24 February 2020 - What's new
24 February 2020
- ‘He was a good pick. I thought it was an amazing fact that Henry VIII's reign is told and told and told - but where is Cromwell? It seemed to me that no one had bothered to try to listen to his voice, and that it is such a major gap because he is so central. It's almost as if he was so central that people couldn't see him...' Hilary Mantel, author of just-published The Mirror and the Light, the third book in her trilogy about Thomas More in the Sunday Times magazine. The first two books, Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, both won the Man Booker Prize. Writing about Thomas Cromwell
- An Editor's Advice is our seven-part series on how to become a better writer. On Genre writing: 'I've been reading science fiction, fantasy and crime novels since I was a teenager, and I can spot when a writer doesn't fully understand the mechanics of their chosen genre. It may not matter to a casual reader but it really matters to the fans, and if they don't like what they find, they'll be telling their friends why the novel is rubbish. So, what do you do about it? How do you become a successful genre writer?
- The new Page Turner Awards are open to all. Two different awards aim to help writers and authors to get discovered with possible literary agency representation and potentially taking a published book from page to film, the Page Turner Writing Award and the Page Turner Ebook Award. Closing 30 April. There are no entry fees and a £10,000 prize fund.
- Here's a detailed article on how to prepare Your submission package - 'Given the difficulty of getting agents and publishers to take on your work, it's really important to make sure that you present it in the best possible way. Less is more, so don't send a full manuscript, as it's very unlikely to be read. Far better to tempt them with a submission package that will leave them wanting to see the rest of the manuscript...'
- As well as our highly-regarded Copy editing service, which will help you prepare your manuscript for submission or self-publishing, we have Manuscript Polishing, which provides a higher-level polishing service, English Language Editing for those for whom English is not a native language, our new Writer's edit, providing line-editing, and Proof-reading. Get the right level of editorial support for your needs. Our low-cost services represent exceptionally good value. Contact us to discuss what you want.
- Our links: a positive comment about how the writing of a book will change their lives, Walter Mosley: 'Everyone Can Write a Book.' | Literary Hub; this happens more often than most authors realize, How to Choose an Agent Amid Competing Offers | Jane Friedman; Publishers often keep extremely tight-lipped about just how much cash they've parted with when paying authors their advances, 10 of the Biggest Book Deals in History | Book Riot; how the pandemic is affecting book fairs, Coronavirus: Uncertainty About Bologna Book Fair; London Remains a Go; and Normal People has been greeted by readers, critics and booksellers alike as one of those novels that captures something ineffable about its age, Is being the 'voice of a generation' a curse or an honour for novelists? | Books | The Guardian.
- From our Endorsements page: 'Today I only want to say, "thank you". DM has done a truly great job. I have worked with her suggestions which have brought clarity and depth to my subject. Her work on my punctuation is brilliant. As I read through the manuscript now, it is like gliding on silk.' Helena Dodds
- More links: Why is it that novels are so vital to women today? Women's Prize for Fiction Helen Taylor: Why do women read novels? - Women's Prize for Fiction; author and co-author of more than 80 books, he sold more than 100m books around the world, Clive Cussler, bestselling adventure novelist, dies aged 88 | Books | The Guardian; British Poet Laureate's National Poetry Centre, Simon Armitage plans national 'headquarters' for poetry in Leeds | Books | The Guardian; and once upon a time, writing and sharing fan fiction on the internet carried a distinct stigma, The Surprising 18th-Century Origins of Fan Fiction - The Atlantic.
- Sally Rooney speaks up in our Writers' Quotes: 'I certainly never intended to speak for anyone other than myself. Even myself I find it difficult to speak for. My books may well fail as artistic endeavours but I don't want them to fail for failing to speak for a generation for which I never intended to speak in the first place.'
