publishing a collection of essays

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

17 Top Publishers of Essay Collections

By Hiten Vyas

Have you written a collection of essays?

Do you now want to publish your work? If so, it makes sense to find a publishing house that has experience in publishing essays.

Continue reading to find out about 17 top publishers of essay collections.

1. Coffee House Press

Coffee House Press is an independent publishing house based in Minneapolis. Founded in 1972, it started out as a small letterpress operation before evolving into an internationally recognized publisher of poetry, essays, and literary fiction. Today, Coffee House Press continues to publish the works of both emerging and established writers, acting as a catalyst between authors and readers.

Coffee House Press has annual reading periods during which they are open for submissions of novels, essay collections, and long-form essays. There is no set length requirement for submissions, but they do not accept single essays, single poems, and chapbooks. Do note that Coffee House Press only accepts 300 submissions per reading period, so make sure you submit as soon as the reading period begins. Visit their Submittable page to learn more about their submission guidelines. For general inquiries, you can reach Coffee House Press here .

2. Red Hen Press

Located in Los Angeles, Red Hen Press was founded by Mark E. Cull and Kate Gale in 1994 out of their desire to keep creative literature alive. And that desire is still the foundation of everything they do—from publishing outstanding literary works, to promoting literacy in local schools. Red Hen Press publishes non-fiction, literary fiction, and poetry—particularly novels, memoirs, essay collections, poetry collections, creative non-fiction, and hybrid works. To get a better idea of the kind of work they usually publish, you can check out their catalog and submission guidelines .

They are currently accepting unsolicited submissions via their Submittable page , and interested authors may submit a completed manuscript or a sample of at least 20 pages. It usually takes them 3 to 6 months to respond to submissions.

3. Two Dollar Radio

Two Dollar Radio is a small, family-run press that has garnered national acclaim since its establishment in 2005. They publish original, creative, and subversive books that defy conventional storytelling. Some of the authors whose work they have published are Hanif Abdurraqib, Barbara Browning, Mark de Silva, Paul Kingsnorth, Janet Livingstone, and more.

They are currently open for submissions through their Submittable page . Submissions must include the full manuscript—no proposals or excerpts. If you are interested in submitting your work, it is important that you familiarize yourself with their previous publications since you will be asked to provide a short statement on why you feel they are the right publisher for your manuscript. You can find more information about their submission guidelines here .

4. Unsolicited Press

Unsolicited Press is a small Oregon-based press that publishes creative non-fiction, literary fiction, and poetry. What sets Unsolicited Press apart from other publishers is that every single person who works there is also a writer, and they consider publishing a partnership between the author and the press. They are always open for submissions, and they are currently actively seeking poetry collections, essay collections, memoirs, novels, and creative non-fiction. They also welcome experimental literature. All submissions must adhere to their submission guidelines , or else they will not be read.

If you are interested in submitting an essay collection, you will need to prepare a query letter and book proposal, along with the first three chapters of your manuscript. Do note that they only accept submissions in Word format. Once you are ready, you can send them your submission via email .

5. Sarabande Books

Sarabande Books is a non-profit press that was founded in 1994. They currently have more than 200 titles in print, and they publish approximately 10 books each year, primarily focusing on fiction, poetry, and essays. They have a dedicated readership and have earned a reputation for publishing innovative books with diverse voices. Authors previously published by Sarabande Books have gone on to win or have been shortlisted for numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, Lambda Literary Awards, National Book Critics Circle Award, and more.

Their annual reading period for essay collections is during the month of September. They are interested in essay collections between 150 and 250 pages. Individual essays in the collection may have already been published in magazines or chapbooks, but the collection as a whole must be previously unpublished. All submissions must follow their guidelines and must be sent through their Submittable page . General inquiries may be sent through Sarabande’s online contact form .

6. Black Lawrence Press

Founded by Colleen Ryor in 2004, Black Lawrence Press is an independent publisher that specializes in fiction, creative non-fiction, and contemporary poetry. The books they publish are distributed to Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and various bookstores and retailers across the country. Black Lawrence Press has open reading periods twice a year—one in June and another in November—during which they accept submissions of novels, novellas, prose chapbooks, lyric essay collections, short story collections, biographies, poetry chapbooks, and creative non-fiction.

Black Lawrence Press is quite strict about formatting, so make sure you adhere to the guidelines stated here . If you are ready to send in your submission, you can do so through their Submittable page .

7. Bauhan Publishing

Bauhan Publishing is an independent publishing house with roots going all the way back to the 1930s. It has gone through several different names since its establishment, but its commitment to craftsmanship remains. Even with the rise of on-demand publishing and new media, Bauhan Publishing believes that their traditional publishing model gives them an edge that newer companies don’t have. In addition to publishing high-quality books, Bauhan also hosts the annual Monadnock Essay Collection Prize for book-length collections of non-fiction essays.

Bauhan Publishing does not currently accept unsolicited submissions, but you can visit their Submittable page to stay updated about their upcoming reading periods and contests. If you have any questions for the Bauhan Publishing team, you can reach them here .

8. C&R Press

Since 2006, C&R Press has been publishing exceptional books—especially those written by progressive, LGBTQ, female, minority, immigrant, and submerged voices. Although C&R Press started out as a poetry publisher, they have since expanded their scope and now also publish short story collections, essay collections, novels, and more.

Publishing at least 12 books each year, C&R Press is always eager to receive submissions of full-length manuscripts in any genre. Short stories, essays, memoirs, and hybrid work are all welcome. Should you be interested in getting published by C&R Press, you can view their submission guidelines and submit your manuscript here . If you have any additional questions or concerns, you can reach C&R Press via email .

9. Manchester University Press

Located in the heart of the most vibrant cities in the UK, Manchester University Press publishes study guides, essay collections, multi-authored collections, monographs, and trade books for general readers. Their areas of interest include modern history, history of art and design, sociology, economics, literature, film, archeology, business, politics, international law, and theater.

If your manuscript falls under any of the aforementioned areas, you can submit a proposal to Manchester University Press by emailing the appropriate editor . But before emailing your proposal, make sure you read their submission guidelines . You can also get in touch with Manchester University Press here .

10. Seren Books

One of the leading independent publishers in Wales, Seren Books has been publishing high-quality fiction, non-fiction, and poetry since 1981. Many of the books they have published over the decades have won major literary awards—not only in the UK but internationally as well. It is recommended that you check out their past publications to learn more about the kinds of books they are interested in publishing, but at the core of everything they publish are stories well told.

Seren Books welcomes unsolicited submissions all year. If you are interested in submitting your work for their consideration, you can visit the submissions page on their website.

11. Vehicule Press

Founded in Quebec in 1973, Vehicule Press began as the publishing arm of Vehicule Art, Inc., one of the first artist-run galleries in Canada. Today, Vehicule Press continues to publish non-fiction, fiction, and poetry from Canada’s most talented writers. Some of their award-winning publications include The Love Monster by Missy Marston, A Place in Mind: The Search for Authenticity by Avi Friedman, Garbage Head by Christopher Willard, and Boxing the Compass by Richard Greene.

Vehicule Press is currently accepting non-fiction submissions. Prospective authors can submit their work by visiting the Vehicule Press submissions page and contacting the appropriate editor . General inquiries can be sent to Vehicule Press via email .

12. Book*hug Press

Formerly BookThug Press, Book*hug is an independent literary press in Ontario, Canada that specializes in literary non-fiction, contemporary fiction, poetry, drama, and translations. Their main goal is to publish books that reflect and contribute to Canadian culture and society. In particular, they are looking for writing that is innovative, bold, and not afraid to take risks. They especially welcome work written by LGBTQ writers, women writers, deaf and disabled writers, indigenous writers, and writers of color. They do not, however, publish children’s books, genre fiction, self-help books, or cookbooks.

Book*hug is always open for submissions. If you would like Book*hug to consider your work, you can check out their submission guidelines for instructions on how and where to submit your manuscript. If you require additional assistance, you can reach the Book*hug team here .

13. Guernica Editions

Established in 1978, Guernica Editions is named after the Spanish city that fell victim to aerial bombs in the 1930s. Guernica’s founders chose the name with the hope that the books they publish will change the world and make it a better place. Guernica publishes Canadian literature, specifically fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. One of Guernica’s most significant contributions to the literary world is their promotion of ethnic minority writers including African-Canadian writers, Italian-Canadian writers, and others.

Guernica accepts manuscript submissions between January and April, and they are interested in poetry collections, essay collections, literary non-fiction, and novels. All queries and manuscripts must be sent as attachments via email . To learn more about their process and policies, check out Guernica’s submission guidelines here .

14. House of Anansi

House of Anansi is a Canadian publisher that was founded by writers David Godfrey and Dennis Lee in 1967. They have published the works of renowned Canadian writers, including Margaret Atwood, Erin Moure, Matt Cohen, and Michael Ondaatje. Today, House of Anansi specializes in publishing fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama from both established and emerging writers. They publish around 50 new titles each year.

House of Anansi is currently closed for submissions, but you can keep an eye out for open calls and upcoming reading periods by checking their Submittable page . They only accept submissions from Canadian writers, and all submissions must be done online. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the House of Anansi team here .

15. Giramondo Publishing Company

Giramondo Publishing Company was established in 1995 with the aim of publishing adventurous and innovative literature written by Australian writers. Many of the titles they have published have won major literary prizes, such as the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, the Miles Franklin Literary Award, and the Nita Kibble Literary Award. They publish non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and short-form books.

Giramondo is always open for submissions, and they welcome both fiction and non-fiction manuscripts, including essay collections. All submissions must be sent through their Submittable page and must include your curriculum vitae, a brief synopsis of your work, and three sample chapters. For more information, you can find Giramondo’s submission guidelines here .

16. Pan MacMillan Australia

Pan MacMillan Australia is the Australian imprint of MacMillan Publishers, one of the largest and most popular publishing houses in the world. Pan MacMillan Australia publishes a range of high-quality books across various genres, including children’s literature, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, memoirs, and more.

Australian authors who wish to get published can participate in Pan MacMillan’s Manuscript Monday initiative. On the first Monday of every month, Pan MacMillan accepts electronic submissions from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Australian Eastern Standard Time. At the moment, they are looking for fiction, literary non-fiction, children’s books, young adult literature, and commercial non-fiction. Interested authors can check out Manuscript Monday’s guidelines and submission instructions here . You can also contact Pan MacMillan for general questions and inquiries.

17. Grattan Street Press

Grattan Street Press is a small press located in Melbourne, Australia. An initiative of the University of Melbourne’s Publishing and Communications Program, Grattan Street Press publishes trade non-fiction, contemporary fiction, children’s books, and other culturally significant works. They are especially drawn to writing that is intelligent, engaging, and unique.

They are currently accepting fiction and non-fiction submissions through their Submittable page . Submissions must include your curriculum vitae, a brief summary of your work, and a short excerpt. You can check out their submission guidelines for more details. If you have any questions regarding their submission policies and screening process, you may get in touch with them via email .

Are there any other publishers of essay collection that you know of? Please tell us about them in them in the comments box below!

Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of Writing Tips Oasis .

Publishing a short story collection or a book of essays is a subject that attracts some conflicting advice.

On one hand, there are those who are immediately dismissive, saying many publishers don’t publish short stories at all (true), or short stories don’t sell (often true), or publishers will only buy a collection of stories from a well-known author (not exactly untrue).

On the other hand, there clearly are collections of short stories and books of essays being published and sold every year, and you can name some of them because they’ve been a tremendous success. So, it’s not like they’re imaginary or something.

You’re not being gaslit, it’s just that publishing a collection of short stories or essays is not all that straightforward. It’s not like publishing a full-length book – which is hard, but at least the route is clearer.

Muddying the water is that from time to time there’s an article saying ‘short stories are dead and over, no publisher wants to buy them’ or, alternatively, ‘short stories are enjoying a revival, as proof here are some famous writers who have published successful collections’.

It’s difficult to get a straight answer, because neither article is wrong – not even when they confuse you by listing bestselling collections while explaining how the form makes no money and is near extinction.

Do publishers buy collections of stories or essays?

Most publishers want full-length fiction and non-fiction. They buy collections of short stories or books of essays when, for good reason, they want the author on their list. Such a reason might be the rare occasions that the author or their short story or essay goes viral. For example, ‘Cat Person’ by Kate Roupenian. (You knew I was going to use that as an example, didn’t you, because it’s the only genuinely viral short story, and it went viral twice.)

Famously, Kate Roupenian got a two-book deal for a collection of short stories and a novel. In the US, the advance was seven figures, and in the UK, six figures. However, please note that it’s likely the vast majority of the reported advance, on both sides of the pond, was for the novel.

This is pretty standard when publishers buy a collection of short stories or a book of essays: they’ll buy the collection as part of a deal where the other book(s) are full-length, and only if they know they can sell the collection based on the success of one or more stories/essays already published, or on the author’s name, or their backlist sales.

Do short story collections and books of essays sell?

Books of essays or short stories may do well, but mainly when they’re written by someone with some profile, and therefore an existing audience. For example, it’s common for a columnist for one of the national newspapers to produce a collection of their columns: see Caitlin Moran’s backlist or, if you must, Jeremy Clarkson’s. Or, writers build up an audience elsewhere before publishing a book of essays – this is common among comedians and bloggers, such as Samantha Irby, who broke out as an author with her second book of essays We Are Never Meeting in Real Life .

Sometimes it’s the name and only the name: Tom Hanks’ collection of stories was clearly bought based on his enormous popularity. With the greatest respect to the nicest man in Hollywood, his stories – all featuring a typewriter – were otherwise unlikely to set the publishing world on its heels.

Do I need to be famous before I can sell my collection?

Stephen King is often trotted out as the name to beat when people want to discourage authors from trying to debut with a collection. However, Stephen King wasn’t always famous, and his path is instructive. He was publishing stories in magazines from the mid-60s. Carrie , his first published novel, came out in 1974. Night Shift , his first collection of short stories, wasn’t published until 1978.

Obviously, things have changed since Stephen King was first writing – you can put your work up on the internet and gather an audience that way, and self-publishing is much easier and cheaper now – but, if we’re using him as a model, the point is that he didn’t debut by publishing a collection of stories. He wrote and wrote and eventually placed short stories in magazines, then published a novel, then published a collection. Arguably, this is still the best model to follow in the absence of virality or fame from a place other than writing.

How should I approach publishing a short story collection or book of essays?

If you’re considering publishing your short stories or essays in a collection, have a think first. If you’d like to publish them traditionally , do you have the sort of platform that would interest a publisher? If not, can you build one up?

You could approach indie publishers who work with short stories, but it’s worth noting that if they buy a collection, they are likely to publish in an even shorter print run than a big publisher would, and neither is likely to reprint. If you did manage to sell all 3000 or so copies, the book will basically fall out of print and you should ask for your rights back.

Some people go straight to self-publishing a collection, but that’s an even harder road – all the difficulties of selling a self-published book , plus short stories aren’t a popular genre, so it will be difficult to do even as well as an indie publisher would with your work. Is that what you want? It’s fine if it is! But be aware, you’re almost certainly not going to get much money or recognition just because you jumped straight to a book of short stories rather than taking the longer route.

Get a track record first

If you want to be published traditionally and want a chance of selling a successful collection, then you need to play the long game.

Have you published any stories or essays in a magazine (print or online) or entered them into competitions ? Have you tried to build up a track record of your writing that would show existing interest in your work? Do that first. Literary agents read those magazines.

And apart from anything, if you go the other way around and publish the collection first, you can’t later place them in magazines or enter them in competitions – they’re only open to previously unpublished works. That’s important, because unless you are prolific, like Stephen King (nearly 45 stories in the 15 years before Carrie , 11 collections of stories in the decades since, 200 published stories – that kind of prolific) you may regret having already published your best ones in a collection that didn’t make many sales or get you noticed.

Maybe you’re an outlier. Maybe you can find a different way of doing things. But it’s unlikely.

All I’m really suggesting is you make a plan that builds to publishing a collection of short stories, or a book of essays, rather than putting it first on your list.

And if you want help with that plan, you might benefit from a mini consultation with me.

This post was first published on 15th August 2021.

More from the blog

• A Realistic Audience For Your Book Is Not ‘Everyone!’
• Literary Fiction & Commercial Fiction: What’s the Difference?
• The Pitch Letter & Synopsis: Essential Ingredients For Your Book Submission
• Will a Traditional Publisher Republish my Self-Published Book?

Search the blog

How To Publish Personal Essays – From Small Press To Collections

• by Robert Wood
• June 1, 2015
• One Comment

Standout Books is supported by its audience, if you click and purchase from any of the links on this page, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally vetted. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Though they get less press than novels and short fiction , personal essays actually have one of the most welcoming markets in publishing. Dedicated essayists have a great chance of seeing some form of publication, so long as they’re willing to put the work in and understand the marketplace.

That’s why in this article I’ll be exploring the ins and out of publishing your personal essays, starting with how you can secure publication on the lowest rungs of the industry ladder, and then leading up to the anthology or collection publication of multiple essays. But whether you’re a writer of novels, plays, or personal essays, the first piece of advice will always be the same…

Read, read, read

As with any art form, there are trends in the personal essay market. It’s also the case that most publications will have preferences about things like tone, length, subject, and structure. Because of this, whether you’re writing essays in general or for a particular publication, the first step is reading as many as you can get your hands on.

Your research should be focused, however. Reading the great essays , collections by writers such as George Orwell or Oscar Wilde , is of course a good idea but the bulk of your reading needs to be targeted at the sort of publication you’re writing for.

There are many kinds of small touches, technicalities of rhythm and pace, which can only be learnt by reading good examples, but most publishers won’t just be interested in whether your work is good – they’ll be interested in whether or not your work suits their publication. The key is to study their publications relentlessly, first deliberately striving for the ‘feel’ of the work they publish and then gradually allowing it to become a natural style.

This sounds difficult, and at first it will be, but there are two facts which should make beginner essayists feel better:

• The ability to assume a style is one which gets easier and easier with practice. The more different styles you learn, the easier you’ll find the whole process, and very quickly you’ll have a wardrobe full of styles you can slip into to suit the occasion.
• Generally speaking, the better established the publication the less strict they’ll be about conforming to a set style. The demands on quality go up of course, but publications with existing industry and readership respect will be less concerned with the safety of conformity, and more concerned with showcasing the best of your unique talents.

It will take a while for these facts to come into play, but you should feel reassured that however difficult you find it starting out, that’s as difficult as it gets.

Reading should be a constant through your attempts to gain publication, but what you read should change according to where you are on the essayist’s pyramid.

The pyramid

The essayist’s pyramid is a way of combining the different levels of essay publication with the work it takes to move from one to the next. The pyramid basically consists of four levels. At the base are local and specialist publications, the next level up is regional publications, then national and international publications, then successful collections.

The pyramid doesn’t just represent a hierarchy; it’s a guide to progressing from one level to the next. One of the biggest deciding factors in whether a publication will consider your work is your reputation and publication history. Because of this, it’s necessary to have a lot of local publications under your belt before you contact a regional publication, a lot of regional publications before you try for national, and finally to be a frequently published national essayist before you can expect to be successful with a collection of essays.

Self-publishing gives you the ability to skip any of these steps, releasing your work to the world through blogging or e-books. While these are valid routes they’re unlikely to lead to success on their own unless you have a unique viewpoint or presentation. Instead it’s advisable to view websites as you would any other publication. Yes all websites are available to anyone, but realistically they still fall into a structure so similar to ‘local / regional / national’ that they can be discussed in the same breath. Once you have a few essays on a few minor websites you can try moving up, and keep going until there’s sufficient audience to follow you to your own online venues and digital publications.

So now we’ve looked at the route essayists can take to success, it’s time to discuss how they can get started.

Finding publications

The more local a publication the more likely they’ll be to publish you. This isn’t just a matter of circulation, but it doesn’t hurt. A sense of community + a small pool of potential talent = welcoming publishers. For the same reason specialist magazines, those which deal with a specific realm of subjects, are likely to be similarly well disposed towards your work.

Local publications can be found… well… locally. Eateries, libraries, and healthcare centers are good places to search. Established local publications, especially newspapers, will often have adverts for less well-known magazines.

If you’re working online then it’s just a matter of searching around and gauging which publications will be most appropriate for your work. Either way this approach is one which works all the way to the top of the pyramid. Regional publications will contain adverts for local ones, and national magazines are a good source for regional publications.

Each block of the pyramid stays aware of the block below (everyone wants to know where the talent is coming from), and so the more you work the more recognizable you’ll be to those you need to contact next.

The submission system

As I mentioned in my article on publishing short fiction, if you’re serious about publication then you need to establish a system where you’re always submitting and waiting to hear back about a submission.

Waiting to hear back from one publication before submitting to another is wasted time. Ideally you should have a few articles ready to go ‘out’ when you begin, then spend the time before you hear back writing more.

Every writer experiences more rejection than acceptance (mainly because the same piece can be rejected a hundred times, but only accepted once.) You shouldn’t be disheartened, but equally you shouldn’t let any necessary rejections on your road to success waste time you could spend succeeding.

Reading, writing, and submitting are a constant process. Getting published is a job, and it’s one you have to keep showing up for. Do so, though, and you can reach the achievement every essayist dreams of…

Collections and anthologies of personal  essays

‘Anthologies’ are collections of essays in which your work can be featured, whereas you can publish a ‘collection’ made up entirely of your own work.

