Phoenicia Publishing holiday newsletter and sale

Beautiful December newsletter--take a look and think about supporting a fine small press founded by Beth Adams. Small publishers need your love, your encouragement, and your financial support (that's a vote in favor of continued life for a small press) to do what they are doing. One-week holiday sale. I've pilfered a copy for anyone who might not be lucky enough to find one in their email or see a share on facebook or twitter. You can also see the original via MailChimp.

GIFTS FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST! Here are a few suggestions of special books for holiday gift-giving -- or for yourself! Several are on sale for just one week, direct orders only. We also hope you'll visit our full catalogue this season, and give a gift that supports writers, artists, and independent publishing. Thank you so much for your interest and your purchases during past years! "A nature poet in the great American tradition...and more than that."  -- Ama Bolton Need a perfect Christmas present, for just $12.00? Dave Bonta's Ice Mountain: An Elegy, was one of three fiction/poetry finalists for the 2017 Banff Mountain Book Awards, and it's receiving glowing reviews from a wide variety of readers. On sale for the coming week, it's also a beautiful book, with illustrations any nature and art lover will enjoy -- some of which are available as original linocut prints, for a very affordable price. Last December, I gave a copy of Thaliad to a friend. She ended up buying twelve more copies as gifts, and exclaimed over what an extraordinary work it is; she loved the overall design, the artwork by Clive Hicks-Jenkins, and most especially the story Marly Youmans tells in the form of an epic poem-novel for our time. Beautiful books with carefully wrought words and a timeless message are still sought out, because they are books that will last. Thaliad, a consistent Phoenicia bestseller, is available in both hardcover (on sale now) and paperback editions. "Women rabbis have created poems that see God in a whole series of bold new images that we were not accustomed to seeing before." -- Rabbi Jack Riemer "She is as young as our century and as old as Judaism." -- Gordon Atkinson Jewish and Christian readers alike will appreciate the fresh insights and female perspective on the first five books of the Bible in acclaimed writer and rabbi Rachel Barenblat's 70 Faces: Torah Poems, Phoenicia's all-time bestselling book. Limited Quantity! We're down to our last few copies of Annunciation, so please order early at a special sale price! This book of poetic responses by 16 interfaith and secular poets to the story of Mary has received wide acclaim for its broadly envisioned, thought-provoking words; beautiful design; and many linocut illustrations. It's a lovely and appropriate Christmas gift, and comes in an 8" x 10" softcover format. Several of the illustrations are also available as original linocut prints in our art shop. View Full Catalogue We'll be back in early 2018 with exciting news about Phoenicia's upcoming titles. But right now, we wish you a peaceful and joyful holiday season, and thank you once again for your support of independent publishing and the authors, artists and musicians we publish. Elizabeth Adams, publisher

Manuscript critique

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Who will read my manuscript?
This little gang of editors and writers was formed especially for the people who write and ask me to critique their manuscripts, and for those who ask for recommendations on how to find an editor. I have done some manuscript critiques for others (particularly friends-of-friends and locals) in the past but don't have time to do that now.  I hope this collection of people who critique and edit will help if you are looking for feedback on a book manuscript or screenplay.

Genres, experience, expense
Most of the people on the list handle fiction and nonfiction, but some deal with YA, screenwriting, and poetry as well. My recommendation is that you look closely at the links; the editors are quite varied in experience and interests, and some of them might just feel like a fit for you. I expect there may be a range in the pesky matter of expense as well; I've listed fees where easily available. If this helps you narrow down to a few editors, please google them and see what else you can find.

Investigate
When you read about someone who has worked in the publishing industry, see what they have edited. In the case of editors who are also published writers--as many here are--don't forget that you can often go to Amazon and read a portion of a book. Excerpts and reviews may be on other sites as well. Google is your friend. This is especially helpful with those who do not have a website. Most of the names here are based on a facebook query; if you want to look at the responses (some of which have personal recommendations and more information), they are here.

Recommendations, prose and poetry
I have included the novelist or poet who recommended each person, except when e-friends contacted me directly. Though I've focused on prose, there are a good many no-fee sites where you can share and discuss poems--perhaps the most rarefied being Eratosphere, which concentrates primarily on formal poetry.

