is SO excited to be a part of the book. That helps not only us, but all of the authors involved.
We’d like to share some of the First Love authors’ experiences:
The best part about working on an anthology is sharing the experience with other talented writers. It’s fun to see how they took the same topic and weaved such stunningly different stories. – Sammi Spizziri
Writing for an anthology motivated me to improve my story and ensure it fit with the other works. I enjoyed being part of a team and sharing the experience with fellow authors! – Kim Elliott
The Insecure Writers Support Group and Dancing Lemur Press are familiar to me and have great reputations. Being an indie author, though, I found it both refreshing and disconcerting to turn things over to someone else. – Melissa Maygrove
“I was very excited when it was announced that the next IWSG Anthology was to be in the romance genre. I waited a long time to hear that, LOL. I don’t ever/usually enter writing contests, so I didn’t look at it that way. I saw it as an opportunity to support the IWSG and whether I won a place or not didn’t bother me. But of course, as a romance author who loves short fiction writing, I was thrilled to be included. Thank you for the opportunity and I hope the Anthology sells well. – Denise Covey
I love anthologies (both participating in and reading them) because they’re a great way to sample new authors. It’s fun to see how different writers will take a theme and put their own spin on it. A single prompt can result in a thousand variations, which makes every anthology unique, and it’s been fun to see everyone’s take on “First Love.” – Katie Klein
I enjoy working on anthologies because you get to learn and share so much with a variety of professionals. You get to meet new authors, reconnect with old friends, and share in the editing as well as the marketing process. All of these experiences can be highly rewarding when it involves work you are proud to have created. – Sylvia Ney
Having a hands-on experience with this anthology has taught me the publishing process without becoming too taxing or overwhelming. For me, this was an amazing experience which will help me through the next stage in my writing journey. – Michael Di Gesu
Inclusion in an anthology has so many benefits, including experience, exposure, and a boost in confidence. If you ever get the opportunity, take it and enjoy.
First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology
The sweetness of first love…
Could a fiercely independent cop’s heart be stolen by the guy who makes her favorite doughnuts? Will a maid who used deceit to snare a mail-order husband get a dose of her own medicine? Can her handsome neighbor rescue a modern-day “princess” from a tenacious ex-boyfriend? Can two strangers in a rideshare be honest enough to fall in love for real? Can you remember your first love? How about your second? Third? Fourth?
Featuring the talents of Linda Budzinski, Melissa Maygrove, Michael Di Gesu, Sylvia Ney, Katie Klein, Kim Elliott, Templeton Moss, S.E. White, Denise Covey, and Sammi Spizziri. Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will touch your heart and rekindle lost feelings. Prepare to return to that first love…
Release date: September 6, 2022
Print ISBN – 9781939844880, $14.95
EBook ISBN – 9781939844897, $4.99
Romance – Clean & Wholesome (FIC027270) / Contemporary (FIC027020) / Historical (FIC027050)
186 pages, Freedom Fox Press, an imprint of Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh and a Writer’s Digest Top Sites for Writers, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database; articles; monthly blog posting; Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram groups; #IWSGPit, and a newsletter.
https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/
Links:
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/First-Love-Art-Making-Doughnuts-ebook/dp/B09QH3Z28P/
Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/first-love-insecure-writers-support-group/1140884369?ean=2940165751301
iTunes https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1605240999
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/first-love-the-art-of-making-doughnuts
Scribed – https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844897&language=0
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60198262-first-love
Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay
As the writers commented, I think it’s fun to see how each individual can come up with a completely different take on a theme. It makes it fun to read. Thanks for the post, Diane!
Thank you for hosting us today, Elizabeth.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. Anthologies can be a real challenge; I know the one I edited had its moments. But it’s such a great opportunity to bring authors together and explore a theme. And for the reader, what a great chance to get to know different authors.
Great for author and reader alike!
And we’re happy when it all comes together!
As it always does in the end!
Congrats to everyone in the anthology! I can see that it would be challenging to work with all the authors with stories in it rather than a book where there’s only one author.
It could be tough! Diane is so organized, though.
Thanks for hosting us, Elizabeth!
Diane, thanks for all the work you’ve put into organizing the anthology!
My pleasure, Kim!
Kim, always a pleasure working with a group of authors like you guys.
I loved reading all the answers, especially Katie’s. Well said. I also LOLd at my answer. My control freak was showing. hahaha Thanks for hosting us, Elizabeth.
Congratulations on the anthology!
Thank you, Elizabeth, for featuring the IWSG Anthology-First Love-The Art of Making Doughnuts. As a participating author, it was a great experience, and reading the other authors’ insights was fascinating!
It’s interesting to see how it affected different writers in the collection! Thanks for coming by, Michael.
I had my first published story in an earlier IWSG anthology and it was a fabulous experience! I learned enough about the process to dive into my indie publishing afterward. Congrats to the current anthology writers!
I can imagine how it would help learn the process beforehand!
I’m so glad it helped you, Jemi.
Thank you Elizabeth for hosting Diane and sharing the anthology. As a self-published author, I learned something through the process. It is always going to be a challenge when there are 10 authors in one book and the reviews so far reflect this.
Happy to share such an interesting post!
Hi Elizabeth – yes I remember the anthology on ‘Overcoming Adversity’ (blog post Feb 2013) – which is the only one I’ve ever written for an anthology … and the criteria we needed to fill – an essential. Then all the other publication necessities that were required – so I quite understand your thoughts here. Diane and her Dancing Lemur Press do so much for the blogosphere – we are so lucky. All the best – Hilary
There’s a lot to go into an anthology! Diane is a gem, for sure. :) Thanks so much to you for coming by.
Congratulations to all the authors!