To make it into an anthology you need to scour literary magazines for one with a theme you think you’d suit. Here the need to tailor your writing to the publication in question is more important than ever. Hang a list of their guidelines in your writing space and stick to it . Anthologies gather most of their audience based on interest in the overall theme, so deviating from it will get your work quickly dismissed.

If you’ve worked your way up the pyramid those who have already featured your work will likely be thrilled to trumpet your achievements, so if you do make it into an anthology make sure to contact former publishers. They may want to advertise your work, or even have you write something.

This is doubly the case when you publish a collection all your own, as there will be fewer other sources of exposure. Thankfully former publishers will almost always be genuinely happy to acknowledge your success, and it will also help their own prestige to be associated with a successful author. Collections are almost always the exclusive preserve of famous essayists – the kind you see week-to-week in national newspapers – but there is a healthy market for self-published collections by lesser-known but established authors, especially when they deal with specialist topics. Whether you’re a beer brewer, a trout fisher, a doll collector, or really almost any kind of hobbyist, there’s a niche for your work already waiting.

Building the pyramid

As I said before, finding some form of publication is just a matter of hard work. Moving up the pyramid you need to keep experimenting with your style and making sure that the work you’ve done on one level supports what you’re attempting to do on the next. A firm base is vital, and is the greatest tool in what have to be constant efforts to improve both your art and the places it can be found.

Above all, remember these three things:

• Always be reading, writing, and submitting.
• Write with your publication of choice in mind.
• Keep building.

For more advice on the logic behind entering competitions and anthologies try Should you enter a writing competition? Or for how to build an email list, a must for writers who will be moving from publication to publication, check out Why you need to have an email list right now .

Robert Wood

1 thought on “how to publish personal essays – from small press to collections”.

Thanks for commenting – we’d be more than happy to help. Please go ahead and click the blue ‘START’ button up in the top right of the screen to begin. We’ll take a few details and then make some recommendations regarding the right service for you.

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Craft and Criticism
• Fiction and Poetry
• News and Culture
• Lit Hub Radio
• Reading Lists

• Literary Criticism
• Craft and Advice
• In Conversation
• On Translation
• Short Story
• From the Novel
• Bookstores and Libraries
• Film and TV
• Art and Photography
• Freeman’s
• The Virtual Book Channel
• Behind the Mic
• Beyond the Page
• The Cosmic Library
• The Critic and Her Publics
• Emergence Magazine
• Fiction/Non/Fiction
• First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing
• The History of Literature
• I’m a Writer But
• Lit Century
• Tor Presents: Voyage Into Genre
• Windham-Campbell Prizes Podcast
• Write-minded
• The Best of the Decade
• Best Reviewed Books
• BookMarks Daily Giveaway
• The Daily Thrill
• CrimeReads Daily Giveaway

The Best Reviewed Essay Collections of 2021

Featuring joan didion, rachel kushner, hanif abdurraqib, ann patchett, jenny diski, and more.

Well, friends, another grim and grueling plague year is drawing to a close, and that can mean only one thing: it’s time to put on our Book Marks stats hats and tabulate the best reviewed books of the past twelve months.

Yes, using reviews drawn from more than 150 publications, over the next two weeks we’ll be revealing the most critically-acclaimed books of 2021, in the categories of (deep breath): Memoir and Biography ; Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror ; Short Story Collections ; Essay Collections; Poetry; Mystery and Crime; Graphic Literature; Literature in Translation; General Fiction; and General Nonfiction.

Today’s installment: Essay Collections .

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.”

1. These Precious Days by Ann Patchett (Harper)

21 Rave • 3 Positive • 1 Mixed Read Ann Patchett on creating the work space you need, here

“… excellent … Patchett has a talent for friendship and celebrates many of those friends here. She writes with pure love for her mother, and with humor and some good-natured exasperation at Karl, who is such a great character he warrants a book of his own. Patchett’s account of his feigned offer to buy a woman’s newly adopted baby when she expresses unwarranted doubts is priceless … The days that Patchett refers to are precious indeed, but her writing is anything but. She describes deftly, with a line or a look, and I considered the absence of paragraphs freighted with adjectives to be a mercy. I don’t care about the hue of the sky or the shade of the couch. That’s not writing; it’s decorating. Or hiding. Patchett’s heart, smarts and 40 years of craft create an economy that delivers her perfectly understated stories emotionally whole. Her writing style is most gloriously her own.”

–Alex Witchel ( The New York Times Book Review )

2. Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion (Knopf)

14 Rave • 12 Positive • 6 Mixed Read an excerpt from Let Me Tell You What I Mean here

“In five decades’ worth of essays, reportage and criticism, Didion has documented the charade implicit in how things are, in a first-person, observational style that is not sacrosanct but common-sensical. Seeing as a way of extrapolating hypocrisy, disingenuousness and doubt, she’ll notice the hydrangeas are plastic and mention it once, in passing, sorting the scene. Her gaze, like a sentry on the page, permanently trained on what is being disguised … The essays in Let Me Tell You What I Mean are at once funny and touching, roving and no-nonsense. They are about humiliation and about notions of rightness … Didion’s pen is like a periscope onto the creative mind—and, as this collection demonstrates, it always has been. These essays offer a direct line to what’s in the offing.”

–Durga Chew-Bose ( The New York Times Book Review )

3. Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit (Viking)

12 Rave • 13 Positive • 1 Mixed Read an excerpt from Orwell’s Roses here

“… on its simplest level, a tribute by one fine essayist of the political left to another of an earlier generation. But as with any of Solnit’s books, such a description would be reductive: the great pleasure of reading her is spending time with her mind, its digressions and juxtapositions, its unexpected connections. Only a few contemporary writers have the ability to start almost anywhere and lead the reader on paths that, while apparently meandering, compel unfailingly and feel, by the end, cosmically connected … Somehow, Solnit’s references to Ross Gay, Michael Pollan, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Peter Coyote (to name but a few) feel perfectly at home in the narrative; just as later chapters about an eighteenth-century portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds and a visit to the heart of the Colombian rose-growing industry seem inevitable and indispensable … The book provides a captivating account of Orwell as gardener, lover, parent, and endlessly curious thinker … And, movingly, she takes the time to find the traces of Orwell the gardener and lover of beauty in his political novels, and in his insistence on the value and pleasure of things .”

–Claire Messud ( Harper’s )

4. Girlhood by Melissa Febos (Bloomsbury)

16 Rave • 5 Positive • 1 Mixed Read an excerpt from Girlhood here

“Every once in a while, a book comes along that feels so definitive, so necessary, that not only do you want to tell everyone to read it now, but you also find yourself wanting to go back in time and tell your younger self that you will one day get to read something that will make your life make sense. Melissa Febos’s fierce nonfiction collection, Girlhood , might just be that book. Febos is one of our most passionate and profound essayists … Girlhood …offers us exquisite, ferocious language for embracing self-pleasure and self-love. It’s a book that women will wish they had when they were younger, and that they’ll rejoice in having now … Febos is a balletic memoirist whose capacious gaze can take in so many seemingly disparate things and unfurl them in a graceful, cohesive way … Intellectual and erotic, engaging and empowering[.]”

–Michelle Hart ( Oprah Daily )

5. Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told by Jenny Diski (Bloomsbury)

14 Rave • 7 Positive

“[Diski’s] reputation as an original, witty and cant-free thinker on the way we live now should be given a significant boost. Her prose is elegant and amused, as if to counter her native melancholia and includes frequent dips into memorable images … Like the ideal artist Henry James conjured up, on whom nothing is lost, Diski notices everything that comes her way … She is discerning about serious topics (madness and death) as well as less fraught material, such as fashion … in truth Diski’s first-person voice is like no other, selectively intimate but not overbearingly egotistic, like, say, Norman Mailer’s. It bears some resemblance to Joan Didion’s, if Didion were less skittish and insistently stylish and generated more warmth. What they have in common is their innate skepticism and the way they ask questions that wouldn’t occur to anyone else … Suffice it to say that our culture, enmeshed as it is in carefully arranged snapshots of real life, needs Jenny Diski, who, by her own admission, ‘never owned a camera, never taken one on holiday.’” It is all but impossible not to warm up to a writer who observes herself so keenly … I, in turn, wish there were more people around who thought like Diski. The world would be a more generous, less shallow and infinitely more intriguing place.”

–Daphne Merkin ( The New York Times Book Review )

6. The Hard Crowd: Essays 2000-2020 by Rachel Kushner (Scribner)

12 Rave • 7 Positive Listen to an interview with Rachel Kushner here

“Whether she’s writing about Jeff Koons, prison abolition or a Palestinian refugee camp in Jerusalem, [Kushner’s] interested in appearances, and in the deeper currents a surface detail might betray … Her writing is magnetised by outlaw sensibility, hard lives lived at a slant, art made in conditions of ferment and unrest, though she rarely serves a platter that isn’t style-mag ready … She makes a pretty convincing case for a political dimension to Jeff Koons’s vacuities and mirrored surfaces, engages repeatedly with the Italian avant garde and writes best of all about an artist friend whose death undoes a spell of nihilism … It’s not just that Kushner is looking back on the distant city of youth; more that she’s the sole survivor of a wild crowd done down by prison, drugs, untimely death … What she remembers is a whole world, but does the act of immortalising it in language also drain it of its power,’neon, in pink, red, and warm white, bleeding into the fog’? She’s mining a rich seam of specificity, her writing charged by the dangers she ran up against. And then there’s the frank pleasure of her sentences, often shorn of definite articles or odd words, so they rev and bucket along … That New Journalism style, live hard and keep your eyes open, has long since given way to the millennial cult of the personal essay, with its performance of pain, its earnest display of wounds received and lessons learned. But Kushner brings it all flooding back. Even if I’m skeptical of its dazzle, I’m glad to taste something this sharp, this smart.”

–Olivia Laing ( The Guardian )

7. The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century by Amia Srinivasan (FSG)

12 Rave • 7 Positive • 5 Mixed • 1 Pan

“[A] quietly dazzling new essay collection … This is, needless to say, fraught terrain, and Srinivasan treads it with determination and skill … These essays are works of both criticism and imagination. Srinivasan refuses to resort to straw men; she will lay out even the most specious argument clearly and carefully, demonstrating its emotional power, even if her ultimate intention is to dismantle it … This, then, is a book that explicitly addresses intersectionality, even if Srinivasan is dissatisfied with the common—and reductive—understanding of the term … Srinivasan has written a compassionate book. She has also written a challenging one … Srinivasan proposes the kind of education enacted in this brilliant, rigorous book. She coaxes our imaginations out of the well-worn grooves of the existing order.”

–Jennifer Szalai ( The New York Times )

8. A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib (Random House)

13 Rave • 4 Positive Listen to an interview with Hanif Abdurraqib here

“[A] wide, deep, and discerning inquest into the Beauty of Blackness as enacted on stages and screens, in unanimity and discord, on public airwaves and in intimate spaces … has brought to pop criticism and cultural history not just a poet’s lyricism and imagery but also a scholar’s rigor, a novelist’s sense of character and place, and a punk-rocker’s impulse to dislodge conventional wisdom from its moorings until something shakes loose and is exposed to audiences too lethargic to think or even react differently … Abdurraqib cherishes this power to enlarge oneself within or beyond real or imagined restrictions … Abdurraqib reminds readers of the massive viewing audience’s shock and awe over seeing one of the world’s biggest pop icons appearing midfield at this least radical of American rituals … Something about the seemingly insatiable hunger Abdurraqib shows for cultural transaction, paradoxical mischief, and Beauty in Blackness tells me he’ll get to such matters soon enough.”

–Gene Seymour ( Bookforum )

9. On Animals by Susan Orlean (Avid Reader Press)

11 Rave • 6 Positive • 1 Mixed Listen to an interview with Susan Orlean here

“I very much enjoyed Orlean’s perspective in these original, perceptive, and clever essays showcasing the sometimes strange, sometimes sick, sometimes tender relationships between people and animals … whether Orlean is writing about one couple’s quest to find their lost dog, the lives of working donkeys of the Fez medina in Morocco, or a man who rescues lions (and happily allows even full grown males to gently chew his head), her pages are crammed with quirky characters, telling details, and flabbergasting facts … Readers will find these pages full of astonishments … Orlean excels as a reporter…Such thorough reporting made me long for updates on some of these stories … But even this criticism only testifies to the delight of each of the urbane and vivid stories in this collection. Even though Orlean claims the animals she writes about remain enigmas, she makes us care about their fates. Readers will continue to think about these dogs and donkeys, tigers and lions, chickens and pigeons long after we close the book’s covers. I hope most of them are still well.”

–Sy Montgomery ( The Boston Globe )

10. Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache from the American South  by Margaret Renkl (Milkweed Editions)

9 Rave • 5 Positive Read Margaret Renkl on finding ideas everywhere, here

“Renkl’s sense of joyful belonging to the South, a region too often dismissed on both coasts in crude stereotypes and bad jokes, co-exists with her intense desire for Southerners who face prejudice or poverty finally to be embraced and supported … Renkl at her most tender and most fierce … Renkl’s gift, just as it was in her first book Late Migrations , is to make fascinating for others what is closest to her heart … Any initial sense of emotional whiplash faded as as I proceeded across the six sections and realized that the book is largely organized around one concept, that of fair and loving treatment for all—regardless of race, class, sex, gender or species … What rises in me after reading her essays is Lewis’ famous urging to get in good trouble to make the world fairer and better. Many people in the South are doing just that—and through her beautiful writing, Renkl is among them.”

–Barbara J. King ( NPR )

Our System:

RAVE = 5 points • POSITIVE = 3 points • MIXED = 1 point • PAN = -5 points

• Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Previous Article

Next article, support lit hub..

Join our community of readers.

to the Lithub Daily

Popular posts.

Follow us on Twitter

Prayers for the Stolen: How Two Artists Portray the Violence of Human Trafficking in Mexico

• RSS - Posts

Literary Hub

Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature

Sign Up For Our Newsletters

How to Pitch Lit Hub

Advertisers: Contact Us

Privacy Policy

Support Lit Hub - Become A Member

Become a Lit Hub Supporting Member : Because Books Matter

For the past decade, Literary Hub has brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall. But our future relies on you. In return for a donation, you’ll get an ad-free reading experience , exclusive editors’ picks, book giveaways, and our coveted Joan Didion Lit Hub tote bag . Most importantly, you’ll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving on the internet.

Become a member for as low as $5/month

How to Publish an Anthology

There are several reasons why writers and publishers consider anthologies. Writing and publishing an anthology offers numerous benefits to authors, various institutions, and publishing houses alike. Writers enjoy increased visibility and valuable experience, while organizations benefit from heightened awareness and additional funding. Publishers, on the other hand, profit financially and have the chance to discover emerging talent. 

These are just part of the reasons why many emphasize the importance of collaboration in book publishing. But those looking into how to create an anthology should also consider the reduced workload by involving other contributing writers and take advantage of their communities in combined marketing efforts. 

This write-up goes over:

What is an anthology, why are anthologies popular, tips for promoting an anthology, how to promote your anthology with publishdrive , anthology royalty splitting: how does it work.

Before looking into how to write an anthology, anthology publishers, and anthology examples, we should go over the definition of an anthology. 

An anthology is a collection of literary works, such as poems, short stories, or essays, often selected based on a specific genre, theme, or period and compiled into a single volume. There are two main ways on how to write an anthology:

• By writing an anthology collection with your own essays, short stories, or poems.
• By writing a multi-author anthology: writers with similar stories or themes come together to publish an accessible volume for the modern reader.

With the anthology's meaning established, you should also know why they are so popular among authors.

This type of compilation not only celebrates creativity and expression but also serves as a valuable resource for readers and writers.

Short texts fit well into our 21st-century reading habits, where readers get thought-provoking endings fast.

What is the trend in publishing short story collections?

How many stories are in an anthology? It depends entirely on the editor. 

Literary fiction genres like science fiction, mystery fiction, and horror offer the ideal setup for short-story collections. These stories do not necessarily need a long build-up, just a swift ending with a kick. Anthologies within these genres continue to perform well with audiences.

Relatively newcomers to anthologies are Fantasy and Romance collections and their lovechild Paranormal Romance anthologies.

With the time and effort parents and educators put into getting young people to love reading, no wonder YA anthologies are the new up-and-comers. Don't forget them when you are reviewing what's hot. They say that this is because anthologies give opportunities for diverse voices that are not readily available for teenagers in other mainstream reading platforms.

What are the benefits of publishing an anthology?

There are several advantages of publishing an anthology with other writers. Here are some:

• Produce more content with less work : Even though collecting stories from other authors, editing, and formatting them might be a lot of work, authors will be listed as both editors and authors without having to produce a novel on their own. Yes, less word count.
• Combine marketing efforts : Partnering with other authors means they will all promote the collection. This way, authors can tap into each other's audiences without much effort.
• Reach new readers : Reach a target audience that might have yet to find your particular subgenre. As many anthologies center around a broader topic, theme, or genre (like Science Fiction or Fantasy), readers with a specific taste might find your stories and realize they've discovered a new subgenre they love. And then start spreading the word into their respective circles of friends.
• Boost reputation : Popular authors can help lesser-known authors get a great introduction to the world of book publishing . They can start their next networking event by saying: "Oh, I was in a collection with that famous author who penned the saga about the winged wizard," and immediately get some interested listeners for their pitch.

When choosing to publish an anthology, you can go two ways: traditional publishing or self-publishing.

A. Traditional publishing 

When planning to publish an anthology with a traditional publisher, there are several key factors to consider:

• Finding a publisher experienced in producing anthologies will ensure a smooth and successful process, as they can guide you through the necessary steps and help you avoid potential pitfalls. 
• An eye-catching cover design is crucial in attracting readers and setting the right tone for the compilation. A skilled graphic designer will ensure your anthology stands out visually. 
• Understanding how to write an anthology involves carefully selecting and organizing the included works to create a cohesive and engaging narrative. This requires a firm editorial hand and a clear vision of the anthology's theme or purpose. 
• Crafting an evocative and memorable title for the anthology is essential in capturing the attention of potential readers and effectively conveying the essence of the collection. 

Here are some of the publishers you should check out:

1. LMBPN Publishing

LMBPN is a publishing house that started from wanting to see what if an author merged Paranormal and Science Fiction. The first book was released by Michael Anderle, CEO of LMBPN, Death Becomes Her, in 2015. By 2018, this publishing house had over 180 titles published, including Kurtherian , Oriceran , Protected by the Damned, and other fictional universes, attaining bestseller status on multiple occasions in multiple competitive genres. 

2. Scout Press Books

Scout Press is committed to discovering contemporary storytellers. They focus on publishing ambitious, conversation-starting novelists who push the boundaries of modern fiction while creating books that withstand the test of time. As a scout, it is always at the forefront, anticipating what lies ahead and what comes next.

3. Autumn House Press

Autumn House Press focuses on publishing the works of outstanding contemporary authors who have garnered a following among readers but have been overlooked by mainstream publishers. Submissions are open for a series of literary prizes . Participation requires a $30 reading fee.

4. Coffee House Press

Coffee House Press fosters new environments for artists and audiences to engage. It aims to inspire readers and enhance communities by broadening the understanding of what literature encompasses, its potential impact, and the diverse individuals it represents.

5. Four Way Books

Now in its twenty-eighth year, Four Way Books publishes collections of poetry and short fiction by both emerging and established authors. It publishes between 16 and 18 new titles yearly.

6. Two Dollar Radio

Established in 2005, Two Dollar Radio is a family-operated enterprise with the goal of revitalizing the artistic and cultural essence of the publishing sector. They aim to showcase daring works of notable literary value to create a resounding impact through each book.

B. Self-publishing

If you plan to self-publish , here are some tips for self-publishing an anthology. 

• Send out invitations to more writers than you need : An average anthology has around 20 short pieces (if you were wondering how many short stories are in an anthology ). When collecting the names and contacts of fellow writer friends, send word about the collection to at least 60. This way, you are sure to collect around 20 short stories. 
• Explain the selection process : Mention the timeline of submissions and the process of reviewal. Does a group judge the entries, or are judges explicitly invited for this occasion? Are you handling this part directly?
• Draft contracts for the selected authors : Contracts cover the issues of rights, royalties, fees or expenses, marketing, and author copies. Consider the selection of authors is set in stone only once the contracts are signed.
• Make time for delays in the schedule : As you are collaborating with a high number of writers, there are sure to be people who send their work in late. Be safe and give early deadlines to everyone so there is room for a bit of delay. 
• Provide a style guide : Most publishing houses have a style guide to make their books' writing style uniform and easily editable. Your writers may come from different English-writing traditions. So, settle on a style regarding spelling (British or American), capitalization, etc.
• Agree on the length of the stories : If you publish a collection of your own stories, they don't need to have the same length (look at Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors ), though they should be thematically connected. In a multi-author anthology, agreeing on a minimum and maximum length for the stories is ideal.
• Specify expectations of your theme or subgenre : Keeping to the announced theme would be best to avoid negative readers' reviews.
• Leave time for feedback : After you've collected all the stories, don't be afraid to give feedback to your collaborating writers. As the publisher and editor of the anthology, you want to ensure that the readers get a cohesive set of stories. If an account doesn't fit the expectations you've set, feel free to ask your writers for revisions.
• Understand editing takes time : After the initial editing and formatting processes are done, give enough time for all collaborating authors to review the book and provide feedback regarding how the whole volume feels for them. Editing takes place in stages, from text upgrading to catching the last typos before printing or distributing the book. It is essential to prepare review copies after completing the formatting stage and put them to good use. A fresh set of eyes can make a world of difference.
• Have a killer cover design : Your book isn't finished until you have a great cover design . Make one yourself, or ask a professional designer to create one. Since you're working with others, consider sharing the costs. But if you still want to create one for free, there are some tips to consider. Make sure you keep up with the best cover fonts .
• Write an inciting back cover text : The book cover catches the attention, but a good blurb goes a long way. The text may be small, but it carries a lot of significance for readers. And it sells the book. 

