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29 June 2020 - What's new

June 2020

'Like any social media platform, the more you use Twitter the more you will get out of it. So keeping your account as active as possible - i.e. tweeting as often as possible - is perhaps the most valuable tip of all. But that raises a common anti-Twitter excuse: "Oh, I wouldn't know what to talk about... To pro-Twitters like me, this is perhaps the most frustrating excuse of all, especially when it comes from otherwise idea-rich writers and authors! Paul Jones, author of The British Isles: A Trivia Gazetteer, Haggard Hawks & Paltry Poltroons and its sequel, Jedburgh Justice & Kentish Fire. Why and How Writers Should Embrace Twitter
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?
Have you managed to find a publisher for your work and are now enjoying the thrill of knowing that your book will soon be published? If you're wondering what happens next or just dreaming of being in that situation, Preparing for Publication gives an outline of what's involved.
Our links: leading crime writers reveal how they came up with their most famous creations, Me and my detective by Lee Child, Attica Locke, Sara Paretsky, Jo Nesbø and more | Books | The Guardian; how writers can cope with the considerable change there's been over the last few months, Writing, Pitching & Promoting in the Age of the Coronavirus | Jane Friedman; unwanted, disrespected, or simply shut out, Romance Writers of America had a history of racism. It led to its own implosion. - Vox; and looking at Orwell's life, What's really Orwellian about our global Black Lives Matter moment.
Copy editing services - WritersServices can provide a range of services working on your manuscript, to help you get it ready for submission or self-publishing. We are UK-based and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for 19 years. We have recently introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page.
More links: 'I kept being told my books were about identity, then I'd read books by white poets, and think, how are these not about identity?' Poetic justice: black lives and the power of poetry | Books | The Guardian; a rather dry article documenting a depressing reality, Author Income in the Coronavirus Crisis: European Writers' Council Report; "We need to see agents, publishers, writers, sales and marketing people of colour..." The industry is ‘hostile environment on multiple levels', says Singh | The Bookseller.
Writing for Children: Rule Number One - Read More than You Write."If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that." says Stephen King. Novels show writers what can be done and how. They can be everything from a rip-roaring read to a work of art, and they present the finished article, the puzzle of writing solved and celebrated as a successful story. These can be fiendishly hard to analyse though in terms of your own writing.
Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for up to 150 lines of poetry can help. Our Poetry Collection Editing, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you may feel you need.
Julian Barnes in our Writers' Quotes: 'Books say: she did this because life says: she did this. Books are where things are explained to you; life is where things aren't. I'm not surprised some people prefer books. Books make sense of life. The only problem is that the lives they make sense of are other people's lives, never your own.'

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22 June 2020 - What's new

June 2020

'The demands that are made of women can be ferocious, but the demands made of men can be equally tough. I don't know what it is to be a boy. I have a lot of male friends and my best friend when I was nine was a boy, but there is an extra imaginative leap you have to make, I know intricately what it means to be a girl and I don't know who gets to say whether a character is real. Do only boys get to say if a boy character is real and a girl if a girl character is?' Katherine Rundell, author of The Explorer, which she writes about here, Rooftoppers, Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, The Wolf Wilder and The Good Thieves in The Times on A female children's writer with a boy hero.
Our 19 Factsheets from the legendary Michael Legat are full of tips for the new writer or anyone who is trying to get their book published. From Literary agents to Copyright, from Libel to Submissions, this series is full of essential background information.
This is the big one - the highly prestigious National Poetry Competition receives entries, which are judged anonymously, from all over the world. The 2020 Competition is open to anyone 18 or over from all over the world. You can enter an unpublished poem of up to 40 lines. The entry fee is £7 for the first entry, £4 for subsequent entries. The First Prize is £5,000, Second Prize £2,000 and Third Prize £1,000 and there are 7 Commendations which receive £200. Closing date 31 October.
There are eight other writing opportunities which are still open.
Our 20 Services for writers - just a list of what we offer at WritersServices.
Our links: a woman picking her way through a reinvention of her life, Toni Morrison Did Not Find Success Overnight | ZORA; his vast army of fans is waiting eagerly, George RR Martin predicts penultimate Game of Thrones book will be finished 'next year' | Books | The Guardian; for most of my life, I didn't want to call myself a writer, Emily Temple on Translating a Decade of Internet Writing into a Debut Novel | Literary Hub; and untangling the Gordian knot holding together Poe's tumultuous life and fragmented personality, Can You Really Separate Edgar Allan Poe's Work from His Life? | CrimeReads.
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...'
More links from this week's headlines: why print on demand is going to win out, Covid-19: the book trade out of joint; highlighing a stark lack of diversity within poetry publishing and, particularly, poetry criticism, Poetry sector 'too white' by far, report finds | The Bookseller; UK bookshops reported a jump of over 30% on the same week last year as desperate readers returned to browse the aisles for the first time in three months, 'We're back in business': UK bookshops see sales soar | Books | The Guardian; and how are the players, big and small, planning the next phase? Literary figures on why booksellers thrived during lockdown - and what's next | London Evening Standard.
If you've come to the site looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one would suit you best? Which Report? includes our new top-of-the range service, the Editor's Report Plus, introduced by popular demand to provide even more detail. This very substantial report takes the form of a chapter-by-chapter breakdown and many writers have found this detail helps them to get their book right. Through our specialist children's editors we can offer reports on children's books.
Even more links: an excellent guide to Joseph Campbell's book, A Complete Guide to The Hero's Journey (or The Monomyth) - The Art of Narrative; launching Discoveries, a writers' development programme for aspiring female writers, Women's Prize Trust launches writers' development programme | The Bookseller; highlighting how books narratives are becoming more popular with film companies, Cannes' Shoot the Book Spotlights 10 Novels Primed for the Big Screen - Variety; and "That wouldn't happen in real life." How to Write Legal Thrillers That Won't Drive Lawyers Crazy with Mistakes and Inventions | CrimeReads.
Neil Gaiman from our Writers' Quotes: 'The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it's definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.'

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15 June 2020 - What's new

June 2020

'I feel optimistic about the sector. Independents are well placed as they've been for a number of years now. We are small, flexible and nimble businesses with relatively low overheads, and as long as we can continue to find and successfully publish wonderful authors and their books I'm sure we'll not only survive but thrive no matter what the future landscape looks like.' Adam Freudenheim, publisher and MD of London-based Pushkin Press in Bookbrunch (behind paywall). Our Comment.
For anyone thinking about or embarked on self-publishing, our ten-part WritersServices Self-Publishing Guide by Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk is an essential starting-point, taking you through the process step-by-step. 'Today's indie author can feel confident that they are in good company - indeed, many traditionally published authors are leaving their publishers and going indie by choice. Tired of creative compromises, covers they can't stand, zero promotion and tiny royalty percentages, they are joining the ranks of self-publishing authors and reaping the benefits. If you have a book you are passionate about, if your main objective is to get your work in front of readers and make it professional and accessible, and if you're tired of doing the ‘rounds' of agents and publishers and facing soul-destroying rejection, there is an answer. Self publish...' Articles include What is Self-publishing and Choose Your Self-publishing Route.
This week's competition is the Winchester Poetry Prize 2020, which is open to all poets aged 16 or over. The entry fee is £5 for the first poem and £4 for subsequent poems. First Prize: £1,000, 2nd Prize: £500 and 3rd Prize: £250. Closing 31 July.
Other live competitions.
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 latest new service 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.
Links on bookselling and publishing in the Pandemic: scenes from the front line of bookselling, ‘We're so nervous': England's bookshops prepare to reopen on Monday | Books | The Guardian; several new realities are likely to survive the disease itself and lead to evolutionary leaps in book publishing, Independent Publishing in a Post-Covid World; and the "new normal" is taking shape, Selling in a post-lockdown world.
From our Endorsements page: 'Please extend my gratitude to the editor for his/her thoughtful and detailed edit. I could not ask for better work! Its value far exceeded the cost.' Jim, Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA)
More Black Lives Matter links: more than 100 writers have called on all major publishing houses in the UK to introduce sweeping reforms, Black Writers' Guild calls for sweeping change in UK publishing | Books | The Guardian; 'The publishing industry is stilted and archaic', Publishers want more black authors. Why have they silenced us for so long? | Candice Carty-Williams | Books | The Guardian; in 1962, the African Writers Series (AWS) was founded by London-based publisher, Heineman, but now How Women Are Changing the Face of African Publishing | Literary Hub; and a thoughtful interview with last year's T. S. Eliot Prize winner, Roger Robinson: 'Poets can translate trauma' | Books | The Guardian.
Manuscript typing. Do you need to get your material typed up, but can't face doing the job yourself? We can provide a clean typed version of your work at very competitive rates so that you can revise it, submit it or publish it. Our service offers help for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript, or audio tapes, which need re-typing before the writer can proceed with submission or publication.
More links: 'It took me many years and a lot of work to complete my first crime novel', Five tips for writing your first novel - National Centre for Writing; there is a voice, a reading voice not my own, the voice of a stranger who can cut through the chatter, In Utter Celebration of Juliet Stevenson's Brilliance as an Audiobook Narrator | Literary Hub; American Dirt was supposed to be a major book of the year, How Not to Write a Book about a Minority Experience | The Walrus; and 'When women stop reading, the novel will be dead', There's No Hype Machine for Selling Literature to Dudes.
‘The three most important things are character, character, character. Climb inside every character and live them from the inside. And remember: every character, even the most minor ones, think they are the true centre of the story.'
Andrew Davies in our Writers' Quotes.

