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Resources

Sat, 01/01/2005 - 1:00am
Writers' Resources has been developed to help writers get published or to self-publish

We have enlisted the help of a number of distinguished writers and publishing figures to develop our Writers' Resources. Over the years this has become a massive resource base for writers.  Read more

Publishers' contracts | Factsheets

Mon, 01/01/2001 - 1:00am
CONTRACTS

WritersServices Factsheet 19 by Michael Legat

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Agreements between an author and a publisher, or a theatre manager or television company, are extremely complex documents, and you will undoubtedly need help in assessing whether the terms are acceptable or not.  Read more

Plotting the Novel | Factsheets

Mon, 01/01/2001 - 1:00am
Plotting the Novel

WritersServices Factsheet 6 by Michael Legat  Read more

What Do Publishers Want?

Mon, 01/01/2001 - 1:00am

WritersServices Factsheet 1 by Michael Legat

What do Publishers Want?

  Read more

Write About What You Know

WritersServices Factsheet  2 by Michael Legat   Read more

© Michael Legat 2001-13

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Michael Legat's Factsheets for writers

Specially written for the WritersServices site. 

Michael Legat was an acknowledged expert on writing and publishing, and the author of many books for writers.  Read more

© Michael Legat 2001-13

Literary agents | Factsheets

Mon, 01/01/2001 - 1:00am
Literary agents

WritersServices Factsheet 3 by Michael Legat

Literary Agents

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Literary agents do not normally deal with short stories or articles for newspapers and magazines, unless the author is very well known and therefore able to command large fees for such work.   Read more

Writers' research | Factsheets

Mon, 01/01/2001 - 1:00am
Writers' research

WritersServices Factsheet 4 by Michael Legat

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Research is an indispensable part of writing for most authors, and for many it is so enjoyable as to be a danger – don’t get so absorbed in research that you forget to write your story, or feature or book.  Read more

Submissions | Factsheets

Mon, 01/01/2001 - 1:00am
Submissions

WritersServices Factsheet 5 by Michael Legat  Read more

First & last pages | Factsheets

Mon, 01/01/2001 - 1:00am
The First Page and the Last Page

WritersServices Factsheet 8 by Michael Legat

Factsheet index

It is essential that the beginning of anything you write should make the reader want to go on reading.

If you are writing fiction, whether it is a short story or a novel, you should begin at or immediately before a moment of crisis.  Read more

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15 April 2019 - What's new

April 2019
  • ‘I'm a great believer in turning up still. No forgiving yourself because you are tired. I try to get there before 10, not too early. On those magical writing days you forget you exist and you surface an hour later and you have 400 words you were not expecting to write.
  Read more

So what’s wrong with PDFs?

Thu, 18/04/2019 - 11:23am
An editor's take on using pdfs

 

So what's wrong with PDFs?  Read more

'It's a feeling of happiness that knocks me clean out of adjectives. I think sometimes that the best reason for writing novels is to experience those four and a half hours after you write the final word.'

— Zadie Smith

'Turning up'

18 April 2019

‘I'm a great believer in turning up still. No forgiving yourself because you are tired. I try to get there before 10, not too early. On those magical writing days you forget you exist and you surface an hour later and you have 400 words you were not expecting to write. But turning up is certainly the first condition. Work until lunchtime, listen to World at One, have a sandwich. Walk the dog.  Read more