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Visa International recently estimated that global e-commerce sales grew last
year by a whopping 56% to £79 billion ($150 billion). News Review looks at how
this affects books.
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How good's your spelling? At the age of six, 6 out of 10 children can’t write
ten lines without making at least one spelling mistake, often many more, and
many adults struggle with spelling all their lives. News Review
investigates.
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Is Macmillan's New Writing scheme ’the Ryanair of publishing;
it’s like having to pay for your own uniforms.’ (Natasha Fairweather) or
a sensible way for authors to get their work into print? News Review
investigates.
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Google Print is under attack by British publishers and the Society of
Authors. Is it really a threat to author and publishers? News Review
looks at the debate.
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News Review looks at the Bologna Book Fair, concluding that: ' In this
ever more global market British writers do spectacularly well, as children’s
books from the UK are reckoned by many international observers to be the most
innovative and best.'
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'Libraries' biggest problem is the neglect of their core area: books.
The public library service now holds fewer than two copies for every UK
resident, and spends just 9p in the pound on books.' Bookseller
editorial |
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The common wisdom is that readers don't have the
patience they once did. But underestimating the reading public is a very big
mistake.' Dean Koontz, who sells about 17 million copies of his books and gets over
30,000 fan letters a year, in the Wall Street Journal |
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'I wanted to remind people of all ages of the power of stories, the joy of
simply listening and reading, to do what I could to bring literature back to the
heart of literacy.' Michael Morpurgo on his stint as children's Laureate |
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'English in all its thrilling, international forms, from romance to
rap, is finding more colour and expression than at any time since Spenser,
Marlowe and Jonson.' Robert McCrum in the Observer |
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'No publisher should ever express an opinion of the value of what he
publishes. That is a matter entirely for the literary critic to decide.'
Oscar Wilde
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Writing Handbooks
The second of three excerpts from this title from the A & C Black
Writing Handbooks series looks at choosing a subject for your biography:
'Subjects come to the notice of the biographer in a variety of
ways, and the more you write in the biographical field the more
potential subjects will attract your attention.'
The third in our series of
magazine reviews.
Our reviewer 's view was that: 'Writers’ News two-in-one
package also represents excellent value and is recommended for writers
who want to keep in touch, find out about markets and improve their
writing.'
Try our new survey
See below
Check out the 13 different editorial services we offer, from Reports to
Copy editing, Typing to Contract vetting.
This gives writers the chance to submit unpublished
work for the British Council's new anthology.
Are you struggling to get your submission package right? Our
new service is introduced by public demand. Now you can commission
our editor to produce a synopsis for your manuscript which will
enable you to make a professional submission of your project to an agent
or publisher.
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Bob is stuck on his episode of EasterEnders and longingly
considers the quieter life the writers have on Footballers' Wives.
'For some reason finding this one a real struggle, though
can’t quite put my finger on the reason why...'
This week
Results
of our survey on getting a publishing deal
Our fascinating new survey looks at your experiences with
trying to get a publishing deal. The conclusions are:
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Write what people want
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Try up to 10 publishers or agents
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Don't ignore self-publishing
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Other surveys and results - see
below.
Have you ever wondered about the difference between 'hits' and
'visitors'? Chas Jones's new article on web metrics - measuring web
traffic - explains what it's all about.
Inside Publishing turns its attention to what has long been regarded
as the Cinderella of the publishing world.
Children’s publishing
has enjoyed a remarkable rate of growth and is now seen by many as one of
the most exciting areas to work in.
Writers' Forum Column
John Jenkins: 'What would it take for you to give up a good day job
and trust your future and income to life as a full-time author? The answer
is easy if you have been given a substantial three-book deal from a major
publishing house, but supposing you had one or two inquiries, a bit of
lecturing and a little guaranteed but not long-term freelance work?' The Editor's View, written by the Editor of
Writers' Forum magazine.
Our design, print and distribution service for self-publishers. The
latest addition to the service is our WritersPrintShop online bookshop,
which will sell your book for you on the Internet as soon as it's published.
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