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8 June 2020 - What's new

June 2020

'I feel optimistic about the sector. Independents are well placed as they've been for a number of years now. We are small, flexible and nimble businesses with relatively low overheads, and as long as we can continue to find and successfully publish wonderful authors and their books I'm sure we'll not only survive but thrive no matter what the future landscape looks like.' Adam Freudenheim, publisher and managing director of London-based Pushkin Press in Bookbrunch. Independent publishers will ‘not only survive but thrive'
My Say gives writers a chance to air their views about writing and the writer's life. So we have Lynda Finn about the isolation of New Zealand writers and their problems with getting published, British author Eliza Graham, author of Playing with the Moon, on her route to publication and Zoe Jenny, who is Swiss, on writing in English and why it was liberating. Send us your contributions, ideally up to 400 words in length and of general interest. Please email them to us.
The Moth Nature Writing Prize is a new prize which is open to anyone over the age of 16 with an unpublished piece of nature writing. Entry fee is €15 per entry and the Prize is €1,000 and a week-long stay at The Moth Retreat in rural Ireland. Closing 15 September.
Do you want some help with your writing but don't quite know what you want - or even if you need any help? Are you a bit puzzled by the various services on offer, and not sure what to go for? Choosing a service can help you work out which service is right for you.
Our links, first, Black Lives Matter: amid all the fury, corporations have been quick to express solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and publishers have been among them, but Publishing has ignored and pigeonholed black authors for too long | Magdalene Abraha | Books | The Guardian; books afford us the opportunity to read about our past and present while engaging with ideas that will help us to imagine our future, How the Book Business Can, and Must, Build a New Future; the disparity between the advances paid by publishers to non-Black authors versus Black authors, #PublishingPaidMe lays advances bare | The Bookseller; a little over half a century ago, but the editorial might as well have been written yesterday, It's Time for the Book Business to Change; and an open letter from a group of its fellows and programmatic partners and signed by more than 1,800 individuals, Poets Call for Change at Poetry Foundation.
Do you need to get your material typed up, but can't face doing the job yourself? We can provide a clean typed version of your work at very competitive rates. Our service offers help for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript, or audio tapes, which need re-typing before the writer can proceed with submission or publication. Typing manuscripts.
More links on writers: second real-time survey from the UK confirms extent of impact of COVID-19 on authors' income, News | The Society of Authors; one of the most rewarding experiences a writer can have - but also the scariest, How to and (Especially) How Not to Write About Family | Jane Friedman; and a new children's book, Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell announce new 'piratical adventure' | Books | The Guardian.
Written exclusively for WritersServices - Trident Media Group Literary Agent Mark Gottlieb explains how literary agencies work. It's no surprise that they do a lot more than you think and that they bring a lot of expertise in a range of different areas to bear on behalf of their authors. How Literary Agents Work.
Working with an agent explains how to get the best out of the relationship with your agent: 'It can be hard work finding an agent to represent you. Make sure though that, when you set up the relationship, you do so in a professional manner Don't let your eagerness to find representation mean that things are left vague. You will be depending on the agent to process all your income from the books they sell, so you need to have a written record of your arrangement, preferably a contract...'
Links on how publishers are coping with the pandemic: corporate publishing has a different economic imperative, but ‘Small presses are the coral reefs of publishing, attracting the most colourful fish'; how readers have helped booksellers, Book Lovers' Donations Helped Independent Sellers During Virus; a warning that physical booksellers could have difficulty clawing back trade from online retailers after lockdown, Ingram sees 'huge swing' to print on demand during coronavirus | The Bookseller; only a limited reopening, New York's Publishers Won't Reopen Until September.
'An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment the world hands out and the punishment he inflicts upon himself.' Irwin Shaw in our Writers' Quotes.

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1 June 2020 - What's new

June 2020

'1. Write like you'll live forever - fear is a bad editor. 2. Write like you'll croak today - death is the best editor. 3. Fooling others is fun. Fooling yourself is a lethal mistake. 4. Pick one - fame or delight. Ron Dakron, author of the novels Hello Devilfish, Mantids, infra and Newt and three collections of poetry. Our Comment.
An essential read for children's authors is Suzy Jenvey's special series for WritersServices, the four-part Essential Guide to Writing for Children. The first article looks at the all-important question of age groups and what you should be aware of in writing for each one. The second part is - Before You Write: What is My Story Going to be? The third part deals with Starting to Write and the fourth part is about Submitting Your Work to Agents and Editors. This series by a hugely experienced children's editorial director and agent helps you get started on your own story or develop what you're already working on.
Our Copy editing services covers our six services working on writers' manuscripts, a range which includes our top of the range Writer's Edit and English Language Editing. We provide free samples and free short written assessments on most of these services, which are provided by our skilled professional editors. We are transparent about our rates and our high quality copy editing services are also very good value.
A bumper crop of links this week: authors are frantically rewriting existing projects to reflect a world turned upside down by the pandemic, No pubs, no kissing, no flying: how Covid-19 is forcing authors to change their novels | Books | The Guardian; "Why horror? Why can't you write nice things?" Literature Is Built on a Foundation of Horror | CrimeReads; an evocative account of how one writer found her story, Finding My Story in the Colonial Past of the Andaman Islands | Literary Hub; pulp literature loves its heroes and villains, Noir Fiction: When the Real Is Too Raw | CrimeReads; we still crave stories with waves crashing on the shore, Summer reading has a fraught history. But if there was ever a time to delight in escapism, it's now. - The Washington Post.
Writing Biography & Autobiography is a serialisation from our Archives of the book by Brian D Osborne published by A & C BlackClick for A & C Black Publishers Publishers References listing. In the first excerpt, Managing the matters of truth and objectivity, the author says: 'Just as you need to remember that letters, reports, census forms, legal documents and so forth were not created simply for our convenience, so you also need to remember that what is written in them may not be true...'
More links, focusing on how the pandemic is changing the book world: spring and summer books are now on track for fall, when authors will be fighting for attention in the midst of a presidential election and an ongoing crisis, Fall Is Now Jam-Packed for Book Publishers. That Could Be a Problem. - The New York Times; "the channels that are open have over-performed", Bloomsbury has transformed 'surprisingly well' despite severity of pandemic hit, says Newton | The Bookseller; action against 'purposeful collection of truckloads of in-copyright books to scan, reproduce, and then distribute digital bootleg versions online,' Publishers Charge the Internet Archive with Copyright Infringement; Kiwis commit to buying local to resuscitate the economy following seven weeks of lockdown, Like Christmas: New Zealand's post-Covid books boom | World news | The Guardian; and encouraging forecast from CEO of Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, Waterstones will emerge from crisis despite shopper caution, Daunt tells IPG | The Bookseller.
If you're aiming at traditional publishing, Finding an agent and Working with an agent are two practical checklists to help set up and maintain this vital relationship. 'Try to find an agency which is ‘hungry' for new clients. To keep their workload under control, an established independent agent might take on something like four new authors a year, but only to replace four departing clients. This may seem obvious, but whether or not an agent is actively looking to build their list of clients is probably the single most important factor affecting how closely they are looking at unsolicited submissions...'
Even more links: an opportunity to directly submit adventure thrillers to a new imprint, Head of Zeus launches adventure imprint Aries | The Bookseller; high court ruling in favour of author's daughters and the estate, Watership Down author's estate wins back all rights to classic novel | Books | The Guardian; musings on the future of the form, On Travel Writing - Guernica; and Fang Fang, a 65-year-old Chinese novelist who lives in the city of Wuhan has had her diary of the pandemic translatd into English, Will China's entry into U.S. publishing lead to censorship? - Los Angeles Times.
'Your first book is the only one that matters. Perhaps a writer should write only that one. That is the one moment when you make the big leap; the opportunity to express yourself is offered that once, and you untie the knot within you then or never again.' Italo Calvino in our Writers' Quotes.

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25 May 2020 - What's new

May 2020

'The rules for writing under lockdown are no different to other ties. It won't happen unless you make it happen. It's incremental and frustrating, and your chances of being paid for it are tiny, but it's a fascinating process, with all the glamour and excitement of an affair but with less chance of divorce. Once you discover the joys of it, and the pains, it will bring you the deepest pleasure. Good luck...' Writing under Lockdown from Louise Doughty, author of nine novels including Platform Seven, Apple Tree Yard and Black Water, and the how-to-write guide A Novel in a Year, in the Sunday Times Magazine.
From our 19-part Inside Publishing series - on Copyright: 'Many writers worry about losing their copyright. Before sending out your manuscript it is always advisable to put a copyright line consisting of the copyright sign ©, the year and your name on the title page...' On The Writer/Publisher Financial Relationship: 'There's no escaping the fact that publishers and authors are essentially in an adversarial position. Even in the very best and most supportive publisher/writer relationships there is the tension caused by the fact that authors would like to earn as much as possible from their writing and publishers to pay as little as they can get away with...'
You'll have to be very quick to enter The Bridport Prize 2020, which closes on 31 May. There are four parts to this Prize, as follows: Poetry, Short Story and Flash Fiction are open to unpublished work from any writer writing in English over 16. The Novel Award is restricted to UK writers. The entry fees are £10 per poem, £12 per story, £9 for flash fiction and £20 per novel. Poetry and Short Story 1st Prize £5,000, 2nd Prize £1,000, 3rd Prize £500. Flash Fiction 1st Prize £1,000, 2nd Prize £500 and 3rd Prize £250. Novel Award 1st Prize £1500, 2nd Prize £750 and 3 awards of £150. Go for it!
Other competitions which are still open.
We have a new endorsement from Daniela Stanciulescu in Paris, on her English Language Editing for writers who are not native English speakers: ‘WritersServices editors are not just excellent professionals, they are persons of letters involved in helping the writers who are trying to enter in the world of British books... I am impressed. I am grateful. I'm delighted. Thank you so much.'
Our links: the impact on publishing and authors, How Book Publishers Decided To Move Publication Dates During The COVID-19 Pandemic; hundreds of YA book releases and publicity plans have been altered by the Covid-19 pandemic, YA Authors Move Online; this will be a very different Frankfurt. The plan is to run the event not only on the fair's grounds but also decentralized at locations in the city, and as a virtual event, Frankfurt Book Fair 2020 to go ahead | The Bookseller; a lively conversation with Judy Blume, Curtis Sittenfeld Rewrites Hillary Clinton's Life Without Bill; and "like watching an IMAX movie from the front row," NPD's Kristen McLean on US Book Sales During the Pandemic.
Rotten Rejections provides a note of the things publishers wish they'd never said: on Animal Farm by George Orwell ‘It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA' and Carrie by Stephen King 'We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.'
More links: the Pandemic will hit many industries hard, there is a particularly deep fear for those in the relatively privileged cultural industries, Radical Publishing in a Pandemic; making sure your readers are on the edge of their seats, Five tips for keeping your readers gripped - National Centre for Writing; in 1909, long before the invention of the World Wide Web or the prospect of a world where we must live socially distant from each other, he arguably predicted both, How E.M. Forster's Only Foray Into Sci-Fi Predicted Social Distancing | Literary Hub; and what a truly amazing row, Romance Writers of America aims for happy end to racism row with new prize | Books | The Guardian.
Our 20 Services for writers - just a list of what we offer at WritersServices.
From our Writers' Quotes 'Sometimes the ideas just come to me. Other times I have to sweat and almost bleed to make ideas come. It's a mysterious process, but I hope I never find out exactly how it works. I like a mystery, as you may have noticed.' J K Rowling.