Book aggregators such as PublishDrive provide ebook publishing services to support authors during their self-publishing journey. Authors can publish and distribute their books worldwide while using the marketing resources offered by the platform to boost their books' visibility and success. 

Streamlined processes, such as those offered by PublishDrive, mean more time for authors to do their work without worrying about technicalities while maintaining total control over publishing and distribution.

💡Read about how to self-publish a book with PublishDrive in this article .

Smashing texts, killer cover design, and inciting back cover texts are just part of the marketing golden ratio. Keep in mind the target is reaching a wider audience, which is best achieved with a well-rounded marketing approach to maximize visibility and success. Discoverability is, in this stage, the word of the day.

Here's what you can do:

• Begin by identifying your target audience and tailoring promotional efforts accordingly. Collaborate with contributing authors, and leverage their platforms and networks to amplify the anthology's exposure. 
• Use social media and other online channels to create buzz and engage potential readers through teasers, author interviews, and exclusive content previews. There are hundreds of writing groups on different social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads, to name a few). Your collaborating authors likely have hundreds of connections in other writing groups. Ensure that everyone gives a shout-out about the book.
• Consider partnering with bookstores, libraries, and literary events for in-person promotions, such as readings, signings, and panel discussions. For this, you will need author copies that you can distribute to brick-and-mortar stores. Additionally, submit the anthology for relevant awards and literary competitions to garner further recognition and credibility. 
• Don't forget to reach out to book bloggers, podcasters, and influencers for reviews and endorsements, as their testimonials can significantly influence potential readers.
• Give away a sample story before releasing the anthology. A few months before releasing the anthology, you can agree on which stories you will make available to generate buzz.
• Send out advance reader copies . Having reviews at the time of the release is the most important tool to drive sales for any book. Fortunately, as many authors have newsletter subscribers and connections, it's a lot easier to collect reviewers for an anthology than most novels. Make sure that every one of the contributing authors sends out free books to their subscribers so you can have tons of reviews on the big day.
• Set up pre-orders as soon as the title is announced. This small detail helps titles reach the bestselling lists directly on launch day.

PublishDrive has partnered with popular stores and other book promotion websites, such as Written Word Media, to offer book promotional opportunities. Besides these, the platform also has several built-in features and tools that create a perfect book network for authors and publishers. This means they can publish, distribute and advertise their books from one single platform.

The first step to tap into this book network is self-publishing your anthology with PublishDrive. Then, head to the platform’s dashboard and look for the Promotions tab. 

You can choose from Paid promotions and Advanced promotions.

Paid promotions

1. Amazon Ads

PublishDrive has an integrated marketing tool that helps authors run Amazon's Sponsored Products ads directly from the platform. This tool uses AI to pinpoint the most suitable products to target and assists in optimizing your ads with the following options:

• Automatic targeting : Amazon matches the ad with relevant keywords and products that are similar to your book.
• Manual keyword targeting: You can choose the keywords you want to target.
• Product targeting : You can target specific products to refine your campaign.
• Negative keywords: You can exclude keywords to prevent irrelevant traffic from driving up costs.

2. Drive Book Sales (partnership with Written Word Media )

Using this book marketing hub, authors can market their books on several book promotion websites, such as:

• Freebooksy , for titles that are always free or for a limited period;
• Bargain Booksy , for titles priced at $3.99 or less;
• Red Feather Romance , for titles that are free of $4.99 and below;
• NewInBooks , for recent titles published less than six months before promotion.

Prices start at $25, depending on the intended audience reach. Once you choose the most appropriate channel for your promotion, you will be redirected to Written Word Media to enter your book information. 

Advanced promotions

1. Price promotions

Lower prices are sought out by readers everywhere. If you want to run a price promotion with major retailers, all you need to do is select the title you want to discount, then provide the start and end date of the promotion and the new price. To make this work, you need to make sure your title is already distributed on the platform where you want to discount it. 

2. Review copies

You can send review copies in Apple Books and Google Play to reviewers using promotional codes. Rest assured that the copies are available for 28 days without the possibility of being forwarded or copied.

3. Featuring

You can submit your book to be featured in popular newsletters by clicking Featuring > Select a Campaign . You just need to make sure your title is already distributed in the store of choice.

4. Store-specific featuring

PublishDrive authors can access store specific featuring based on certain criteria. All you need to do is subscribe to our newsletter and look for emails from our PublishDrive merchandiser, Fruzina Sugar, in your inbox.

5. Social media featuring

PublishDrive is happy to share authors’ success stories with an increasing community of writers and publishers on social media channels.

Success in self-publishing needs keeping up with trends, implementing strong marketing strategies , and frequently releasing new works. Co-authoring offers a solution to meet these demands without experiencing burnout. This is why numerous authors choose to collaborate. 

As a co-author, you can write a book or share a common universe with other writers. The growing popularity of anthologies and box sets has led to an increasing demand for royalty management software tailored for publishers, ensuring smooth and efficient collaboration among authors.

Meet Abacus

Abacus is a cloud-based royalty management tool that allows both indie authors and publishers to manage their publishing royalties and related book-selling finance. Dealing with contributors participating in the book project is no longer a stressful business but a transparent data-sharing collaboration that leaves all parties on the best terms.

Here is how it works:

• Import files : use the drag-and-drop function to import your Prior Months' Royalties Report. Once the import based on sales is ready, select the titles and months you want to include in the royalty report. 
• Add contributors : allocate contributors to the title. To include a new contributor, select the drop-down field labeled Assign contributor to this title . Insert their name, royalty percentage, email address, and role (author, editor, or illustrator).
• Preview relevant details : preview your author royalty report before proceeding to the import summary.
• Review the import summary : in this section, you will see a summary of the data for books sold during a specific timeframe. If all the details appear accurate, click Finish . If adjustments to your royalty report are necessary, click Previous Step. After completing the import process, you can extend invitations to contributors and access reports on the payment division.

💡Read everything about royalty splitting in this article .

Why Abacus? 

Simply put, Abacus is a stress-free, streamlined royalties management system.

• Add any number of team members for each title and calculate co-author royalties for print-on-demand, ebooks, and audiobooks. 
• Calculate and divide royalties earned from all major retailers such as Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Google Play Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. 
• Produce comprehensive sales reports for all team members. Note that contributors can only view their portion of the royalties. 
• Monitor the payment status of your co-authors or contributors in the Payments section. 
• Maintain open communication using the integrated message board by going to My Shared Titles or Titles Shared With Me > selecting the desired title > clicking See Report and scrolling to the bottom of the page. 
• Update contributor information after the initial import process and add end dates to team contracts.

⚡ See our case study on how Abacus helped bestselling authors with their royalty-splitting process.

So, why wait?

​​Publishing an anthology can be an incredibly rewarding experience that brings together the talents of multiple authors and offers a diverse collection of stories for readers to enjoy. 

Authors can navigate the challenges of creating a successful anthology with careful planning, collaboration, and attention to detail. 

One crucial aspect to consider is managing and splitting royalties among the contributors. Fortunately, there is Abacus, a royalty management system that alleviates this stress, allowing authors to focus on their creative work while ensuring fair compensation for all involved. 

By leveraging these tools and the tips and guidelines mentioned throughout the article, authors can make the most of their anthology-publishing journey and create a memorable and successful collection. 

Try PublishDrive Free

Related posts

Don’t miss our free webinar – self-publishing 102: book marketing basics.

Marketing is one of the most important elements of an indie author’s career. The…

Debunking The Top 5 Self-Publishing Myths

After working hard to finish writing your book, it can be discouraging to read…

Christmas Book Publishing Tips For The Holiday Season

Every holiday season is a busy one for authors, with most book sales happening…

Are you looking for something on PublishDrive?

This website uses cookies

Select which cookies to opt-in to via the checkboxes below; our website uses cookies to examine site traffic and user activity while on our site, for marketing, and to provide social media functionality. More details...

ThinkWritten

How to Publish Your Book in 7 Steps

You finished writing, and now you are ready to publish your book! Here’s how to publish your novel, non-fiction or even a collection of poetry.

We may receive a commission when you make a purchase from one of our links for products and services we recommend. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for support!

Sharing is caring!

Publishing a book may seem mysterious, but it’s actually quite straightforward. Here we’ll go over the 7 steps of publishing your book and how to decide which publishing method is best for you.

Today’s writers have more choices than ever when it comes to publishing, especially with the popularity of print-on-demand and self publishing services. Whether you wrote a novel, non-fiction book or chapbook of poetry, it’s important to know your options.

When you understand the way the publishing industry works as a whole, and the many different factors that influence whether a book will be successful, it will be easier for you to make a decision that meets your writing goals.

Having a basic overview of the process will help you decide which publishing method is best for you. Whether you wrote a novel, a non-fiction book, or even have a collection of essays or poems, there are a lot of great options to help you get your book in print.

How to Publish Your Book

Step 1: write, edit, and proofread your book.

If you are seriously considering publishing a book, then you of course likely already have a book already prepared. However, just because you finished writing that novel in a few days doesn’t necessarily mean it’s really ready to be published. It is very important before you take the next steps that you have made the book as best as you can.

You want to make sure your book is truly ready to be published before you share it with the world. This is important whether you plan to self publish or submit for traditional publishing.

If writing fiction, this means you should have a strong novel plot , clear dialogue between characters , and of course you have followed all of the basic guidelines for editing and revising your novel .

While it is possible to submit a query and a book proposal to a publisher for non-fiction books before the book is written, you will be much more confident in your querying if you know the book is already mostly complete.

There are services which you can hire for editing, proofreading and critique. If you do employ any of these services, be sure you are paying a fair rate and are not being taken advantage of. Sadly, many people out there prey on the hopeless author who wants to be published.

Check for references and always ask for sample work. Always do your own due diligence whenever possible to verify information is accurate.

Being part of a local writing group can offer you a lot of valuable insight on your work, and you can often network to find a qualified editor who can help proofread and critique your work.

Be very wary of asking family and friends for opinions, this can have disastrous results. Friends and family will always inevitably have bias towards you. Your friends and family, unless they are published authors themselves, are also very unlikely to possess the industry experience necessary to give you any valuable feedback.

Step 2: Research the Right Publisher for Your Book

No two publishers are exactly alike, so it’s important to spend some time researching which publishers make a good fit for your book.

There are two main methods of publishing:

• Traditional Publishing: This is when you submit your work to a large publisher who publishes the book on your behalf. Examples of well-known publishers are HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, and Macmillan.
• Self Publishing: In self publishing, YOU are the publisher. You are in charge of every aspect of the book, including the printing and fulfillment of orders. Fortunately today it’s easier than ever through services such as Amazon’s Kindle Direct.

Each of these has pros and cons. We will talk more about how to decide which one is right for you at the bottom of this post. While the two methods of publishing are very, very different, the process for publishing a book still remains for the most part the same.

To quote a talk given by  Ted Weinstein : All publishing is self-publishing.

If you know you want to self-publish, you’re ready to move onto Step 3. However, if you are considering learning how to publish your book with a major publisher, then you should use this step to also consider whether or not you might need an agent.

What is a Literary Agent? Do I Need One?

An agent is a person who negotiates on your behalf to get your book into the major leagues. In many ways, it is no different than having an agent if you are a baseball player or an actress. If you want to get in with the major leagues as a writer, it takes a major amount of time and effort to get there.

An agent does all of the hard work of building a network, staying on top of industry trends, and understanding things like rights management contracts. While an agent won’t eliminate all of the work you have to do in publishing and marketing your book, it can be a huge help.

Do you need an agent? It greatly depends on which publishers you believe are the best fit for your work. If you are set on striking a deal with large publishing companies, you will need to have an agent first. The top 5 major publishing houses generally only accept book proposals and manuscript submissions from agents.

Most agents will charge a flat rate of 15% of book sales, and are only going to work with you if your book has enough market demand to sell over 20,000 copies. An agent can be very helpful if your goal is to sell millions of books, but unless your book has that kind of market demand, it may not always be the best interest for your bottom line.

There are also many mid-sized and smaller publishers who accept manuscript submissions without an agent. These smaller publishers may be a better fit for your work, especially if your book caters to a very specific niche market and there is not much profit potential for an agent to take interest in your work.

When hiring a literary agent and researching publishers, it is important that you do your homework to make sure the people you choose to work with are reputable.

You want to make sure the agent you work with is truly going to offer the best representation of your work. You also want to make sure the publisher you choose is one who supports your goals as a writer to create a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Be sure that you don’t make the mistake of venturing into vanity publisher territory. These types of publishers are predatory on authors and do not care whether your book ever sells a single copy.

Vanity publishers such as this often will claim all of the rights to your book, but they don’t make any money from selling copies of the book itself. They instead make their money from the “contribution fee” they charge authors and selling copies of the book back to the author.

One such example of a vanity publisher is the now out-of-business Vantage Press , which was court ordered to pay over 3.5 million in damages to authors.  Many of these companies go out of business relatively quickly, but they can do long term damage to authors and their reputation.

Don’t let this scare you however – there are many great publishers out there! If you take the time to research a company and what authors are saying, you will be likely to find a good fit for your book.

Here are some questions to ask when seeking an agent and/or publisher:

• What is their publishing experience?
• What notable authors have they published?
• Are the books they’ve published distributed in large national chain bookstores and retailers?
• Is my book a good match for the styles of books they offer?

Ultimately, the publisher and/or literary agent you choose will depend on your goals as a writer and the type of books you are writing. And of course, don’t forget YOU can always be your own publisher!

Step 3: Write Your Query Letter

A query letter is what you send to publishers or agents to convince them to request more of your work. Most publishers and agents require a query letter before you send them a full manuscript or book proposal.

If you are self publishing, you might think to yourself you don’t need a query letter, but I suggest you write one anyway. It will help prepare you to easily talk about your book with others.

Writing query letters can be an eye opening and fun experience even if you have no intentions of getting an agent or traditional publishing. It gives you a good idea of how ready you might be to seriously publish a book.

A good query letter should have these main qualities:

• It builds rapport and interest. Your goal of the first line of the letter should be to make the agent or editor want to read the full letter in its entirety.
• It clearly explains what your book is about quickly. It should take no more than one sentence to understand what your book is about.
• It explains the commercial viability of your book. There are people who will pay money to read it.
• It explains your own experience as a writer. If you already have your own author website with a following, this is good to mention.

It also helps to have someone double check your query letter before you send it for grammar errors and typos. Most agents and editors recommend you send this digitally, but always check their requirements they list on their submissions page on their website, as a few select groups still require mailed in letters.

No matter how tempting it may be, you should NEVER send a full manuscript or book proposal until it formally requested in response to your query letter.

You should also NOT try to bribe the editor or agent. Roses are nice, but they are also a fast way to get your book rejected.

Step 4: Send your Manuscript/Write a Book Proposal

If you get confirmation from an agent or publisher that they would like to read your manuscript or book proposal, you are ready to send it to them to review.

The amount of time this process can take varies. It can take weeks or months before you hear any sort of response on the manuscript.

Of course,  this can be antagonizing. Try to be patient as possible, and accept that you may not get any response at all. Be prepared to face rejection, but don’t let that discourage you.

If you are sending a book after a successful query letter, be sure to follow all of their requirements and instructions for manuscript submission guidelines . This is not the time to be cute or creative – this is a time to show your ability to be professional.

If you are writing non-fiction or self-publishing, your step in this stage will be a little bit different. For non-fiction, you will typically not submit a full out manuscript, but rather a book proposal.

A book proposal is much like a business plan, and I believe every writer should write one, even if it’s not required by the publisher and especially if you intend to self publish. When you write a book proposal, you outline some very important things, such as who the target market is for your book and how you will reach them.

Step 5: Negotiate and Accept a Contract

Once you hear the good news your book has been accepted, you will likely be presented with a contract. This is where having an experienced agent on your side can be very beneficial. Many agents will often work on your behalf to ensure your rights are protected in a way that is a mutual win-win situation for all parties involved.

In traditional publishing, once your book is accepted for submission you will be presented with a contract that will outline your publishing rights and the royalties you will receive. It is recommended that you have an agent or lawyer review the contract to ensure your rights are protected and to prevent any misunderstandings later down the road.

Even if you are self-publishing, you will need to practice your negotiation skills at this point. This is the point where you will likely need to hire someone to take care of details such as cover design, eBook formatting, print typesetting, and more. You may also need to hire a web developer.

If self-publishing, always be sure to check references and reviews for people who offer services. Make sure you see examples of what they do as well. It can be very discouraging to hire someone to do something and then they disappear, leaving you scrambling.

Anyone who is worth working with will require a contract which specifically outlines their responsibilities and rights in the process of getting your book to print and setting up your author website if you don’t already have one.

Step 6: The Ready-Set-Print Review Process

We’re getting closer to having an actual book in our hands than ever! I call this the “Ready-Set-Print” time, because you are basically going to be doing a lot of work in getting your book ready to be printed.

This process will greatly depend on which publisher you are working with and the type of book you have written. In this step we will be doing all of the things that are necessary to put a book on a shelf.

It is during this time when artwork will be finalized, all editing and proofreading will be done, and all necessary formatting will be completed.

If you are working with a traditional publisher, it is a long and tedious time to wait, and can take several months. If you are self-publishing, you may need to order several proof copies before you finally get it just right.

Fortunately, during this time you can begin to develop and execute your marketing plan for your book if you have not already. Begin by making a checklist of actions to do before the big book launch to ensure the day it is released will be a success.

Now is a good time to get your website ready, start your author email marketing and further build your online presence through social media sites like Pinterest while you await for the final proof copy.

Step 7: Publish and Market Your Book!

Once everything is finalized, your book will be ready to be published at full scale and available to sell to people. You should already have a marketing plan in place to maximize sales and to reach your audience. Celebrate the launch of your book with a launch party, go to book tours, and start spreading the word.

You may choose to hire a publicist or marketing agency to help you reach your goals if it is something you prefer to not do yourself, though this may require a large upfront sum that could ultimately cut into your bottom line.

Publishing a book through a traditional publishing house can seem like a daunting task and an overwhelming process. However, it is still a very good option to consider, even when self publishing is so readily available in today’s digital age.

Traditional Publishing Vs. Self Publishing

In today’s digital age, self publishing is a popular option. It’s easier than ever to write your book, upload to a platform such as Amazon’s Kindle Direct and have a book on the marketplace, in both digital and physical formats in less than a few weeks.

Self publishing is especially enticing if you just want your book out in the world quickly. One of the major caveats of traditional publishing methods is that it can take a considerably longer time to go through the process from manuscript to finished physical copy of the book in your hand.

The lengthy process is enough to turn many authors away from these methods all together, even if they did write something great that would be a good fit to successfully query and submit to publishers.

Book Publishing Profits: Which One Makes the Most Sense?

Many people, once learning how little they receive in royalties from a traditional publisher ask, “Why would I even bother submitting my query letter and manuscript to agencies or publishers?”

It’s not a totally out of place question. After all, if the agent is taking a 15% cut, and the publishing house takes their cut, that doesn’t leave much margin for profit. It begins to look even more dismal when you realize most books retail for less than $14.

The key to remember with book sales through large publishing houses it is largely a numbers game. If you sell 20,000 copies with a major publisher, and only see maybe $1 of profit per book sold, that’s still $20,000.

On the other hand, if you only sell 2,000 self published copies, even if you do see $4 in profit per copy sold, you will only have made $8,000.

There is no right answer of course, and many books may only sell 2,000 copies even if they are sold with a traditional publishing house. Again, much of it comes down to you, the author, and the amount of leg work you are willing to do for marketing and sales.

For many self-published authors, it becomes a quest to crank out as many books as possible, in order to maximize a return. If you are self publishing 6 books every single year, this makes it a lot easier to see a decent return in profit compared to someone who writes only one book every six years.

The Reason Traditional Publishing Houses Still Exist

Self publishing may seem easier, but there are still very good reasons to go the traditional route of publishing.

For starters, being picked up by one of the top major publishing houses will make it much easier for you to get distribution in book stores.

If your goal is to make it Oprah’s reading list, it’s probably a good idea to aim big and start submitting queries to agents to have a chance to get a publishing deal with a mid-sized publishing company.

And of course, it’s important to know that there is also a new hybrid model emerging. Many popular writers begin with self-published work which garners enough attention that major publishing houses become very interested in working with you, especially since you are an established author.

If you see enough success on your own with self published work, publishers may be willing to take on the risk for any of your current or future books.

You Can Make a Living Writing, But Selling Books Doesn’t Have to Be Your End Goal

There are many ways of making money as a writer. While selling books seems like an obvious method, it is not always the quickest or even most profitable method to supporting your financial goals.

For example, we all know that poetry is notoriously difficult to get published. Most agents and publishing houses don’t even want to touch it. Still, despite this there are many viable ways to make money with poetry , even if you never publish a single poem in a traditional book.

Another option to consider is to take on speaking gigs and teaching workshops, especially if your work is in the non-fiction genre. Speaking gigs and workshops can result in a very lucrative pay and require just a short amount of time.

