Join us for the Muskoka Publishing Summit, with agents and publishers and me

The Muskoka Publishing Summit: From Manuscript to Market

Saturday, June 27
9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(Doors open at 8:30 a.m.)
Bracebridge United Church Auditorium
46 Dominion Street, Bracebridge, Ontario (Map here)

Writers, is this the year you finally take your manuscript to the next level?

Whether you’re dreaming of landing an agent, securing a publishing deal, self-publishing successfully, or simply learning how the publishing industry really works, this event is for you. Join literary agents, publishers, writing professionals, and industry experts.

The Line-Up of Speakers:

Sam Hiyate                 Literary Agent                          The Rights Factory

Helen Heller               Literary Agent                          Helen Heller Agency

Brian Henry                Book Editor/Writing Instructor       Quick Brown Fox

Jay Millar                   Publisher                                  Book Hug Press

Jenn Goulden            Publisher                                 Entourage Media

Jennifer Gordon        Printer/Publisher                   Marquis Publishing

Andrew Wagner-Chagazon        Magazine Editor   Dockside Magazine (and others)

Don Smith                  Magazine Editor/Founder    Unique Muskoka Magazine

Susan Salomonsson   CPA                             On the “business of writing”

Learn:

How to attract literary agents

What publishers are looking for

How to craft a compelling query letter

The realities of traditional, hybrid, and indie publishing

The business side of being an author

Plus:

Professional headshot opportunities

Silent auction featuring manuscript critiques and more

Networking with fellow writers and publishing professionals

I’m on at 9:00 a.m., talking about openings – how to hook your reader and get them dancing with you. Also, throughout the day, I’ll be doing one-on-ones, helping you with your query letter or opening page(s) ~Brian

Fee: Members: $35; Non-Members: $80

Lunch Included

Your manuscript deserves more than a desk drawer. Take the next step toward publication. To register simply email your contact info and e-transfer payment to info@muskokaauthors.ca

For more information, go to the Muskoka Authors Association Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/MuskokaAuthorsAssociation

See all of Brian Henry's upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here. 

Join us for a Kid Lit workshop with Patrica Ocampo, Senior Editor at Scholastic

Writing for Children & for Young Adults

~ with Patricia Ocampo, Senior Editor at                  Scholastic Books

Sunday, August 23, 2026
 1:15 – 5:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom and accessible wherever there’s Internet

If you want to write the next best-selling children’s books or just want to create stories for your own kids, this workshop is for you. Learn how to write stories kids and young adults will love and find out what you need to know to sell your book.

This is your chance to speak with someone within a publishing company in a small group setting and to pull back the curtain and see how it all works. Be sure to bring your questions – we'll have lots of time for interaction.

Special option: Participants are invited to submit the opening couple pages (first 500 words) of your children’s book or young adult novel (or up to 800 words if that gets you to the end of your picture book or to the end of your first chapter). Email your pages to me prior to our workshop.

Patricia and I will publicly critique about half a dozen submissions so everyone can see what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve your story-telling. Get your pages in early if you want to be part of this. If you’re not currently working on a children’s story, don’t worry, we’ll get you started. And, yes, if you want to submit to Scholastic, Patricia will be accepting queries from everyone who attends the workshop! ~Brian

Guest speaker Patricia Ocampo is a Senior Editor at Scholastic Canada. Scholastic Canada’s priority is publishing “kid picks” – books that children would spend their own money to read. Stories featuring Canadian culture, settings, and history are also a priority.

Patricia acquires fiction for babies, children, and tweens. She has a particular interest in laugh-out-loud stories – she’s forever looking for the Canadian Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. Her favourite recent books that she developed are Way Off Track by Carl Brundtland (illustrated by Claudia Dàvila), Worm on the Job by Maureen Fergus (illustrated by Paul George Hammond), and Cat Shapes by Aidan Cassie.