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18 May 2020 - What's new

May 2020

‘It's difficult to envision what will appeal post-Covid19; however, the current trend for uplifting reads is bound to continue, with readers looking for distraction and escape from a fairly dire reality - warm humour, salvation, (stories of) unexpected success, happiness, or beating the odds release tension and provide solace... A staple diet of Netflix thrillers should increase the appetite for more of the same but, perhaps most importantly, crime has always done well in darker times, perhaps because readers are able to take comfort in the fact that their own lives seem comparatively less bleak. Karen Sullivan, founder of Orenda Books in the Bookseller. Our Comment.
Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Improving your writing to Self-publishing: is it for you? to Keep up to date and Submission to publishers and agents. 'Be prepared to redraft your work and to rethink it. Many new writers assume that their work will immediately be ready for publication, but the truth is that many highly successful writers produced several drafts of their first work before they got it published.' and 'When you've got your work into the best state you can, put it on one side for a few weeks and then look at it afresh. You'll be amazed what difference a fresh eye will make.'
Anthology Magazine Short Story Competition for unpublished short stories is open to all. Entry fee: Early Bird: by 31 May 2020 - €10 per story, Final Deadline: 31 July 2020 - €15 per story. The Prize is a €300 cash prize and the chance to see your work published in a future issue of Anthology Magazine. Closing 31 July.
Other competitions which are still open.
The most recent addition to our range of reports is the Editor's Report Plus, a substantial report which offers chapter-by-chapter commentary on your manuscript, with a helpful blueprint for any further work which is recommended. It gives you the kind of expert advice which is usually only available from an in-house editor, which is why it has quickly become our most popular report.
Our links: what are editors looking for now? In Pandemic, Dystopian Fiction Loses Its Luster for Editors; it's not why write about sex, claims author Garth Greenwell, it's why write about anything else? 'I wanted something 100% pornographic and 100% high art': the joy of writing about sex | Books | The Guardian; a vital skill that all fiction writers need to master, World-Building: The 10 Key Elements - The Art of Narrative; not going to the key children's book fair was unthinkable, A Virtual Bologna: One Agent's Experience; and the latest step in its efforts to become a global entertainment giant, Publishing platform Wattpad to develop film and TV projects based on stories from website - The Globe and Mail.
We have a new page which gives an editor's take on using pdfs, So what's wrong with PDFs? 'If you need your file to be edited, PDF is not the ideal format; in fact, it is practically the worst format you can choose. Why? Precisely because PDFs are designed not to be tampered with or changed. When you stop to think about it, editing is no more or less than a process of changing - and correcting - your file...'
More links: the story of an extraordinary young writer, Natural talent: the 16 year-old writer taking the world by storm | Books | The Guardian; print book sales in the US continue to defy expectations that the coronavirus crisis will lead to a plunge in sales, Print Unit Sales Post Another Double Digit Gain; "undoubtedly the best writer in America", but What to Make of Isaac Asimov, Sci-Fi Giant and Dirty Old Man? | Literary Hub; and you can read the shortlisted stories online, Shortlist for 2020 AKO Caine Prize Announced - The Caine Prize for African Writing.
Last year we launched the Writer's edit, a top-level new service for writers who want line-editing as well as copy editing. Does your manuscript need high-level input from an editor to help you get it into the best possible shape for submission or self-publishing? This may be the service for you, offering the kind of editing which publishers' senior editors used to do in-house on their authors' manuscripts and which is now hard to find. Our other copy editing services.
'And remember: you must never, under any circumstances, despair. To hope and to act, these are our duties in misfortune.' Boris Pasternak in our Writers' Quotes.

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11 May 2020 - What's new

May 2020

‘The last four or five years in publishing have been great. We're in mourning for them. But you can only dwell on that for a few moments before you say: the reading and the writing are still there. Original work will come out of this lockdown, just as it did out of austerity; it has shone a light on globalisation, and the inconveniences that we have, to a degree forgotten, like mortality...' Publisher Stephen Page, CEO of Faber & Faber, in the Observer. Our Comment.
From our nineteen-part Inside Publishing series, you can read up on Advances and royalties: 'Publishers usually offer to pay authors advances against royalties. How do you work out how much money you might earn from your book? You need to understand for yourself how advances and royalties work and what they mean for you...'
From the same series, Copy editing and proof-reading explains the difference between the two. Copy editing is the painstaking job of going through a manuscript line by line to correct the spelling, grammar and punctuation. Proof-reading at a later stage is a separate check through the book when it is set up in pages, before it goes to press or is finalised for ebook publishing.
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, Writer's edit, a new line-editing service, and English Language Editing for writers who are not native English speakers. We also provide a Proof-reading service. Now with free samples for nearly all, plus some free assessments. Our UK-based Editing services for writers have a solid professional reputation and we often have authors coming back to us for further assistance, see our Endorsements.
Our links - how Coronavirus is affecting booksellers and publishers: is this an opportunity to drag the book world into the 21st century? Could lockdown herald an exciting new chapter for the book trade? | Books | The Guardian; last fall, Kyle Hall's bookstore was destroyed by a tornado. This spring, it was almost wiped out by a pandemic, For Bookstore Owners, Reopening Holds Promise and Peril - The New York Times; big publishers are still awaiting the impact, For Publishers, It's Still the Calm Before the Storm; and, on a lighter note, Working from Home: An Editor's Tale.
Advice for Writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore our more than 7,000 pages of information for writers.
More links: genre is a funny thing, Genre Labels: What Makes a Book More Thriller Than Sci-Fi? | CrimeReads; novelist N.K. Jemisin was a teenager the first time she read Octavia Butler, and nothing had prepared her for it, Octavia Butler's prescient sci-fi resonates years after her death; families! Look no further for a source of fears, How Having Kids Can Change Your Life - And Your Horror Fiction | CrimeReads; it's been 15 years since Little, Brown published Stephenie Meyer's Twilight - a book that sold more than 100 million copies, launched a multi-billion-dollar movie franchise, and kicked off a vampire craze, The Return of the YA Vampire; and you can't have a good thriller without a nasty and formidable opponent for your hero, How to Write a Killer Villain 2 | Jane Friedman.
Have you ever wondered whether there's any point in entering competitions? Someone must be winning, but why is it somehow never you? Here's some tips to help you achieve a better result. Entering competitions.
Seven prizes and competitions which are still open.
'Only Southerners have taken horsewhips and pistols to editors about the treatment or maltreatment of their manuscript. This - the actual pistols - was in the old days, of course, we no longer succumb to the impulse. But it is still there, within us.' William Faulkner in our Writers' Quotes.

