Submit your full manuscript (90k words maximum) and receive an in-depth, one-hour feedback call with a publishing professional of your choice. You’ll receive specific suggestions about how to get your book marketplace ready.
Questions? Email terra@roadmapwriters.com
Fiction writers, I'd like to see a summary (like you might find on a book jacket) that offers insight into the main character(s) and the storyline. I'm less interested in book comps and would rather see what made you want to write this story or where the idea came from.
For nonfiction, provide a summary of what the book is about and your connection to the topic.
N/A
In terms of fiction, I'm interested in magical realism, speculative fiction, romantasy, fantasy, sci-fi, women's or upmarket/commercial fiction, romance, literary fiction, and some historical fiction.
I prefer stories with a feminist take that feature characters with historically marginalized identities in terms of race, sexual orientation, disabilities, gender identities, etc. I would love to work with women writers, writers of color, disabled writers, and queer writers. I prefer Adult fiction, though I'm open to Young Adult and New Adult in all genres except romantasy.
I love strong-willed characters (especially women), satire and sarcasm, strong voices, vivid settings, magic of all kinds, alternate worlds, folklore and legends, ancient history, mid and high-spice romance or romantasy, characters in their 30s and 40s, and dark humor.
As for nonfiction, I'm better suited to provide feedback on books related to travel (which includes the outdoors), writing craft books, topics related to historically marginalized communities, home projects and design, upcycling and thrifting, ancient history, and fun, humorous pop culture aspects (related to reading, true crime, podcasts, and TV shows, though no reality TV please).
I'm not interested in horror (though I like thrillers and suspense), children's fiction, westerns, stories set in Los Angeles or New York, anything featuring psych hospitals, or stories that showcase disabled people being harmed or abused in any manner.
While I like some dark romantasy or fantasy, I'm not interested in graphic sexual assault scenes. I'm also going to pass on romantasy that features characters 26 years old or younger, as well as stories with virginal characters or characters with only one sexual experience.
If you're writing outside of your own identity, I expect to see a lot of research, thought, respect, and mindfulness in your portrayal. I'm also not interested in stories showcasing harmful tropes like saviorism stories or colonialist stories (except to critique such things).
Alex Temblador is the award-winning Mixed Latine author of a writing craft book, Writing An Identity Not Your Own, and two magical realism novels, Half Outlaw and Secrets of the Casa Rosada. In addition to receiving her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Oklahoma, Alex's creative work has been published in literary outlets like PALABRITAS, D Magazine, Colorado Review, as well as two anthologies — Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America and Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology.
Alex has taught creative writing seminars, workshops, and classes with WritingWorkshops.com, the Women's Fiction Writers Association, the Writer's League of Texas, StoryStudio Chicago, WorldShift: The Speculative Fiction Writer's Summit, Texas Book Festival, Macmillan Publishers, Abydos Learning Conference, and more. When she's not writing her next book, Alex is working as an award-winning travel and commerce journalist.
After registering, you will receive instructions on how to submit your material in your order confirmation email. After submitting your material, please allow about 8-10 weeks to receive proposed times for scheduling your call with the exec. If you haven't heard from your mentor by the 8-10 week mark about scheduling, please email terra@roadmapwriters.com so we know to check in with them on your behalf about their proposed dates/ETA for you.
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Questions? Email terra@roadmapwriters.com
Cancellation Policy: You may cancel your registration for a refund or Roadmap gift card if you have not yet submitted your material for review. However, once your material has been received by Roadmap, your registration cannot be canceled. Having revised material or a desire to retroactively apply a discount or gift card code are not grounds for cancellation, refunds, or gift card credit. Once your material has been submitted, the only acceptable grounds for cancellation and a refund or gift card credit is an unforeseen, ongoing emergency on the part of either the writer or the exec resulting in more than 6 weeks without any scheduling update from the exec via direct contact or Roadmap, or a sudden change in the exec's ongoing availability. In the instance of an irreconcilable scheduling issue, the writer may still receive a written feedback report from the exec. In this case, the writer is not entitled to a refund or gift card credit as the exec has read the submitted material and provided written feedback in lieu of the call.