sapphic

This week’s blog post focuses specifically on resources for sapphic literature writers. This is intended to be a living document. Links will be added as they are found.

Here are some of the best online writing and information resources for  sapphic fiction authors and most other authors. (Updated with additions and corrections November 15th, 2023…still not exhaustive!):

• From award winning author and senior Ylva Publishing editor, Jae, her website and newsletter for authors, The Sapphic Quill, and her craft books and tips newsletter written under her legal name, Sandra Gerth.
• Malinda Lo’s Blog – Sections on writing and on LGBTQ YA Fiction.
• Not specifically sapphic, but imminently useful: Writing with Color, a Tumblr site dedicated to writing and resources centered on racial, ethnic and religious diversity.
• A book, not a site, but the newest edition to this list with a November 2023 publication date: Writing Lesbian Fiction: Write Your Own Way by Elizabeth Andre.

The resources below are more general (read, not sapphic at all), geared toward writing craft, or toward the business of being an author, and are not genre specific. They’re also in no particular order. All of them have been used by Anne and she recommends them.

• One Stop for Writers: Free (lots) and paid (tons) resources for writers. Includes articles, tutorials, worksheets, tip sheets, story maps for plotting, etc.
• Writer’s Digest: There’s the magazine (online and offline) of course, all the seminars, and a great website with lots of free resources for writers. Anne’s favorite section is, Write Better Fiction.
• Jane Friedman: Reports on the publishing industry including self publishing and the business of being an author. She has a paid newsletter, The Hot Sheet, a blog, the extremely popular and free bi-weekly email newsletter, Electric Speed (well worth the signup), free and (mostly) inexpensive paid in-person and online classes on running your author business and on writing craft, and more.
• KM Weiland: Her blog, ‘Helping Writers Become Authors,’ is all about writing craft. There are new posts weekly at a minimum and is always worth a look even if she’s addressing ‘the hero’s journey’ and you write erotic romance. Sign up for email notices of new posts so you never miss one.
• Janice Hardy: Janice, an author, teacher/professor, and writing coach runs the Fiction University blog/website. She’s down to blogging personally one day a week now on writing craft from a much heavier schedule, but she also has guest posts weekly or more on a wide variety of craft topics.
• Joanna Penn: Joanna is an author, podcaster, and blogger. Her blog for writers is called The Creative Penn. All of her podcasts featuring herself and a wide range of guests in publishing, particularly self publishing and the businesses that serve indies are archived and also transcribed. She’s written a host of non-fiction books as Joanna Penn about writing and publishing. Most of her fiction is written as J.F. Penn.
• Anne R Allen: Authors Anne R. Allen and Ruth Harris release a once weekly blog post on Sunday on their blog Writing About Writing. These typically cover specific topics about the business of being an author, and sometimes they are more craft focused. They’re always laced with useful examples and informative. They also maintain an excellent resource list for authors.
• Bryn Donovan: Bryn is an author and an editor who writes both fiction and non-fiction books. She’s well known for her ‘Master Lists for Writers’ and her tomes of writing prompts. Anne follows her very inclusive blog. Anne has bought her books. Anne loves her!
• Reedsy: Reedsy is a site where you can hire a freelance editor. They also offer a blog with detailed, useful articles on writing, book design, and publishing and they offer more than 50 FREE Online courses that cover writing, book design, publishing, marketing and more.
• DIY MFA: You can get an armchair Master of Fine Arts in writing if you follow the advice of this site. You’ll focus not only on writing, but also on reading and on community building.
• Writers Helping Writers: This site has a frequently updated blog on writing craft topics, paid tools and tutorials for many aspects of storytelling (include several through One Stop for Writers), and workshops and webinars with well known authors/presenters (paid with fees starting at $15 for 1-2 hour sessions/higher for longer, more in-depth workshops). The resource list on the site needs an update.
• C.S. Lakin: C.S. is a novelist, copy editor, writing coach, and more who writes and hosts guest posts on her blog, Live Write Thrive. Her ‘writing tips’ blog posts are some of her most popular.
• Writer Unboxed: A great site with daily, relatable posts about the craft and business of fiction. The site has multiple contributors with lots of different perspectives.
• Writers in the Storm: Five women, all authors, who write in a range of genres blogging about writing craft and inspiration. They’ve been writing the blog since 2010 so there are extensive archives which can be searched by month, keyword, and category (from a dropdown list of categories).
• Writer Beware: For ALL writers. Educate yourself. Stay safe from scams and scammers.
• The Book Designer: Very useful site for self published authors with archived articles by Joel Frielander and others. Note: It’s now a part of SelfPublishing.com, but the archived articles are great. The articles focus mainly on the parts after the writing is done; book covers, book design, printing, marketing, and more.
• The Kill Zone: We know we said no genre resources but we’re making an exception for this one because it’s exceptional. Eleven writers including James Scott Bell and Sue Coletta blog for the TKZ about writing, especially about writing mystery, thriller, and suspense works, and about publishing.
• Kindlepreneur: This site by author and entrepreneur Dave Chesson will appear again when we talk about marketing sapphic books and marketing tools, but a mention as an overall resource is not misplaced. Dave has created or co-created several products of use to all authors including his best known KDP Rocket (a marketing tool focused on Amazon) and the writing/publishing software Atticus. Dave is also well known for his extensive, honest reviews of writing, publishing, and marketing tools.