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4 May 2020 - What's new

May 2020

‘I think this period, if it's doing nothing else, is probably making reading a more central part of people's lives than before. Reading is always, in one sense, a form of escape. It's escaping into a life which is not the life that you're actually having to live. That's why we do it.' Penelope Lively, author of Booker Prize-winning Moon Tiger, Family Album and more than 38 other books for adults and children in the Observer. Escaping the Lockdown.
An Editor's advice on planning, part of our 7-part series, 'Some people like to know exactly what they're doing before they start writing. They make very elaborate diagrams of the plot, note what each character is doing and when - this is particularly useful if you're writing a story which depends very heavily on a complex series of events coming together at just the right moment. Some writers focus on building detailed descriptions of their characters, so they know how they will react in any given situation, and then put them into the action. Once they've made a plan, they stick to it, but they then make a note of the ideas they have as they work, and then go back later and see if they can be incorporated into the story. If not, they might be worth using elsewhere...'
The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2020 is open to all. The entry fee for Poetry entries is £12, with £18 for Short Fiction entries, but hurry because there's an offer if you enter by 10 May. £1,000 is awarded to both the Poetry and Short Fiction winners, plus publication the Aesthetica Creative Writing Anthology, which is awarded to 60 writers shortlisted by the judging panel. Closing 31 August.
If you've come to the site looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one would suit you best? Which Report? includes our new top-of-the range service, the Editor's Report Plus, introduced by popular demand to provide even more detail. This very substantial report takes the form of a chapter-by-chapter breakdown and many writers have found this detail helps them to get their book right. Through our specialist children's editors we can offer reports on children's books.
Our links: A Portable Paradise, which has already won the T S Eliot prize, moves from the Grenfell Tower fire to the Windrush generation and the legacy of slavery, Roger Robinson's poems of Trinidad and London win Ondaatje prize | Books | The Guardian; ever since early March independent booksellers have been tweaking their business models in an attempt to remain solvent, Virtual Author Events Are the Next Big Thing; a significant proportion of the UK and Ireland's smallest independent presses say their businesses are at risk as a result of the Coronavirus lockdown, Small presses fear being 'wiped out' by autumn | The Bookseller; if you're in any way a member of the independent publishing community, welcome, What Can Independent Presses Do to Survive These Uncertain Times? and another really thorough article, How to Write a Novel Synopsis | Jane Friedman.
If, in spite of Jane Friedman's help, you find it difficult to write your own synopsis for submission to agents and publishers, our Synopsis-writing service can help. If you're preparing to self-publish and having difficulty with your blurb, our Blurb-writing service from a professional copy-writer will make your book stand out.
More links: 'I miss writing stories in which a life lived online does not figure, On the Relief of Ignoring the Internet in Fiction | Literary Hub; on publishing when bookshops are closed, being an ‘exercise nut' and the dangers posed to writers by mob rule, Lionel Shriver: 'Some people think I'm evil incarnate' | Books | The Guardian; the Queens of Crime who dominated the Golden Age of British detective writing, Christie & Sayers & Allingham & Tey | CrimeReads; and, from a fan of the great poet who left it too late, Dear Eavan Boland, I Wanted to Send You a Letter | Literary Hub.
How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth) - for non-native English speakers wanting to reach the international English language market. If your English is good enough, what about writing your book in English or translating it into English yourself, and then getting your translation polished and copy edited by a professional editor who is a native English speaker? The result should be a publishable manuscript at a relatively low cost, ready for you to publish or submit to publishers.
From our Writers' Quotes, Stephen King on audiobooks: ‘I listen to my own books. The reason why is because you can hear everything you did right and everything you did wrong. This is the most honourable form of storytelling there is.'

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27 April 2020 - What's new

April 2020

‘I often write everything all at once. Memory isn't linear for me, nor is experience, but I try to keep it as straight as I can. A sense of fluidity and shift, and that energy, that is about change. It's really integral to my work, which is not about the past becoming a stable object. The past very rarely settles down. It shifts under our gaze all the time...' Anne Enright, author of just-published Actress, Booker Prize-winning A Gathering, The Green Road, The Forgotten Waltz and three other novels in the Bookseller. Our Comment.
WritersServices can provide a range of services working on your manuscript, to help you get it ready for submission or self-publishing. We are UK-based, offer exceptional value and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for us for 19 years. We have recently introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. Copy editing services.
Closing on 31 August, The Kindle Storyteller Award 2020 is open to writers publishing in English in any genre, who publish their work through Kindle Direct Publishing. No entry fee. The Prize is £20,000. You need to read their terms and conditions carefully.
Other competitions which are still open.
Why has my manuscript been rejected? It is demoralising to get your manuscript rejected by publishers or agents. Here are some of the reasons why this happens and suggestions of what you can do about it. Rejection.
Our links: is this heresy? Letter to the Editor: Why These Agents Argue Books Aren't Essential; Mike Shatzkin casts a clear eye on the basics, The supply chain for book publishing is being changed by Coronavirus too | The Idea Logical Company; given all the disruptions to the global economy caused by the new coronavirus, unit sales of print books held up relatively well in the first quarter of 2020, The Pandemic Is Changing Book-Buying Patterns; and the situation is critical in South Africa, ‘SA could lose its book industry.' Top authors urge Ramaphosa to allow trade.
Writers' stories - they're just a bit of fun, but in a rare moment of inspiration we wrote some fictionalised stories of how the services could turn out, to give you a better idea of how they might work for you. Joe's fantasy novel benefited from some professional editing, when he signed up for an Editor's Report Plus. Tony needed Copy editing to get his manuscript into shape for publication or self-publishing.
More links: a complete, essential guide from the wonderful Jane Friedman, How to Start Blogging: A Definitive Guide for Authors | Jane Friedman; some authors have really bad luck - My first novel bombed spectacularly. This was about 20 years ago, Two Novels, Two Global Catastrophes, Two Decades Apart | Literary Hub; Nicola Upson on how to get started on a new project, How to start writing crime fiction - National Centre for Writing; and crime writers in residence, Waines, Veitch Smith and Watt headline virtual National Crime Reading Month | The Bookseller.
Our page of Picture library links provides a good starting-point for finding an image for your book, whether it's for the cover or inside. Gograph was added a while ago with its 18 million stock links.
A few more links: coming down the track - "truly authentic ... prestige adaptations", Terry Pratchett novels to get 'absolutely faithful' TV adaptations | Books | The Guardian; a writer's life-long obsession with Florence Nightingale, Revisiting Florence; Rights are invariably seen to be the poor relation, but showing their value at the moment, Richard Charkin: Let's Hear It for Book Rights Sales People Worldwide; and what are we looking for? Why Are We Obsessed With Writers' Houses? | Literary Hub.
Do you want some help with your writing but don't know quite what you want? Choosing a service can help you work out which service is right for you, or you could just email us.
Finally, Anita Diamant in our Writers' Quotes: 'I tell writers to keep reading, reading, reading. Read widely and deeply. And I tell them not to give up even after getting rejection letters. And only write what you love.'

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20 April 2020 - What's new

April 2020

‘We have been busy, as there is quite a lot of action out there. It is really lively and major buyers, like Amazon, Disney and Netflix, are calling and saying "what have you got?" They've had to close down their productions, so are putting everything into development. And, of course subscriptions have spiked, so they have money too... Boomtime for film and TV scripts is our Comment from agent Catherine Eccles of Eccles Fisher Associates in the Observer.
Jason Handleman in our Endorsements page: 'I've used two services with this company: The Editor's Plus Report and the Writer's Edit. I am completely satisfied with the service I received and said service has led to the completion and publication of my first novel: Lightforce. I would recommend any of these services to any aspiring author.'
The Novel Prize, a new international collaboration between Fitzcarraldo Editions, Giramondo and New Directions, is open to published and unpublished writers across the world. No entry fee. The prize is $10,000 to the winner in the form of an advance against royalties, and simultaneous publication of their novel. Closing 1 July.
Our 20 Services for writers - just a list of what we offer at WritersServices.
Another wide-ranging set of links, starting with some inspiration, Margaret Atwood: How to Make the Most of the Uncertain Time | TIME; cheering news about book reading from Thursday, World Book Night: One in three reading more during lockdown - BBC News; with Axel Scheffler's illustrations and Hugh Bonneville's narration, it has been downloaded more than 700,000 times, Nosy Crow's Free Digital Book for Kids About Coronavirus Takes Off; and winning authors explain how the award changed their lives, Women's prize at 25: what it is like to win by Zadie Smith, Naomi Alderman and more | Books | The Guardian.
Are you writing for children? Our Children's Editorial Services can help you get your work ready for publication or self-publishing. Three reports and copy editing are available from our highly-skilled children's editors, including essential advice on age groups and vocabulary.
More links from the Coronavirus front line; grim news about authors' income from the US, Authors Guild Finds Writers Are Losing Significant Income; a similar picture from the UK Societry of Authors, Authors especially vulnerable to pandemic's economic impact, SoA survey finds | The Bookseller; and 12 years ago, on the eve of the modern-day indie author revolution, few writers aspired to self-publish. Self-publishing was seen as a fool's errand. It was a different era back then, Are Self-Published Authors Still Indie Authors?
Advice for Writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore our more than 7,000 pages of information for writers.
Even more links: Wendy Holden had not one but three books coming out within the space of two weeks, Counting my lockdown blessings; waiting the tap on the shoulder, Tony Parsons has planned his first James Bond novel | British GQ; recruited by Carol Ann Duffy, poets from around the world write new poems about the recent days past and the weeks ahead, Write where we are now · Manchester Metropolitan University; and a wonderful weekly blog about children's poetry turns to cats - and cat poems of course - Children's Poetry Summit.
Have you managed to find a publisher for your work and are now enjoying the thrill of knowing that your book will soon be published? If you're wondering what happens next, here is an outline of the processes involved. Preparing for Publication
'You have to turn your collar around like a priest. You offer a lot of praise, you have confession and you have faith, and pretty soon they might trust you enough to know that you're not trying to make the book in your own image. It's their book.' Bob Loomis, veteran Random House editor who has just died at the age of 93, offers his thoughts on working with authors in our Writers' Quotes.

