Top Ten Tips for nonfiction writers
Julie Wheelwright, programme director, MA Creative Writing Nonfiction, City University, London gives a helpful checklist for nonfiction writers.
The ABC Checklist for New Writers: Titles
This the last of six extracts from The ABC Checklist for New Writers: How to Open Doors and Get Noticed the First Time Around by Lorraine Mace and Maureen Vincent-Northam, published by Orana Publishing. This useful book gives succinct answers to the many problems writers face, making it an indispensable reference for the budding writer.
This week - the authors look at titles and why they matter: 'The title of your work is the first thing the editor will read and, if it doesn’t grab her attention, she may put down your submission in favour of one more intriguingly titled.'
The ABC Checklist For New Writers
1: Agents - when and how to approach them
2: Editors - who they are and what they do
3: Keeping Records
4: Marketing
5: Professionalism
6: Titles
National Poetry CompetitionAnnual poetry prize run by the UK-based Poetry Society established in 1978; accepts entries from all over the world; over 10,000 poems submitted each year winner
Sinead Morrissey is the winner of this year's Competition. Read the winning poem here.
Links update
Our 21 sections of links reviews and listings - from Writers Organisations to Writers' Web Resources - have been updated with some useful new sites.
An Editor's Advice
This new series is based on the advice Maureen Kincaid Speller
a reviewer, writer, editor and former librarian, is our book reviewer and also works for WritersServices as a freelance editor., a long-serving WritersServices freelance editor, has given writers over the years. It deals with the most common problems she has encountered in the manuscripts which cross her desk.
The series covers Dialogue, Doing further drafts, genre writing, planning, points of view, autobiography and presentation.
See also Making submissions for how to approach publishers and agents.
Choosing a Service
Are you having difficulty deciding which service might be right for you? This useful new article by Chris HolifieldManaging director of WritersServices; spent working life in publishing,employed by everything from global corporations to start-ups; track record includes: editorial director of Sphere Books, publishing director of The Bodley Head, publishing director for start-up of upmarket book club, The Softback Preview, editorial director of Britain’s biggest book club group, BCA, and, most recently, deputy MD and publisher of Cassell & Co. She is also currently the Director of the Poetry Book Society; During all of this time aware of problems faced by writers, as publishing changed from idiosyncratic cottage industry, 'occupation for gentlemen', into corporate business of today. Writers encountered increasing difficulty in getting books edited or published. Authors create the books which are the raw material for the whole business. She believes it is time to bring them back to centre stage. offers advice on what to go for, depending on what stage you are at with your writing.
