Have you noticed all the different kinds of author and publishing groups?
Have you noticed all the different kinds of author and publishing groups on the internet?
Some of these are no longer active, but new ones have taken their places. Maybe you want to model something new on them too?
They range from #pitchwars mentors (a contest where more experienced authors served as mentors for new writers in a pitch session on Twitter) and debut authors with books coming out in the same year to industry gurus.
It’s easy to see the advantages for mutual support. (If you need to brush up, read Twyla Tharp’s The Collaborative Habit about the power of creative collaboration.)
Or check out Wade Albert White‘s middle grade books. He was one of my mentors.
Authors and Readers
These blogs focus on the world of middle grade books are still going strong in June 2025:
From the Mixed-Up Files “In the spring of 2010, a group of nearly thirty authors banded together to form a website and blog like no other in the history of the internet. As writers and readers of middle-grade books, our goal is to bring awareness and enthusiasm and celebration to books for 8-12 year olds, creating a *home* for anyone and everyone who loves books for this Golden Age of Reading.”
Middle Grade Mafia “The mission of the Middle Grade Mafia is to provide a refuge, a klatch, for established and aspiring middle grade authors. The purpose of the site is to share knowledge, inspire each other, and celebrate good news. Writing can be a lonely endeavor, but when you are part of a family, you are never alone.”
Note: June 2025–Middle Grade Mafia re-directs to Middle Grade Mojo.
Smack Dab in the Middle “a middle grade authors’ blog”
Â
This blog’s most recent post is dated 2021: Notes from the Slushpile “a team blog maintained by seven friends who also happen to be children’s authors at different stages of the publishing journey.”
Contest Collaborators
Author mentors, literary agency interns and editors who donated time to PitchWars “behind the scenes” continued their collaboration.
Note: Most recent post is from 2016: Writing with the Mentors “Tips, tricks, and techniques, from Agented/Published Authors, Interns, and Editors.”
Debut Authors
Debut authors band together to help their books find readers in their first year of publication.
Note: Most recent post from 2019. The Sweet Sixteens 2016 Young Adult and Middle Grade Debut Authors. I love their “Find an Author Near You” option.
Industry Experts
Writer Unboxed “about the craft and business of fiction” continues to share advice about craft and publishing in June 2025.
Indie Publishers
Communities of Indie publishers show us how its done.
The Alliance of Independent Authors has multiple blogs and podcasts about self-publishing.
Author Nation grew out of a Facebook group called 20Booksto50K.
Wide For The Win is a group of author publishers who decided to “publish wide”, meaning without limiting themselves to one particular retailer.
Let me know via the contact form if I’ve missed others that should be included here.
Author groups are probably only a small part of the internet, but they signal something important. We need each other to navigate this vast virtual sea of interesting stuff. This shouldn’t surprise me as much as it does.
Getting the words down is easier alone. But finding readers, giving critique, releasing books, interpreting the publishing industry, querying, editing, revising, and self-publishing all look a heck of a lot easier in a group.
The Museum of Montmartre is a lovely example of writers and artists working together, but the internet means we need each other more than ever.
What are you still trying to do all on your own? Should you be collaborating with someone?
