June 2006
The website for writers
News Review
- ‘Multiplatform’ marketing, digital rights and print on demand change the way authors' intellectual property can be exploited. News Review investigates.
- News Review looks at some innovative ideas around about how to promote books and reading.
- German publishers are taking Google to court. French publishers have threatened legal action. But is Google winning the battle for hearts and minds? News Review investigates.
- Is this ‘a land grab in continental Europe based on the thinnest of legal and business pretences’? News Review looks at the Brits v American publishers on the question of Europe.
- 'Just when those in the book trade had resigned themselves to huge annual growth in the numbers of books published, US figures have plummeted, although UK numbers continue to soar. ' News Review looks at an astonishing discrepancy.
- 'The allegation of large-scale plagiarism has raised its ugly head in a too-good-to-be-true story of a young writer who appeared to be writing well rather too well for her age. ' News Review reports on Kaavya Viswanathan
Comment
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'What is the X-factor that turns a book into a bestseller? They don't just happen by chance... At the centre of their efforts is the author, who nowadays has to put as much work into selling themselves as they did into writing their book. ' Danuta Kean in the Independent on Sunday
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'Sometimes I fear that some writers want to get published more than they want to write. Being a successful writer is a long apprenticeship. Writing a novel is a slow, frustrating process. Julia Bell in Mslexia
- 'Americans simply don't consider books (or culture generally) to be that newsworthy or debatable... Therefore, America seems like a place where you can only write a bestseller or a flop - you're either on Oprah, or you're not.' American author Wesley Stace in Publishing News
- 'It is easy to understand the mindset of those who feel uncomfortable with reading... But reading is generally looked on as a pleasure even by those who avoid it - a pleasure to some but not for them.' Ruth Rendell, writing about her Quick Read The Thief in the Sunday Telegraph
- 'Trips to the library with my mother are, in my memory, even more thrilling than trips to the sweet shop, and when I got my eldest daughter a library card I felt as though I had bought her citizenship of that same fabulous world.’ J K Rowling, in support of the innovative Love Libraries scheme
Writers' Quote
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'Every author's fairy godmother should provide him not only with a pen but also with a blue pencil.'
F L Lucas in Style
Our Editorial Services for writers
Check out the 15 different editorial services we offer, from Reports to Copy editing, Typing to Contract vetting. Our latest new service is Coaching.
What poets can do to develop their writing
Helpful advice for all poets from the Free Verse report.
Writing Handbooks
Inspired Creative Writing serial
The 5th excerpt from Alexander Gordon Smith's stimulating Inspired Creative Writing from the brisk and entertaining 52 Brilliant Ideas series is about:
'Like it or not, it’s your characters that drive your work. Getting them right will make the difference between writing a masterpiece and an episode of Days of Our Lives.'
Check out our special WritersServices offer on the book!
Five steps to a quieter inbox.
We all get too much email. All good email programmes provide a tool to help you sort the incoming stream and filter your spam.
What your word processor can deliver
Making the most of MS Word.
Lessons from the Music Industry
In a report from the London Book Fair Chas Jones summarises Tim Renault's comparative look at Napster and other disasters, and what publishing could learn from the music business.
A History of Music Copying
From Edison's first recording of a human voice in 1877 to Napster's having to stop its activities in 2001.
Books for the visually impaired
Our latest article explores the issue of books for the visually impaired, with many useful links. For self-publishers, it is easy to make your book available in large print if you wish to do so.
Repair of books
The final part of our series on looking after your books deals with repair, including coping with pests, materials and disaster recovery. See also Care of books, History of paper and Properties of Paper
Google Desktop
The latest article in Writers' Web Watch shows how you can use the facilities of the Google Desktop to get the latest news, weather, share prices, maps and much more.
Free Verse
Why have so few new Black and Asian poets been published in the UK in the past 10 years and why is poetry publishing so far behind the amazingly diverse world of fiction? A new report investigates.
Bob's Journal goes into its 6th volume
Bob on football in literature (inevitably) and why he feels less driven:
'Maybe it’s a rationalisation of the year-long writer’s block have
been suffering, but realise I no longer feel, well, driven... Remember
reading once that Colin Dexter worked every day at his ‘proper’ job, came
home, wrote a page of his current Morse, then went down the pub. Now, that
sounds more like it.'
Selling adaptations of books to the film industry
A report from the London Book Fair on how to make the most out of selling film rights and writing the script.
Your submission package
Our new page shows you how to put your package together and what you should send. Essential reading to make sure you give your work its best chance.
You might also like to consider using our Submission Critique service.
John Jenkins on the Orange Prize shortlist, Catherine Cookson's sales, Edgar Wallace and the Romantic Novelists' Association:
'What do you call a gathering of romantic novelists? One like the 300 gathered at the Savoy Hotel for the annual presentation award for the romantic novel of the year. A chapter. . .a folio. . .how about a volume?'
The Editor's View, written by the Editor of Writers' Forum magazine.
Copyright briefing
If you don't know the meaning of 'fair use' or 'the public domain, or even how copyright copes with the digital world, here's a quick update.
We investigated your attitudes to self-publishing, with fascinating results
Our new survey
Looks at your book-buying habits
WritersPrintShop
We have revamped our WritersPrintShop website with lots more information. If you're thinking about self-publishing, this is the place to find out what's involved. If you're ready to go ahead, our high quality service is second to none and there's an economy version for those who want to tackle some of the work themselves. You can estimate the cost for yourself.
We Watch the web for writers
Our new audio section
Check out our new audio section. This shows you how to record your work using the facilities built into your computer. You can start with Preparing your story and How to start recording.
It's easier than you think, so get recording! We'll provide a site for you to podcast your work soon.
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Previous serials & extracts
WritersServices.com Magazine June
2006
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