The Anthology Advantage:

The Rewards of Writing & Reading Anthologies.

---

A few weeks ago, I attended a workshop hosted by Passionate Ink on writing for anthologies.

Full disclosure: I’ve never been part of an anthology before. In fact, I didn’t really understand what one was until last year. Essentially, an anthology is a collection of stories written by various authors, centered around a common theme. Each author contributes a story, and they often share the costs of publishing the book.

Until now, my focus has been on writing romance novels and novellas. However, I’ve always been interested in short stories and had some early success with them. The very first writing course I took at The Writing Studio, focused on short stories, and my first-ever published work was a short story with MeetCutePress an online publication.

Since I’m a member of Passionate Ink, and they were offering a workshop on anthologies, it seemed like a great opportunity to learn more. So, I signed up.

The workshop featured authors who contributed to their most recent anthology, Soul Hates. Some of the same authors included in the anthology have also published in other anthologies. They shared insights about the advantages of publishing in anthologies:

• You can focus on writing: Concentrate on crafting your story without shouldering the entire burden of marketing the book.

• Low financial risk: The costs are often shared among the contributors.

• Simplified process: Editing, formatting, and publishing are usually handled for you.

• Supportive community: Fellow authors critique your work and provide feedback, creating a collaborative environment.

• Creative exploration: Anthologies offer a chance to experiment with a theme or new idea without committing to a full-length book.

• Beginner-friendly: They’re a fantastic way for new authors to get started.

• Learning opportunity: Whether you’re new to publishing or experienced, anthologies provide valuable lessons in both writing and the publishing process.

• Broaden your audience: By sharing readership with fellow contributors, you can reach new readers through cross-promotion.

• Pre-established audience: Many readers actively seek out anthologies.

• Award potential: Some anthologies go on to win literary awards.

• Charitable contributions: In some cases, proceeds from anthologies go to charity. For example, Passionate Ink donates profits from Soul Hates to ProLiteracy.

The workshop also highlighted the existence of dedicated spaces for anthology enthusiasts, like the Facebook group Romance Anthologies Group.

On further research, I learned that readers love anthologies too:

• They can sample an author’s style without committing to a full-length book.

• Short stories are perfect for readers with limited time—they can enjoy one story at a time.

I concluded that participating in an anthology would be a great next step for my author career, and if I were a new author, I wouldn’t hesitate a bit if I had the opportunity. I’d love to hear from you: Have you ever contributed your work to or read an anthology? Please share your experience in the comments!

If this has sparked your creative juices, I encourage you to keep an eye on the Facebook Anthologies Group to see what new themes might be posted that catch your interest. Or, consider checking out Passionate Ink’s 2025 anthology call for entries, Forced Proximity. You do need to be a member to participate, but it’s a small price to pay for the wealth of benefits this dynamic group of authors provides.

On another note, I wanted to let you know that Publisher Rocket is running a Black Friday sale—an excellent opportunity to grab this fantastic tool. If you’re not familiar with what it does, you can read all about it in Ellen Y. Mueller’s guest post from February 23, 2023. They’ve made significant improvements over the past year for those that do any kind of advertising. To learn about them, check out this video on YouTube. So, if you’ve been on the fence, now might be the perfect time to take the plunge. Plus, your purchase supports me, too! The best part? When you buy Publisher Rocket, you own it for life, including free updates as they roll out.

That’s all from me this week. Enjoy your turkey, cherish your time with family, and take a moment to show gratitude for all you’ve received this year. Don’t forget to thank yourself, too, for the hard work and dedication you’ve put in!

Best wishes,
Kay