Patricia has worked at Kids Can Press, Simon and Schuster, Annick Press, and HarperCollins. She was also a literary agent at Transatlantic Agency. Patricia served five years on the International Board on Books for Young People, including two years as president of the Canadian chapter. She teaches a course on editing books for children at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Chang School of Continuing Education.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers, taught creative writing at Ryerson University (now called Toronto Metropolitan University). 

Brian’s led writing workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Saskatoon to Toronto to Charlottetown, and is the author of a children’s version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Tribute Publishing Inc). But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors.  

Read reviews and reflections on Brian’s retreats, classes and workshops here.

Fee: $46.90 + 13% hst = $53 paid in advance by mail or Interac

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

Tanaz has a new novel coming out: Witch Daughter

Great news: Tanaz has a new book coming out: Witch Daughter. And while her four previous books have all been for teens, this one’s for adults. I’m midway through reading my advance copy and loving it! 

Witch Daughter will be available September 22, but you can order an advance copy now here. And remember, the best thing you can do for a writer you love is to order an advance copy; selling lots of copies in advance gives a book a big marketing boost.

Witch Daughter by Tanaz Bhathena

In her adult debut, award-winning author Tanaz Bhathena expertly weaves a tale of love and loss in ancient Persia with her take on the timeless tragedy of Tahmineh, a temptress, a witch, a victim, or, perhaps, a woman trying her hardest to protect her loved ones.

Rumors of witchcraft follow Princess Tahmineh like a storm cloud, making it impossible for her to secure herself a marriage or any kind of future. With her father, the king’s, health in question, it becomes shockingly clear how desperate her situation will soon become in his absence. If she doesn’t act now, she will quickly find herself destitute and desperate.

Tahmineh seeks out a prophecy, from which she learns she will fall in love with a warrior of great renown named Rostam and bear him a son. However, she is warned this match is a dangerous one for her. Heedless of the warnings, Tahmineh boldly orchestrates a meeting with Rostam and the two develop a close friendship and ultimately fall in love and marry. At the peak of her joy, Tahmineh gives birth to Sohrab, Rostam’s son.

All too soon, Tahmineh learns the tragic second part of the prophecy. Father and son will meet as enemies in battle and one will die at the hand of the other. What follows is a mother’s desperate attempt to undo the threads of fate and try to protect her son at all costs.

Available for pre-order from Indigo here.

Reviews:

“A beautifully rendered mixture of magic and the Middle East that explores the cost of knowing one’s fate―and the payment exacted when one tries to alter it.”―Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Sumptuous and surprising, Witch Daughter is a bold love story and a proper journey into a fascinating and exotic world. Bhathena’s writing held me in a trance.”―Lauren Kate, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Bhathena brings to life a story that is as beautifully tragic as it is bewitching. Witch Daughter is an aching, timeless, and lush tale that you will have to force yourself to look away from to blink back tears.”―Samantha Sotto Yambao, New York Times bestselling author of The Elsewhere Express

“An intimate portrayal of a sweeping epic that’s as gorgeous as it is heart-wrenching. Witch Daughter soars to new heights, reminding us all about the ingenuity and bravery of the women who often get lost within the pages of their own stories. Bhathena’s adult debut is nothing short of a masterpiece.”―Maddie Martinez, USA Today bestselling author of The Maiden and Her Monster

“With Witch Daughter, Bhathena offers readers an absolutely fascinating glimpse into Tahmineh, a princess trapped both by circumstance and by prophecy yet unwilling to be bound by either. Like the daevas lurking within its pages, this skillful reimagining of a classical Zoroastrian myth will sink its foreclaws into you.”―Shveta Thakrar, author of the Andre Norton Nebula Award finalist Star Daughter

“A brilliant retelling of an ancient Persian epic, Witch Daughter is a haunting portrait of a powerful seductress, mother, and daeva: Tahmineh is a heroine for our time.”―Mary McMyne, author of The Book of Gothel and A Rose by Any Other Name

“An enchanting tale about the immeasurable strength of motherhood and the tragic inevitability of fate. Bhathena has crafted a heartfelt testament to Persian mythology and history that will stick with readers long after the story ends.” ―O.O. Sangoyomi, author of Masquerade

*** 

See more new books by your fellow writers  here (and scroll down).