Writing workshops and Training: There are many writing workshops that focus on sapphic fiction. These workshops can be a great way to learn from experienced writers and get feedback on your work.

• Lambda Literary – Resources for Writers – Their stated goal is to help writers at all stages of their writing journey. Specifically check out their Learn with Lambda programs for LGBTQIA authors.
• Golden Crown Literary Society – Offers an annual writing academy that meets weekly, virtually for 9 months each year and includes a mentorship program, an annual conference with a craft track, and numerous online educational opportunities throughout the year, many of which are free.

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Online communities: Besides the resources we’re beginning to develop here at MyQueerSapphFic, there are many online communities for sapphic fiction authors where you can connect with other writers and with readers, get feedback on your work, and learn about the industry. Some of these sites and communities also review books and/or allow advertising. Some of our favorite communities include:

• iHeartSapphFic – Reader heavy focus with lots of promos for authors to participate in (mostly free/some paid advertising spots) and a book finder database that puts ours to shame. We’re working on it!
• iReadIndies – A place for readers of indie published books and a collective for indie authors (not published through any established large publisher, university press, sapphic press/publisher, or other LGBTQIA press/publisher).
• Lesfic Marketing Alliance Facebook Group – Just what it says. Authors only, getting together to share tips and help each other promote.
• The Lesbian Review (TLR) – Reader heavy focus built on thousands of book reviews. Also review movies and more. There are opportunities to promote and to appear at reader facing events (mostly online through webinars and on Discord)
• Queer Romance Ink – Mostly a place to advertise (author pays). Large, searchable book database for readers that is growing more sapphic, but leans heavily toward gay fiction. Not just romance.

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Review Sites and Book Bloggers: Some sites and bloggers accept ARC copies, some do not. Some use Netgally. Check with each individual site or blogger before requesting a review or sending your book/eBook.

• KittyKat’s Book Review Blog
• (The) Lesbrary
• Lesfic ARC Club – A facebook group where you can find reviewers
• Lesfic Sapphic Women Loving Women Book Reviews and Promos – A Facebook group where you can find reviewers
• Lez Review Books 
• Mx Pheobe’s Viewpoint
• Rachel’s Sapphic Reviews
• Rainbow Book Reviews 
• Rainbow Round Table – News and reviews for GLBT books from the American Library Association (ALA)
• Sapphic Book Review
• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books – Not a sapphic site but they review romance books with any pairings and they list sapphic books in their book finder.
• The Lesbian Reading Room – This site previously run by Velvet Lounger may be offline. Velvet can be found in Facebook sapphic reader groups doing promotions.
• TLR (formerly The Lesbian Review)

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Agents and publishers: There are a number of publishers who specialize in sapphic fiction. If you’re interested in getting your work published traditionally rather than self-publishing, you can research them to find the right fit for you. Agents are typically necessary for large, mainstream publishers. There are far too many of those publishers and agents to list.

The publishers below lean toward sapphic literature or accept it exclusively. Each will typically take a direct submission. Check their websites before submitting for information and guidelines.