Some speaking events, depending on the venue, will pay you up to $5,000 plus travel expenses simply to offer a day long presentation to a large audience. Workshops are another interesting option to explore, especially if you offer instruction on a topic.

And of course, there is also always freelance writing to pay the bills. While it may not be as glamorous to write informative styles of articles  compared to a major book deal, it can be nice to have the flexibility to write on a broad range of subjects with relatively little commitment.

Do you have any questions about the publishing process? Do you have any experiences you would like to share? Your comments are always welcomed in the comments section below!

Chelle Stein wrote her first embarrassingly bad novel at the age of 14 and hasn't stopped writing since. As the founder of ThinkWritten, she enjoys encouraging writers and creatives of all types.

Similar Posts

How to Overcome Rejection as a Writer

This page has been helpful to me. I just wanted to say thank you.

You’re welcome Sheiko, glad it was helpful for you!

I liked what you mentioned that when working with a big company the profits will be lowered since everyone will be taking a cut. My husband wants to write a book about his struggles. I believe it would be an excellent book. I will help him find a good publisher that offer competitive rates that leave a good amount of profit for my husband.

Working with an agent can sometimes be beneficial in finding a publisher. Sometimes our struggles are the best inspiration for a book!

Thank you for all of this fabulous information! For newcomers, like myself, this is quite an eye opener. I’m getting to the end of my first ever book (fiction/romance) and am getting excited to see the end result of my hard work.

Good morning, I have spent the morning researching and reading your splendid advice on writing and publishing a novel. I am now 86years if age and preparing the story outline for my one and only attempt to this end. Profit is not the goal, I will write in the third person and will not include myself in the storyline, only using life experiences , reform school, hitting the road at fifteen, many adventures before two tours of Vietnam. Where is my starting line. Any reply would be very much appreciated. Brian.

Brian, Start your story with, “Once upon a time, I was on an alligator ride with my best friends. Then it got crazy when we got home after hurricane.” Emd it with, Much Love, From more people that you know that I know why you are always seriously important to me.

Good morning,I found the information quite informative and useful and it will help me to start writing and do all detailed required things. Thanks

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

How to Publish Short Stories: 5 Important Steps When You’re Ready to Publish

by Sarah Gribble | 5 comments

How do you publish short stories?

Most writers start out knowing next to nothing about the publishing side of the writing business. They know they want to have a writing career, but don't know where to start. Publishing seems so intimidating that it's easy to just give up and write only for yourself.

But if you're going to be a short story writer, or be any kind of published writer, you're eventually going to have to share your work with the world.

The process of publishing isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be, and you have plenty of options in order to publish your short story (or collection of stories).

In this article, I'll walk you through the process of publishing a short story so that this part of being a writer can be easy and not overwhelm you.

Traditional Publishing

The vast majority of writers have gone through the submission process to short story markets. Stephen King famously had a nail on his office wall where he impaled every rejection letter he received.

This seems daunting to a lot of new writers, but this is actually relatively easy compared to writing the story, and is a great first step in your writing career.

Here are the five steps to getting your short story traditionally published:

Step 1: Look for publications

There's a wide variety of short story markets out there, including ezines, literary magazines and literary journals (yes those still exist), and anthologies out there that take submissions.

The “professional” level of these publications varies widely, as does the pay rate.

Don’t expect to get rich off of short stories. The pay rate is often very low. But don’t ignore smaller publications because of the pay rate, either.

Some of those publications might win awards frequently, even if they don’t pay very well. And it never hurts to have your work in an award-winning publication!

Here are a few sites where you can find publications with active calls for submission:

• horrortree.com
• duotrope.com
• submittable.com
• darkmarkets.com
• letswriteashortstory.com/literary-magazines
• thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com

You can also look directly for publications.

Have a favorite magazine? They probably accept submissions. And don’t forget podcasts! I'd recommend starting with your favorites, but Clarkesworld Magazine , Nightmare Magazine , and Pseudopod (along with all their branch podcasts) are worth a look.

Take the time to investigate before you settle on that particular publication.

If you can afford to buy at least one of their past issues or anthologies, do so. What they’ve previously published are gems that can give great insight into what they like and don’t like.

If you can’t buy an issue, try to do as much research as possible and read their submission guidelines for insight.

You are researching to see if your piece seems to fit with what the story market normally publishes, but also what their acceptance rate is (that's the chances of publication with that market), what their submission periods are, and what their pay rate is.

Don’t focus all your attention on the larger, more well-known magazines. Your chances of acceptance are better elsewhere (to start) and there’s nothing wrong with the little guys. Along those same lines, paid publications are great, but don’t expect to make eight cents a word out of the gate.

Also, be careful with publications that charge submission fees. Most reputable publications will not require a reading fee, and you don't want to spend money when you can submit (or publish) for free elsewhere. 

A quick note on payments:

• Generally, $0.06 to $0.08 per word is considered a professional pay rate.
• $0.01 to $0.05 per word is considered semi-professional.
• Some publications pay a flat rate for the entire story rather than per word and some pay in contributor copies (free copies of the magazine or anthology mailed to you).

1. Start your publication search by checking to see if your  favorite magazines, podcasts, etc. are accepting submissions.

2. Do research on a publication before you decide to submit your short stories to it.

3. Don't ignore small publications because of lower pay rates.

Step 2: Prepare your submission materials.

The following may seem a bit intimidating, but it’s nothing compared to writing the story. You already did the hard part.

The most important thing to remember is this: READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!

Ninety-nine percent of publications will have specific submission guidelines they want you to follow. You need to read them. Twice. Make sure you follow them.

Some publications will reject you without reading your story if you don’t follow the instructions. And you will most definitely get rejected if you submit outside of the market's submission periods.

You’ve got a couple more things to think about before you can send that manuscript:

The Elevator Pitch

An elevator pitch is pretty much what it sounds like: A one- to two-sentence summary of your story (what you could get out in the time it takes to ride an elevator). You’ll also hear it called a premise , a summary, or a logline.

IMPORTANT: Not every publication or story magazine will want this. In fact, most don’t. If they don’t specifically say they want a premise, short summary, elevator pitch, etc. in the guidelines, do not send them one.

I do recommend you prepare one at this stage, though. It’ll be easier later on when you’ve forgotten the exact point of your story and you need to have a pitch.

It’s also less stressful to have one prepared before submission.

Again, follow the guidelines for the publication you’re submitting to. Some publications will have their own formatting requirements, but most will use standard manuscript format ( Shunn ).

I recommend formatting all your stories in the Shunn format as you write them. Tweak them for any specific needs later on. It’s just easier to already have it ready to go.

Don’t use tab or space to indent your paragraphs! That’s an editor’s nightmare. Use the ruler.

The Cover Letter

Ah, the dreaded cover letter. What is it, how do you write it, and what’s the point, anyway?

Cover letters are not nearly as daunting as they seem. They're not a query letter (a letter you write to agents and publishing houses to pitch books). A cover letter is just a few sentences introducing yourself and your story.

You don’t need to fill a page with several paragraphs. In fact, don’t do that!

Editors don’t want to spend more time reading your cover letter than they do reading your story, and they don’t need to know what made you want to write or how many pets you have.

Here’s what you need in a cover letter:

• Salutation [Dear Editor is normally fine if you can’t find the name of the editor in your research.]
• Story title and word count
• Optional: Elevator Pitch
• Writing credentials/previous publications
• Thanks and sign

Here's an example of one of mine, complete with an elevator pitch:

Dear Editor: [Note: use the editor's name if you know it.] Please consider my 2,300-word, previously unpublished story, “The Legend of Crimson Ivory”, for publication. [Always include the word count. These publications have limited space and that comes into consideration when they're accepting submissions.] Cash finds a legendarily sinister demo at a used record store and decides to play it despite his friends' warnings. [This elevator pitch is not always wanted. Don't include it if the publication doesn't want it.] My writing has appeared in a variety of online and print publications, most recently, UNREALIPOLITIK, Crescendo of Darkness,  and the bestselling  The  Edge: Infinite Darkness anthology. [Note for unpublished writers: just skip this paragraph.] Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Sarah Gribble

1. Read the submission instructions and follow them carefully.

2. Follow standard formatting if the publication doesn't have specific guidelines about formatting.

3. Keep cover letters short and simple.

Step 3: Submit!

Most short story publishers take email submissions. Some use other forms of online submissions, like forms on their site, Moksha , Hey Publisher , or Submittable . You’ll find where and how to submit your story in the publication’s guidelines.

Pay special attention to the guidelines. (I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but I can’t stress this enough.)

Paste your cover letter in the body of your email. This is the standard way to submit, but make sure that’s how your chosen publication wants it.

Most likely, unless your story is a piece of flash or you’re submitting poems, you will attach your story to the email.

Make sure you take note of what kind of file the publication wants. Some are okay with a simple DOCX format, but some want an RTF. You can change how the file is saved in the SAVE AS menu.

Make sure your story is attached before sending the email! (Seems ridiculous, but I’ve sent emails without attachments several times.)

If the publication requires a “blind read,” make sure you don’t have any identifying information on the document.

Make sure you have the correct email subject line typed. (Guidelines, again.) If you don’t, it might get lost in a spam filter. If there are no specific guidelines regarding the email subject, go with: SUBMISSION — Your Story Title — Your Last Name.

Proofread your email. After you’ve done all that, take a deep breath. It’s time.

1. Make sure to read the guidelines and follow them.

2. Double-check that your manuscript is attached to the email.

Step 4: Wait

After you’ve sent off that email or pushed the submit button in an online form, what do you do?

First, make sure you record your submission somewhere. Whether it be on an online site like The Grinder , a spreadsheet, or a notebook, you need to keep track of where you send.

Now, you will wait and wait. And wait.

It’s not a quick process. Most guidelines will tell you when their expected response time is, so you should have some idea of when they’ll get back to you.

But they’re often late. So be patient. Have some understanding. They’re reading hundreds of submissions from writers and, not only weighing them against each other, but also weighing the amount of space they have in the publication. It’s not an easy job.

Submit your story to another publication if they allow simultaneous submissions. You can do this right away. I often send out the same story to a half dozen publications at once.

Trust me, you don’t want to wait months for a response only to be rejected and have to find another place to submit. You’ll never get published that way.

A quick terminology lesson:

• Simultaneous submissions allowed simply means they allow you to send your story to other places while they’re considering it.
• Multiple submissions allowed means they will take more than one story from you at once.
• Unsolicited submissions means submissions that weren't specifically sought out. Some anthologies don't take submissions from the public, but search out specific authors. If that's the case, they would then say they don't take unsolicited submissions.

The easiest way to ease the agony of waiting is to go write another story. Don’t stop with this one.

1. Send your story to multiple publications at once if they all allow simultaneous submissions.

2. Be patient as you wait for a response from the editor.

Step 5: Rejection or acceptance.

Eventually, you will hear back from the editor. If you have not within a reasonable amount of time, say six months, you can email to check-in.

Do not do this if anywhere in the submission guidelines they say not to. Often, the publication will give an estimated response time plus a time when they deem it reasonable to reach out for a status update.

If you get rejected , you will most likely receive a form letter from the editor. This is completely normal and is not a commentary on your work.

It is very rare to get a rejection letter that says why your story was rejected. Mostly, this is due to time.

Again, these editors have huge slush piles and have to send out hundreds of rejections/acceptances. They simply do not have time to make personal notes on each rejection.

You shouldn't respond to the email for any reason. Just mark it down as rejected on your submissions tracker and move on.

It hurts to be rejected, but don’t give up! Send it out again. Write another story and send that one out. Remember Stephen King's nail and use the rejections as fuel to keep going.

If you're accepted , do a happy dance, and then inform any other publications where you submitted the story that you will need to withdraw. (This is why you need to keep a record of your story submissions.)

Do this immediately. There is nothing more aggravating to an editor to sift through a slush pile for weeks and then end up hearing from an accepted author that the story was accepted elsewhere.

After an acceptance, the publisher will send you a contract informing you of the rights they are buying. Read this thoroughly, but don't take a long time before signing and sending it back.

If you have questions about the contract, you are free to ask the publisher.

Here's what you can expect to find in an average contract and what the publication is requesting to buy:

• First time worldwide digital and/or print rights (a podcast will buy audio rights). This means they're buying the right to print your story for the first time. Most contracts are for worldwide rights now since Amazon and other digital platforms are how these indie publishers are operating.
• An exclusivity clause . This is the amount of time you must wait before sending your story to other publications as a reprint, providing free copies on your website, or any other distribution. The publisher is the only entity that has the right to publish the story for this amount of time. Normally, this clause is for three months to a year.
• A grant to the publisher to use your images and/or biographical information (you provide this) for promotional purposes.
• Author's warranties , which is essentially you saying that you're the owner of the work, it's not plagiarized or libelous, and it's not public domain. This clause is the publisher making sure  they  don't get sued for something  you  did wrong.
• A reversion of rights clause that states in what circumstances the rights revert back to you . This is normally if the publisher doesn't publish the work within a set time period.
• A termination clause , which states under what circumstances the contract can be nullified.

If this sounds intimidating, I get it. Any kind of contract is a bit intimidating.

However, most publisher contracts are fairly standard and you can look up samples online, some from the publishers themselves. Podcastle, for example, has their sample contract right in their guidelines. You can take a look here .

1. You can reach out for a status update on your submission if it's been an appropriate amount of time.

2. Rejections happen. Don't give up!

3. If you're accepted, read the contract thoroughly, ask questions if you have them, but don't procrastinate with sending it back.

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing isn't just for full-length books. Short story writers can get in on the action as well. Personally, I've had short stories accepted in traditional publications and I've self-published. Don't be afraid to do both!

Here's how you should go about self-publishing a short story:

Step 1: Choose how you’re going to publish

These days, it’s fairly easy to get your work out there on your own. You have a few options when it comes to self-publishing.

Publishing is simply sharing your work, and you can choose to do that in a simple way via your blog or email list, or a more public way via Amazon/B&N/Google Play/Apple Books, etc. It’s easiest to use KDP and Draft2Digital to make sure you hit all the online markets.

Step 2: Proofread

Not everyone is a grammar whiz, and you certainly don’t need to be in order to be a writer. But you do need to try your best to make sure your story is as clean as it can be.

There are free tools out there that check for spelling, grammar, and even style issues. You can try Grammarly , ProWritingAid , Hemingway , or even Word’s native spelling and grammar check.

If you feel really in doubt about your skills, there are professional editors out there who will proof your short story.

Just do research on them before you agree to work with them.

Step 3: Design (or pay for) a cover

Normally a short story doesn’t require a professionally designed cover. If you’re really terrible at design and have some cash to burn, you can hire someone to do your cover design. The Write Practice has a preferred list of contractors here .

You can also use a free tool like Canva to design your own cover from scratch or use a pre-designed ebook cover to get you started.

Step 4: Format for publication

This is the part that causes the most frustration for people. Luckily, things have simplified lately and it’s fairly easy to format your manuscript.

First thing: make sure you don't use the tab button (or the space bar) to indent your paragraphs. Use the indent ruler to make your indents.

If you do, editors will probably need to remove those spaces and tabs when they format it in order to make sure the work is formatted properly. Tweet this

Sarah Gribble

Sarah Gribble is the author of dozens of short stories that explore uncomfortable situations, basic fears, and the general awe and fascination of the unknown. She just released Surviving Death , her first novel, and is currently working on her next book.

Follow her on Instagram or join her email list for free scares.

Work with Sarah Gribble?

Bestselling author with over five years of coaching experience. Sarah Gribble specializes in working with Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Horror, Speculative Fiction, and Thriller books. Sound like a good fit for you?

Sarah, what a good idea! Thank you for doing this series. First, I love the egg timer. Simple things, right? Second, I chose ‘One Story’ and started brainstorming. Yes, I have written and sold a couple of stories. Mostly, though, I write and keep them, never sending them anywhere. I hope this process will help me break that habit. Thanks again.

Submitting is my least favorite part of the whole writing process, but it’s a necessary evil! I’ve now set aside two hours once a week that is focused on submitting everything I can to wherever I can. I used to do it sporadically but have found keeping it in check like this helps with the frustration. Hope you’ll be inspired by this series to submit, submit, submit! 🙂

Hello Sarah. I have submitted a few, for payment as well as exposure. Have had acceptances both ways. I don’t plan and plot per se, I read the themes multiple times until an idea comes to mind. Then I have to write till the end or it’s gone. Dead. Never to return.

Your way tends to be how I work as well. It’s a method not always conducive to getting things done, but I often find too much planning kills my excitement for the story.

I’m taking a fiction writing class right now and for it I have to write two short stories. So i’m really glad this was posted now because I’m hoping to publish one or both of them after I finish but didn’t really know where to look or how to. Thanks for the great post!

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

• How to Develop Story Ideas Into Amazing Stories - […] Gribble shared a great way to outline fiction in a post earlier this week, but what do you do…
• How to Publish a Short Story: Get Feedback and Edit Your Final Draft - […] along week by week, by now, you have a complete first draft. Just getting started? Look back at part…
• How to Publish a Short Story: Submit Your Story - […] getting started on your journey toward short story publication? Look back at parts one, two, and three to find your…
• How to Write a Great Short Story - […] you want to learn to write and publish short stories, check out Let’s Write a Short Story, an Amazon bestselling…
• 10 Short Story Ideas for 2019 - […] Then, when you’re ready to publish your short story, check out Sarah Gribble’s awesome guide on how to publish a short…
• How to Format a Short Story Manuscript for Submission: a Checklist - […] of standard formatting, get your copy of Let’s Write a Short Story! a guide for writing and submitting short stories to…
• 5 Steps to Write a Short Story - […] over think it. Just do it. It will be hard to let go of your short story, but you…
• Guest Post: How to Submit a Short Story for Publication: The Complete 10-Step Process | The Horror Tree - […] [NOTE: This is a shortened version of an article that appears on The Write Practice’s blog. For the full…
• 10 Writing Jobs You Can Do for a Living - […] by immersing yourself in short stories. Learning to write them will teach you the business and how to interact…
• 10 Writing Jobs You Can Do to Write for a Living – Books, Literature & Writing - […] by immersing yourself in short stories. Learning to write them will teach you the business and how to interact…
• How to Develop Story Ideas Into Amazing Stories – My Blog - […] Gribble shared a great way to outline fiction, but what do you do in the space between “I noticed…
• How to Sell Short Stories for Money and Have More Fun Doing It - […] Not sure how to submit a short story to a literary magazine? Check out our complete guide, from writing…

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Submit Comment

Join over 450,000 readers who are saying YES to practice. You’ll also get a free copy of our eBook 14 Prompts :

Popular Resources

Book Writing Tips & Guides Creativity & Inspiration Tips Writing Prompts Grammar & Vocab Resources Best Book Writing Software ProWritingAid Review Writing Teacher Resources Publisher Rocket Review Scrivener Review Gifts for Writers

Books By Our Writers

You've got it! Just us where to send your guide.

Enter your email to get our free 10-step guide to becoming a writer.

You've got it! Just us where to send your book.

Enter your first name and email to get our free book, 14 Prompts.

Want to Get Published?

Enter your email to get our free interactive checklist to writing and publishing a book.

How to Write an Essay

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Essay Writing Fundamentals

How to prepare to write an essay, how to edit an essay, how to share and publish your essays, how to get essay writing help, how to find essay writing inspiration, resources for teaching essay writing.

Essays, short prose compositions on a particular theme or topic, are the bread and butter of academic life. You write them in class, for homework, and on standardized tests to show what you know. Unlike other kinds of academic writing (like the research paper) and creative writing (like short stories and poems), essays allow you to develop your original thoughts on a prompt or question. Essays come in many varieties: they can be expository (fleshing out an idea or claim), descriptive, (explaining a person, place, or thing), narrative (relating a personal experience), or persuasive (attempting to win over a reader). This guide is a collection of dozens of links about academic essay writing that we have researched, categorized, and annotated in order to help you improve your essay writing. 

Essays are different from other forms of writing; in turn, there are different kinds of essays. This section contains general resources for getting to know the essay and its variants. These resources introduce and define the essay as a genre, and will teach you what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab

One of the most trusted academic writing sites, Purdue OWL provides a concise introduction to the four most common types of academic essays.

"The Essay: History and Definition" (ThoughtCo)

This snappy article from ThoughtCo talks about the origins of the essay and different kinds of essays you might be asked to write. 

"What Is An Essay?" Video Lecture (Coursera)

The University of California at Irvine's free video lecture, available on Coursera, tells  you everything you need to know about the essay.

Wikipedia Article on the "Essay"

Wikipedia's article on the essay is comprehensive, providing both English-language and global perspectives on the essay form. Learn about the essay's history, forms, and styles.

"Understanding College and Academic Writing" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This list of common academic writing assignments (including types of essay prompts) will help you know what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Before you start writing your essay, you need to figure out who you're writing for (audience), what you're writing about (topic/theme), and what you're going to say (argument and thesis). This section contains links to handouts, chapters, videos and more to help you prepare to write an essay.

How to Identify Your Audience

"Audience" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This handout provides questions you can ask yourself to determine the audience for an academic writing assignment. It also suggests strategies for fitting your paper to your intended audience.

"Purpose, Audience, Tone, and Content" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

This extensive book chapter from Writing for Success , available online through Minnesota Libraries Publishing, is followed by exercises to try out your new pre-writing skills.