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13 April 2020 - What's new

April 2020

‘I've taken on four new clients over the last couple of weeks for various non-fiction projects, and as an agency we're very active in pursuit of new clients and ideas. It's a great time to work on manuscripts and proposals with authors, while we've all got additional time and space. And it's hugely important that, when we all emerge from this, we're in good shape for the remainder of this year, and next...' Tim Bates of the Peters Fraser + Dunlop agency in Bookbrunch (behind paywall). Our Comment
For anyone thinking about or embarked on self-publishing, our ten-part WritersServices Self-Publishing Guide by Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk is an essential starting-point, taking you through the process step-by-step. 'Self-publishing has changed so much over the past few years it's hard to believe it was once looked down upon by the publishing industry as the last resort of the vain and desperate. At the time of writing many self-publishing authors are identifying with the term ‘indie author', which acknowledges that to professionally publish today, you don't actually have to do everything yourself!' Articles include Formatting your book for Kindle and Marketing and Promotion for Indie Authors: Online.
From a new UK publisher, the Guppy YA Novel Competition Open Submission will run from 11 to 15 May. Unagented YA authors from all over the world can enter and there's no entry fee. The prize is publication.
Are you getting ready to publish your book - perhaps planning to self-publish? WritersServices offers a suite of nine services which help writers get their work into shape before they self-publish. Services for Self-publishers
Our links - from our Coronavirus world: when is the best time to submit their clients' new manuscripts? Agents Weigh Whether to Submit Projects During the Pandemic; writing a novel presupposes the existence of a stable reality, Coronavirus effect on book publishing: The virus is messing up the plot of my novel set in 2020; it's hard to imagine what the world and publishing will look like even six months from now, Starling Days: how Covid-19 affected the release of Rowan Hisayo Buchanan's second novel; and from the patron saint of staying at home and doing nothing, Fran Lebowitz Is Never Leaving New York | The New Yorker.
Are you thinking of submitting your book to an agent? Try our Finding an Agent page or Your Submission package. Our Submission critique service may also help, as it's essential to get your package into the best possible shape before you start submitting.
More links about writing and writers: the historical novels I've loved best were edgy and featured characters who were not only deeply flawed, but downright dubious, Historical Novels and the Morally Gray Character | CrimeReads; Elizabeth George's impressive schedule, My Writing Schedule is for Satisfaction, Not Fun | Literary Hub; and over the last 25 years, this prize has become arguably one of the three most important literary prizes for novels in the UK, 'A prize for readers' - Kate Mosse on the Women's Prize for Fiction.
Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for 150 lines of poetry can help. Our Poetry Collection Editing service, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you need.
Our final links, fascinating literary history and two lighter-hearted articles: T S Eliot: 'This woman lives in a most beautiful dilapidated old square, which I had never heard of before; a square in the middle of town, near King's Cross station, but with spacious old gardens about it,' In a quiet London Enclave, Five Iconic Women Writers Forged a Home | Literary Hub; How Did England Get Its Bizarro Street Names? | Literary Hub; and Here Are People's Strongest Unpopular Young Adult Book Opinions.
William Gibson in our Writers' Quotes: 'To present a whole world that doesn't exist and make it seem real, we have to more or less pretend we're polymaths. That's just the act of all good writing.'

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6 April 2020 - What's new

April 2020

‘We're still getting submissions from agents around the world - it's clear that agents are working just as hard as ever. And when it comes to acquisitions, we've got a great video meeting in place. It's certainly weird, as an editor, not to be able to champion and enthuse in person (it has made me realise what a powerful thing that can be), but we're all aware that next year's schedules aren't going to fill themselves, and luckily the team at Little, Brown are receptive to being enthused at remotely...' Darcy Nicholson, editor at Sphere, Little Brown in Bookbrunch. Our Comment on Editing in Isolation.
A Publisher's View is our four-part series from publisher Tom Chalmers on what publishers are looking for. What a publisher wants from submissions, Judging a book by its covering letter and synopsis, Making the submission and The changing face of publishing. 'While editors may well do some later tinkering, it shouldn't be sent in unless the writer feels it is a manuscript ready for publication, in terms of both grammar and content. Lines like ‘I know it needs some work', or ‘I think it's nearly there' show admirable humility but are an immediate put-off!...'
The brilliant Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020 is open to 11-17 year olds from all over the world writing in English. There's no entry fee and all 100 winning poets (top 15 and 85 commended) will be notified in early September 2020 and invited to an award ceremony in October 2020. Closing 31 July and there's some great stuff on their website.
Our links: so how are writers managing life in isloation, Tiger King and a bloody mary: Hilary Mantel, Simon Armitage and other writers on lockdown life | Books | The Guardian; governments are cracking down on journalists and implementing sweeping restrictions, COVID-19 is spawning a global press-freedom crackdown - Columbia Journalism Review; their record of choices for the literature prize is spotty at best and in some cases purblind and scandalous, Why Don DeLillo deserves the Nobel - Gerald Howard - Bookforum Magazine; and how can we write a well-developed villain who is a worthy opponent to your protagonist? How to Write a Killer Villain | Jane Friedman.
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.
More links: as he read John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series, "I began to see how he was doing it. I could almost see the skeleton under the skin, MY FIRST THRILLER: LEE CHILD; an astonishing list of children's resources, How Kids' Lit Is Responding to the Coronavirus; now is your chance to get yourself efficiently set up at home, How to Organize Your Home Office | Literary Hub; and it may never have felt so necessary to escape into the printed word, 'The perfect time to start': how book clubs are enduring and flourishing during Covid-19 | Books | The Guardian.
How to market your writing services online is a useful article from Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk about selling yourself as a writer. 'Recently someone commented to me that I seem to be doing a pretty good job of promoting my writing services on the internet. I was touched by the observation - we writers get so many rejections that a little praise is especially gratifying. And I began to wonder - what does it take to market yourself successfully as a jobbing writer today?...'
Even more links (a bumper crop this week!): if you happen to have been a teenage girl anytime in the last half-century, you likely need no introduction, Why We Can't Wait for Judy Blume's Books to Hit Movie and TV Screens | Vogue; a horrific but beautifully written article from the Indian author, Arundhati Roy: ‘The pandemic is a portal' | Free to read | Financial Times; and 'indie publishing is one of the best things I have ever done', The Selfies - questions for children's fiction winner Jemma Hatt.
From our Writers' Quotes, the late, great P D James: 'It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style.'

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30 March 2020 - What's new

March 2020

As we all work our way through lockdown, now is a perfect time to finish your manuscript and to get it ready for publication or submission. This page provides a list of our editorial services for writers.
'It was only after two years' work that it occurred to me that I was a writer. I had no particular expectation that the novel would ever be published, because it was sort of a mess. It was only when I found myself writing things I didn't realise I knew that I said, 'I'm a writer now'...
Don DeLillo, author of 17 novels, including Americana, Running Dog, White Noise, Underworld, Libra, Falling Man and Zero. Our Comment.
WritersServices can provide a range of services working on your manuscript, to help you get it ready for submission or self-publishing. We are UK-based, offer exceptional value and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for 17 years. We have introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. Copy editing services.
My Say gives writers a chance to air their views about writing and the writer's life. So we have Natasha Mostert on typing 'The End', Mary Garden on writers' block, Timothy Hallinan on The Writing Session and Dominae Primus on WritersServices.
Our links: bookshops reporting a significant increase in sales of longer novels and classic fiction, Book sales surge as self-isolating readers buy ‘bucket list' novels | Books | The Guardian; entertainment and educational support for parents, carers and children, Egmont offers 14 days of free content for children stuck at home; with cities and towns across the country under quarantine, bookstores closing, and in-person promotional events canceled, it's not a great time to be publishing a book, As Coronavirus Spreads, Publishers Struggle with When, and How, to Move Pub Dates; and if you're one of those people who always said they would write a novel if only they had the time: this is your moment, Finally working on that novel as you self-isolate? You're not alone | Books | The Guardian.
If you're looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one of our four would suit you best? Which Report? includes our new top-of-the range service, the Editor's Report Plus, introduced by popular demand to provide even more detail. This very substantial report takes the form of a chapter-by-chapter breakdown and many writers have found this detail helps them to get their book right. Through our specialist children's editors we can offer reports on children's books.
More links: I was an audiobook failure. Not a failure at writing the books, mind you, but at listening to them, How to Start a Love Affair with Audiobooks | CrimeReads; one member of the homebound publishing community still trying to find a way to work, Coronavirus: How book publishing may change forever - Los Angeles Times; the outcry from publisher and author groups has been swift and furious, Authors Guild, AAP Outraged by IA's 'National Emergency Library'; from the megaselling author of legal thrillers, Scott Turow Finds the Thrilling Life, in Court and in Books; and I'm a hardboiled kind of gal, The Evolution-and the Future-of the Private Eye | CrimeReads.
From Julian Barnes in our Writers' Quotes: 'Everything you invent is true: you can be sure of that. Poetry is a subject as precise as geometry.'
If quotes are your bag, we have superb collections in More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.

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9 March 2020 - What's new

March 2020

‘Do your homework. This is a very competitive genre and you need to be aware of not only current novels, but current television series and films too. There is nothing worse than working on a story for months only to find out it has already been done. I would also advise that you learn how to write a treatment of no more than two or three pages, because as a writer, you need commissions, be it in publishing, television or film...' Advice for aspiring crime screen writers from London Book & Screen Week ambassador Lynda La Plante, author of 33 novels, including The Legacy, Widows and Buried (published in April) and many TV series, including Widows and Prime Suspect in Bookbrunch.
If you are submitting your work to an agent or directly to a publishing house, check through our guidelines to give it its best chance. Making submissions.
Closing on 31 May , the International Welsh Poetry Competition 2020 is open to all with an entry fee of £6 for the first poem, then a sliding scale. The 1st Prize is £500, 2nd Prize £250 and 3rd Prize £100.
Health Hazards is our special series about the various health risks for writers, including the dreaded Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. If you know you're spending too much time at a keyboard, it's worth making sure you're being careful about how you're sitting, your eyes and your wrists. Although Coronavirus may be the main health risk you're focused on at the moment, these special writers' risks are worth thinking about.
And if Coronavirus is giving you more time at home to think about your writing, you could use it to explore the mass of information on the site. Advice for Writers.
Our links: writers who have predicted plagues, Fever dreams: did author Dean Koontz really predict coronavirus? | Books | The Guardian; every minute with her kids is work lost, and each minute writing subtracts from precious, un-price-able joy, Karen Russell on Motherhood and Money | Wealthsimple; are there a limited number of story plots to go around? How Do You Write a Mystery When Every Plot Is Taken? | CrimeReads; and Anthony Horovitz on banning children's books, In defence of modern children's books | The Spectator.
WritersServices can provide a range of services working on your manuscript, to help you get it ready for submission or self-publishing. We are UK-based, offer exceptional value and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for 17 years. We have recently introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. Copy editing services.
More links: Malory Blackman's book examines life in an alternative Britain where black people dominate national life and have most of the money, Noughts & Crosses author hits back at race-bait claims | Books | The Guardian; the publishing powerhouse behind best-selling authors like Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin and Judy Blume, is on the block, Simon & Schuster Is Up for Sale - The New York Times; the argument over 'no platforming', Debate over Scottish Poetry Library's 'no platforming' stance continues | The Bookseller; and, more controversy, Woody Allen's memoirs: this is the behaviour of censors, not publishers | Jo Glanville | Opinion | The Guardian.
Get some professional help. If you're self-publishing, you need good quality copy for the cover. Our Blurb-writing service can provide a professionally written piece of cover copy. Submitting to agents but finding it difficult to write your own synopsis? Commission a synopsis which will present your manuscript in the best possible light for submission.
From Edna O'Brien in our Writers' Quotes: ‘My advice to writers, whether they are inspired or repelled by my work, is to read and reread, write and rewrite, keep to the grindstone, do not be swayed by fame or adulation, the work is the absolute prize.'

