The Author Encounter Presents

Submission Guidelines

The theme of this anthology is What I Wish I’d Known When I Started. All submissions should be case studies in short story format 1,000-3,000 words, either essay or short story style (blog post will do too). 

The case studies should be educational and informative. They can contain real people or fictional ones, if you wish to protect identities. The nature of this anthology lends itself to negativity, but let’s try to keep the stories professional and light because you never know who you will have to work with moving forward.

All case studies submitted should be professionally edited to eliminate as many errors as possible. Submissions riddled with obvious errors will be rejected.

Each story should have a resolution meaning now that you have experience, how would you handle it or how should they handle it? 

Marketing and Pay

This educational anthology is a philanthropic endeavor, meaning each author will donate their story to the project. The publisher will claim no share of the proceeds. All proceeds will go towards the project. We will post proof of how the proceeds are being used on The Author Encounter Facebook page. Information can also be requested in writing at any time by emailing theauthorencounter@gmail.com

The chosen project for this anthology is an in-person conference. The conference will be held in Houston, Texas with the primary goal of sharing, educating, and informing aspiring and current professional authors. 

Each accepted story will remain exclusive to the anthology until the conference is held. After the conference, you will retain your rights to publish the story elsewhere. The book will remain for sale and be available for as long as the publisher deems suitable.

Not every story submitted will be accepted. You are trusted to act in a professional and supportive way if your story is not selected. No bashing or negative comments will be tolerated.

Please know that each and every submission will be carefully read and considered based on many factors including readiness for publishing, theme compliance, and value to the anthology as a whole. If your story is not selected, you will immediately retain your rights to publish the work elsewhere.

Fees and Expectations

This anthology is a joint venture. All authors accepted into the anthology are expected to attend the conference. Members of the anthology must pay their own conference fees and travel costs. However, participating members of the anthology will be given a discount on booth fees and first choice on all speaker/panel discussion, and workshop opportunities. (Payment plans for this are available. We don’t want to discourage anyone from joining.)

Monetary donations are welcome but not expected. If a donation is given, it will all go toward marketing, cover design, and editing costs. The publisher will not be compensated. You can also donate before publication to help pay for advertising and a release giveaway for readers. Participation in this second donation is optional but appreciated. Payment information is available on the submission form.

The success of the anthology will come from group communication and collaboration. Each selected member will be expected to share social media links and campaigns with their friends and followers in a cooperative marketing effort to benefit everyone in the anthology. This may include arranging newsletter swaps, blog features, or reaching out to any resources the author may possess.

Important Dates

Deadline for submissions is April 1st, 2023.

Final edits should be delivered to you for approval by May 25th, 2023.

Tentative publication date is September 4th, 2023.

These dates may be subject to change.

Manuscript Specifications

Any documents submitted should be formatted according to the specifications below.

Microsoft Word .doc or .docx file extension

12 pt. Times New Roman or Arial font

1.5 line spacing

.5 first line indents

1 inch margins all the way around

Join the Official Facebook Group

Keep up with all the latest news and details of this anthology by joining the Facebook group. This is where authors will collaborate and make decisions about the anthology. You may ask for advice, support, or share general information you find helpful to the theme of the anthology. Click the picture below to join!