Opportunities for Self-Published Authors with Shelf Unbound

When we launched our first Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Self-Published Book last fall, I was thrilled by the response (800+ entries), by the quality of the submissions, and by the sense of community, I felt from engaging with these authors and their works. In response to all of that, Shelf Unbound has some new initiatives for 2013 that might interest self-published authors.

Writing Competition

First, the call for entries for our second annual writing competition for best self-published book will go out in the middle of the year—if you sign up for a free subscription to Shelf Unbound magazine, you will be the first to know when we announce it. We will feature the winners of the 2013 competition in the December/January 2014 issue of Shelf Unbound magazine, which reaches 125,000 avid readers in the US and in 57 countries around the globe.

Notable Authors

Second, we’re launching a regular department that will feature notable books submitted to our competition that did not make it into the “winners” issue.

Blogging

Third, to provide a forum and community for self-published authors, I’m inviting self-published authors to be guest bloggers on the Shelf Media blog. I’m looking for 250- to 300-word essays on writing and/or self-publishing—talk about your book and give it a plug and include your website and/or links to your book. Just email me your text and I’ll let you know when I run it (margaret@shelfmediagroup.com). Please put “guest blog” in your subject line.

Finally, we have ad rates for self-published authors starting as low as $250 – shoot me an email if you’d like details – Margaret@shelfmediagroup.com.

I invite you all to be a part of the Shelf Unbound magazine community. I wish you all the best in the New Year. Keep writing.

Guest Author

Margaret Brown is the founder and publisher of Shelf Unbound book review magazine, a 2012 Maggie Award Finalist for Best Digital-Only Magazine. She is a lifetime member of the National Book Critics Circle.