Grow the list
Please feel free to add further names and information in the comments. I will be adding any others that come in via email and facebook. And if you use one of the editors, come back and leave a comment.

Thanks to Diane
Oh, and Diane Ducey deserves credit for writing a lovely letter that prompted me to make this list. Good luck to her!

MIKE LEVINE
About Mike Levine Editorial: here
Write Mike Levine on the MLE contact page: here
Recommended by poet and translator Alicia Stallings

JACKIE COOPER
jkershawcooper [at] aol [dot] com
About Jackie Cooper: here
Note: He will not review any book he critiques. (He reviews for Huffington Post.)
Fee for a novel critique: $400.

CAREY WALLACE
About Carey Wallace: here
theblindcontessa [at] gmail [dot] com
Fees worked out on a case by case basis.

LAURA AGIRI
silver [dot] graph [at] juno [dot] com
Laura has published novels and collections of stories
   and has worked as researcher, editor, and writer.

JEN VIOLI
About Jen Violi: here
Write Jen on her contact page: here
Recommended by writer Alice Marks

PETERNELLE VAN ARSDALE
About Peternelle Van Arsdale: here
peternelle [at] peternellevanarsdale [dot] com
YA, novel, fantasy
Recommend by novelist Jeff Giles

CINDY KANE / CINDY TRUMBORE
About Cindy Kane: here
Cindy [at] cindykane.net
Children's books and YA
Recommended by poet Julie Kane

JANET NAYLOR VANDENABEELE
Ink Stains Media: here
janetvan [at] gmail [dot] com

JULIE SCHEINA
About Julie Scheina: here
julie [at] juliescheina [dot] com
Recommended by novelist April Lindner

NEIL AITKEN
About Neil Aitken's work with poets and writers: here
Contact page here
Recommended by poet Robbi Nester

S. J. HODGES
Memoirs, self-help, fiction
About S. J. Hodges: here
Around $500 for a read with notes session, depending on length
She sends science and business mss. to LEIGH ANNE HIRSCHMAN
    at Hirschman Literary

MARGARET DIEHL
About Margaret Diehl: here, here
margaret [dot] diehl [at] gmail [dot] com

KAREN PALMER
About Karen Palmer: here
karenpalm [at] gmail [dot] com
Recommended by Margaret Diehl

MELANIE BISHOP
About Melanie Bishop: here
leximelanie [at] gmail [dot] com
Recommended by Margaret Diehl

JOAN ROGERS
to be added
Recommended by Margaret Diehl

Thanks to novelist Emily Barton for more recommendations,
   though they turned out to be overbooked. How busy
   an editor is just might be something to consider as well.

IMAGE
The Manuscript Critique: "$695 for up to six months of mentoring."
Writer and professor Jessica Hooten Wilson suggested
   both IMAGE's book service and IOWA BOOK DOCTORS.
   I haven't found enough information on the latter, but feel free to investigate further!

FREE FACEBOOK WRITERS GROUP
"Anyone may submit passages of written work for group critiques."
Find other writers who want to swap manuscripts for comments at any stage...
Recommended by Kim Beall, who says she found a few trolls but also
   some helpful friends. (Kim just sold her first book.)

FREE CRITTERS is a free service for writers of sf/f/h, though you have to critique
   other pieces before you take a turn with your own. So you "pay" with your
   time and thoughts. I talked to someone who used the service, and he was
   enthusiastic about one critiquer out of five.

Bargaimania

I've been a mite busy with birthdays, Thanksgiving, and deadlines... Still am tilting crazily against some deadlines. And so this is just to let you know that Maze of Blood is again on sale at Amazon for a mere ten bucks. Don't know if it'll last--it didn't, the prior time.

Clive and Glimmerglass

Hop to the U.K. 

for 

A Book a Day in Hay 

with Clive Hicks-Jenkins
(my jewel-minded Illuminator) 

on Glimmerglass.

Thank you to Clive and A Book a Day in Hay!