by Dan Cross

Hi, everyone! My name is Dan and I am the online Showcase editor for Write On!, here to talk to you about Showcase, what it is, how you can use it to promote your creative writing and how to submit your work for publication. 

What is Showcase? 

Write On’s raison d’être is to encourage writers of all literary styles to pick up their pens, power up their laptops, dust off their typewriters and create. Create stories, create poetry, create ballads. 

One way we do this is to display the wonderful work of writers. Writers like you and me, who write for fun outside of (or maybe even during) our day jobs. Writers who may aspire towards a career as a professional but aren’t quite there yet. Or writers who simply want or need to express their creativity and their thoughts by putting words on a page. 

This is Showcase and its purpose is to share your work with the world. With readers who will appreciate your work for what it is: an expression of your human nature, circumstances and talent. It is a chance to publish your perspectives and ideas with the world, without judgement, so you not only gain confidence in your own creativity, but inspire the next writer as well. 

Why submit to Showcase? 

First and foremost, Write On! is growing. With every passing week, more visitors are finding our website; visitors from all over the globe, from all walks of life. And as we fast approach the publication of our fourth print issue (out April 2nd), we are gaining more readers, sponsors and recognition as a trustworthy and useful resource for creative writers. For instance, we now feature on Penguin’s website as a recommended organisation for publishing advice. So, if you want the chance to feature your work in a magazine that is rapidly expanding its readership throughout the UK and the world, submit to Showcase. 

But there is another reason to submit to Showcase, which is to affirm your status as a writer and build your confidence. Often, we see writers describing themselves as “wannabe writers” or “aspiring authors”. Imposter syndrome is something we talked about in our first print issue, and it is a subject that rears its head time and time again. Sadly, this all-too-common feeling can have a negative impact on our writing if left unchecked, causing us to put the pen down or maybe not even pick it up in the first place. 

Showcase is your chance to see your name and words where they belong: published on a popular platform, for all the world to see! Just this simple act is often enough to inspire us; and this, in turn, means we are more likely to pick up the pen again to explore our creative potential even further. 

How do I select pieces for publication? 

Just like Write On! has print and online versions of its Features section, so too is this true for Showcase. Each section is managed by two different editors. At the time of writing (February 2020), we ask guest editors to select Showcase pieces for the print edition, while I manage, edit and maintain the weekly online edition. 

Each print magazine follows a specific theme and we try to select Showcase pieces which best reflect it. While I sometimes use the print theme as a guide for selecting online Showcase works, it is not a strict rule I follow when selecting pieces. 

There is no specific literary form or topic that I favour over another. On the contrary, I actively seek a wide range of poetry, novel extracts and short stories. So, if you regularly read our Showcase uploads and believe you have something unique, I would love to read it! Otherwise, I want to read poetry that educates or moves me about a place, culture or lifestyle of which I am unfamiliar, a story with beautiful prose or exciting action or a witty novel extract that makes me want to order your full book. 

Can authors expect any compensation? 

Unfortunately, we cannot offer compensation for Showcase submissions. 

However, while we cannot pay you, we do not own the rights to any work you submit and we make this clear in the publication with a copyright claim beside your name. 

How to submit your writing to Showcase 

So, are you ready to send us your wonderful works of fiction or prose? Here’s how… 

1. Proofread your work 

If you struggle with spelling, grammar or formatting your writing, do not worry! Showcase is not a test of your writing accuracy but your creativity. As the editor, one of my duties is to proofread the submissions we receive. I promise to do this sensitively and with respect to your original voice and style, and I will ask your permission before publishing any work where major edits might be necessary. 

That being said, the more you can proofread your submission before sending it, the more likely I will lose myself in your writing while reading it, and I will be more excited to select your piece for publication! 

2. Check your word count 

On Online Showcase, we try to limit submissions to 2,000 words or fewer. Please try to adhere to this rule. 

3. Include your personal details 

Remember, the main purpose of submitting to Showcase is to share your work with the world. To receive credit for your writing, we need your name (or at the very least, a pen name) to print beside it. Make sure you include it in the material you send us. 

4. (Optional) Promote yourself, your writing or something you care about 

If you want to promote something at the end of your submission, please include a short message (TWO sentences at most) in your email. 

Common items that previous Showcase authors like to promote are their social media, author websites and links to online vendors where readers can buy a published book. 

5. Send your work to the Pen to Print email 

And now you are ready to send your work to us! Simply send your submission to pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk. Please write “Write On! Showcase” in the email subject line, so we know where to direct the submission internally. You can attach your submission to the email as a separate document or paste it into the body of the email. 

I hope this short guide has been informative and inspired you to submit your creative writing to Write On! Showcase. Remember, only you can write the story or poetry you want to create. No-one else can do it. And the entire world is ready to read it and celebrate your creativity with you! 

Dan is a shortlisted novelist, professional editor and the Online Showcase Editor for Write On! magazine. Follow Dan and his journey towards becoming a published author via his blog and his Twitter: @dancrossauthor. 

Got a piece of creative writing you’d like to submit to Showcase? Follow the steps above and send your creation to pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk.
Or head over to the Showcase and read the amazing work we have published already.