"Determining Audience" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This guide from a community college's writing center shows you how to know your audience, and how to incorporate that knowledge in your thesis statement.

"Know Your Audience" ( Paper Rater Blog)

This short blog post uses examples to show how implied audiences for essays differ. It reminds you to think of your instructor as an observer, who will know only the information you pass along.

How to Choose a Theme or Topic

"Research Tutorial: Developing Your Topic" (YouTube)

Take a look at this short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to understand the basics of developing a writing topic.

"How to Choose a Paper Topic" (WikiHow)

This simple, step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through choosing a paper topic. It starts with a detailed description of brainstorming and ends with strategies to refine your broad topic.

"How to Read an Assignment: Moving From Assignment to Topic" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Did your teacher give you a prompt or other instructions? This guide helps you understand the relationship between an essay assignment and your essay's topic.

"Guidelines for Choosing a Topic" (CliffsNotes)

This study guide from CliffsNotes both discusses how to choose a topic and makes a useful distinction between "topic" and "thesis."

How to Come Up with an Argument

"Argument" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

Not sure what "argument" means in the context of academic writing? This page from the University of North Carolina is a good place to start.

"The Essay Guide: Finding an Argument" (Study Hub)

This handout explains why it's important to have an argument when beginning your essay, and provides tools to help you choose a viable argument.

"Writing a Thesis and Making an Argument" (University of Iowa)

This page from the University of Iowa's Writing Center contains exercises through which you can develop and refine your argument and thesis statement.

"Developing a Thesis" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page from Harvard's Writing Center collates some helpful dos and don'ts of argumentative writing, from steps in constructing a thesis to avoiding vague and confrontational thesis statements.

"Suggestions for Developing Argumentative Essays" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

This page offers concrete suggestions for each stage of the essay writing process, from topic selection to drafting and editing. 

How to Outline your Essay

"Outlines" (Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill via YouTube)

This short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows how to group your ideas into paragraphs or sections to begin the outlining process.

"Essay Outline" (Univ. of Washington Tacoma)

This two-page handout by a university professor simply defines the parts of an essay and then organizes them into an example outline.

"Types of Outlines and Samples" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL gives examples of diverse outline strategies on this page, including the alphanumeric, full sentence, and decimal styles. 

"Outlining" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Once you have an argument, according to this handout, there are only three steps in the outline process: generalizing, ordering, and putting it all together. Then you're ready to write!

"Writing Essays" (Plymouth Univ.)

This packet, part of Plymouth University's Learning Development series, contains descriptions and diagrams relating to the outlining process.

"How to Write A Good Argumentative Essay: Logical Structure" (Criticalthinkingtutorials.com via YouTube)

This longer video tutorial gives an overview of how to structure your essay in order to support your argument or thesis. It is part of a longer course on academic writing hosted on Udemy.

Now that you've chosen and refined your topic and created an outline, use these resources to complete the writing process. Most essays contain introductions (which articulate your thesis statement), body paragraphs, and conclusions. Transitions facilitate the flow from one paragraph to the next so that support for your thesis builds throughout the essay. Sources and citations show where you got the evidence to support your thesis, which ensures that you avoid plagiarism. 

How to Write an Introduction

"Introductions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page identifies the role of the introduction in any successful paper, suggests strategies for writing introductions, and warns against less effective introductions.

"How to Write A Good Introduction" (Michigan State Writing Center)

Beginning with the most common missteps in writing introductions, this guide condenses the essentials of introduction composition into seven points.

"The Introductory Paragraph" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming focuses on ways to grab your reader's attention at the beginning of your essay.

"Introductions and Conclusions" (Univ. of Toronto)

This guide from the University of Toronto gives advice that applies to writing both introductions and conclusions, including dos and don'ts.

"How to Write Better Essays: No One Does Introductions Properly" ( The Guardian )

This news article interviews UK professors on student essay writing; they point to introductions as the area that needs the most improvement.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

"Writing an Effective Thesis Statement" (YouTube)

This short, simple video tutorial from a college composition instructor at Tulsa Community College explains what a thesis statement is and what it does. 

"Thesis Statement: Four Steps to a Great Essay" (YouTube)

This fantastic tutorial walks you through drafting a thesis, using an essay prompt on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter as an example.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through coming up with, writing, and editing a thesis statement. It invites you think of your statement as a "working thesis" that can change.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (Univ. of Indiana Bloomington)

Ask yourself the questions on this page, part of Indiana Bloomington's Writing Tutorial Services, when you're writing and refining your thesis statement.

"Writing Tips: Thesis Statements" (Univ. of Illinois Center for Writing Studies)

This page gives plentiful examples of good to great thesis statements, and offers questions to ask yourself when formulating a thesis statement.

How to Write Body Paragraphs

"Body Paragraph" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course introduces you to the components of a body paragraph. These include the topic sentence, information, evidence, and analysis.

"Strong Body Paragraphs" (Washington Univ.)

This handout from Washington's Writing and Research Center offers in-depth descriptions of the parts of a successful body paragraph.

"Guide to Paragraph Structure" (Deakin Univ.)

This handout is notable for color-coding example body paragraphs to help you identify the functions various sentences perform.

"Writing Body Paragraphs" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

The exercises in this section of Writing for Success  will help you practice writing good body paragraphs. It includes guidance on selecting primary support for your thesis.

"The Writing Process—Body Paragraphs" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

The information and exercises on this page will familiarize you with outlining and writing body paragraphs, and includes links to more information on topic sentences and transitions.

"The Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post discusses body paragraphs in the context of one of the most common academic essay types in secondary schools.

How to Use Transitions

"Transitions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explains what a transition is, and how to know if you need to improve your transitions.

"Using Transitions Effectively" (Washington Univ.)

This handout defines transitions, offers tips for using them, and contains a useful list of common transitional words and phrases grouped by function.

"Transitions" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This page compares paragraphs without transitions to paragraphs with transitions, and in doing so shows how important these connective words and phrases are.

"Transitions in Academic Essays" (Scribbr)

This page lists four techniques that will help you make sure your reader follows your train of thought, including grouping similar information and using transition words.

"Transitions" (El Paso Community College)

This handout shows example transitions within paragraphs for context, and explains how transitions improve your essay's flow and voice.

"Make Your Paragraphs Flow to Improve Writing" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post, another from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming, talks about transitions and other strategies to improve your essay's overall flow.

"Transition Words" (smartwords.org)

This handy word bank will help you find transition words when you're feeling stuck. It's grouped by the transition's function, whether that is to show agreement, opposition, condition, or consequence.

How to Write a Conclusion

"Parts of An Essay: Conclusions" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course explains how to conclude an academic essay. It suggests thinking about the "3Rs": return to hook, restate your thesis, and relate to the reader.

"Essay Conclusions" (Univ. of Maryland University College)

This overview of the academic essay conclusion contains helpful examples and links to further resources for writing good conclusions.

"How to End An Essay" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) by an English Ph.D. walks you through writing a conclusion, from brainstorming to ending with a flourish.

"Ending the Essay: Conclusions" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page collates useful strategies for writing an effective conclusion, and reminds you to "close the discussion without closing it off" to further conversation.

How to Include Sources and Citations

"Research and Citation Resources" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL streamlines information about the three most common referencing styles (MLA, Chicago, and APA) and provides examples of how to cite different resources in each system.

EasyBib: Free Bibliography Generator

This online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. Be sure to select your resource type before clicking the "cite it" button.

CitationMachine

Like EasyBib, this online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. 

Modern Language Association Handbook (MLA)

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of MLA referencing rules. Order through the link above, or check to see if your library has a copy.

Chicago Manual of Style

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of Chicago referencing rules. You can take a look at the table of contents, then choose to subscribe or start a free trial.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

"What is Plagiarism?" (plagiarism.org)

This nonprofit website contains numerous resources for identifying and avoiding plagiarism, and reminds you that even common activities like copying images from another website to your own site may constitute plagiarism.

"Plagiarism" (University of Oxford)

This interactive page from the University of Oxford helps you check for plagiarism in your work, making it clear how to avoid citing another person's work without full acknowledgement.

"Avoiding Plagiarism" (MIT Comparative Media Studies)

This quick guide explains what plagiarism is, what its consequences are, and how to avoid it. It starts by defining three words—quotation, paraphrase, and summary—that all constitute citation.

"Harvard Guide to Using Sources" (Harvard Extension School)

This comprehensive website from Harvard brings together articles, videos, and handouts about referencing, citation, and plagiarism. 

Grammarly contains tons of helpful grammar and writing resources, including a free tool to automatically scan your essay to check for close affinities to published work. 

Noplag is another popular online tool that automatically scans your essay to check for signs of plagiarism. Simply copy and paste your essay into the box and click "start checking."

Once you've written your essay, you'll want to edit (improve content), proofread (check for spelling and grammar mistakes), and finalize your work until you're ready to hand it in. This section brings together tips and resources for navigating the editing process. 

"Writing a First Draft" (Academic Help)

This is an introduction to the drafting process from the site Academic Help, with tips for getting your ideas on paper before editing begins.

"Editing and Proofreading" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page provides general strategies for revising your writing. They've intentionally left seven errors in the handout, to give you practice in spotting them.

"How to Proofread Effectively" (ThoughtCo)

This article from ThoughtCo, along with those linked at the bottom, help describe common mistakes to check for when proofreading.

"7 Simple Edits That Make Your Writing 100% More Powerful" (SmartBlogger)

This blog post emphasizes the importance of powerful, concise language, and reminds you that even your personal writing heroes create clunky first drafts.

"Editing Tips for Effective Writing" (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

On this page from Penn's International Relations department, you'll find tips for effective prose, errors to watch out for, and reminders about formatting.

"Editing the Essay" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This article, the first of two parts, gives you applicable strategies for the editing process. It suggests reading your essay aloud, removing any jargon, and being unafraid to remove even "dazzling" sentences that don't belong.

"Guide to Editing and Proofreading" (Oxford Learning Institute)

This handout from Oxford covers the basics of editing and proofreading, and reminds you that neither task should be rushed. 

In addition to plagiarism-checkers, Grammarly has a plug-in for your web browser that checks your writing for common mistakes.

After you've prepared, written, and edited your essay, you might want to share it outside the classroom. This section alerts you to print and web opportunities to share your essays with the wider world, from online writing communities and blogs to published journals geared toward young writers.

Sharing Your Essays Online

Go Teen Writers

Go Teen Writers is an online community for writers aged 13 - 19. It was founded by Stephanie Morrill, an author of contemporary young adult novels. 

Tumblr is a blogging website where you can share your writing and interact with other writers online. It's easy to add photos, links, audio, and video components.

Writersky provides an online platform for publishing and reading other youth writers' work. Its current content is mostly devoted to fiction.

Publishing Your Essays Online

This teen literary journal publishes in print, on the web, and (more frequently), on a blog. It is committed to ensuring that "teens see their authentic experience reflected on its pages."

The Matador Review

This youth writing platform celebrates "alternative," unconventional writing. The link above will take you directly to the site's "submissions" page.

Teen Ink has a website, monthly newsprint magazine, and quarterly poetry magazine promoting the work of young writers.

The largest online reading platform, Wattpad enables you to publish your work and read others' work. Its inline commenting feature allows you to share thoughts as you read along.

Publishing Your Essays in Print

Canvas Teen Literary Journal

This quarterly literary magazine is published for young writers by young writers. They accept many kinds of writing, including essays.

The Claremont Review

This biannual international magazine, first published in 1992, publishes poetry, essays, and short stories from writers aged 13 - 19.

Skipping Stones

This young writers magazine, founded in 1988, celebrates themes relating to ecological and cultural diversity. It publishes poems, photos, articles, and stories.

The Telling Room

This nonprofit writing center based in Maine publishes children's work on their website and in book form. The link above directs you to the site's submissions page.

Essay Contests

Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards

This prestigious international writing contest for students in grades 7 - 12 has been committed to "supporting the future of creativity since 1923."

Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest

An annual essay contest on the theme of journalism and media, the Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest awards scholarships up to $1,000.

National YoungArts Foundation

Here, you'll find information on a government-sponsored writing competition for writers aged 15 - 18. The foundation welcomes submissions of creative nonfiction, novels, scripts, poetry, short story and spoken word.

Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest

With prompts on a different literary work each year, this competition from Signet Classics awards college scholarships up to $1,000.

"The Ultimate Guide to High School Essay Contests" (CollegeVine)

See this handy guide from CollegeVine for a list of more competitions you can enter with your academic essay, from the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards to the National High School Essay Contest by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Whether you're struggling to write academic essays or you think you're a pro, there are workshops and online tools that can help you become an even better writer. Even the most seasoned writers encounter writer's block, so be proactive and look through our curated list of resources to combat this common frustration.

Online Essay-writing Classes and Workshops

"Getting Started with Essay Writing" (Coursera)

Coursera offers lots of free, high-quality online classes taught by college professors. Here's one example, taught by instructors from the University of California Irvine.

"Writing and English" (Brightstorm)

Brightstorm's free video lectures are easy to navigate by topic. This unit on the parts of an essay features content on the essay hook, thesis, supporting evidence, and more.

"How to Write an Essay" (EdX)

EdX is another open online university course website with several two- to five-week courses on the essay. This one is geared toward English language learners.

Writer's Digest University

This renowned writers' website offers online workshops and interactive tutorials. The courses offered cover everything from how to get started through how to get published.

Writing.com

Signing up for this online writer's community gives you access to helpful resources as well as an international community of writers.

How to Overcome Writer's Block

"Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block" (Purdue OWL)

Purdue OWL offers a list of signs you might have writer's block, along with ways to overcome it. Consider trying out some "invention strategies" or ways to curb writing anxiety.

"Overcoming Writer's Block: Three Tips" ( The Guardian )

These tips, geared toward academic writing specifically, are practical and effective. The authors advocate setting realistic goals, creating dedicated writing time, and participating in social writing.

"Writing Tips: Strategies for Overcoming Writer's Block" (Univ. of Illinois)

This page from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Center for Writing Studies acquaints you with strategies that do and do not work to overcome writer's block.

"Writer's Block" (Univ. of Toronto)

Ask yourself the questions on this page; if the answer is "yes," try out some of the article's strategies. Each question is accompanied by at least two possible solutions.

If you have essays to write but are short on ideas, this section's links to prompts, example student essays, and celebrated essays by professional writers might help. You'll find writing prompts from a variety of sources, student essays to inspire you, and a number of essay writing collections.

Essay Writing Prompts

"50 Argumentative Essay Topics" (ThoughtCo)

Take a look at this list and the others ThoughtCo has curated for different kinds of essays. As the author notes, "a number of these topics are controversial and that's the point."

"401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing" ( New York Times )

This list (and the linked lists to persuasive and narrative writing prompts), besides being impressive in length, is put together by actual high school English teachers.

"SAT Sample Essay Prompts" (College Board)

If you're a student in the U.S., your classroom essay prompts are likely modeled on the prompts in U.S. college entrance exams. Take a look at these official examples from the SAT.

"Popular College Application Essay Topics" (Princeton Review)

This page from the Princeton Review dissects recent Common Application essay topics and discusses strategies for answering them.

Example Student Essays

"501 Writing Prompts" (DePaul Univ.)

This nearly 200-page packet, compiled by the LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team, is stuffed with writing prompts, example essays, and commentary.

"Topics in English" (Kibin)

Kibin is a for-pay essay help website, but its example essays (organized by topic) are available for free. You'll find essays on everything from  A Christmas Carol  to perseverance.

"Student Writing Models" (Thoughtful Learning)

Thoughtful Learning, a website that offers a variety of teaching materials, provides sample student essays on various topics and organizes them by grade level.

"Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

In this blog post by a former professor of English and rhetoric, ThoughtCo brings together examples of five-paragraph essays and commentary on the form.

The Best Essay Writing Collections

The Best American Essays of the Century by Joyce Carol Oates (Amazon)

This collection of American essays spanning the twentieth century was compiled by award winning author and Princeton professor Joyce Carol Oates.

The Best American Essays 2017 by Leslie Jamison (Amazon)

Leslie Jamison, the celebrated author of essay collection  The Empathy Exams , collects recent, high-profile essays into a single volume.

The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate (Amazon)

Documentary writer Phillip Lopate curates this historical overview of the personal essay's development, from the classical era to the present.

The White Album by Joan Didion (Amazon)

This seminal essay collection was authored by one of the most acclaimed personal essayists of all time, American journalist Joan Didion.

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (Amazon)

Read this famous essay collection by David Foster Wallace, who is known for his experimentation with the essay form. He pushed the boundaries of personal essay, reportage, and political polemic.

"50 Successful Harvard Application Essays" (Staff of the The Harvard Crimson )

If you're looking for examples of exceptional college application essays, this volume from Harvard's daily student newspaper is one of the best collections on the market.

Are you an instructor looking for the best resources for teaching essay writing? This section contains resources for developing in-class activities and student homework assignments. You'll find content from both well-known university writing centers and online writing labs.

Essay Writing Classroom Activities for Students

"In-class Writing Exercises" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page lists exercises related to brainstorming, organizing, drafting, and revising. It also contains suggestions for how to implement the suggested exercises.

"Teaching with Writing" (Univ. of Minnesota Center for Writing)

Instructions and encouragement for using "freewriting," one-minute papers, logbooks, and other write-to-learn activities in the classroom can be found here.

"Writing Worksheets" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

Berkeley offers this bank of writing worksheets to use in class. They are nested under headings for "Prewriting," "Revision," "Research Papers" and more.

"Using Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism" (DePaul University)

Use these activities and worksheets from DePaul's Teaching Commons when instructing students on proper academic citation practices.

Essay Writing Homework Activities for Students

"Grammar and Punctuation Exercises" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

These five interactive online activities allow students to practice editing and proofreading. They'll hone their skills in correcting comma splices and run-ons, identifying fragments, using correct pronoun agreement, and comma usage.

"Student Interactives" (Read Write Think)

Read Write Think hosts interactive tools, games, and videos for developing writing skills. They can practice organizing and summarizing, writing poetry, and developing lines of inquiry and analysis.

This free website offers writing and grammar activities for all grade levels. The lessons are designed to be used both for large classes and smaller groups.

"Writing Activities and Lessons for Every Grade" (Education World)

Education World's page on writing activities and lessons links you to more free, online resources for learning how to "W.R.I.T.E.": write, revise, inform, think, and edit.

• PDFs for all 136 Lit Terms we cover
• Downloads of 1929 LitCharts Lit Guides
• Teacher Editions for every Lit Guide
• Explanations and citation info for 40,694 quotes across 1929 books
• Downloadable (PDF) line-by-line translations of every Shakespeare play

Need something? Request a new guide .

How can we improve? Share feedback .

LitCharts is hiring!

How to Start a College Essay: 5 Effective Techniques

Access thousands of exclusive scholarships for free

"Be Bold" No-Essay Scholarship

Impressionable Openers

Descriptions and demonstrations, show vulnerability, be authentic, stay personal, fun & quirky, common mistakes to avoid in your college essay.

• Ways to Overcome Writer's Block

Frequently Asked Questions About Starting a College Essay

College essays are a huge part of your college career. If not huge, one of the biggest, and for someone who has been there and done that, I know the amount of pressure the beginning of a college essay, as well as the entire essay, can put on your shoulders.

Not only are you trying to juggle things like word count and grammar errors, but you're also trying to create the perfect college essay introduction that will attract admissions officers to your application or professors to your writing skills. And that, itself, can feel impossible, fill you with dread and self-doubt, but just breathe. I am here to help all present and future students know how to start a college essay.

Today is all about starting a college essay. I have come up with five easy and effective techniques that will help you create essays so good you're going to leave your readers wanting more , starting with your opening sentence! So, this is for all college students and college applicants. Stress no more! This guide was created to help you write a successful college essay. Let's get into it.

Visit our Scholarship Blog to learn how to create your free Bold profile , and start applying for scholarships designed to help you save BIG on your college education.

The beginning of your essay should, first and foremost, always have a strong opening sentence . This sentence sets the tone for not only your readers but for the entire essay. Having a wobbly, almost interesting opener can steer an admissions officer and/or professor away, so you want it to be strong. And it doesn't have to be complicated! Less is more in this situation. Here are a couple of ways you can accomplish this.

• Look within and be relatable
• Use your real life for inspiration
• Think about ways to evoke emotion

Here are some examples of impressionable openers:

• Example 1: When I was 11 years old, my mother told me she had cancer over breakfast.
• Example 2: Maybe yellow isn't my favorite color.
• Example 3: I sat next to this girl in class who made me feel stupid.

DISCLAIMER : your opener should ALWAYS adhere to the essay prompts. These are just a few examples that can capture your reader's attention almost immediately.

In order to keep readers interested, visuals are key . Image-based descriptions will not only add value to your writing, it will give your readers front seats to your essay's journey. These descriptions let actions speak for themselves.

Here is an example of a description and demonstration in an essay:

• Example 1: "I was sitting on a bar stool when the word 'cancer' hit me like the smell of her coffee brewing on the stove. The Rice Krispies were popping in my cereal bowl, and MTV Jams was playing in the background, yet all I could hear was the sound of doom all around me. The lips of my mother were moving, but I was frozen, crumbling on this stool like my mother's health. She was sick, and I didn't know how sick or what that even meant, and that terrified me."

Why This Works:

Here you can clearly feel the writers emotional state: shocked, still, scared. Not only is this moment at breakfast traumatic, you feel frozen in time with the writer. Using descriptions like this will evoke so much emotion and leave your reader wanting more.