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2 March 2020 - What's new

March 2020

'Anyone who has ever tried to write a novel knows what an arduous task it is, undoubtedly one of the worst ways of occupying oneself. You have to remain within yourself all the time, in solitary confinement. It's a controlled psychosis, an obsessive paranoia manacled to work completely lacking in the feather pens and bustles and Venetian masks we would ordinarily associate with it, clothed instead in a butcher's apron and rubber boots, eviscerating knife in hand. You can only barely see from that writerly cellar the feet of passers-by, hear the rapping of their heels...' Olga Tokarczuk, Polish Nobel Laureate for Literature and author of House of Day, House of Night and Primeval and Other Tales. Our Comment.
Last year we launched the Writer's edit, a top-level new service for writers who want line-editing as well as copy editing. Does your manuscript need high-level input from an editor to help you get it into the best possible shape for submission or self-publishing? This may be the service for you, offering the kind of editing which publishers' senior editors used to do in-house on their authors' manuscripts and which is now hard to find. Our other copy editing services.
The Moth Short Story Prize 2020 has now launched and is open to all writers over 16. The entry fee is €15 per story. 1st prize is €3,000, 2nd prize a week-long writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France plus €250 travel stipend and 3rd prize €1,000. Closing date 30 June.
An must-read for children's authors is Suzy Jenvey's special series for WritersServices, the four-part Essential Guide to Writing for Children. The first article looks at the all-important question of age groups and what you should be aware of in writing for each one. The second part is - Before You Write: What is My Story Going to be? The third part deals with Starting to Write and the fourth part is about Submitting Your Work to Agents and Editors. This series by a hugely experienced children's editorial director and agent helps you get started on your own story or develop what you're already working on.
Our links: was the delay in calling it off putting people's health at risk and placing an unfair financial strain on publishers? London book fair cancelled over coronavirus fears, amid growing anger | Books | The Guardian; an excellent guide to setting up that author's essential, your own website, How to Build an Author Website: Getting Started Guide | Jane Friedman; there is nothing more sustaining to long-term creative work than time and space - and these things cost money, A dirty secret: you can only be a writer if you can afford it | Life and style | The Guardian; and editing is energising, where you take your solid creation and nudge it into brilliance, When Revising Your Novel, Look for These 4 Problem Areas | Jane Friedman.
Rotten Rejections an extraordinary collection of rejection letters sent by publishers to writers - many delivered to now famous authors of classic books - will make you laugh and provide comfort if you're having a struggle to get published. 'I regret we have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we could not publish it with commercial success...' An unnamed editor at Constable and Robinson, in turning down J K Rowling's first Harry Potter book.
More links: as a reader of thrillers and mysteries for close to my whole life, I've always been drawn to the flawed protagonist, The New Vulnerability in the Mystery Genre | CrimeReads; Writing in the Observer in 1980, Martin Amis took to task a young New York-based writer, Jacob Epstein, for plagiarising him, Appropriation or plagiarism? Booker novel poses difficult question | Books | The Guardian; as we celebrate World Book Day in the UK, it is a reminder of how fortunate we are to have a strong children's book publishing industry, Ending illiteracy begins with children seeing themselves in books; and our world, more than at any time in history, is all about stories, but Are novelists obliged to tell the story of their private life? | Books | The Guardian.
Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? Our editorial services have been added in response to demand, so whatever you want we've probably got it covered with our 20 different services.
From our Writers' Quotes: 'Writers are liars, my dear, surely you know that by now? And yet, things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot.' Neil Gaiman.

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24 February 2020 - What's new

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.'

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17 February 2020 - What's new

February 2020

Modern children have ‘a yearning for a world without screens. Yes it's rough and Torak and Renn go through some difficult times, but it's this amazing world where there's no climate change, lots of animals, no pollution. It doesn't matter what you look like. What matters is you don't make any noise when you're hunting... Michelle Paver, author of Wolf Brother, Dark Matter and Spirit Walker, talking about her new book Viper's Daughter, published next month, in the Bookseller. Our Comment.
Advice for Writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore our more than 7,000 pages of information for writers.
If you have written a poem you think would appeal to 7-11-year olds, then why not enter the The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2020? It is open to all poets across the world over the age of 16. Entry fee €14 per poem and the prize is €1,000. Closing date 31 March and the Prize will be judged by Roger McGough.
'Professional copy editing does make sense, either if you are trying to give your work its best chance when submitting it or, even more crucially, if you are planning to self-publish. But how are you supposed to tell who will do a good job, when the editorial services on the web all sound pretty much the same and it's tempting to go for the cheapest?' Getting your manuscript copy edited
Our links:"What did you find to be the biggest difference between writing crime and writing fantasy?" Worldbuilding: Crime and Fantasy Books Have More in Common Than You Might Think | CrimeReads; not for everyone perhaps, but 'I use a systematic and business-like approach to help take the sting out of rejections and keep me focused on moving forward with querying', Here's a System and Template for Tracking Your Submissions; 'You ask yourself if you are a writer if there is no novel to prove that you are what you say you are,' Brandon Taylor, Reluctant Novelist | Literary Hub; erased from my zine's page, Did Amazon Throttle My Sales After I Criticized Them in the New York Times? | Literary Hub; and Fanny Blake reports on the crucial contribution of the Quick Reads programme to improving adult literacy, Making a difference - quickly.
Working with an agent: 'Don't ever take on an agent you don't like or don't trust, however desperate you may feel. You have to be able to work with them in what should be an extremely important relationship for you as a writer. You must also feel confident that they are competent, enthusiastic about your work and can be trusted, both in terms of the advice they offer and in relation to handling your money...
'We have a new page which gives an editor's take on using pdfs, So what's wrong with PDFs? 'If you need your file to be edited, PDF is not the ideal format; in fact, it is practically the worst format you can choose. Why? Precisely because PDFs are designed not to be tampered with or changed. When you stop to think about it, editing is no more or less than a process of changing - and correcting - your file...'
More links: political books are selling like Donald Trump merchandise at Mar-a-Lago, dominating nonfiction bestseller lists for the past few years, John Bolton's $2 million book deal about the Trump administration isn't brave - Vox; finally moving into the limelight, Asian American Writers Are Finally Breaking Out on Their Own Terms; cover presentations designed by Amazon Publishing did by far the best job of luring in prospective buyers, Judging a Book by Its Title; and it's pretty clear what's unfair. Not paying on time. Breaking the terms of an agreement between publishers, booksellers, authors, agents. But fairness is more difficult to pin down, Opinion: Richard Charkin on Fairness in Book Publishing.
Our 20 Services for writers - just a list of what we offer at WritersServices.
From Tom Clancy in our Writers' Quotes: 'The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.'

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10 February 2020 - What's new

February 2020

‘Lots of aspiring writers ask me, "How do you write a book without offending people you love?" And you have to make a decision to be honest. I mean it's painful, but I want to write a book that is true to my moral core and that is true to my characters. Writing the abortion storyline, I found that really frightening because I was brought up as a Catholic, it went into my bones and the fear was real...' Marian Keyes, author of Grown Ups, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, Rachel's Holiday, Anybody out There? and 14 other novels, in The Times. Our Comment.
There are 19 articles in the Inside Pubishing series, Children's Publishing provides an introduction: 'Long 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. This is not just because of the Harry Potter phenomenon, as many other children's authors such as Jacqueline Wilson, Philip Pullman and Judy Blume have also produced megasellers which have proved attractive to children all over the world.'
From the same series Print on Demand: 'Print on demand is a now widely-used printing technology which delivers, literally, print on demand. It has the power to change the way books are published radically, and even publishers are using it on a very much greater scale. Some writers are still not yet familiar with its possibilities...'
Calling all American self-publishers - The new Selfies Book Awards US is closing on 29 February. Eligible titles in the adult fiction category must have been self-published in the United States during the calendar year 2019 by authors who live in the US. The Prize is $1,000 plus $5,000 worth of trade advertising and free display at five trade shows in 2020-21. Run by Publishers WeeklyInternational news website of book publishing and bookselling including business news, reviews, bestseller lists, commentaries http://www.publishersweekly.com/ and Bookbrunch, this is sure to get US book trade support for the winner.
Four other Writing Opportunities are still open.
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 bumper crop this week: how will the book world be affected? Virus Impacts Publishing In and Out of China; for readers, the anonymous author holds a simple and compelling promise, Who's in charge? How Anonymous became a star in publishing | Sarah Ditum | Books | The Guardian; a torn scrap on which I'd written hurriedly a name and the plot number of a grave, How to Write Autofiction About Your Family Without Losing Your Mind | Literary Hub; and are you a Serious Author, an author of genre fiction, or a clueless dilettante? What Your Choice of Dialogue Tags Says About You | Jane Friedman.
It may surprise you to know that the first of Julie Wheelwright's Top Ten Tips for Nonfiction Writers is: 'Story, story, story. Make sure that your story can sustain several chapters and tens of thousands of words. Keep asking yourself: Why would anyone want to read this story?'
More links: the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, New Literary Prize Will Award Over $100,000 to a Female Novelist - The New York Times; a bestselling phenomenon, with over 48 books and more than 100 million copies of her books in print in the US, Mary Higgins Clark Dead at 92; and take part in this by reading all the winners, Women's Prize for Fiction to mark 25th anniversary with 'Winner of Winners' contest | The Bookseller.
Authors often find it difficult to write their own synopsis for submission to agents and publishers, which is where our Synopsis-writing service can help. If you're preparing to self-publish and having difficulty with your blurb, our Blurb-writing service from a professional copy-writer will make your book stand out.
American Dirt is getting a lot of attention. Three articles look at dfferent aspects of this: is it part of the literary vs. genre divide, which is centuries old? American Dirt Is The Latest Shot Fired in the Genre Wars | CrimeReads; this well-meaning nonsense got us, the readers, nowhere, American Dirt's problem is bad writing, not cultural appropriation | Nesrine Malik | Opinion | The Guardian; and mixed reaction from myriad publishing professionals, Publishing's ‘American Dirt' Problem.
In our Writers' Quotes from T C Boyle: 'But then, that's the beauty of writing stories - each one is an exploratory journey in search of a reason and a shape. And when you find that reason and that shape, there's no feeling like it.'

