At Effigy Press, our mission is simple: supporting writers of Young Adult and New Adult fiction. And no, you don’t need to check your birth certificate or reading preferences at the door—writers and readers of all ages are welcome, especially students and teachers. Heck, writers of any kind of fiction are welcome, and if you can teach us a thing or two while you're at it, we’ll just nod appreciatively and pretend we knew it all along.

As the founder of Effigy Press, I’ve got a thing for helping fiction writers, maybe because I’ve done my own time in the trenches. I graduated from Oxford University (no biggie), wrote three novels (published two, because even I can admit when one’s a dud), tossed in a few short stories, and bumbled through two embarrassingly bad movie scripts.

Along the way, the fine folks at indie outfit Pankhearst Press dragged me through the fiery pits of writing misery, gave me the motivation to keep at it, and pushed me to wrestle with difficult topics and bigger writing goals. It’s that experience, and maybe a touch of karmic debt, that drove me to start Effigy Press.

Our beating heart? The advice page we call Alchemy. Here, you'll find our lovingly critical reviews of the first 600 words of submissions—be it a short story, novella, or your 1,200-page magnum opus. These reviews are constructive, compassionate, and designed to help writers seize the golden opportunity to actually connect with readers. You’re welcome.

On Alchemy, we’ve also got a podcast on a mishmash of topics meant to inspire writers, featuring our charmingly surly staff blogger and the ever-delightful (read: unlovable) podcast producer, The Snark.

Then there's Writers Corner—your go-to for writing prompts and quirky resources, like the questionably sane 'Written? Kitten!' And a treasure trove of study guides for Language Arts teachers based on our podcasts and blogs.

Subscribing to the Effigy Edition means you'll get periodic emails featuring the best writer submissions and our latest snarky musings. The goal? To connect interesting writers with curious new readers—especially if you’re an emerging or tragically overlooked wordsmith.

And here’s the kicker: we don’t charge writers for any of this. We’re not here to nickel-and-dime you when writing is already hard enough without a “pay-to-play” model breathing down your neck. Effigy Press is not in the business of squeezing money out of writers—we’re here to give your words a fighting chance, plain and simple.

Cheers,  
Tim Sharman  
Founder, Effigy Press