What is WilyWriters.net?
This site provides a haven and point of connection for dark fiction writers. It holds open a space where wordsmiths can raise the vibration of their work, increase book sales, spread name recognition, earn reader respect, and lift the bar on product quality.
What constitutes dark fiction?
You define your fiction. Whether you write Horror, Dark Fantasy, Thriller, dark Mystery, or any other genre, the common element is the Darkness you bring to your writing. You call it. Is your fiction dark? If so, then you’ll fit in here. If in doubt, ask Angel.
A Message from Angel
“I’m a dark fiction writer who believes (or wants to believe) that writing fiction is an art form and who wants to commune with others of the same mind. I’m a dark fiction writer seeking ways to connect with my soulmate readers and thus increase the spread of my message, my prose, and my worlds.
“As writers, we sometimes forget that what we do is an art form. I know I often have. I’ve gotten into a grind trying to earn a living. I’ve set (and had set for me) expectations for productivity that don’t give me the space I need to evolve my art.
“I’m ready for a revolution, and I’m creating a sacred container where we can work together to lift up the art of dark fiction writing. The truth is that the more we approach our writing as an art form, the more likely we are to reach the readers who resonate with us and thus increase sales, ultimately leading to the opportunity to make a living with our writing.
“I’m on this path. I haven’t arrived yet, and I make no bones about that. This is my journey, and perhaps it’s yours as well. Maybe we could walk together for a spell.
“I’m earnest about increasing the legitimacy of dark fiction as a literary force, grow sales through better promotion and savvy readership-building, and develop that roguish edge that makes dark fiction as enticing as a bad-boy lover.
“I have so many ideas for how to do this! I have so much practical knowledge about promotion and business. I’ll share it freely with the goal of making us all (myself included) more heartfelt writers.
“I invite you to join me on this journey. Together, we can nurture our inner author while increasing the respect and awareness readers have for dark fiction. If this resonates with you, join Wily Writers. Your knowledge, your heart, and your passion will contribute to our collective success. Let’s get wily.”
Angel Leigh McCoy’s Bio
Angel Leigh McCoy is the vision-holder for Wily Writers. An award-winning game writer, she brings 40+ years of writing experience to the table. For more than twenty of those years, she conceived story and created characters for some of the most influential companies in the games industry including White Wolf, Wizards of the Coast, Microsoft, ArenaNet (Guild Wars 2), and Remedy Entertainment (Control). She is in the process of building the Wyrdwood brand, has published three dark novels under its banner, and is actively working on the fourth. She has published more than twenty short stories as well.
Angel helps writers advance their careers. She’s been an Active member of the Horror Writers Association since 1999 and is in her eleventh year as webmaster of the HWA website (Horror.org). In 2010, the HWA chose her to receive the Silver Hammer Award for service to the organization. In addition, she’s a regular mentor for the HWA, and in 2017 was awarded the HWA Mentor of the Year award.
Testimonials from Angel’s Mentees
“Angel has been quite influential in getting me out of my writing rut and pushing me towards my goal of finishing my first novel. She didn’t mentor me regarding plot, characters, grammar, sentence structure or ‘voice’. Instead, she instilled in me the importance of finishing my initial draft and gave me invaluable ideas on how to accomplish that most difficult task.” —Alan Zielinski
“Angel Leigh McCoy is a talented teacher and guide in the writing world. Her approach is down-to-earth and conversational. She’s empowering and wants to see her mentees be successful. Through her guidance, I’ve learned how to look at my work from a different perspective and created a new process in revising drafts through a sentence-by-sentence deconstruction approach that helps to rebuild a stronger story structure.” —Amanda Headlee
Wily Writers Mission Statement
With an orientation on service, we enhance author careers via focused education, inspiration, and promotional opportunity.
Our Guiding Principles
- Keep growing our value to members.
- Communicate with respect toward all.
- Be concise and clear.
- Listen to better understand and innovate.
What We Do
We provide our members with a repository of easily consumable media about the business and craft of genre-fiction publishing, and we offer an online hub for cross-promotion, shared learning, and inspiration.
History of Wily Writers
Wily Writers LLC was formed in 2011 as a podcast and website that published short fiction in audio and text formats—free to viewers. It addressed the perceived problem that there were never enough good markets out there for short fiction. Wily Writers took submissions, chose the best from the slush pile, and published two stories a month. Eventually, they became a pro market, paying the rates required to qualify the authors for professional organizations such as the HWA and SFWA. They published two “Best of” anthologies: Night-Mantled and Future Imperfect.
The Wily podcast/website ultimately closed because we couldn’t find a way to make it support itself. It simply became too expensive to maintain. We’ve learned a lot about monetization over the years, and now we’re trying to do what we love in a way that is affordable. Your membership fees go toward paying the server, software, management fees, and all the expenses that a website like this incurs.
What we offer today is a place where writers aren’t just hanging out but where they are actively working toward improving their craft and promoting their work through community interaction and mutual support.
Wily Writers is nothing without the authors who participate in our events, learning sessions, and discussions.
Join us, and let’s create something amazing together.
| Level | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly '22 | $10.00 per Month. Customers in WA will be charged 10.1% tax. | Select |
| Free Trial - 1 Month '22 | $0.00 now and then $10.00 per Month. Customers in WA will be charged 10.1% tax. | Select |
| Annual '22 | $100.00 per Year. Customers in WA will be charged 10.1% tax. | Select |