Guest Post Policy

Would you like to contribute a guest blog post to Writer Beware®?

To vary our subject matter and present differing points of view, we publish occasional guest blog posts on subjects relating to publishing, the publishing industry, and, of course, literary schemes and scams.

If you’re interested in writing about a current issue or problem in the industry; or in offering practical information about some aspect of querying, submitting, publishing, or self-publishing; or if you’ve had a writing or publishing experience that you think would help, inform, and/or warn other writers–we’d like to hear from you. Please note that we don’t usually publish guest posts that address writing craft.

Here are some examples of guest blog posts we’ve hosted (you can see a full list of them here):

The Book Marketing Scam That Went the Extra Mile

Grants for Writers: As Diverse As You Are

Beware Social Media Snake Oil

International Writing Scams: How to Protect Yourself

Dear Agent: Write the Query Letter That Sells Your Book

Distributor vs. Wholesaler: Getting Your Book on the Shelf

We tend toward long-form posts, so your post must be at least 750 words, and can be as long as 1,200 words. We’re not a paying market, but we’ll give you a byline, a bio, and links to your website, blog, or whatever. We’ll also expect you to be available to respond to comments on your post.

Please note our guidelines – and follow them.

  • You must have expertise in your subject. That doesn’t mean you have to be a literary agent, editor, or even a published writer (though we would love to have guest blog posts by industry professionals)–but you do need to have some experience or skill that qualifies you to know what you’re talking about.
  • Your primary purpose must be to inform, not to promote. We understand that guest blogging is a way to raise your online visibility, and that’s fine. But please don’t contact us if you’re just interested in writing a puff piece in order to drive traffic to your own website or business. Obvious self-promo or SEO bait will be deleted without response.
  • Your subject must be appropriate for the blog. If you’re not already a reader, please spend some time here to get a sense of what we’re all about. We often hear from would-be guest bloggers who haven’t done that–and we can always tell.
  • Your views must be compatible with the general outlook of this blog. Again, if you’re a reader, you’ll probably have a sense of what that is. If you’re new to Writer Beware®, read back for a few months to get a feel. We’re not suggesting that guest bloggers have to toe any sort of party line–we are always open to different and provocative viewpoints. But if, for instance, you want to argue that literary agents are greedy, cruel, and indifferent to real talent, we’re not interested in hosting a diatribe. Or if you want to make a controversial prediction about the future of publishing, be sure to provide evidence to bolster your case…because we like opinion pieces, but only if they’re well-founded.
  • You can pitch us your idea to see what we think, or simply write the post and send it in. Whichever works best for you.
  • We reserve the right to reject your post, or if we accept it, to edit it. Editing is usually on the order of light copy editing (if your post needs content editing, we’ll probably reject it).
  • So if you’d like to blog for Writer Beware®, please contact us at beware@sfwa.org and we’ll be happy to discuss it!