Phil Coleman | Updates

New Website

Phil Coleman — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hi, book people,

I have switched websites, as the time has come to switch out design for speed. Please bear with me as I get all the scaffolding back in place. It will likely take a while before I move over the blog archive and additional materials, so in the short term, this is more representrative.

-phil

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Brambleworld Gets an Agent

Phil Coleman — Mon, 1 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Hi book people,

The last few months have been tumultuous and exciting. So here’s what’s going on.

After graduating from the Western Colorado University’s MFA program in Creative writing / Genre Fiction, I was looking forward to picking up my steampunk fantasy novel and get to work. I made it about one day of looking into my notes, before everything took a left turn. I started hearing responses from the query letters sent out to agents regarding “Brambleworld” my idle grade fantasy adventure.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I got offers of representation, interviewed past agency clients, and had to make some very difficult decisions regarding the direction of my work. In then end, I have signed to be represented by Bailey Tamayo of Sanford J Greenburger Associates. And so my foray into traditional publishing begins.

But not yet. “Brambleworld” will first see an additional revision, and to try to cut it down to a more attractive size. I have dusted off the manuscript, the red pen of justice is in hand, and here we go.

Wish me luck.

-phil

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The Hybrid Journey

Phil Coleman — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Book people,

The term “hybrid publishing” can mean very different things in different contexts. One meaning refers to publishing houses that split the middle between the traditional and indie publishing world, where some resources are shared, but the author is still responsible for much of the publishing burden. In this scenario, it is the publishing house itself which is the hybrid.

And then there is the other hybrid, the hybrid author. In this context, some of author’s books are independently published while others are through a traditional path of agents, publishing houses and all that entails. And those are the waters into which I will dip my toes.

So why the shift? When it comes to my middle grade stories, there are still a lot of barriers to getting your book in the hands of readers. The holy trinity of gatekeepers—teachers, librarians, and parents—are still reviewing and selecting books for kids. There is also still a preference for print books. Put the two together and kids aren’t using their own money to buy e-books. This calls for a different approach. It is my hope that taking my middle grade books down a traditional path, while keeping my YA, fantasy, and sci-fi books on an indie path will give me the best of both worlds.

Plus twice the overhead. Possibly.

But back to the here and now. The first query letters for “Brambleworld” have been released into the wild. I’ll provide updates on how its going here.

Until then, happy reading, happy writing. -phil coleman

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4 Things, June 6th

Phil Coleman — Fri, 6 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Book people,

School’s Out: In Crested Butte, there is a weather tradition to be as miserable as possible on the last day of school. This year, we got wind, thunderstorms, and hail, which was at least mercifully not snow. It’s Mother Nature’s way of reminding us
Summer Reading: It might be a throwback from the days of winning a personal pan pizza, but I love summer reading programs as the library. This year the focus is on consecutive days of reading, though I just enjoy logging my reads on the fun little map. Something about it both sparks joy and gives me a fun sense of accomplishment. Did I mention that I like arbitrary goals?
The Craft Book Delima: As a writer, part of continual improvement is reading craft books to help think about story, while of course the other is reading good books to see how well it is done. I have a love/hate relationship with craft books, as there are a significant portion of them that feel like late-night sales. First declare that a problem is unsolvable (usually publishing a book), then loudly declare that only they can save you. It gets tiring. I’m not sure if it is some badge of honor to talk first about the difficulty, and then spin it around and say how the author has the knowledge everyone else is lacking. I understand that it is part of the sales pitch, but it sounds too much like those who claim a monopoly on truth, and I will treat both with skepticism.

Until next time. Happy reading, happy writing.

-phil

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4 Things, May 31st

Phil Coleman — Sat, 31 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Book people,

June is just around the corner, and here are a few things that are top of mind.

Mountain Words Festival is all wrapped up. I go the chance to meet some talented writers, here some interesting talks, and enjoy being in the world of books for a weekend. I had a good time, though as with every event like this, there is always the voice in the back of my head that says I shouldn’t be here, I should be writing. I know, however, that forging personal connections is as important—if not more—to literary success. Time will tell.
Last Semester of School – June is the start of my final semester of the Genre Fiction MFA program at Western Colorado University. One last push to the finish line. I’ll have a wrap-up when it’s all said and done, but happy to discuss my thoughts on the program. I’ll save that for another day.
Querying trenches – As I shop around Brambleworld and look for agent representation, I remember the slog of the querying process. Nothing to report so far, just the awareness that it could be a very long road. Here we go.
Dumping the archives – When it comes to the world of social media, I exited as an individual quite some time ago, only returning in an author capacity. I plan to continue in this fashion. That said, my primary platform has been on TikTok. When the first ban came through, I dumped all my video archives and have started to transport them over to Instagram in case another round of bans go through. So, if interested, it will be a best-of for the next few months as I run through the backlog. So, no, I’m not reading a book a day (nor am I alternatively shaving and growing a beard every few days) but check it out and see what you thinkg. It is a combination of reading, writing, and author updates.

Keeping it short this week, as there look to be a few very busy months ahead. Happy reading and happy writing.

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Mountain Words 2025

Phil Coleman — Thu, 15 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Book people,

The Mountain Words festival in Crested Butte, CO starts up today. Or rather, for the local community, the event has been in the preparation stages for a long time. Myself and a number of other community volunteers all showed up to get our marching orders and learn the ins and outs of how we will help the festival run. My work started a little early as I got the privilege of picking up one of the visiting authors and give the mini-tour of town. Eli Francovich, author of “The Return of Woods” will be speaking with the High Country news later during the festival. And as Colorado has just begun the reintroduction of wolves to the area, I am greatly looking forward to hearing him speak.

In other words work, there has been less writing this week, and much more fighting with the beast of the internet as I try to get the delicate balance of website, newsletters, and book magnets (oh, my) to all work in harmony. I will likely be changing out the books I give away for those who join my newsletter in the future, but there is always a delicate dance when it comes to pulling books on and off of Kindle Unlimited. Stay tuned.

I’ll report some more from the festival over the weekend, and look forward to many great discussions with old and new book friends alike. -phil coleman

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Artist in Residence

Phil Coleman — Wed, 1 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Greetings from the Crested Butte Center for the Arts where I will be spending the month of May after being chosen as one of the 2024 Writers in Residence. This means that I will spend the next 31 days immersed in writing, culminating with the Mountain Words Festival running from May 24th to 26th. The residency starts today, but more “officially” kicks off with a reception on Friday, May 10th at the center. I’m looking forward to meeting some talented writers, a few of my heroes, and put a lot of words down.

If you are interested in a more frequent play-by-play. I will document the overall experience on social media.

I plan to focus this month on my “Leftover Alchemist” series, which is a story perched on the border of magic and industry where a young alchemist finds herself at the crossroads of war, revolution, and conspiracy. I plan to finish drafting book one, complete the first draft of book two, and plot out book three. That all depends on me not getting distracted, which is very possible.

And if you are looking for something to read, after “The Quickwild Odyssey” was put out in November, 2023. I now have five titles for your reading pleasure, so check them out. And as always, I’d love to hear from you.

And now it’s time to get to work. -phil coleman

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