A lot has been going on over the past few months. Last I posted, DWL Publishing was gearing up for the release of "The Den." We now have a total of 7 titles in our library with another handful in the works.

Want to hear updates on all our books? Sign up for our newsletter. We are also in need of ARC readers. If you are interested, please let us know when you sign up. Thank you.

In other news, we have updated our services page. We no longer offer critiques on query letters, blurbs, synopsis, or for children's book illustrations. We have also done away with the reader fee connected to our editing services.

We have added ghostwriting services. A few of our clients have asked if we know of any good ghostwriters. When I put the word out, I figured DWL could provide a list of individuals who are vetted and qualified. Then it donned on me to include this as a service on our website. After much deliberation and thought, I've determined what I feel is the best fee. Be one of the first to use this service and receive a discounted rate. This will be determined during the contract phase. 

Please see our revised services page for more details on our changes.

DWL looks forward to seeing what the end of the year looks like and we hope to be able to put out a call for short story submissions to be published soon. Please watch for that to go live. I am still working out all the details. 
 

Click on the cover photo to get your copy!
DWL is still working out the details on allowing submissions and we hope to have that available over the summer. When we open for submissions, we are only allowing shorter works. For more information see our previous news update from April.
DWL hopes that everyone is staying safe out there.

In response to the COVID-19 virus that is plaguing the world, Dream Write Learn Services, will be announcing new and exciting features in the coming weeks.
Last week, we launched a new division within the DWL family. To receive updates please join our publishing updates mailing list here:
https://mailchi.mp/e543514201dc/bookreleases

Publishing has always been a huge part of why I started this company. It was my hope that the editing service would provide an avenue to gain clients and then in the future a publishing company would be created.

This announcement comes, not because of the virus, but from careful contemplation of where this company needs to grow. For those that aren't on social media, Dream Write Literary Publishing launched its first short story last week.

Over the weekend, the short story titled "Project Chimera", was available to Kindle readers for free. During the special, the book was downloaded a total of 19 times. A huge thank you to those who picked up their free copy. I hope you enjoy the story. There will be more stories about River, Verity, and Clark coming this year and next. Please watch for release dates and links.

While it is not in my nature to ask for reviews, if you feel inclined to give one I would enjoy reading what you have to say; even if it is to tell me you didn't like it. Everyone has their own personal preferences and that is okay.

Now on to the details I'm sure the writers out there are wondering about. How can I get published through Dream Write Literary Publishing?

At the moment, I am not accepting any pieces. Mostly because I need to fine tune the contracts and make sure the writers are getting what they deserve.

Why tell us about this new opportunity if you aren't accepting submissions?
I am telling you about this because at any moment in the coming weeks, I could open the virtual door for submissions and I want you dear writers to be ready.

What I will be looking for:
- Short stories in any genre except erotica.
- Stories must be between 10,000 and 20,000 words.
- Stories should be Young Adult to Adult reading levels with a TV/Movie equivalent rating of: TV-PG; TV-14; PG; or PG-13.

If you have any questions, please comment below and I'll get back with you as soon as I can.

Last November I issued the following challenge:

DWL 2020 Challenge:
1. Submit to a writing contest
2. Submit to a literary journal, anthology, or writing magazine
3, Write 1,000 words per day (work up to it or exceed it. If you already do this add another thousand to work up to.)
4. Share the challenge with others, so they can join the fun.
5. Develop another talent other than writing.
6. Submit to the DWL Journal a short story, poem, or creative non-fiction story.
7. Submit a manuscript for publication to an agent or publishing company.
8. Tweet, Instagram, or Facebook post using the #DWLwriterchallenge or #dreamwritelearnchallenge or #dwl2020writers or #writerchallenge2020 or come up with your own throughout the year when you fulfill one of the challenges.

I will admit that I forgot about this challenge as the new year approached and January came and went. I'm here today to reissue this challenge for 2020. Make this year one for the books (pun intended!).