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27 January 2020 - What's new

January 2020

‘I do feel that the world in which I grew up and have lived all my life is ending. And that's true in all the countries that I've cared about in my life and written about: India, England and here. What I thought was the given, how the places worked, has changed in all three cases...' Salman Rushdie, author of Midnight's Children, The Satanic Verses, Quichotte and Shame in The Times. Our Comment.
An endorsement from Anthony Fitzgerald for our English Language Editing Service: 'The result? A book that reads like it's written by a native speaker for only 13% of the price a complete translation would have costed. Thank you, writersservices.'
Closing on 28 February, the Myriad First Graphic Novel Competition 2020. It's open to all cartoonists, and writers and artists working as a team, who have not previously published a full-length graphic work and are resident in the UK. Entry fee £10. The prize is publication on the Myriad list.
Four other live Writing opportunities.
Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Improving your writing to Self-publishing: is it for you? to Keep up to date and Submission to publishers and agents. 'Be prepared to redraft your work and to rethink it. Many new writers assume that their work will immediately be ready for publication, but the truth is that many highly successful writers produced several drafts of their first work before they got it published.' and 'When you've got your work into the best state you can, put it on one side for a few weeks and then look at it afresh. You'll be amazed what difference a fresh eye will make.'
Our links: based on what you're seeing here, should I bother to pursue this? How to Tell If You Have What It Takes to Succeed as a Writer | Jane Friedman; for the first time since 2011, the news about book publishing has seemed less than dire (an interesting article in spite of the strange title), Smorgasbords Don't Have Bottoms | Issue 36 | n+1; Netflix's adaptation of his Witcher series is a sensation, Toss a Coin to Your Author: PW Talks with Andrzej Sapkowski; in his 1951 novel Requiem for a Nun, William Faulkner famously wrote that "The past is never dead. It's not even past." What We Write About When We Write About the Past | CrimeReads; and, surprising news perhaps, UK Publishers Association Study: Women Hold 55 Percent of Top Roles.
Last year we launched the Writer's edit, a top-level new service for writers who want line-editing as well as copy editing. Does your manuscript need high-level input from an editor to help you get it into the best possible shape for submission or self-publishing? This may be the service for you, offering the kind of editing which publishers' senior editors used to do in-house on their authors' manuscripts and which is now hard to find. Our other copy editing services.
More links: "Anyone can be a critic." It's a common lament these days, now that the book review landscape is changing, Everyone Can Be a Book Reviewer. Should They Be? | Literary Hub (there's a riposte below); "My writing has always been where I've gone to work through my problems," In N.K. Jemisin's Next Trilogy, the City Is On Fire; why is literary Twitter piling on Jeanine Cummins' book? American Dirt controversy, explained; although I've been reviewing books for half a century, this little treatise caused me to do some anxious head-scratching, Inside the Critics' Circle by Phillipa K Chong review - rickety scaffolding | Books | The Guardian.
'It's a common enough fantasy for writers: maybe now I can leave that dreary job and devote myself whole-heartedly to writing... But how practical is it? Is it something you can realistically aspire to, or just a distant fantasy? What are your chances of making your dream come true? Don't give up the day job.
'If you're going to be a writer you have to be one of the great ones... After all, there are better ways to starve to death.' Gabriel Garcia Marquez in our Writers' Quotes.

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20 January 2020 - What's new

January 2020

‘The biggest kick is reading something new and exciting and then getting other people to share your enthusiasm... Beyond all the cant and hypocrisy in publishing, that's what it's all about... I have always found comfort in the confines of a book or a manuscript, Reading is how I spend most of my time and is still the most joyful aspect of my day. I want to be remembered not as an editor or publisher, but as a reader...' Sonny Mehta, Publisher of Knopf, who died recently. Our Comment.
From our 19-part Inside Publishing series: on Copyright 'Many writers worry about losing their copyright. Before sending out your manuscript it is always advisable to put a copyright line consisting of the copyright sign ©, the year and your name on the title page...'
On The Writer/Publisher Financial Relationship: 'There's no escaping the fact that publishers and authors are essentially in an adversarial position. Even in the very best and most supportive publisher/writer relationships there is the tension caused by the fact that authors would like to earn as much as possible from their writing and publishers to pay as little as they can get away with...'
The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2020 represents a brilliant opportunity for writers. It's open to writers of any nationality writing in English and the entry fee is £20 but there are two prizes with £15,000 for the winner of each prize, plus a publishing deal with Bonnier for Best Unpublished Manuscript. Closing 2 March.
Our copy editing services for writers. WritersServices can provide a range of services working on your manuscript, to help you get it ready for submission or self-publishing. We are UK-based and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for 17 years. We have just introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page.
WritersServices editor Kay GaleWritersServices editor who has worked for many years as a freelance editor for number of publishers. on The Slush pile: 'When I started working in publishing over thirty years ago it was part of my job to check through the pile of unsolicited manuscripts that arrived on a daily basis, and like every other enthusiastic young editorial assistant, I dreamed of finding the next bestseller in the ‘slush pile'. I was soon disillusioned..'
Our links: now the giant retailer is breaking into publishing with bestselling authors, Can Amazon Finally Crack the Bestseller Code? | The New Republic; from the doyenne of a particular type of black women's lit, Terry McMillan, Thwarter of Book Biz Gatekeepers, Has a New Novel; should the subject matter, & their titles, be treated with a little more thought & consideration? Can a work of fiction about the Holocaust be inaccurate? Romance narratives served as a kind of template for my own early love-affairs, Thrillers Pick Up Where Romance Leaves Off | CrimeReads; and 32 years of writing V.C. Andrews, How to Be a Ghostwriter.
How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth) asks writers who are not native English speakers with a manuscript which needs polishing or translating: "if your English is good enough, what about translating your book yourself or writing in English, and then getting your work polished and copy edited by a professional editor who is a native English speaker?" This could be a cost-effective way of reaching the international English-speaking market.
More links: the dominance of women in the book trade is most apparent in fiction... It wasn't always thus - obviously, In Publishing, Women Routinely Make Blockbusters - The Atlantic; a new spate of science-fiction and fantasy novels are quietly and gracefully opting instead to imagine worlds where homophobia does not exist, 'Why would I close the door to a queer person?' LGBTQ fantasy comes of age | Books | The Guardian; in more than 40 years as a journalist, I've interviewed some terrifying people, The True Crime Story That Changed My Life | CrimeReads.
'Sometimes the ideas just come to me. Other times I have to sweat and almost bleed to make ideas come. It's a mysterious process, but I hope I never find out exactly how it works. I like a mystery, as you may have noticed.' J K Rowling in our Writers' Quotes.
If quotes are your thing we have a large collection in our Archive, More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.

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13 January 2020 - What's new

January 2020

‘Writers make everybody nervous but we terrify Silly Service workers. Our apartments always look like a front for something, and no matter how carefully we tidy up for guests we always seem to miss the note card that says, "Margaret has to die soon." We own the kind of books that spies use to construct codes, like The Letters of Mme. de Sevigne, and we are the only people in the world who write oxymoron in the margin of the Bible...' Florence King, author of Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady and nine other books in our Comment.
Our 19 Factsheets from the legendary Michael Legat are full of tips for the new writer or anyone who is trying to get their book published. From Literary agents to Copyright, from Libel to Submissions, this series is full of essential background information.
Closing on 24 January, so you need to be quick about this one - Emma Press's open submission 2020. Calling for poetry pamphlet submissions and for children's poetry collection submissions. It's open to all poets internationally and the entry fee is £10. The prizes are publication.
Other competitions which are still open.
Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for 150 lines of poetry can help. Our Poetry Collection Editing, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you may feel you need.
Our links: home to a vast warehouse of illegally pirated books, E-book piracy on LinkedIn SlideShare hurts smaller authors; in this decade, writers have found themselves at an unsettling and unpredictable moment in publishing as well as history, The New Rude Masters of Fantasy & Science Fiction - and Romance | The World Remains Mysterious; the Norwegian crime writer has sold more than 33m books worldwide, Jo Nesbø: ‘We should talk about violence against women' | Books | The Guardian; it is the nature of progress that what is now cutting-edge will, with the passing of time, become traditional, Reviving the Traditional Mystery for a 21st Century Audience | CrimeReads; and I realised I'm here now: I'm black British, TS Eliot prize-winner Roger Robinson: ‘I want these poems to help people to practise empathy' | Books | The Guardian.
From our Endorsements page: 'Please extend my gratitude to the editor for his/her thoughtful and detailed edit. I could not ask for better work! Its value far exceeded the cost.' Jim, Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA)
More links: a scary report - the mature stage of a book-to-film boom that is quietly transforming how Americans read and tell stories - and not for the better, They Made a Movie Out of It | James Pogue; are indie authors relying too much on Amazon? Indie Means Indie | Fiction Notes; the Olof Palme prize, an award given for an "outstanding achievement" in the spirit of the assassinated Swedish prime minister, John le Carré wins $100,000 prize for 'contribution to democracy' | Books | The Guardian; and a cheering story from a small bookshop, Oh what a night! Twitter brings £1,000 worth of orders to empty bookshop | Books | The Guardian.
'If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research.' Wilson Mizner in our Writers' Quotes.

