About nine months ago, I created a profile on authonomy, Harper Collins‘ literary portal that is best described as Facebook for writers.  About a month after that, Severed Press contacted me after reading part of Dead America on authonomy.  About three months after that, Dead America is now alive – a real, honest-to-God novel sitting on my desk looking at me as I write this.

I couldn’t have done it without authonomy, and I’m honoured to be invited to do a guest blog on how the website helped me get published. 

Check it out here on their website, or see below for an abridged version.

How did authonomy help you get published?

I’m a big fan of the site. authonomy allowed me to establish an online presence for myself and my unpublished novel. Having the ability to create a profile page, upload samples of my writing, discuss my favourite genres in forums and network with other writers was invaluable.

Being a writer is one of the toughest jobs in the world, due to the inherent isolation; but authonomy combats this isolation and reminds a writer that you’re aren’t alone, that there are other people struggling with their art and the industry just as much as you are.

Would you recommend authonomy to other writers?

Definitely. authonomy offers a fantastic ‘service’ to both published and amateur writers – it’s like Facebook for writers. Authonomy lets you showcase your work in a free flowing forum, a place where writers, publishers and readers can sample fiction work they wouldn’t normally be able to access. The site opens up new avenues for promotion, while also allowing a writer to taste what other writers are doing in their genre.

How important is an online presence to a writer?

An online presence is crucial in the 21^st Century. Publishing is like any industry, it’s evolving before our eyes, and the internet is a huge part of that evolution. An online presence lets a writer connect directly to their audience, bringing them down from the proverbial mountain and letting fans – both old and new – get to know the writer and the writing more intimately.

For Dead America, I established both a website (www.deadamerica.info) and a blog (www.deadamerica.info/deadlettercentre) to help promote the novel while it was unpublished, which, along with my profile on authonomy, helped me to secure Severed Press as my publisher. Given the publishing industry is getting harder and harder to break into, online is the equivalent of a foot in the door for emerging and developing writers.

Last word

If you’re a writer looking to be read, jump on authonomy, create your profile, and upload your words.  You never know where it will take you.