Get Matched to Thousands of Scholarships

Create your Bold.org profile to access thousands of exclusive scholarships, available only on Bold.org.

Something one of my teachers told me in high school was any good essay will have personal elements in it, no matter the topic. That always stuck with me and became the way I approached my college essays. Showing vulnerability in your writing will always guarantee interest. It also evokes emotion.

You can show vulnerability by:

• Being honest
• Explaining what's going on inside underneath the exterior
• Describe what's going on around you at the moment
• Letting go of the fear of being seen
• Connecting with the topic
• Being transparent about mistakes/flaws

Examples of showing vulnerability:

• Example 1 : My mother telling me she had cancer over breakfast was not on my bingo card this year.
• Example 2 : I never thought losing someone I love would change me.
• Example 3: I had to lose everything in order to gain everything.

I know being vulnerable can be tough for some , but showing this side of you to college admissions officers and/or professors will not only make you stand out, but it can also help free you of things that might be weighing on your mind. Not to sound corny, but it can be therapeutic and make you a better writer . Just make sure you are staying on track with the essay prompt, and you're set!

Whether it's believed or not, an admissions officer wants to see pieces of you in your personal statement, so starting your essay by showing authenticity is a major major key. Along with being vulnerable, there are a few ways you can achieve this.

• Reflect : Take the time to reflect on your experiences, values, and beliefs that have shaped who you are today. Let your values, passions, and interests shine through in your writing.
• Mind Your Voice : Write in your own voice and avoid trying to sound like someone you're not. Authenticity comes from being genuine and true to yourself.
• Tell Your Story : Share personal anecdotes and insights that show your unique perspective.
• Be True to You : Focus on what matters to YOU (as long as you're on topic!). Write about what is meaningful and important to you rather than what you think admissions officers want to hear.

Above all, be open . Showing introspection and self-awareness in your essay will show any admissions committee who you are beneath the surface, as well as your personal growth.

You can also begin your essay being as random and silly as you'd like . It goes hand-in-hand with other important factors like vulnerability and authenticity. But don't get too crazy . Beginning your essay with something strange will definitely draw readers in. Let me show you what I mean.

• Example 1 : I start my mornings off in silence and solitude to keep people away from me.
• Example 2 : Sometimes, I like to circle big words in complex articles to learn new words. Yeah, but to also keep one in my back pocket for later use.
• Example 3 : Being the youngest child means getting away with everything you want, and that's exactly how I like it.

Do you see how each sentence draws you in? Not only are they light-hearted, but they also make you want to know why you want to keep people away in the morning and what kind of weapon you're forming against others with new words. And every youngest sibling will attest to feeling that exact same way. All of these examples are sure to make your essay fun, show who you are, and leave readers wanting more.

Years of writing college essays have taken me through every high and low of the process possible. And when they're good, they're great! But for some reason, my mistakes stick out more than anything. So, I've compiled a list of common mistakes to avoid when writing your college essay .

• Avoid Being Cliche - While you want to be captivating, you want to avoid overly used syntax and phrases that could potentially lose your reader's curiosity. For example, "in today's day and age," "follow my heart," "don't judge a book by its cover," etc. are all cliches that can be avoided by thinking outside of the box.
• Using Vocabulary to be Impressive - I know you want to impress the admissions committees, but it's important to stick to what you know and not what you can allude to. That is, use verbiage that resonates with your personality. Using extravagant words can work against you, and they can also sound forced. College admissions officers want to see the real you, so show it to them.
• Steer Clear of Controversy - Though it's not said enough, your college essay should tell your personal story and not touch on things that can stir the pot. For instance, talking about politics and religious beliefs may not be the route you want to take UNLESS it's called for in the college essay topic. And if so, stay on track with the essay prompts.
• Procrastinating : Waiting until the last minute to start writing your essay will bite you in the butt. You will feel rushed and end up writing a poorly crafted piece. Give yourself enough time to complete an essay draft, edit the draft, and repeat this two-step cycle until your essay is complete.
• Lack of originality : This goes hand-in-hand with avoiding cliches. Your college essay should exude a lot of your personality, so show admissions officers and teachers who you are! Include your cultural background, test scores that you're proud of, any future aspirations, etc. This all depends on the essay prompts, of course, but in my experience, every essay topic has room to show who you are.
• Ignoring the prompt : This is a major key. STAY ON TRACK. Make sure to carefully read and understand the essay prompt, and write your essay accordingly. The last thing you want to do is write a college essay that has nothing to do with the prompt. Reading is essential here.
• Lack of focus : If you want to know how to start a college essay, that means knowing how to stay focused. Find a quiet space, turn off electronics, hide your phone, and really nestle into how you want to capture your reader's attention. This will help you use your five senses clearly, keep your writing strong and not write an overly wordy essay. Focus is the tool here.
• Poor organization : Make sure your essay has a strong structure with clear transitions between paragraphs. An outline will work best to accomplish this. If you go into starting your college essay without a plan, be prepared to hit all roadblocks.
• Neglecting to Revise and Edit : Like procrastinating, don't fail to revise and edit your work. Always, always, always proofread your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors , as well as clarity and coherence.
• Not Seeking Feedback : Listen, I know that completing an essay is an accomplishment in itself, and you immediately want to submit it, but it's so beneficial to have others read your essay for feedback. You can only spot so many holes in your work when your eyes are constantly reviewing it, so a second, third, or even fourth set of eyes can help point out areas for improvement.

Above all, trust the writing process. Though I do want you to be aware of your jargon, don't get too wrapped up in thinking you're making a mistake. That's what editing is for! Once you complete your college essay, you should always revise and edit accordingly . What you thought sounded good might make you edit it to sound great. Just keep in mind that many colleges are looking for honesty and authenticity vs how well you can sound on paper . So, if you're aware of these factors, you'll be good to go.

Ways to Overcome Writer's Block

Take it from someone who has suffered from chronic writer's block, it's a pain to get through . Imagine being on a writing streak so good that when you stop, the entire essay writing process stops as a whole. It's definitely a challenge, but after 10 years of writing essays and really honing my craft, I learned a few things that have helped me get through even the thickest of writer's blocks, and I want to share them with you. Check them out:

• Take a break : This works every single time. Take a short break and step away from your computer to clear your mind and come back with a fresh perspective. For me, 15 minutes is all I ever need. If you need more time, that's okay. Just try not to make your break a rest.
• Freewriting : Sometimes, I'd start writing without worrying about my structure or grammar to get the ideas flowing, and surprisingly enough, I found my essay taking a pleasant turn.
• Change your environment : Move around. Don't underestimate the effects of a different location or workspace to stimulate creativity. Try coffee shops, bookstores, a park, or a new room in your house. New environment, new energy.
• Set small goals : This one is actually the most important. Some people get overwhelmed with the word "essay" for things like lack of proper writing skills, pressure to write a great essay, etc. But if you try breaking down your writing task into smaller, manageable chunks to make it less overwhelming, it can help. For example, set a goal of three paragraphs one day, take a day to edit those paragraphs, two more the next day, and so forth. Find a formula that works for you.
• Brainstorming : Write down all your ideas--everything. No matter how small you think the idea is, write it down. Even if these ideas seem unrelated, they will help you generate new thoughts and connections.
• Read or listen to music : It took me a while to realize this helps, but engaging in other forms of art can inspire new ideas and break through mental blocks. And new creativity can lead you to impress admissions officers.
• Talk it out : As a writer, it's hard to let people in on the creative process, but discussing my ideas with a friend, family member, or colleague helped me gain new perspectives and insights.
• Relax and Meditate : Hear me out: it works! Practice deep breathing and/or meditation to reduce stress and anxiety that may be contributing to writer's block.

I won't sugarcoat it: the college application process can be intimidating , but it doesn't have to throw you off your game. When it comes to college essays, I see them as opportunities to be fun and expressive. Trust me when I say if you have fun with it, you'll attract the reader's attention , paint vivid details, and write an essay that will leave the admissions officer wanting you at their school. So, take it one step at a time and watch your personal statement come to life.

How can I make my college essay stand out to admissions officers?

Simply put, be yourself. As long as you stay on track with the essay's topic, showing pieces of yourself will allow admissions officers to know more about who you are. Essays are meant to show readers who you are, how you feel, and what you think naturally, not robotically, so be authentic in your writing, and you'll be sure to stand out amongst the rest.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when writing a college essay?

Some common mistakes to avoid in your essay are using cliches and boring wording. You also want to avoid procrastinating, wasting time, not focusing, not editing, etc. When writing your essay, you want to make sure you give your writing the time and attention it deserves, so make sure you're aware of what is pulling you away from your writing. This will help you stay focused. If you have any other doubts, refer to the section about mistakes in this article and let it guide you to success.

How important is the college essay in the admissions process?

Your college essay is key in the admissions process . It's an admissions committee's first impression of you as a writer and potential student, so it should be taken very seriously. Trying to cut corners or rush through the writing process will be obvious, and it will stand out more than things like test scores, academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and any other positive influence you've had in your life. So, don't take the easy way out and really work on your essay.

Feeling confident in your college essay skills and want to explore some other essay content? Explore our blog on the comma splice to enhance your technical writing skills!

Related Posts

10 strategies for writing a college application essay, what is a coordinating conjunction, best colleges in tennessee.

A definitive guide to writing and publishing an anthology

• Find an interesting theme
• Set SMART goals
• Make the anthology a tribute to flood victims.
• Give the amount earned to charity.
• Finish the book before December 2016.
• Make the book a tribute to Indian Army.
• Frame guidelines for contributing writers
• Find a publisher
• Call for submissions
• Collect necessary documents and the manuscript
• Edit the manuscripts
• Invite two to three times as many people as you need It is always advisable to have more people contributing to the anthology; this way you will have more options to choose from.
• Give early deadlines Not everyone will adhere to deadlines. At times, you may want to go a little back-and-forth with the authors on feedback and changes, so give a time limit at least a couple of weeks before the actual one.
• Be specific on the language, style, and tone Some of your authors might follow British English, while the others may use American English. Similarly, some people might write in first person point of view, and others might use a third person perspective for the narration. Therefore, it is mandatory to be particular about these details in the guidelines.
• Give substantive and constructive feedback An anthology is a hard work of more than one author. To make the anthology perfect and appealing, all the stories must be individually significant. Therefore, read through every story personally, get inputs from your editor, and communicate the feedback to your writers.
• Have a streamlined collaborative editing platform If you are going to send back a story with your editors comments to the authors, use Google Docs or other cloud-based word processors. You must also make sure that the document is editable only by the concerned author, editor, and you.
• Have a set of beta-readers Beta-reading is crucial when it comes to anthologies. Therefore, invite a few renowned beta-readers or proofreaders, and give them ample time to read your edited anthology before it goes for printing.
• Don’t apply for every anthology invite: While deciding if a particular anthology is right for you or not is entirely a personal decision, you must evaluate every factor for each and every anthology before making a decision. You must mainly consider if contributing to the particular anthology is the best choice for your writing career.
• Adhere to guidelines This makes life easier for everyone. Guidelines are formed for a reason, so take your time, read the instructions carefully, and stick to it while writing.
• Try different genres If you are comfortable with one particular genre, don’t write your entry for anthologies too in the same genre. Try to experiment writing in other genres. Firstly, your writing will be fresh for you as well as your readers. Additionally, you will get to try your hand at a whole new genre.
• Understand your rights Before signing a contract or any form, read the content of the form thoroughly. Also, if something is unclear, get it sorted verbally as well as in writing before signing. Some of the things that you need to consider are about copyrights, payment, etc.
• Edit and proofread before sending it out When you submit your anthology, make it sure that your work is error-free. Don’t send out the first draft itself. Write, edit, re-write, re-edit, and only when you are satisfied, share the work to the concerned person.
• Don’t burn the midnight oil: Mostly, the call for entries to an anthology will be having a minimum of a month’s deadline. Use the time wisely, and start writing well before the deadline. This way, your work will not only be perfect, but you will have a plenty of time to think and put your creative foot forward.

Aishwarya Mukundarajan

Aishwarya is an MBA graduate from Symbiosis International University, Pune. When asked what her hobbies are she points to an overflowing bookcase.

You May Also Like

What is an Oxford Comma and when do you use it?

What is Irony? Explanation with Examples

How to Write a Story? A Definitive Guide

What is Plot? A Storytelling Guide for Writers

100 Must-Read Essay Collections

Rebecca Hussey

Rebecca holds a PhD in English and is a professor at Norwalk Community College in Connecticut. She teaches courses in composition, literature, and the arts. When she’s not reading or grading papers, she’s hanging out with her husband and son and/or riding her bike and/or buying books. She can't get enough of reading and writing about books, so she writes the bookish newsletter "Reading Indie," focusing on small press books and translations. Newsletter: Reading Indie Twitter: @ofbooksandbikes

View All posts by Rebecca Hussey

There’s something about a shiny new collection of essays that makes my heart beat a little faster. If you feel the same way, can we be friends? If not, might I suggest that perhaps you just haven’t found the right collection yet? I don’t expect everyone to love the thought of sitting down with a nice, juicy personal essay, but I also think the genre gets a bad rap because people associate it with the kind of thing they had to write in school.

Well, essays don’t have to be like the kind of thing you wrote in school. Essays can be anything, really. They can be personal, confessional, argumentative, informative, funny, sad, shocking, sexy, and all of the above. The best essayists can make any subject interesting. If I love an essayist, I’ll read whatever they write. I’ll follow their minds anywhere. Because that’s really what I want out of an essay — the sense that I’m spending time with an interesting mind. I want a companionable, challenging, smart, surprising voice in my head.

So below is my list, not of essay collections I think everybody “must read,” even if that’s what my title says, but collections I hope you will consider checking out if you want to.

1. Against Interpretation — Susan Sontag

2. Alibis: Essays on Elsewhere — André Aciman

3. American Romances — Rebecca Brown

4. Art & Ardor — Cynthia Ozick

5. The Art of the Personal Essay — anthology, edited by Phillip Lopate

6. Bad Feminist — Roxane Gay

7. The Best American Essays of the Century — anthology, edited by Joyce Carol Oates

8. The Best American Essays series — published every year, series edited by Robert Atwan

9. Book of Days — Emily Fox Gordon

10. The Boys of My Youth — Jo Ann Beard

11. The Braindead Megaphone — George Saunders

12. Broken Republic: Three Essays — Arundhati Roy

13. Changing My Mind — Zadie Smith

14. A Collection of Essays — George Orwell

15. The Common Reader — Virginia Woolf

16. Consider the Lobster — David Foster Wallace

17. The Crack-up — F. Scott Fitzgerald

18. Discontent and its Civilizations — Mohsin Hamid

19. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric — Claudia Rankine

20. Dreaming of Hitler — Daphne Merkin

21. Self-Reliance and Other Essays — Ralph Waldo Emerson

22. The Empathy Exams — Leslie Jameson

23. Essays After Eighty — Donald Hall

24. Essays in Idleness — Yoshida Kenko

25. The Essays of Elia — Charles Lamb

26. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader — Anne Fadiman

27. A Field Guide to Getting Lost — Rebecca Solnit

28. Findings — Kathleen Jamie

29. The Fire Next Time — James Baldwin

30. The Folded Clock — Heidi Julavits

31. Forty-One False Starts — Janet Malcolm

32. How To Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America — Kiese Laymon

33. I Feel Bad About My Neck — Nora Ephron

34. I Just Lately Started Buying Wings — Kim Dana Kupperman

35. In Fact: The Best of Creative Nonfiction — anthology, edited by Lee Gutkind

36. In Praise of Shadows — Junichiro Tanizaki

37. In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens — Alice Walker

38. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? — Mindy Kaling

39. I Was Told There’d Be Cake — Sloane Crosley

40. Karaoke Culture — Dubravka Ugresic

41. Labyrinths — Jorge Luis Borges

42. Living, Thinking, Looking — Siri Hustvedt

43. Loitering — Charles D’Ambrosio

44. Lunch With a Bigot — Amitava Kumar

45. Madness, Rack, and Honey — Mary Ruefle

46. Magic Hours — Tom Bissell

47. Meatless Days — Sara Suleri

48. Meaty — Samantha Irby

49. Meditations from a Movable Chair — Andre Dubus

50. Memories of a Catholic Girlhood — Mary McCarthy

51. Me Talk Pretty One Day — David Sedaris

52. Multiply/Divide: On the American Real and Surreal — Wendy S. Walters

53. My 1980s and Other Essays — Wayne Koestenbaum

54. The Next American Essay, The Lost Origins of the Essay, and The Making of the American Essay — anthologies, edited by John D’Agata

55. The Norton Book of Personal Essays — anthology, edited by Joseph Epstein

56. Notes from No Man’s Land — Eula Biss

57. Notes of a Native Son — James Baldwin

58. Not That Kind of Girl — Lena Dunham

59. On Beauty and Being Just — Elaine Scarry

60. Once I Was Cool — Megan Stielstra

61. 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write — Sarah Ruhl

62. On Kissing, Tickling, and Being Bored — Adam Phillips

63. On Lies, Secrets, and Silence — Adrienne Rich

64. The Opposite of Loneliness — Marina Keegan

65. Otherwise Known as the Human Condition — Geoff Dyer

66. Paris to the Moon — Adam Gopnik

67. Passions of the Mind — A.S. Byatt

68. The Pillow Book — Sei Shonagon

69. A Place to Live — Natalia Ginzburg

70. Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination — Toni Morrison

71. Pulphead — John Jeremiah Sullivan

72. Selected Essays — Michel de Montaigne

73. Shadow and Act — Ralph Ellison

74. Sidewalks — Valeria Luiselli

75. Sister Outsider — Audre Lorde

76. The Size of Thoughts — Nicholson Baker

77. Slouching Towards Bethlehem — Joan Didion

78. The Souls of Black Folk — W. E. B. Du Bois

79. The Story About the Story — anthology, edited by J.C. Hallman

80. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again — David Foster Wallace

81. Ten Years in the Tub — Nick Hornby

82. Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Man — Henry Louis Gates

83. This Is Running for Your Life — Michelle Orange

84. This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage — Ann Patchett

85. Tiny Beautiful Things — Cheryl Strayed

86. Tuxedo Junction: Essays on American Culture — Gerald Early

87. Twenty-eight Artists and Two Saints — Joan Acocella

88. The Unspeakable — Meghan Daum

89. Vermeer in Bosnia — Lawrence Weschler

90. The Wave in the Mind — Ursula K. Le Guin

91. We Need Silence to Find Out What We Think — Shirley Hazzard

92. We Should All Be Feminists — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi

93. What Are People For? — Wendell Berry

94. When I Was a Child I Read Books — Marilynne Robinson

95. The White Album — Joan Didion

96. White Girls — Hilton Als

97. The Woman Warrior — Maxine Hong Kinston

98. The Writing Life — Annie Dillard

99. Writing With Intent — Margaret Atwood

100. You Don’t Have to Like Me — Alida Nugent

If you have a favorite essay collection I’ve missed here, let me know in the comments!

You Might Also Like

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

MLA Works Cited Page: Books

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

When you are gathering book sources, be sure to make note of the following bibliographic items: the author name(s), other contributors such as translators or editors, the book’s title, editions of the book, the publication date, the publisher, and the pagination.

The 8 th  edition of the MLA handbook highlights principles over prescriptive practices. Essentially, a writer will need to take note of primary elements in every source, such as author, title, etc. and then assort them in a general format. Thus, by using this methodology, a writer will be able to cite any source regardless of whether it’s included in this list.

Please note these changes in the new edition:

• Commas are used instead of periods between Publisher, Publication Date, and Pagination.
• Medium is no longer necessary.
• Containers are now a part of the MLA process. Commas should be used after container titles.
• DOIs should be used instead of URLS when available.
• Use the term “Accessed” instead of listing the date or the abbreviation, “n.d."

Below is the general format for any citation:

Author. Title. Title of container (do not list container for standalone books, e.g. novels), Other contributors (translators or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol. and/or no.), Publisher, Publication Date, Location (pages, paragraphs URL or DOI). 2 nd  container’s title, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location, Date of Access (if applicable).

Basic Book Format

The author’s name or a book with a single author's name appears in last name, first name format. The basic form for a book citation is:

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book . City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.

* Note: the City of Publication should only be used if the book was published before 1900, if the publisher has offices in more than one country, or if the publisher is unknown in North America.

Book with One Author

Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science . Penguin, 1987.

Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House . MacMurray, 1999.

Book with More Than One Author

When a book has two authors, order the authors in the same way they are presented in the book. Start by listing the first name that appears on the book in last name, first name format; subsequent author names appear in normal order (first name last name format).

Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring . Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

If there are three or more authors, list only the first author followed by the phrase et al. (Latin for "and others") in place of the subsequent authors' names. (Note that there is a period after “al” in “et al.” Also note that there is never a period after the “et” in “et al.”).

Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition . Utah State UP, 2004.

Two or More Books by the Same Author

List works alphabetically by title. (Remember to ignore articles like A, An, and The.) Provide the author’s name in last name, first name format for the first entry only. For each subsequent entry by the same author, use three hyphens and a period.

Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism . St. Martin's, 1997.

---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History . Southern Illinois UP, 1993.

Book by a Corporate Author or Organization

A corporate author may include a commission, a committee, a government agency, or a group that does not identify individual members on the title page.

List the names of corporate authors in the place where an author’s name typically appears at the beginning of the entry.

