I've written two published novels set in the past, and have several more abandoned manuscripts. Dangerous Remedy and Monstrous Design are both set in the dying days of the French Revolution, and the politics and science of the historical period are central to both.
Links of the week June 7 2021 (23)
Our new feature links to interesting blogs or articles posted online, which will help keep you up to date with what's going on in the book world:
14 June 2021
I'll admit I started out thinking I'd picked an easy job, being the huge history nerd that I am. But writing historical fiction is more than just creating a simulacrum of the past and letting your characters frolic around in it. By curating and presenting an imagined version of history, you're contributing to wider cultural narratives that determine identity, belonging and nationhood. If "history is written by the victors", then writing historical fiction asks you to consider whom you present as winning - and losing.
Just about every fiction writer understands the need to include elements of rising tension in their stories. But as someone who reads thousands of submissions every year, I know that many emerging writers sometimes don't know quite how to go about this. I see a lot of stories try to tease their way into creating tension. They drop vague hints about what is at stake for the characters instead of showing it outright, and then withhold the reveal until the end, as if that is as high as the tension can possibly go.
But all that does is maintain low tension, without increasing it, and if the narrative structure of a story depends on rising tension, then this approach fails. Without the promise of greater rewards, a narrative can start to sound like a tease: I've got a secret and I'm not telling!
Creativity and change are key to any successful poetry publishing venture - just don't expect an easy life, as Tim Relf hears from the Poetry Business
Thirty-five years ago, a newly launched indie published the first collection by a then-unknown poet. Fast-forward three-and-a-half decades, and the author, Simon Armitage, is poet laureate and the firm has become one of the most respected in publishing.
The Poetry Business is still as focused on finding and fostering new talent as ever, but what began as a sole-trader company on a £40 a week Enterprise Allowance in Huddersfield has grown to a team of eight now in Sheffield, led by poets Ann and Peter Sansom, with Ellen McLeod as the third co-director and business manager. They produce about 20 titles a year in a set-up that Andrew MotionEnglish poet, novelist and biographer; Poet Laureate of United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009; during his laureateship founded the Poetry Archive, an online resource of poems and audio recordings of poets reading their own work once dubbed "one of the most vital and vitalising literary organisations in the country". The Poetry Business' writers have won or been shortlisted for almost every major poetry prize, including the Forward Prize, and the press has twice won the prestigious Michael Marks Award.
Having her nonfiction book of essays, "Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman," turned into a streaming scripted comedy in 2019 checked many boxes for Lindy West. It directly responded to the book's critique of the lack of visual representation of fat women in the media by making "a piece of representation that's exactly the thing I'd been missing," she says, while also fulfilling her dream of writing for television.
West didn't just hand over her book to television producers for them to adapt; she stepped onto the show as a writer and executive producer, helping to shape the screen version. Historically, it hasn't been that common for authors to get the opportunity to adapt their own work, but that attitude has been shifting in an industry claiming to be keen on authenticity in its storytelling.
Damien Lewis on the collaboration behind his SAS histories
WWII veteran Jack Mann was already in his late 80s when I first met him, yet he made a truly imposing figure. Walking stick gripped firmly in hand, erect in posture, SAS regimental tie and lapel badge matched by the fierce glint in his eye, over lunch at London's Victory Services Club he regaled me with stories from his war years.
The meeting inspired my fascination with the WWII operations of the SAS and related British special forces - the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Churchill's so-called Ministry for Ungentlemanly Warfare included - and a series of books on the same. And it started a long-lasting and special friendship - and literary collaboration - with Jack.
Bestselling writers including Philip Pullman and Kate Mosse are warning of a "potentially devastating" change to the UK's copyright laws that could damage authors' livelihoods by flooding the UK market with cheap foreign editions.
The Intellectual Property Office launched a consultation this week into the UK's approach to copyright in the wake of Brexit. One option under consideration would see a change to the "copyright exhaustion" rule, which governs when the control of a rights holder over the distribution of their property expires. For example, if a customer buys a book, then the owner of the book's copyright would not then be able to prevent the customer selling that book to another person in the same territory.
I have spent the past five years reading the descriptions of hundreds of books, trying to find things that are interesting and worthwhile for me to pitch as a freelancer. They are almost always bad.
When you read enough book jacket copy-that's the stuff on the back of the book or inside the jacket flap, telling you what to expect within-you start to notice strange patterns. Books from one of the big four publishing houses will have a line or two promising that the latest in literary fiction is a sober look at our current dilemma/modern age/social media addiction/technological approach to dating. If the copywriter is feeling bold, maybe they'll let us know that the writer is a "dazzling new voice," or that the release of this debut novel is "heralding a brave new voice in fiction." From there, a frustratingly vague description of the plot usually contains a foreboding line letting us know the protagonist needs to go on a journey to another country to find herself, or that a man will try to save his marriage or family. End with a reminder that this book is very important and/or brilliant. Just like every other book.
In a presentation that was part of Credit Suisse's 23rd annual communications conference, HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray said he sees no signs of consumer book spending slowing down in 2021-nor does he see the trend toward greater consolidation of the publishing industry cooling.
HC has enjoyed exceptional sales growth over the last 12 months, and spending is up in the 17 countries where the publisher operates, Murray said, observing that it appears interest in reading is undergoing a renaissance. He said that consumer research conducted by HC has found that book buying should remain strong for the rest of the year, speculating that book purchasing has reached a new level.
Murray said he found it very encouraging that, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, consumers were able to find books through different channels, noting that this points to the strength and resiliency of the book industry. Two trends that have been very prominent during the pandemic - higher digital sales and more sales through online retailers - also bode well for HC's ability to become more profitable, Murray said.
In every skirmish in the ‘culture war', be it fought in universities, Twitter or Parliament, there's an inevitable reference to Harry Potter. The Potter references can seem like a joke; the perpetual furore around the politics of a ‘mere' children's author more so. But it is no laughing matter. Harry Potter is a cultural force and a financial powerhouse, one that is, ultimately - and for some, frustratingly - ‘uncancellable'.
According to YouGov, British Millennials have a 95% awareness of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. For context, this puts Harry Potter significantly above classics such as Winnie the Pooh (90%) and Alice in Wonderland (85%), or, for that matter, Marvel movies. It is uniquely high among all publishing properties. By comparison, The Hate U Give - a stunning contemporary book with massive cultural ramifications and prolonged sales dominance - has a 24% awareness in the same demographic. That level of familiarity is, for a book, incredibly impressive. But Harry Potter is a universal cultural touchstone.
The first reason is found in the story itself. There have been countless theses written on this very subject, but there is, unquestionably, something special about the boy. Henry Jenkins has examined the phenomena at length, and argues (to paraphrase) that the series' appeal stems from its ability to allow readers to see themselves in Rowling's world. It is, again, to paraphrase, just rich enough: readers are fascinated by the world, but there's still room for them to fit in. It is welcoming, and more than that, participative. The loose fabric of the Potterverse invites its readers to indulge in passionate meddling, a form of imaginative activism that has translated to a long lasting, and real world, belief in the power to make change.