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Available in paperback CreateSpace for $16.95

Writing to Win: The Colossal Guide to Writing Contests
by Moira Allen

Want to get published? Want to win cash prizes? You'll find hundreds of opportunities to do both in Writing to Win, the largest and most up-to-date guide to writing contests available anywhere. This book will guide you to the hundreds of writing competitions offered in the US, UK and Canada throughout the year, including the most prestigious literary contests. It makes it easy to locate competitions in your specialty: Poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, journalism, creative nonfiction, books, scripts, screenplays and more. Don't rely on outdated information; there have been many changes in 2010, and our newly updated guide will give you the latest on entry fees, prizes, contact information and deadlines. The 2010 edition also includes over 200 new listings. So go forth and WIN!

Some Reviews:

...with the multitude of contests out there, where does one start their search? Moira Allen of Writing World has an answer with her book Writing to Win: The Colossal Guide to Writing Contests. Weighing in at 350 pages, this book provides hundreds of contests for every style and level of writing imaginable, from short story competitions for unpublished science fiction writers to literary awards for experienced novelists... The advice at the beginning is alone worth the price of entry, and the listings are user friendly and browseable, allowing the reader to discover contests they might not find if they were actively searching for what they thought they wanted. -- Sean McLachlan, author

I have yet to find an online compendium of writing contests that compares to the one compiled by Ms. Allen. Because its listing are organized by writing type (poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, books, scripts and screenplays) and also by deadline (so that the author knows when to submit her work), Writing to Win is easy to use. And, with over 300 pages of listings, the book is probably as close to comprehensive as any resource like this can be.... it [also] offers plenty of good advice about how to prepare a story for submission as well pointers on how to determine whether a competition is legitimate or not. If you are at all interested in entering writing competitions, then I recommend this book. --Elle Scott, "Writing for Newbies"

"Awesome! A steal at $16.95." - Wendy Burt-Thomas, author of The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters

Available in paperback from Amazon.com for just $15.56!

Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer
by Moira Allen

This really should have been called "everything you need to know about becoming a freelance writer" -- because that's the book I kept trying to find on the bookshelves. There are lots of books on "getting started" out there -- but so many seem to turn into "one writer's journey..." What you need is a book on how to start your journey as a writer! This book takes you by the hand and helps you set up your writing office (even if it's just a place on the kitchen table, which, by the way, mine is), helps you find the books and resources you'll need, guides you through the process of determining what to write about and where to send it -- and then takes you the rest of the way through querying, interviewing, developing your article, submitting your manuscript, and more. It also offers chapters by other experts on such topics as writing for newspapers, writing for online markets, tackling commercial and technical writing, and more. If you are looking for one book that will give you everything you need to launch your freelance career (and help you start earning some valuable extra income in these tough times), this is it!

Read the chapter on Income and Expenses online!

Check out the Reviews for this book!

Electronic Edition $12.95

Available in Paperback for $16.95
Guide to Paying Fiction and Poetry Markets
by Moira Allen

Frustrated by outdated market guides and market sites? Annoyed by guides that are packed with non-paying publications? If you really want to sell your short stories and poetry, you need this guide to over 700 paying markets. This guide lists nearly 600 print and online markets for short fiction (including literary fiction, genre fiction, children's stories, Christian fiction, flash fiction and more), plus over 400 markets for poetry of every type and subject. It includes more than 100 nonfiction publications that also use fiction and poetry, and offers more than 150 international fiction markets. See a Sample Section.

"Moira Allen has done it again. Markets are divided into logical sections... Each section contains alphabetical listings, including payment, length, rights purchased, contact info, and the website where more specific guidelines can be found. More than a third of the listings in this guide are literary magazines, which is extremely valuable because many of these publications don't appear in other market guides... This marketing guide is ideal for both beginner and experienced writers." -- Barbara Florio Graham, SimonTeakettle.com

Electronic Edition $10.95

Paperback Edition $14.95

How to Write for Magazines
by Moira Allen

Why pay $100 for a writing class when it's all right here? This book includes my entire "Getting Started in Magazine Writing" online course -- lectures and exercises - for under $15. You'll find out how to research and select the perfect markets for your work -- and how to develop and tailor ideas for the markets you want to reach. Learn how to write a can't-miss query, research your article and conduct interviews, develop your article idea from broad subject categories to tightly focused topics, how to write the article itself, and how to format it for submission. This book also walks you through the issues of contracts and rights, and shows you what goes on behind the editor's desk! Plus, a special chapter on enhancing your article (and increasing your sales) with photos. Download a Sample Chapter.

Electronic Edition $8.95

Available in Paperback -- now only $11.53 on Amazon!

The Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches and Proposals
by Moira Allen

I wanted to call this book "The Perfect Pitch" because that's what it's all about: Pitching just about every kind of writing you can imagine. It covers query letters, electronic queries, multiple-pitch and quick-pitch queries, nonfiction book proposals, fiction synopses, column proposals, pitches for newspapers, grant proposals, and so much more. It's also packed with samples of queries, pitches and proposals that worked -- and that show you, step by step, how it's done. If you want to sell your writing, you have to know how to pitch your writing -- and this book is your one-stop guide. Read sample chapters online:

Check out the Reviews for this book!

Other Books by Moira Allen:

Available on Amazon.com for $16.53.

Coping with Sorrow on the Loss of Your Pet
edited by Moira Allen

In 2007, I celebrated the 20th year "in print" of the first book I ever wrote -- a book designed to help those who grieve the loss of a beloved animal companion. Drawing on the comments and experiences of pet owners across the U.S., this book covers the emotions of pet loss, personalized coping strategies to help you deal with grief, tips on helping the rest of the family cope (including other pets!), choosing when it's time to euthanize a pet (and tips on making this, if not easier, at least less stressful on you and your pet), suggestions on when and how to choose a new pet, and much more. It also covers how to deal with the "missing pet" (including tips on how to find a lost pet), how to provide for pets in your will, how to choose a pet cemetery and other "final disposition options," and how to help a friend cope with loss. This book won the Dog Writers of America "best book" award in 1998 and has helped thousands of pet owners deal with the grief of loss.

Check out the Reviews for this book!

Visit the Pet Loss Support Page for chapter excerpts, articles on pet loss, and more.

Available in paperback for $14.95 or electronically for $5 from Lulu.com

The Arms, Armour and Military Usages of the 14th Century
edited by Moira Allen

This charming 155-page book is excerpted from Gentleman's Magazine (1858-1859). It's a remarkable overview of military armour and practices of the 14th century, drawn from even earlier sources such as Froissart and contemporary documents. It has great illustrations, and is an excellent research tool for anyone interested in the military history and accoutrements of this period. It also marks my first foray into what will be a number of "Victorian" book projects, so watch this space for more "cool" reprints!

Read a Review of this book!

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Copyright © 2009 by Moira Allen. All rights reserved. Copyright to individual articles held by authors.