If you’ve had a story (or a book!) published, if you’ve won or placed in a writing contest, if you’ve gotten yourself an agent, or if you have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your good news gives us all a boost. Email me at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

Contests and markets for Kid Lit, Poetry, Nonfiction, Memoir, Short Stories, etc.

High Five magazine for kids
Open for submissions until June 30, 2026

Highlights magazine was first published in 1946, in a little two-room office above a car dealership. Husband and wife Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Clark Myers were nationally recognized leaders in education and child development. They filled their first magazines for children with stories, adventures, brainteasers and, of course, iconic Hidden Pictures puzzles. It’s been a staple of American culture ever since. (See here)

Highlights publishes three monthly magazines: Hello, for kids aged 0–2; High Five for Kids 2–6; and Highlights for kids 6–12.  They also publish books, learning resources, and more.

They are seldom open for submissions. But High Five will be open for submissions until June 3o.  

Authors may submit up to five pieces, all at the same time or separately. 

They want great stories, fresh voices, and nonfiction relevant to the lives and interests of children ages 2–6. They adore whimsical stories that will tickle readers' imaginations. They get excited by nonfiction that will teach kids (and parents!) something new. 

Stories should delight, engage, and inspire young children ages 2–6. If your story has a young child as the protagonist, that child should be the one to solve the dilemma. (Don't forget that all stories should have a dilemma or a little problem that needs a solution.) Stories should be paced so that they fit on four magazine pages, with a maximum of 160 words total. Nonfiction should reflect what's interesting and comprehensible to a preschooler and is also capped at 160 words. They’re more interested in insects than biographies.

They’re less interested in holiday content, gardening, “a day in the life of,” and stories that don't have dialogue.  

They do not publish rebus stories, finger plays, works longer than 160 words, or previously published works.    

Full submission guidelines here.

Event Magazine

2026 Non-Fiction Contest

Deadline on my birthday – October 15, 2026 😉

Genre: Creative Nonfiction. Writers are encouraged to explore the form.

Prizes: $3,000 in total, plus publication in EVENT: $1,500 First Place; $1,000 Second Place; $500 Third Place.

Entry Fee: $34.95 per entry; includes a one-year subscription (or renewal) to EVENT and all applicable taxes and shipping

New Student Entry Fee: $19.95 per entry; includes a one-year subscription (or renewal) to EVENT and all applicable taxes and shipping

Full contest details here.

EVENT will open for regular submissions in July and August (and then again in December and January.

Fiction: They look for compelling characters and voice, fresh plots, and narratives that move us. Full details and eligibility requirements on Submittable.

Poetry: They look for arresting imagery, polished language, emotional impact, and lyricism without pretension.

Reviews: Read sample reviews on their website for an idea of their format and style, and before writing or submitting, please contact their Reviews Editor at: eventmagreviews@gmail.com 

Nonfiction: The creative nonfiction EVENT publishes mainly comes through their annual Non-Fiction Contest. The 2026 contest is now open for entries. They look for real-life experiences told as riveting narratives with distinct voices.

Submission guidelines here.

Anthology Short Story Competition

Deadline July 1, 2026

Anthology Magazine is a modern, inspirational and beautifully designed magazine that features luxury goods and services such as exciting travel destinations, fine interiors, the latest in fashion and beauty and the best in arts and culture… Because beautiful things belong in print.

With a combination of high-profile interviews, fabulous fashion spreads, exotic travel stories, and the latest from today’s most innovative practitioners across arts and culture, Anthology is at the forefront of current trends.

Anthology established its short story competitions to recognize and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication. Open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. There is no restriction on theme or style. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words.

Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: €18 per entry
Deadline: July 31, 2026
Prize: First prize of €1,000 and publication in a future issue of Anthology: second prize of €250; third prize of €150

Full contest details here.

Anthology also offers awards for poetry, photography, cover art, travel fiction, flash fiction, and personal memoir – so whatever you’re writing, you might check them out here. 

The International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir 

Deadline July 1, 2026

Memoir writing, or personal essay, is defined as a work of creative nonfiction that illustrates a personal experience using literary techniques and narrative devices such as dialogue, character, setting and scene.

Rather than simply recounting past events, successful memoir tends to offer a higher perspective on that past, use personal experience as an illustration of universal themes and/or endeavour to derive meaning, understanding or wisdom from the story it sketches. The quality of the writing is as important as the content of the story.

Note: Travel writing told from a personal perspective does qualify as memoir.

This is a prose competition, so poetic prose (or prose poetry) is eligible, but poetry that is not prose is better submitted to a poetry contest. (Still not sure if your work qualifies? If your work looks like poetry, then that is what it is.)

Submissions must be no longer than 2,000 words. There is no minimum word count requirement. An excerpt of a longer unpublished work is eligible, so long as it works as a stand-alone piece.

Entry Fee: $25 per submission, payable in the writer’s home currency (including AUD, NZD, GB£).

Proceeds from the contest are donated to Amy’s Living Legacy for ovarian cancer research.

Full contest details here.

The CBC Poetry Prize

Deadline: June 1 at 4:59 p.m. ET

ET. Make sure you read the complete rules and regulations before submitting. If you are ready to submit, you may do so here.

The winner receives $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and their work will be published on CBC Books.

Four finalists each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and their work is also published on CBC Books.

The prize is open to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory of residence, whether living in Canada or abroad.

You can submit an original, unpublished poem or collection of poems. The submission will be judged as a whole and must be a maximum of 600 words (including titles). There is no minimum word requirement.

Work that has been published online or in print or recorded for broadcast is considered "previously published" and is not eligible.

While the competition is active, submit online by creating an account through Submittable. A fee of $25 (taxes included) for administration purposes is required for each entry.

Full contest rules here.

*** 

Note: Get new postings from Quick Brown Fox delivered to your In Box as they go up. Subscribe to my Substack here. ~Brian

 

CANSCAIP’s Writing for Children Competition 

Deadline May 31 2025.

Every entry receives a written evaluation from a traditionally published CANSCAIP member volunteer reader. Entries advancing to the second round receive another evaluation, and entries on the shortlist receive evaluations from each jury member.  

Four $500 cash prizes are awarded to the winning Middle Grade and Young Adult entries, and to the top two Picture Book entries. Two finalists in each category are also selected. The winners and finalists are given time to revise their entries before CANSCAIP submits them to Annick Press, Kids Can Press and Scholastic Canada for evaluations. 

Writers retain full copyright of their entries.

Entries must be in English and can be fiction or nonfiction.

Picture Book: submit complete story up to 1,000 words

Middle Grade or Young Adult: submit first 1,500 words

Text only; no illustrations for all entries

Previously submitted entries may be resubmitted

Eligibility:

Canadian citizens or permanent residents over the age of 18.

Unpublished or self-published writers with no traditionally published books for any age, and not currently under contract with a traditional publisher. 

Writers are eligible if prior publication is limited to articles or other content in collections or anthologies, textbooks, magazines or newspapers, legal or academic publications, etc.

Entry fee:

CANSCAIP Friends: $40 one entry, $70 two entries, $90 three entries. 

Non-members: $50 one entry, $85 two entries, $105 three entries. 

Want to become a Friend to get the lower entry fee? Join before you register.

Complete submission guidelines here.

***

Get new postings from Quick Brown Fox delivered to your In Box as they go up. Subscribe to my Substack here. ~Brian

See all upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

One book publisher and two literary journals seeking fiction, poetry, and nonfiction

Gordon Hill Press & The Porcupine’s Quill

Guelph, Ontario

https://ghp-pql.com/

Gordon Hill Press & The Porcupine’s Quill seek submissions of poetry, innovative fiction, lyric nonfiction, and literary criticism.

