Why Write an Anthology?

Why write an anthology? Would you like to boost your writing career? Do you like to work with others that share your love for the craft of writing? Would you also like to have your project be for the greater good rather than profit?

Consider an anthology

What exactly is an anthology? It is a collection of selected writings by various authors in the same literary form and the same theme. But they are not limited to the same genre.

The cool thing about anthologies—they are…

• Quick reads
• Readers can take breaks between each story
• Make exceptional gifts if you are not sure of what your friend or family member likes to read
• “Tools” to bring in email subscribers to every author—Grow your mailing list
• Gives readers a chance to discover new genres

But Why write an anthology? 

I would like to take the benefits further than the obvious of writing a collective book. Some of these you may not have thought about.

My hope is you become inspired to start your own writer’s collective and create something outstanding.

Here are some other benefits 

1. It fulfills the purpose of giving back—in other words—writing for a good cause. Writing an anthology is a fabulous way to fulfill this purpose.

Which is what the group I am in does. We are on our second book and all the proceeds for “Wings of Prophecy” will go to Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Our first book, “Winds of Winter” the royalties go to SaveACatRescue.com.

Our group is super-duper cool. We write fiction and for each book—since we all write in different genres—is to choose an animal. The first was about a white cat. The second about crows. Each story has to have the chosen animal no matter the genre. We have had a lot of fun with this. Click on the image to learn how to support these organizations with our books.

2. It gives writers a way to educate the public creatively.

Yes, back to the group I am in. We write and educate our readers about misunderstood animals that are feared, forgotten, etc.

This is one reason we look into groups or organizations that are also doing good for the world at large. This is important to us.

We can use our creativity to take action in a way that makes sense to our creativity. I also have a great article on choosing a great organization.

3. It is a way to build creative and supportive relationships with other authors

Writing is mostly a solitary job. As a full-time author, I can go weeks without seeing no one besides my husband, which is fine because he is great. By working in a collaboration, I have new and long-term friends that I can Zoom with, call anytime, and share the writing journey.

There is nothing more satisfying than hoping on a Zoom call with a fellow author/s and talk about my recent series, characters, and/or protagonist.

However, I have some advice. Be sure when you come together with other authors and if you want longevity, be sure you are all on the same page. (Ha! A joke…hehehe). This article will help you with that!

There is a lot more that goes into planning, writing, publishing, and promoting an anthology. Stay tuned for more articles in the future.

In the meantime, if you are a fiction or non-fiction writer, Why write an anthology? 

To discover an effective way to:

• build your list
• gain colleagues
• do something beneficial for the world
• and Have FUN!

Click on the image below to learn more about the most recent anthology 

Attempted Murder, a Paranormal Cozy Mystery Short Story

By Melanie Snow