American Allergy Association. Allergies in Children . Random House, 1998.

When the author and publisher are the same, skip the author, and list the title first. Then, list the corporate author only as the publisher.

Fair Housing—Fair Lending. Aspen Law & Business, 1985.

Book with No Author

List by title of the book. Incorporate these entries alphabetically just as you would with works that include an author name. For example, the following entry might appear between entries of works written by Dean, Shaun and Forsythe, Jonathan.

Encyclopedia of Indiana . Somerset, 1993.

Remember that for an in-text (parenthetical) citation of a book with no author, you should provide the name of the work in the signal phrase and the page number in parentheses. You may also use a shortened version of the title of the book accompanied by the page number. For more information see the In-text Citations for Print Sources with No Known Author section of In-text Citations: The Basics .

A Translated Book

If you want to emphasize the work rather than the translator, cite as you would any other book. Add “translated by” and follow with the name(s) of the translator(s).

Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason . Translated by Richard Howard, Vintage-Random House, 1988.

If you want to focus on the translation, list the translator as the author. In place of the author’s name, the translator’s name appears. His or her name is followed by the label, “translator.” If the author of the book does not appear in the title of the book, include the name, with a “By” after the title of the book and before the publisher. Note that this type of citation is less common and should only be used for papers or writing in which translation plays a central role.

Howard, Richard, translator. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason . By Michel Foucault, Vintage-Random House, 1988.

Republished Book

Books may be republished due to popularity without becoming a new edition. New editions are typically revisions of the original work. For books that originally appeared at an earlier date and that have been republished at a later one, insert the original publication date before the publication information.

For books that are new editions (i.e. different from the first or other editions of the book), see An Edition of a Book below.

Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble . 1990. Routledge, 1999.

Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine . 1984. Perennial-Harper, 1993.

An Edition of a Book

There are two types of editions in book publishing: a book that has been published more than once in different editions and a book that is prepared by someone other than the author (typically an editor).

A Subsequent Edition

Cite the book as you normally would, but add the number of the edition after the title.

Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students . 3rd ed., Pearson, 2004.

A Work Prepared by an Editor

Cite the book as you normally would, but add the editor after the title with the label "edited by."

Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre,  edited by Margaret Smith, Oxford UP, 1998.

Note that the format for citing sources with important contributors with editor-like roles follows the same basic template:

...adapted by John Doe...

Finally, in the event that the source features a contributor that cannot be described with a past-tense verb and the word "by" (e.g., "edited by"), you may instead use a noun followed by a comma, like so:

...guest editor, Jane Smith...

Anthology or Collection (e.g. Collection of Essays)

To cite the entire anthology or collection, list by editor(s) followed by a comma and "editor" or, for multiple editors, "editors." This sort of entry is somewhat rare. If you are citing a particular piece within an anthology or collection (more common), see A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection below.

Hill, Charles A., and Marguerite Helmers, editors. Defining Visual Rhetorics . Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.

Peterson, Nancy J., editor. Toni Morrison: Critical and Theoretical Approaches . Johns Hopkins UP, 1997.

A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection

Works may include an essay in an edited collection or anthology, or a chapter of a book. The basic form is for this sort of citation is as follows:

Last name, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection , edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, Page range of entry.

Some examples:

Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." A Tutor's Guide: Helping Writers One to One , edited by Ben Rafoth, Heinemann, 2000, pp. 24-34.

Swanson, Gunnar. "Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge in the University and The 'Real World.'" The Education of a Graphic Designer , edited by Steven Heller, Allworth Press, 1998, pp. 13-24.

Note on Cross-referencing Several Items from One Anthology: If you cite more than one essay from the same edited collection, MLA indicates you may cross-reference within your works cited list in order to avoid writing out the publishing information for each separate essay. You should consider this option if you have several references from a single text. To do so, include a separate entry for the entire collection listed by the editor's name as below:

Rose, Shirley K, and Irwin Weiser, editors. The Writing Program Administrator as Researcher . Heinemann, 1999.

Then, for each individual essay from the collection, list the author's name in last name, first name format, the title of the essay, the editor's last name, and the page range:

L'Eplattenier, Barbara. "Finding Ourselves in the Past: An Argument for Historical Work on WPAs." Rose and Weiser, pp. 131-40.

Peeples, Tim. "'Seeing' the WPA With/Through Postmodern Mapping." Rose and Weiser, pp. 153-67.

Please note: When cross-referencing items in the works cited list, alphabetical order should be maintained for the entire list.

Poem or Short Story Examples :

Burns, Robert. "Red, Red Rose." 100 Best-Loved Poems, edited by Philip Smith, Dover, 1995, p. 26.

Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories , edited by Tobias Wolff, Vintage, 1994, pp. 306-07.

If the specific literary work is part of the author's own collection (all of the works have the same author), then there will be no editor to reference:

Whitman, Walt. "I Sing the Body Electric." Selected Poems, Dover, 1991, pp. 12-19.

Carter, Angela. "The Tiger's Bride." Burning Your Boats: The Collected Stories, Penguin, 1995, pp. 154-69.

Article in a Reference Book (e.g. Encyclopedias, Dictionaries)

For entries in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works, cite the entry name as you would any other work in a collection but do not include the publisher information. Also, if the reference book is organized alphabetically, as most are, do not list the volume or the page number of the article or item.

"Ideology." The American Heritage Dictionary.  3rd ed. 1997. 

A Multivolume Work

When citing only one volume of a multivolume work, include the volume number after the work's title, or after the work's editor or translator.

Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria . Translated by H. E. Butler, vol. 2, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980.

When citing more than one volume of a multivolume work, cite the total number of volumes in the work. Also, be sure in your in-text citation to provide both the volume number and page number(s) ( see "Citing Multivolume Works" on our in-text citations resource .)

Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria . Translated by H. E. Butler, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980. 4 vols.

If the volume you are using has its own title, cite the book without referring to the other volumes as if it were an independent publication.

Churchill, Winston S. The Age of Revolution . Dodd, 1957.

An Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword

When citing an introduction, a preface, a foreword, or an afterword, write the name of the author(s) of the piece you are citing. Then give the name of the part being cited, which should not be italicized or enclosed in quotation marks; in italics, provide the name of the work and the name of the author of the introduction/preface/foreword/afterword. Finish the citation with the details of publication and page range.

Farrell, Thomas B. Introduction. Norms of Rhetorical Culture , by Farrell, Yale UP, 1993, pp. 1-13.

If the writer of the piece is different from the author of the complete work , then write the full name of the principal work's author after the word "By." For example, if you were to cite Hugh Dalziel Duncan’s introduction of Kenneth Burke’s book Permanence and Change, you would write the entry as follows:

Duncan, Hugh Dalziel. Introduction. Permanence and Change: An Anatomy of Purpose, by Kenneth Burke, 1935, 3rd ed., U of California P, 1984, pp. xiii-xliv.

Book Published Before 1900

Original copies of books published before 1900 are usually defined by their place of publication rather than the publisher. Unless you are using a newer edition, cite the city of publication where you would normally cite the publisher.

Thoreau, Henry David. Excursions . Boston, 1863.

Italicize “The Bible” and follow it with the version you are using. Remember that your in-text (parenthetical citation) should include the name of the specific edition of the Bible, followed by an abbreviation of the book, the chapter and verse(s). (See Citing the Bible at In-Text Citations: The Basics .)

The Bible. Authorized King James Version , Oxford UP, 1998.

The Bible. The New Oxford Annotated Version , 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2001.

The New Jerusalem Bible. Edited by Susan Jones, Doubleday, 1985.

A Government Publication

Cite the author of the publication if the author is identified. Otherwise, start with the name of the national government, followed by the agency (including any subdivisions or agencies) that serves as the organizational author. For congressional documents, be sure to include the number of the Congress and the session when the hearing was held or resolution passed as well as the report number. US government documents are typically published by the Government Printing Office.

United States, Congress, Senate, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearing on the Geopolitics of Oil . Government Printing Office, 2007. 110th Congress, 1st session, Senate Report 111-8.

United States, Government Accountability Office. Climate Change: EPA and DOE Should Do More to Encourage Progress Under Two Voluntary Programs . Government Printing Office, 2006.

Cite the title and publication information for the pamphlet just as you would a book without an author. Pamphlets and promotional materials commonly feature corporate authors (commissions, committees, or other groups that does not provide individual group member names). If the pamphlet you are citing has no author, cite as directed below. If your pamphlet has an author or a corporate author, put the name of the author (last name, first name format) or corporate author in the place where the author name typically appears at the beginning of the entry. (See also Books by a Corporate Author or Organization above.)

Women's Health: Problems of the Digestive System . American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2006.

Your Rights Under California Welfare Programs . California Department of Social Services, 2007.

Dissertations and Master's Theses

Dissertations and master's theses may be used as sources whether published or not. Unlike previous editions, MLA 8 specifies no difference in style for published/unpublished works.

The main elements of a dissertation citation are the same as those for a book: author name(s), title (italicized) , and publication date. Conclude with an indication of the document type (e.g., "PhD dissertation"). The degree-granting institution may be included before the document type (though this is not required). If the dissertation was accessed through an online repository, include it as the second container after all the other elements.

Bishop, Karen Lynn. Documenting Institutional Identity: Strategic Writing in the IUPUI Comprehensive Campaign . 2002. Purdue University, PhD dissertation.

Bile, Jeffrey. Ecology, Feminism, and a Revised Critical Rhetoric: Toward a Dialectical Partnership . 2005. Ohio University, PhD dissertation.

Mitchell, Mark. The Impact of Product Quality Reducing Events on the Value of Brand-Name Capital: Evidence from Airline Crashes and the 1982 Tylenol Poisonings.  1987. PhD dissertation.  ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

List the names of corporate authors in the place where an author’s name typically appears at the beginning of the entry if the author and publisher are not the same.

Fair Housing—Fair Lending. Aspen Law & Business, 1985.

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 177 college essay examples for 11 schools + expert analysis.

College Admissions , College Essays

The personal statement might just be the hardest part of your college application. Mostly this is because it has the least guidance and is the most open-ended. One way to understand what colleges are looking for when they ask you to write an essay is to check out the essays of students who already got in—college essays that actually worked. After all, they must be among the most successful of this weird literary genre.

In this article, I'll go through general guidelines for what makes great college essays great. I've also compiled an enormous list of 100+ actual sample college essays from 11 different schools. Finally, I'll break down two of these published college essay examples and explain why and how they work. With links to 177 full essays and essay excerpts , this article is a great resource for learning how to craft your own personal college admissions essay!

What Excellent College Essays Have in Common

Even though in many ways these sample college essays are very different from one other, they do share some traits you should try to emulate as you write your own essay.

Visible Signs of Planning

Building out from a narrow, concrete focus. You'll see a similar structure in many of the essays. The author starts with a very detailed story of an event or description of a person or place. After this sense-heavy imagery, the essay expands out to make a broader point about the author, and connects this very memorable experience to the author's present situation, state of mind, newfound understanding, or maturity level.

Knowing how to tell a story. Some of the experiences in these essays are one-of-a-kind. But most deal with the stuff of everyday life. What sets them apart is the way the author approaches the topic: analyzing it for drama and humor, for its moving qualities, for what it says about the author's world, and for how it connects to the author's emotional life.

Stellar Execution

A killer first sentence. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: you have to suck the reader in, and the best place to do that is the first sentence. Great first sentences are punchy. They are like cliffhangers, setting up an exciting scene or an unusual situation with an unclear conclusion, in order to make the reader want to know more. Don't take my word for it—check out these 22 first sentences from Stanford applicants and tell me you don't want to read the rest of those essays to find out what happens!

A lively, individual voice. Writing is for readers. In this case, your reader is an admissions officer who has read thousands of essays before yours and will read thousands after. Your goal? Don't bore your reader. Use interesting descriptions, stay away from clichés, include your own offbeat observations—anything that makes this essay sounds like you and not like anyone else.

Technical correctness. No spelling mistakes, no grammar weirdness, no syntax issues, no punctuation snafus—each of these sample college essays has been formatted and proofread perfectly. If this kind of exactness is not your strong suit, you're in luck! All colleges advise applicants to have their essays looked over several times by parents, teachers, mentors, and anyone else who can spot a comma splice. Your essay must be your own work, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting help polishing it.

And if you need more guidance, connect with PrepScholar's expert admissions consultants . These expert writers know exactly what college admissions committees look for in an admissions essay and chan help you craft an essay that boosts your chances of getting into your dream school.

Check out PrepScholar's Essay Editing and Coaching progra m for more details!

Links to Full College Essay Examples

Some colleges publish a selection of their favorite accepted college essays that worked, and I've put together a selection of over 100 of these.

Common App Essay Samples

Please note that some of these college essay examples may be responding to prompts that are no longer in use. The current Common App prompts are as follows:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? 4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? 5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. 6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Now, let's get to the good stuff: the list of 177 college essay examples responding to current and past Common App essay prompts. 

Connecticut college.

• 12 Common Application essays from the classes of 2022-2025

Hamilton College

• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2026
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2022
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2018
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2012
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2007

Johns Hopkins

These essays are answers to past prompts from either the Common Application or the Coalition Application (which Johns Hopkins used to accept).

• 1 Common Application or Coalition Application essay from the class of 2026
• 6 Common Application or Coalition Application essays from the class of 2025
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2024
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2023
• 7 Common Application of Universal Application essays from the class of 2022
• 5 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2021
• 7 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2020

Essay Examples Published by Other Websites

• 2 Common Application essays ( 1st essay , 2nd essay ) from applicants admitted to Columbia

Other Sample College Essays

Here is a collection of essays that are college-specific.

Babson College

• 4 essays (and 1 video response) on "Why Babson" from the class of 2020

Emory University

• 5 essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) from the class of 2020 along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on why the essays were exceptional
• 5 more recent essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on what made these essays stand out

University of Georgia

• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2019
• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2018
• 10 Harvard essays from 2023
• 10 Harvard essays from 2022
• 10 Harvard essays from 2021
• 10 Harvard essays from 2020
• 10 Harvard essays from 2019
• 10 Harvard essays from 2018
• 6 essays from admitted MIT students

Smith College

• 6 "best gift" essays from the class of 2018

Books of College Essays

If you're looking for even more sample college essays, consider purchasing a college essay book. The best of these include dozens of essays that worked and feedback from real admissions officers.

College Essays That Made a Difference —This detailed guide from Princeton Review includes not only successful essays, but also interviews with admissions officers and full student profiles.

50 Successful Harvard Application Essays by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson—A must for anyone aspiring to Harvard .

50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays and 50 Successful Stanford Application Essays by Gen and Kelly Tanabe—For essays from other top schools, check out this venerated series, which is regularly updated with new essays.

Heavenly Essays by Janine W. Robinson—This collection from the popular blogger behind Essay Hell includes a wider range of schools, as well as helpful tips on honing your own essay.

Analyzing Great Common App Essays That Worked

I've picked two essays from the examples collected above to examine in more depth so that you can see exactly what makes a successful college essay work. Full credit for these essays goes to the original authors and the schools that published them.

Example 1: "Breaking Into Cars," by Stephen, Johns Hopkins Class of '19 (Common App Essay, 636 words long)

I had never broken into a car before.

We were in Laredo, having just finished our first day at a Habitat for Humanity work site. The Hotchkiss volunteers had already left, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van.

Someone picked a coat hanger out of the dumpster, handed it to me, and took a few steps back.

"Can you do that thing with a coat hanger to unlock it?"

"Why me?" I thought.

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. "The water's on fire! Clear a hole!" he shouted, tossing me in the lake without warning. While I'm still unconvinced about that particular lesson's practicality, my Dad's overarching message is unequivocally true: much of life is unexpected, and you have to deal with the twists and turns.

Living in my family, days rarely unfolded as planned. A bit overlooked, a little pushed around, I learned to roll with reality, negotiate a quick deal, and give the improbable a try. I don't sweat the small stuff, and I definitely don't expect perfect fairness. So what if our dining room table only has six chairs for seven people? Someone learns the importance of punctuality every night.

But more than punctuality and a special affinity for musical chairs, my family life has taught me to thrive in situations over which I have no power. Growing up, I never controlled my older siblings, but I learned how to thwart their attempts to control me. I forged alliances, and realigned them as necessary. Sometimes, I was the poor, defenseless little brother; sometimes I was the omniscient elder. Different things to different people, as the situation demanded. I learned to adapt.

Back then, these techniques were merely reactions undertaken to ensure my survival. But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The question caught me off guard, much like the question posed to me in Laredo. Then, I realized I knew the answer. I knew why the coat hanger had been handed to me.

Growing up as the middle child in my family, I was a vital participant in a thing I did not govern, in the company of people I did not choose. It's family. It's society. And often, it's chaos. You participate by letting go of the small stuff, not expecting order and perfection, and facing the unexpected with confidence, optimism, and preparedness. My family experience taught me to face a serendipitous world with confidence.

What Makes This Essay Tick?

It's very helpful to take writing apart in order to see just how it accomplishes its objectives. Stephen's essay is very effective. Let's find out why!

An Opening Line That Draws You In

In just eight words, we get: scene-setting (he is standing next to a car about to break in), the idea of crossing a boundary (he is maybe about to do an illegal thing for the first time), and a cliffhanger (we are thinking: is he going to get caught? Is he headed for a life of crime? Is he about to be scared straight?).

Great, Detailed Opening Story

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame.

It's the details that really make this small experience come alive. Notice how whenever he can, Stephen uses a more specific, descriptive word in place of a more generic one. The volunteers aren't going to get food or dinner; they're going for "Texas BBQ." The coat hanger comes from "a dumpster." Stephen doesn't just move the coat hanger—he "jiggles" it.

Details also help us visualize the emotions of the people in the scene. The person who hands Stephen the coat hanger isn't just uncomfortable or nervous; he "takes a few steps back"—a description of movement that conveys feelings. Finally, the detail of actual speech makes the scene pop. Instead of writing that the other guy asked him to unlock the van, Stephen has the guy actually say his own words in a way that sounds like a teenager talking.

Turning a Specific Incident Into a Deeper Insight

Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

Stephen makes the locked car experience a meaningful illustration of how he has learned to be resourceful and ready for anything, and he also makes this turn from the specific to the broad through an elegant play on the two meanings of the word "click."

Using Concrete Examples When Making Abstract Claims

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally.

"Unpredictability and chaos" are very abstract, not easily visualized concepts. They could also mean any number of things—violence, abandonment, poverty, mental instability. By instantly following up with highly finite and unambiguous illustrations like "family of seven" and "siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing," Stephen grounds the abstraction in something that is easy to picture: a large, noisy family.

Using Small Bits of Humor and Casual Word Choice

My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed.

Obviously, knowing how to clean burning oil is not high on the list of things every 9-year-old needs to know. To emphasize this, Stephen uses sarcasm by bringing up a situation that is clearly over-the-top: "in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed."

The humor also feels relaxed. Part of this is because he introduces it with the colloquial phrase "you know," so it sounds like he is talking to us in person. This approach also diffuses the potential discomfort of the reader with his father's strictness—since he is making jokes about it, clearly he is OK. Notice, though, that this doesn't occur very much in the essay. This helps keep the tone meaningful and serious rather than flippant.

An Ending That Stretches the Insight Into the Future

But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The ending of the essay reveals that Stephen's life has been one long preparation for the future. He has emerged from chaos and his dad's approach to parenting as a person who can thrive in a world that he can't control.

This connection of past experience to current maturity and self-knowledge is a key element in all successful personal essays. Colleges are very much looking for mature, self-aware applicants. These are the qualities of successful college students, who will be able to navigate the independence college classes require and the responsibility and quasi-adulthood of college life.

What Could This Essay Do Even Better?

Even the best essays aren't perfect, and even the world's greatest writers will tell you that writing is never "finished"—just "due." So what would we tweak in this essay if we could?

Replace some of the clichéd language. Stephen uses handy phrases like "twists and turns" and "don't sweat the small stuff" as a kind of shorthand for explaining his relationship to chaos and unpredictability. But using too many of these ready-made expressions runs the risk of clouding out your own voice and replacing it with something expected and boring.

Use another example from recent life. Stephen's first example (breaking into the van in Laredo) is a great illustration of being resourceful in an unexpected situation. But his essay also emphasizes that he "learned to adapt" by being "different things to different people." It would be great to see how this plays out outside his family, either in the situation in Laredo or another context.

Example 2: By Renner Kwittken, Tufts Class of '23 (Common App Essay, 645 words long)

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver. I saw it in my favorite book, Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go," and for some reason, I was absolutely obsessed with the idea of driving a giant pickle. Much to the discontent of my younger sister, I insisted that my parents read us that book as many nights as possible so we could find goldbug, a small little golden bug, on every page. I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Then I discovered a real goldbug: gold nanoparticles that can reprogram macrophages to assist in killing tumors, produce clear images of them without sacrificing the subject, and heat them to obliteration.

Suddenly the destination of my pickle was clear.

I quickly became enveloped by the world of nanomedicine; I scoured articles about liposomes, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, targeting ligands, and self-assembling nanoparticles, all conquering cancer in some exotic way. Completely absorbed, I set out to find a mentor to dive even deeper into these topics. After several rejections, I was immensely grateful to receive an invitation to work alongside Dr. Sangeeta Ray at Johns Hopkins.