• The Porcupine's Quill – Full-length titles of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and criticism.
• Gordon Hill Press – Full-length titles by authors with invisible disability.
• The Sheffield Chapbooks – Chapbook-length titles of poetry by New Brunswick authors.
• mad / sick / different – Chapbook-length titles of poetry by disabled authors
• Scrummage Chapbooks – Chapbook-length titles for anything else you can imagine.

They do not publish children's books, YA titles, self-help books, genre fiction, travel writing, or previously published manuscripts. 

Please send submissions to submit@gordonhillpress.com

Include your full name and manuscript title in the subject heading. Include a cover letter with a brief description of your completed manuscript, your bio statement, and your publication history. If submitting poetry, poetry criticism, or chapbooks, provide your whole manuscript. If submitting fiction, provide an excerpt of up to 25 pages. All submissions should be sent in .doc or .docx format.

Full submission guidelines here.

If submitting nonfiction, you should do so through …

The Molly Peacock Nonfiction Prize

Deadline June 30, 2027

Molly Peacock is a distinguished Canadian-American author who has championed creativity in her two biographies The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life’s Work at 72 (book of the year in The Globe and Mail, Maclean's, The Economist, The Irish Times, The London Evening Standard, and The Sunday Telegraph); and Flower Diary: Mary Hiester Reid Paints, Travels, Marries & Opens a Door, an IPPY Award Winner. 

Her essays have appeared in The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, House & Garden, and Oprah Magazine. Her memoir, Paradise Piece by Piece, helped spark the contemporary childfree movement. Author of eight volumes of poetry, including The Widow’s Crayon Box, Peacock’s work is widely anthologized, notably in A Century of Poetry from The New Yorker.

Gordon Hill Press and The Porcupine's Quill are pleased to honour her legacy through the Molly Peacock Nonfiction Prize, which is open to unpublished creative nonfiction manuscripts by Canadian authors. To submit, purchase the $50 Molly Peacock Nonfiction Prize Submission Fee here.

Then submit your completed manuscript along with a bio statement and your publication history to submit@gordonhillpress.com

Include your full name and manuscript title in the subject heading. All submissions should be sent in .doc or .docx format.

The winner will receive $1000 award upon acceptance of an offer of publication. Additional submissions may also receive an offer of publication.

Submissions are open until June 30. The winner will be announced in September.

 

Hello, Brian. 

I am the editor of a new Canadian literary journal devoted to blending flash fiction and art. 

Just read your blog post about “32 Canadian literary journals that pay” (here) and would love to have NUNUM included on your next post of a similar nature.

Details about NUNUM 

- website: https://www.nunum.ca

- submission period: year-round – submission guidelines here.

- issues per year: quarterly online and annual print anthology

- looking for flash fiction of up to 500 words and visual art

- submission fee: $3 (for either three flash fiction pieces or three visual art pieces)

- payment: $20 per accepted piece

Also, we publish two anthologies annually, one Done in a Hundred, which focuses on work of a hundred words or less (fourth addition coming out in Dec 26) and Opolis, which focuses on science fiction of a thousand words or less (third addition coming out in July 26). The anthologies have no submission fee.

Have a nice summer,

Geoffrey Miller 

Editor 

NUNUM

 

Yolk

A Montreal-based literary journal, Yolk publishes fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual arts in our print (Canadian citizens and residents of Canada) and digital (Canadian + international) publications. Their mandate is to publish fine work by established and emerging artists. 

They’ll open for submissions for the fall print issue on July 1.

Pays $100 honorarium for their digital publication and $30 per page to a maximum of $200 for print. Pays $200 for cover art.

Full submission guidelines here. 

***

See more writing contests and markets for your short pieces here (and scroll down).

For more publishers looking for manuscripts, see here.

See all of Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.