• Affinity Rainbow Publishing
• Aunt Lute Books – Radical feminist press that does publish queer/sapphic books
• Bedazzled Ink
• Bella Books
• BLF Press – (Concentrates on queer women of color)
• Bold Strokes Books
• Bywater Books
• Desert Palm Press
• Dirt Road Books – Publisher appears to be defunct
• Flashpoint Publications – Absorbed Regal Crest Publications
• Sapphire Books Publishing
• Triplicity Publishing
• Queen of Swords Press
• Ylva Publishing

Other publishers who focus on LGBTQIA fiction and often take direct submissions:

• Carnation Press
• Cleis Press
• Dreamspinner Press
• Interlude Press
• Launch Point Press
• NineStar Press
• Pride Publishing
• RedBone Press – (concentrates on black lesbians and black gay men)
• Riptide Publishing
• Supposed Crimes

These lists are by no means exhaustive and will continue to evolve.

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These books offer insights into the craft of writing sapphic fiction, as well as advice on how to represent sapphic characters and relationships in a way that is authentic and respectful.

• Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels – by Gwen Hayes – Not sapphic, but inclusive and a must for romance writers
• Writing the Other: A Practical Guide to Inclusive Fiction by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward

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Awards: There are multiple awards programs for LGBTQ+ books. Some are dedicated to sapphic books and some exclusively to gay books or bisexual books. Other awards and award programs are more general in nature. Listed below are reputable programs authors and publishers can submit to. Many require a submission fee which helps to keep the awards program viable. Some of the organizations giving awards are profiled in other areas of this blog post.

The Goldies – Sapphic exclusive awards in multiple categories given in July of each year by the Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) for works published between January 1st and December 31st of the previous year. To facilitate judging, GCLS staggers the submission deadlines. Submissions generally start in late August or very early September of the publishing year for all books published through at least the first half of the year (January through June). the final submission period ends in mid to late January of the year following the year of publication. There is a submission fee.

The Lammys – Given by Lambda Literary each year in May or June for (primarily) books published in the previous calendar year. There are exceptions. Lambda has lesbian specific categories, gay specific categories, bisexual ones, and transgender ones. There are also some overall LGBTQ categories not broken out by orientation including – for some reason – the broad category of ‘Mystery.’ Submissions begin September 1st of the publishing year and extend slightly into the year following. There is a scaled submission fee.

The Lesfic Bard Awards – Sapphic exclusive awards in multiple categories given annually for books published the previous calendar year. Submissions are generally open all year for books published that year and close in January of the year after the publishing year. There is a submission fee. Note, if you write gay fiction as well, they also sponsor the Gay Scribe Awards.

The Publishing Triangle Awards – The Publishing Triangle presents 10 awards annually. Two awards, one for non-fiction, and one for poetry are lesbian only. Others are closed to sapphic books and still others are open to the full spectrum of LGBTQIA orientations. Submissions open in late September and run through early December of the publishing year.

Foreward Indies Book of the Year – These prestigious awards are open to all indie published books, both by individual indie authors and authors from small and boutique presses like those of you with Bella, Bold Strokes, Ylva, etc. Submissions are open year round. They close on January 31st of the year following the publishing year. Finalists in all categories are named in March. Winners are named in June. There is a (steep) fee to submit.

Ippy Awards – An unaffiliated, but prestigious awards program for independent publishers/indie authors who publish books for an English speaking audience. There are dozens of award categories including one for LGBTQ+ Fiction. Early bird entries are in September and November. The current entry cutoff is March 16th, 2024. Submission fees are required for each category of submission.

Stonewall Book Awards – Sponsored by the American Library Association’s Rainbow Round Table. The award honors one exceptional book each year in each of three categories (adult fiction, adult non-fiction, and childrens/YA). Submissions (free) are open during the publishing year. The winners are announced in January of February of the year following the publishing year with the actual award (plaque and monetary) given at the ALA annual conference in June.

Please note: The Rainbow Awards were given each year by Elisa Rolle through 2021. They appear to have stopped with that year.

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Here are some other resources that you may find helpful:

The Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) – Mentioned above under workshops and training – A nonprofit organization supporting an international community of readers, writers, publishers, editors, audiobook narrators, and fans devoted to increasing the diversity, accessibility, quality, and visibility of sapphic and women-loving-women literature.

The Lambda Literary Foundation – Also, mentioned above, Lambda Literary provides resources for LGBTQIA+ writers, including a mentorship program, a writing retreat, and a literary awards program.

The Publishing Triangle is a professional organization for LGBTQIA+ writers, editors, and publishers. They offer a number of resources for writers, including a mentorship program, a writing contest, and a book fair.