To complete this challenge, simply do one of the things listed above and then talk about it on social media. I did change the hashtags up a bit from the original post, so please use the hashtags in this post. Make sure that we know you've participated in the challenge.

Why is this challenge important to DWL?
As the owner of DWL, I find that when I have someone to hold me accountable for the work I do, I tend to complete what I need to in order to succeed. It is my hope this year to build a strong community of writers who help and encourage each other to fulfill lifelong dreams.

If you have any questions about writing or about this challenge, please don't hesitate to reach out to the DWL team via social media or here on our website.

On October 7th, 2019, I posted the following photo on our Facebook page:

Why is time important to writers?
Every November the challenge of National Novel Writing Month brings together millions of writers to create new stories (or finish old ones left unfinished!). Writers who accept this challenge sacrifice their time away from family, friends, and binge-worthy TV shows; all in the effort to develop a first draft of a story that may never be read by the masses.
Some writers take time in the months leading up to the challenge to do research on character names, setting, plot, world building, and even outline chapter by chapter.
It is the time that a writer takes to develop characters and worlds that some people seem to forget. The books on our shelves took time to write. Each book required the writer to use up time in their life to show readers a new world or perspective on life.

I wanted to share the quote again, because it got me thinking about the time I dedicate to my own writing, to my businesses, to my family, and to my friends. Each aspect of our lives requires time. I heard in church yesterday, "Don't waste the waiting."

Meaning don't waste the time you have while you're waiting for something better to come along. As the new year approaches, I issue the following challenge to make 2020 the year you don't waste the waiting.

DWL 2020 Challenge:
1. Submit to a writing contest
2. Submit to a literary journal, anthology, or writing magazine
3, Write 1,000 words per day (work up to it or exceed it. If you already do this add another thousand to work up to.)
4. Share the challenge with others, so they can join the fun.
5. Develop another talent other than writing.
6. Submit to the DWL Journal a short story, poem, or creative non-fiction story.
7. Submit a manuscript for publication to an agent or publishing company.
8. Tweet, Instagram, or Facebook post using the #DWLdontwastethewaiting or #dontwastethewaitingchallenge or #dwtwchallenge throughout the year when you fulfill one of the challenges.

Good luck in your writing and remember that everything takes time. Use that time to do great things. 

Last month, I announced we would begin a new weekly post called "Friday Friends." The basic idea behind this weekly post is to encourage the community we have built over the last three years to share what they are working on with each other.

Who are we looking for to be a "Friday Friend"?
We are looking for authors, bloggers, conference or event coordinators, and contest, grant, and fellowship directors to advertise their book, blog, conference/event, and contest, grant, and fellowship opportunities.

What are we looking for?
A brief advertisement of your book, blog, conference/event, or contest, grant, and fellowship. Include in the application a link to what you'll be advertising.

How much does it cost?
Being friends doesn't cost anything. If you would like to submit a donation to our business, please let me know and I'll get you the information to do so.

Guidelines:
1. Please read through the guidelines before submitting an application.
2. DWL is now accepting applications for "Friday Friends" in the following categories:
     a. authors
     b. bloggers (please write about writing related topics)
     c. conferences and events
     d. contests, grants, and fellowships
3. If you are not in the above categories, submit an application and include who you are and we will take it into consideration.
4. Choose a time of day you can be available to post on our social media sites your advertisement. If you would like us to post your advertisement, please choose "other" in the application form. If you choose to have us post your ad, we will let you know when the ad will go live. If you post yourself, please be available to answer any questions from DWL followers. Times available are:
     a. mornings (between 7am-10am MT)
     b. midday (between 10am-1pm MT)
     c. afternoons (between 1pm-4pm MT)
     d. evenings (between 4pm-7pm MT)
5. Choose how long you would like to advertise. We have 4 slots per Friday at the moment. This could change in the future. If you would like the ad to run until the deadline, please choose "other" in the application form.
6. Please include a brief summary of what you'll be advertising. Include the name of the product you'll be advertising, where to find it, when it will be available, and a description of the product. With the summary please, include a link to the product.