In the lab, Dr. Ray encouraged a great amount of autonomy to design and implement my own procedures. I chose to attack a problem that affects the entire field of nanomedicine: nanoparticles consistently fail to translate from animal studies into clinical trials. Jumping off recent literature, I set out to see if a pre-dose of a common chemotherapeutic could enhance nanoparticle delivery in aggressive prostate cancer, creating three novel constructs based on three different linear polymers, each using fluorescent dye (although no gold, sorry goldbug!). Though using radioactive isotopes like Gallium and Yttrium would have been incredible, as a 17-year-old, I unfortunately wasn't allowed in the same room as these radioactive materials (even though I took a Geiger counter to a pair of shoes and found them to be slightly dangerous).

I hadn't expected my hypothesis to work, as the research project would have ideally been led across two full years. Yet while there are still many optimizations and revisions to be done, I was thrilled to find -- with completely new nanoparticles that may one day mean future trials will use particles with the initials "RK-1" -- thatcyclophosphamide did indeed increase nanoparticle delivery to the tumor in a statistically significant way.

A secondary, unexpected research project was living alone in Baltimore, a new city to me, surrounded by people much older than I. Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research. Whether in a presentation or in a casual conversation, making others interested in science is perhaps more exciting to me than the research itself. This solidified a new pursuit to angle my love for writing towards illuminating science in ways people can understand, adding value to a society that can certainly benefit from more scientific literacy.

It seems fitting that my goals are still transforming: in Scarry's book, there is not just one goldbug, there is one on every page. With each new experience, I'm learning that it isn't the goldbug itself, but rather the act of searching for the goldbugs that will encourage, shape, and refine my ever-evolving passions. Regardless of the goldbug I seek -- I know my pickle truck has just begun its journey.

Renner takes a somewhat different approach than Stephen, but their essay is just as detailed and engaging. Let's go through some of the strengths of this essay.

One Clear Governing Metaphor

This essay is ultimately about two things: Renner’s dreams and future career goals, and Renner’s philosophy on goal-setting and achieving one’s dreams.

But instead of listing off all the amazing things they’ve done to pursue their dream of working in nanomedicine, Renner tells a powerful, unique story instead. To set up the narrative, Renner opens the essay by connecting their experiences with goal-setting and dream-chasing all the way back to a memorable childhood experience:

This lighthearted–but relevant!--story about the moment when Renner first developed a passion for a specific career (“finding the goldbug”) provides an anchor point for the rest of the essay. As Renner pivots to describing their current dreams and goals–working in nanomedicine–the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” is reflected in Renner’s experiments, rejections, and new discoveries.

Though Renner tells multiple stories about their quest to “find the goldbug,” or, in other words, pursue their passion, each story is connected by a unifying theme; namely, that as we search and grow over time, our goals will transform…and that’s okay! By the end of the essay, Renner uses the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” to reiterate the relevance of the opening story:

While the earlier parts of the essay convey Renner’s core message by showing, the final, concluding paragraph sums up Renner’s insights by telling. By briefly and clearly stating the relevance of the goldbug metaphor to their own philosophy on goals and dreams, Renner demonstrates their creativity, insight, and eagerness to grow and evolve as the journey continues into college.

An Engaging, Individual Voice

This essay uses many techniques that make Renner sound genuine and make the reader feel like we already know them.

Technique #1: humor. Notice Renner's gentle and relaxed humor that lightly mocks their younger self's grand ambitions (this is different from the more sarcastic kind of humor used by Stephen in the first essay—you could never mistake one writer for the other).

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver.

I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Renner gives a great example of how to use humor to your advantage in college essays. You don’t want to come off as too self-deprecating or sarcastic, but telling a lightheartedly humorous story about your younger self that also showcases how you’ve grown and changed over time can set the right tone for your entire essay.

Technique #2: intentional, eye-catching structure. The second technique is the way Renner uses a unique structure to bolster the tone and themes of their essay . The structure of your essay can have a major impact on how your ideas come across…so it’s important to give it just as much thought as the content of your essay!

For instance, Renner does a great job of using one-line paragraphs to create dramatic emphasis and to make clear transitions from one phase of the story to the next:

Suddenly the destination of my pickle car was clear.

Not only does the one-liner above signal that Renner is moving into a new phase of the narrative (their nanoparticle research experiences), it also tells the reader that this is a big moment in Renner’s story. It’s clear that Renner made a major discovery that changed the course of their goal pursuit and dream-chasing. Through structure, Renner conveys excitement and entices the reader to keep pushing forward to the next part of the story.

Technique #3: playing with syntax. The third technique is to use sentences of varying length, syntax, and structure. Most of the essay's written in standard English and uses grammatically correct sentences. However, at key moments, Renner emphasizes that the reader needs to sit up and pay attention by switching to short, colloquial, differently punctuated, and sometimes fragmented sentences.

Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research.

In the examples above, Renner switches adeptly between long, flowing sentences and quippy, telegraphic ones. At the same time, Renner uses these different sentence lengths intentionally. As they describe their experiences in new places, they use longer sentences to immerse the reader in the sights, smells, and sounds of those experiences. And when it’s time to get a big, key idea across, Renner switches to a short, punchy sentence to stop the reader in their tracks.

The varying syntax and sentence lengths pull the reader into the narrative and set up crucial “aha” moments when it’s most important…which is a surefire way to make any college essay stand out.

Renner's essay is very strong, but there are still a few little things that could be improved.

Connecting the research experiences to the theme of “finding the goldbug.”  The essay begins and ends with Renner’s connection to the idea of “finding the goldbug.” And while this metaphor is deftly tied into the essay’s intro and conclusion, it isn’t entirely clear what Renner’s big findings were during the research experiences that are described in the middle of the essay. It would be great to add a sentence or two stating what Renner’s big takeaways (or “goldbugs”) were from these experiences, which add more cohesion to the essay as a whole.

Give more details about discovering the world of nanomedicine. It makes sense that Renner wants to get into the details of their big research experiences as quickly as possible. After all, these are the details that show Renner’s dedication to nanomedicine! But a smoother transition from the opening pickle car/goldbug story to Renner’s “real goldbug” of nanoparticles would help the reader understand why nanoparticles became Renner’s goldbug. Finding out why Renner is so motivated to study nanomedicine–and perhaps what put them on to this field of study–would help readers fully understand why Renner chose this path in the first place.

4 Essential Tips for Writing Your Own Essay

How can you use this discussion to better your own college essay? Here are some suggestions for ways to use this resource effectively.

#1: Get Help From the Experts

Getting your college applications together takes a lot of work and can be pretty intimidatin g. Essays are even more important than ever now that admissions processes are changing and schools are going test-optional and removing diversity standards thanks to new Supreme Court rulings .  If you want certified expert help that really makes a difference, get started with  PrepScholar’s Essay Editing and Coaching program. Our program can help you put together an incredible essay from idea to completion so that your application stands out from the crowd. We've helped students get into the best colleges in the United States, including Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.  If you're ready to take the next step and boost your odds of getting into your dream school, connect with our experts today .

#2: Read Other Essays to Get Ideas for Your Own

As you go through the essays we've compiled for you above, ask yourself the following questions:

• Can you explain to yourself (or someone else!) why the opening sentence works well?
• Look for the essay's detailed personal anecdote. What senses is the author describing? Can you easily picture the scene in your mind's eye?
• Find the place where this anecdote bridges into a larger insight about the author. How does the essay connect the two? How does the anecdote work as an example of the author's characteristic, trait, or skill?
• Check out the essay's tone. If it's funny, can you find the places where the humor comes from? If it's sad and moving, can you find the imagery and description of feelings that make you moved? If it's serious, can you see how word choice adds to this tone?

Make a note whenever you find an essay or part of an essay that you think was particularly well-written, and think about what you like about it . Is it funny? Does it help you really get to know the writer? Does it show what makes the writer unique? Once you have your list, keep it next to you while writing your essay to remind yourself to try and use those same techniques in your own essay.

#3: Find Your "A-Ha!" Moment

All of these essays rely on connecting with the reader through a heartfelt, highly descriptive scene from the author's life. It can either be very dramatic (did you survive a plane crash?) or it can be completely mundane (did you finally beat your dad at Scrabble?). Either way, it should be personal and revealing about you, your personality, and the way you are now that you are entering the adult world.

Check out essays by authors like John Jeremiah Sullivan , Leslie Jamison , Hanif Abdurraqib , and Esmé Weijun Wang to get more examples of how to craft a compelling personal narrative.

#4: Start Early, Revise Often

Let me level with you: the best writing isn't writing at all. It's rewriting. And in order to have time to rewrite, you have to start way before the application deadline. My advice is to write your first draft at least two months before your applications are due.

Let it sit for a few days untouched. Then come back to it with fresh eyes and think critically about what you've written. What's extra? What's missing? What is in the wrong place? What doesn't make sense? Don't be afraid to take it apart and rearrange sections. Do this several times over, and your essay will be much better for it!

For more editing tips, check out a style guide like Dreyer's English or Eats, Shoots & Leaves .

What's Next?

Still not sure which colleges you want to apply to? Our experts will show you how to make a college list that will help you choose a college that's right for you.

Interested in learning more about college essays? Check out our detailed breakdown of exactly how personal statements work in an application , some suggestions on what to avoid when writing your essay , and our guide to writing about your extracurricular activities .

Working on the rest of your application? Read what admissions officers wish applicants knew before applying .

The recommendations in this post are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

• For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

• Technical Support
• Find My Rep

You are here

Preparing your manuscript.

What are you submitting? The main manuscript document The title page How do I format my article? Sage Author Services

What are you submitting? 

Sage journals publish a variety of different article types, from original research, review articles, to commentaries and opinion pieces. Please view your chosen journal’s submission guidelines for information on what article types are published and what the individual requirements are for each. Below are general guidelines for submitting an original research article. 

Whatever kind of article you are submitting, remember that the language you use is important. We are committed to promoting equity throughout our publishing program, and we believe that using language is a simple and powerful way to ensure the communities we serve feel welcomed, respected, safe, and able to fully engage with the publishing process and our published content. Inclusive language considerations are especially important when discussing topics like age, appearance, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, emigration status, and weight. We have produced an Inclusive Language Guide that recommends preferred terminology on these topics. We recognize that language is constantly evolving and we’re committed to ensuring that this guide is continuously updated to reflect changing practices. The guide isn't exhaustive, but we hope it serves as a helpful starting point.  

The main manuscript document 

Have a look at your chosen journal’s submission guidelines for information on what sections should be included in your manuscript. Generally there will be an Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgments, Statements and Declarations section, and References. Be sure to remove any identifying information from the main manuscript if you are submitting to a journal that has a double-anonymized peer review policy and instead include this on a separate title page. See the Sage Journal Author Gateway for detailed guidance on making an anonymous submission .   

Your article title, keywords, and abstract all contribute to its position in search engine results, directly affecting the number of people who see your work. For details of what you can do to influence this, visit How to help readers find your article online .

Title: Your manuscript’s title should be concise, descriptive, unambiguous, accurate, and reflect the precise contents of the manuscript. A descriptive title that includes the topic of the manuscript makes an article more findable in the major indexing services.  

Abstract: Your abstract should concisely state the purpose of the research, major findings, and conclusions. If your research includes clinical trials, the trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract. Submissions that do not meet this requirement will not be considered. Please see your chosen journal’s guidelines for information on how to set out your abstract.  

Keywords: You will be asked to list a certain number of keywords after the abstract. Keywords should be as specific as possible to the research topic.   

Acknowledgements: If you are including an Acknowledgements section, this will be published at the end of your article. The Acknowledgments section should include all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship. Per ICMJE recommendations , it is best practice to obtain consent from non-author contributors who you are acknowledging in your manuscript.   

Writing assistance and third-party submissions: if you have received any writing or editing assistance from a third-party, for example a specialist communications company, this must be clearly stated in the Acknowledgements section and in the covering letter. Please see the Sage Author Gateway for what information to include in your Acknowledgements section. If your submission is being made on your behalf by someone who is not listed as an author, for example the third-party who provided writing/editing assistance, you must state this in the Acknowledgements and also in your covering letter. Please note that the journal editor reserves the right to not consider submissions made by a third party rather than by the author/s themselves.   

Author contributions statement: As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review and publication process, some journals have adopted CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) . CRediT is a high-level taxonomy, including 14 roles, which is used to describe each author’s individual contributions to the work. Other journals may require you to list the contribution of each author as part of the submission process. If so, please include an Author Contributions heading within your submission after the Acknowledgements section. The information you give on submission will then show under the Author Contributions heading later at the proofing stage.  

Statements and declarations: You’ll be asked to provide various statements and declarations regarding the research you’re submitting. These will vary by journal so do make sure you read your chosen journal’s guidelines carefully to see what is required. Please include a section with the heading ‘Statements and Declarations’ at the end of your submitted article, after the Acknowledgements section (and Author Contributions section if applicable) including the relevant sub-headings listed below. If a declaration is not applicable to your submission, you must still include the heading and state ‘Not applicable’ underneath. Please note that you may be asked to justify why a declaration was not applicable to your submission by the Editorial Office.

• Ethical considerations: Please include your ethics approval statements under this heading, even if you have already included ethics approval information in your methods section. If ethical approval was not required, you need to state this. You can find information on what to say in your ethical statements as well as example statements on our Publication ethics and research integrity policies page    
• Consent to participate: Please include any participant consent information under this heading and state whether informed consent to participate was written or verbal. If the requirement for informed consent to participate has been waived by the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (i.e. where it has been deemed that consent would be impossible or impracticable to obtain), please state this. If this is not applicable to your manuscript, please state ‘Not applicable’ in this section. More information and example statements can be found on our Publication ethics and research integrity policies page   
• Consent for publication: Submissions containing any data from an individual person (including individual details, images or videos) must include a statement confirming that informed consent for publication was provided by the participant(s) or a legally authorized representative. Non-essential identifying details should be omitted.  Please do not submit the participant’s actual written informed consent with your article, as this in itself breaches the patient’s confidentiality. The Journal requests that you confirm to us, in writing, that you have obtained written informed consent to publish but the written consent itself should be held by the authors/investigators themselves, for example in a patient’s hospital record. The confirmatory letter may be uploaded with your submission as a separate file in addition to the statement confirming that consent to publish was obtained within the manuscript text. If this is not applicable to your manuscript, please state ‘Not applicable’ in this section. If you need one you can download this template participant consent form . 
• Declaration of conflicting interest: All journals require a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors so that a statement can be included in your article. For guidance on conflict of interest statements, see our policy on conflicting interest declarations and the ICMJE recommendations . If no conflict exists, your statement should read: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
• Funding statement: All articles need to include a funding statement, under a separate heading, even if you did not receive funding .  You’ll find guidance and examples on our Funding statements page .  
• Data availability statement: We are committed to helping ensure you reach as many readers as possible, always in a spirit of openness and transparency. We encourage you to share your research to a public repository and cite this data in your research (please note that this is a requirement for some journals). You will need to publish a data availability statement with your article under this heading. More information on how to write one can be found on the Sage Gateway: Research Data Sharing FAQs | SAGE Publications Ltd   

Artwork, figures, and other graphics: Illustrations, pictures and graphs, should be supplied in the highest quality and in an electronic format that helps us to publish your article in the best way possible. Please follow the guidelines below to enable us to prepare your artwork for the printed issue as well as the online version. 

• Format: TIFF, JPEG: Common format for pictures (containing no text or graphs). 
• EPS: Preferred format for graphs and line art (retains quality when enlarging/zooming in). 
• Placement: Figures/charts and tables created in MS Word should be included in the main text rather than at the end of the document. 
• Figures and other files created outside Word (i.e. Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, TIFF and EPS) should be submitted separately. Please add a placeholder note in the running text (i.e. “[insert Figure 1.]") 
• Resolution: Rasterized based files (i.e. with .tiff or .jpeg extension) require a resolution of at least 300 dpi (dots per inch). Line art should be supplied with a minimum resolution of 800 dpi. 
• Colour: Please note that images supplied in colour will be published in colour online and black and white in print (unless otherwise arranged). Therefore, it is important that you supply images that are comprehensible in black and white as well (i.e. by using colour with a distinctive pattern or dotted lines). The captions should reflect this by not using words indicating colour. If you have requested colour reproduction in the print version, we will advise you of any costs on receipt of your accepted article. 
• Dimension: Check that the artworks supplied match or exceed the dimensions of the journal. Images cannot be scaled up after origination 
• Fonts: The lettering used in the artwork should not vary too much in size and type (usually sans serif font as a default). 

Please ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures, or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Frequently Asked Questions page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.   

References: Every in-text citation must have a corresponding citation in the reference list and vice versa. Corresponding citations must have identical spelling and year. Information about what reference style to use can be found in your chosen journal’s guidelines. 

Authors should update any references to preprints when a peer reviewed version is made available, to cite the published research. Citations to preprints are otherwise discouraged.  

Supplemental material Sage journals can host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc.) alongside the full text of the article. Your supplemental material must be one of our accepted file types. For that list and more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplemental files .  

The title page  

You will also need to prepare a title page. This should include any information removed from the main manuscript document for the purposes of anonymity. The title page will not be sent to peer reviewers.  

Your title page should include:  

• Article title  
• The full list of authors including all names and affiliations. 
• The listed affiliation should be the institution where the research was conducted. If an author has moved to a new institution since completing the research, the new affiliation can be included in a note at the end of the manuscript – please indicate this on the title page.  
• Everybody eligible for authorship must be included at the time of submission (please see the authorship section for more information).
• Contact information for the corresponding author: name, institutional address, phone, email  
• Acknowledgments section  
• Statements and Declarations section  
• Any other identifying information related to the authors and/or their institutions, funders, approval committees, etc, that might compromise anonymity.   

How do I format my article? 

The preferred format is Word. There is no need to follow a specific template when submitting your manuscript in Word. However, please ensure your heading levels are clear, and the sections clearly defined. 

(La)TeX guidelines We welcome submissions of LaTeX files. Please download the  Sage LaTex Template , which contains comprehensive guidelines. The Sage LaTex template files are also available in  Overleaf , should you wish to write in an online environment. 

If you have used any .bib or .bst files when creating your article, please include these with your submission so that we can generate the reference list and citations in the journal-specific style. If you have any queries, please consult our  LaTex Frequently Asked Questions.  

When formatting your references, please ensure you check the reference style followed by your chosen journal. Here are quick links to the  Sage Harvard  reference style, the  Sage Vancouver  reference style and the  APA  reference style. 

Other styles available for certain journals are:  ACS Style Guide ,  AMA Manual of Style ,  ASA Style Guide ,  Chicago Manual of Style  and  CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Societies . 

Please refer to  your journal's manuscript submission guidelines  to confirm which reference style it conforms to and for other specific requirements. 

Equations should to be submitted using Office Math ML and Math type. 

Artwork guidelines   Illustrations, pictures and graphs, should be supplied in the highest quality and in an electronic format that helps us to publish your article in the best way possible. Please follow the guidelines below to enable us to prepare your artwork for the printed issue as well as the online version. 

• Format:  TIFF, JPEG: Common format for pictures (containing no text or graphs).  EPS: Preferred format for graphs and line art (retains quality when enlarging/zooming in). 
• Placement:  Figures/charts and tables created in MS Word should be included in the main text rather than at the end of the document.  Figures and other files created outside Word (i.e. Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, TIFF and EPS) should be submitted separately. Please add a placeholder note in the running text (i.e. “[insert Figure 1.]") 
• Resolution:  Rasterized based files (i.e. with .tiff or .jpeg extension) require a resolution of at least  300 dpi  (dots per inch). Line art should be supplied with a minimum resolution of  800 dpi . 
• Color:  Please note that images supplied in colour will be published in color online and black and white in print (unless otherwise arranged). Therefore, it is important that you supply images that are comprehensible in black and white as well (i.e. by using color with a distinctive pattern or dotted lines). The captions should reflect this by not using words indicating colour. 
• Dimension:  Check that the artworks supplied match or exceed the dimensions of the journal. Images cannot be scaled up after origination 
• Fonts:  The lettering used in the artwork should not vary too much in size and type (usually sans serif font as a default). 

Image integrity Figures should be minimally processed and should reflect the integrity of the original data in the image. Adjustments to images in brightness, contrast, or color balance should be applied equally to the entire image, provided they do not distort any data in the figure, including the background. Selective adjustments and touch-up tools used on portions of a figure are not appropriate. Images should not be layered or combined into a single image unless it is stated that the figure is a product of time-averaged data. All adjustments to image date should be clearly disclosed in the figure legend. Images may be additionally screened to confirm faithfulness to the original data. Authors should be able to supply raw image data upon request. Authors should also list tools and software used to collect image data and should document settings and manipulations in the Methods section. 

Sage Author Services 

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation with editing, or figure and manuscript formatting, to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Author Services. Other additional services include creation of infographics and video summaries to promote your article with colleagues and over social media. Visit  Sage Author Services  on our Journal Author Gateway for further information. 

• Open access at Sage
• Top reasons to publish with Sage
• How to get published
• Open access and publishing fees
• Sage Author Services
• Help readers find your article
• Plain Language Summaries
• Inclusive language guide
• Registered reports author guidelines
• Publication ethics policies
• Supplemental material author guidelines
• Manuscript preparation for double-anonymized journals
• Advance: a Sage preprints community
• Submitting your manuscript
• During peer review
• During and post publication
• Sage editorial policies
• Help and support
• Journal Editor Gateway
• Journal Reviewer Gateway
• Ethics & Responsibility
• Publication Ethics Policies
• Sage Chinese Author Gateway 中国作者资源