Welcome to the first Motivational Monday Writing Prompt! Below you'll find a prompt that you can work on during this week. I would encourage you to work on the prompts each week, as I will be putting out calls for content through the DWL Journal starting in October. The calls for content will correlate to the writing prompts. If you've already started working on a prompt, the calls for content will hopefully give you the added motivation to finish the project. Good luck! Happy writing!

Over the last few months, DWL has been going through some changes. I have been working throughout the summer trying to decide how to best serve the writing community. I started this company as a way to provide a service to my fellow writers and at a rate that was within their budget. This model hasn't been sustainable and I hope that our current and potential clients will understand why the changes are being made. 

I am happy to announce the following changes at this time.

New Website:​
This beautiful new website that is hopefully more streamlined and easy to understand,  is the first major change. The new site comes with a new URL that matches our company name, which I am super excited about. I was shocked that it was available, but I didn't question it!

Services: 
Along with a new website, we have updated our prices on our services. Beginning today, we will have a per page fee and a flat rate fee for each project we receive.

What will that look like?
The rate per page will remain the same as it was before; however, a flat rate fee per reader/reviewer will be added.
As an example of a project, if someone requests an all-in-one package, and they had a 100 page manuscript, the breakdown of fees would look like this:
Alpha/Beta Reader: $0.60 per page x 100 pages = $60 + $50 flat rate fee = $110
Proofreader: $1.45 per page x 100 pages = $145 + $75 flat rate fee = $220
Editor: $2.85 per page x 100 pages = $285 + $150 flat rate fee = $435
Grand Total: $765

Why the added fee?
The added fee will go directly to the reader/reviewer for their time and effort they put into the project. Simply put, the per page fee is for DWL to take the project and the flat rate fee is for the reader/reviewer to look over the manuscript.

Store:
I am happy to announce that we have a new store that will cater to the needs of writers of all kinds. The new store will have DWL Journals for sale, along with notebooks, pens, and other writing essentials. I am still getting the store ready for customers but if you would like to preview it you can click on the "Store" tab above and you'll be taken there. As I am getting the store ready, please comment on Facebook or on this post what products you would like to see in the store.

Along with the changes, we will be bringing back a few things that have fallen off my radar. Those things include:

Motivational Mondays - a motivational quote will be posted on Facebook. It may or may not be writing related, but I am going to start adding a blog post that will include a writing prompt for the week. That means there will be 2 new Facebook posts every Monday. One with the quote and one with the link to the blog post. This will start on Monday, September 16th, 2019.

Teachings Tuesdays - Last spring I started making instructional videos about writing. The first Tuesday of this returning I will be asking for ideas of what you'd like to learn the following week. This will begin on Tuesday September 17th, 2019

Wisdom Wednesdays - Like MM's this will be a quote that has a bit of wisdom in it. Look for those starting on Wednesday September 18th, 2019 

Thursday Tips - These will also be videos or short Facebook posts with a writing tip to help the creative juices flow. If you have a tip you'd like to have featured, comment below and I'll add it to our list. If it is a Facebook post, it will be a poll about something like: "what snack is always on your desk when you're writing?" or "what is your favorite band to listen to while writing?" or "how do you schedule in writing time into your busy schedule?" Things like that. Look for these to begin on Thursday September 19th, 2019 

and introducing:

Friday Friends - This is new to our weekly line-up. I have been thinking about this over and over. One of the key aspects of marketing anything is the network one creates. I would like to give our fans on Facebook the chance to grow your network. Here is how it is going to work. On the first Friday, I will post the guidelines of this day. The basics are this: if you have written a book or a blog, I would like to hear about it. You will need to sign up a week in advance. When you sign up, you'll be given a time to advertise your book or blog. There will be four (4) slots per week. The rest of the guidelines will be posted when this begins on Friday, September 20th, 2019.

Let me know what you think about the changes. Until Monday!