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6 January 2020 - What's new

January 2020

‘"I don't know where to start," one [writing student] will wail. Start with your childhood, I tell them. Plug your nose and jump in, and write down all your memories as truthfully as you can...' Anne Lamott, author of seven non-fiction books, and the forthcoming Hallelujah Anyway, and two novels, Imperfect Birds and Rosie. Our Comment.
For anyone thinking about or embarked on self-publishing, our ten-part WritersServices Self-Publishing Guide by Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk is an essential starting-point, taking you through the process step-by-step. 'Self-publishing has changed so much over the past few years it's hard to believe it was once looked down upon by the publishing industry as the last resort of the vain and desperate. At the time of writing many self-publishing authors are identifying with the term ‘indie author', which acknowledges that to professionally publish today, you don't actually have to do everything yourself!' Articles include Formatting your book for Kindle and Marketing and Promotion for Indie Authors: Online.
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: audiobooks are having a moment - is the book you listen to now an artform in its own right? asks Clare Thorp, BBC - Culture - Audiobooks: The rise and rise of the books you don't read; nothing about the March sisters of Louisa May Alcott's perennial best seller particularly stuck with me, This Is ‘Little Women' for a New Era - The New York Times; this generation of kids has access to an abundance of digital information and technology from a very young age, How technology will change the future of workforces; and William Golding might just as well have been talking about today's publishing industry, Turning Pages: The struggle to find what readers really want.
If you've come to the site looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one would suit you best? Which Report? includes our new top-of-the range service, the Editor's Report Plus, introduced by popular demand to provide even more detail. This very substantial report takes the form of a chapter-by-chapter breakdown and many writers have found this detail helps them to get their book right. Through our specialist children's editors we can offer reports on children's books.
More links: the most basic way to imply time passing is to announce the time, Chuck Palahniuk on the Importance of Not Boring Your Reader | Literary Hub; this sparked an uproar across the publishing world, White romance novelist in racism row says she was used | Books | The Guardian; which led to a controversy over bias and a lack of transparency at the Romance Writers of America, RWA Cancels 2020 RITA Awards; and a slow reader who decided to track her reading, Why I'll Never Read a Book a Week Ever Again - The Millions.
Advice for Writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore our more than 7,000 pages of information for writers.
'The most damning revelation you can make about yourself is that you do not know what is interesting and what is not.' Kurt Vonnegut in our Writers' Quotes.

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30 December 2019 - What's new

December 2019

‘The thing I like about novels is that they are a more forgiving form. You can make missteps. It's harder to write a really good short story - I'm more aware of the flaws in my short stories. There's pleasure in being able to spend that much time with people and ideas in novels, but if you write a short story, the magical period of an idea to the excitement of composition and the first draft is short, but deeply pleasurable in a way novels are not...' Elizabeth McCracken, author of Bowlaway, Thunderstruck and four other books of novels, short stories and a memoir, in the Observer. Our Comment.
From our 19-part Inside Publishing series, Subsidiary Rights: 'My first job in publishing was in a subsidiary rights department. I'm ashamed to admit that I accepted the job without having much idea what subsidiary rights were. Many writers may feel just as vague about this part of publishing, so here's a quick breakdown...' and Vanity Publishing: 'It is natural for writers to be eager to get published but it pays to be wary of the vanity publishers who will take your money and give you very little in return...' Vanity publishing is quite distinct from Self-publishing, you need to be aware of the differences.
The 2020 International Book & Pamphlet Competition is open to all poets. Entry fee £28. Four winners will published by Smith|Doorstop books. All winners will also receive a share of £2,000, publication in The North magazine and a reading at The Wordsworth Trust. There's a chance of a collection being published too. Closing 1 March.
Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? This is the question our page Which service? answers and it then goes on to give a quick rundown on our 20 editorial services for writers, which we think is the biggest and most comprehensive you can find on the internet.
A good crop of links this week, with lots of valedictory articles about the past decade and year: starting with new year reading reolutions, 'I'm on the hunt for humour and hope': what will authors be reading in 2020? | Books | The Guardian; in 2019 we were obliged to say goodbye to far too many members of the worldwide literary community - from the universally beloved to the highly controversial, Notable Literary Deaths in 2019 | Literary Hub; it stood ready to supply them with plenty of action, cliffhangers, supernatural beings, mustache-twirling bad guys, and true love, Young adult literature entered the decade like a lion, but now it seems to be eating itself alive; and let's just start with the women, Female novelists replaced white male authors in the 2010s.
Are you thinking of submitting your book to an agent? Try our Finding an Agent page or Your Submission package. Our Submission critique service may also help, as it's essential to get your package into the best possible shape before you start submitting.
More links: the first 400 words of my novel, Adjustments, were written mostly to prove to my publisher, who had asked for the story, that I had no novel to write, The Joys (and Perils) of Serial Novel Writing | Jane Friedman; an unusual debut novel by a retired wildlife biologist named Delia Owens had an odd title and didn't fit neatly into any genre, so it hardly seemed destined to be a blockbuster, The Long Tail of ‘Where the Crawdads Sing' - The New York Times; so here's the more global version, The Rising Stars of Crime Fiction in the 2010s: International Edition | CrimeReads; and is TV better than film, whether big changes work, and more, Which Oft-Rebooted Story Yields the Highest Tomatometer Scores? We're Breaking Down the Ultimate Reboots << Rotten Tomatoes - Movie and TV News.
'Coleridge was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was killed by a man whom he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman's name out of a satire, then wrote a piece so that she could still be recognized, anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest. Do you still want to be a writer - and if so, why?' Bennett Cerf, founder of Random House, in our Writers' Quotes.

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16 December 2019 - What's new

December 2019

‘There were a couple of years where, if I could have finished the book, I could have stayed ahead of the show for another couple of years, and the stress was enormous. I don't think it was very good for me, because the very thing that should have speeded me up actually slowed me down. Every day I sat down to write and even if I had a good day - and a good day for me is three or four pages - I'd feel terrible because I'd be thinking: "My God, I have to finish the book. I've only written four pages when I should have written 40."...' George R R Martin, whose epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire has been made into the hugely successful tv series, Game of Thrones, and which still has two more volumes to come, in the Observer. Our Comment.
Our Services for Writers - just a list of 20 services to help you get your work ready for publication.
The Spread the Word Life Writing Prize 2020 is open to writers who have yet to publish a full-length work or to have a literary agent, living in the UK and aged 18 or over. There's no entry fee. The winner gets £1,500, an Arvon course, a writing mentor and two years' membership of the Royal Society of LiteratureThis British site may seem rather formal (stated aim ‘to sustain and encourage all that is perceived as best whether traditional or experimental in English letters, and to strive for a Catholic appreciation of literature’), but has a lively series of lectures and discussions involving distinguished authors. Also administers literary prizes. http://www.rslit.org/index1.html, and the Prize closes on 3 February.
Other active competitions and prizes.
We have a new endorsement for WritersServices: 'The outcome of my experience with Writerservices has far exceeded my expectation and I was amazed by their professionalism, hard work, knowledge and keenness to edit my manuscript of the novel, Uncle Thesiger's Mashhuf, in every detail, thereby ensuring it will appeal to English readers. Their services are very helpful to all writers', Ammar Al Thuwaini, an Iraqi novelist and translator.
Our links: she felt it was not for people like her, Who Has the Right to Be a Writer? | Literary Hub; you know them as bodice rippers. But during the last 10 or so years, that perception has started to shift, Romance Is a Billion-Dollar Literary Industry. So Why Is It Still So Overlooked? | Glamour; my editor slashed through my sentences, slathering them with ink, making me read my version first, then his, and tell him why his was better! The Wonderful Thing About Line Edits | Jane Friedman; former winner Jane Davis on what success in our awards for self-publishing meant to her, The Selfies - what it means to win and a writer with an ability to create believably strange natural worlds from a place of granular fascination, Visiting Jeff VanderMeer's Weird, Wondrous Worlds | Literary Hub.
'You are a first-time author without an agent and you receive a contract to publish your book - just how do you evaluate it? Is it fair or biased against the author by prevailing industry standards? Is your publisher looking out for your interests as well as his own - or wording the clauses in a way only advantageous to the company?' Why your book contract needs vetting.
More links: how to gain access to the gatekeepers - that is, get your idea in front of book editors, What to Say (and Not to Say) in Query Letters to Book Editors - The Chronicle of Higher Education; the knock-on effect of going bust (but this story has a happy ending for some) Book People collapse plunges small publisher Galley Beggar into crisis | Books | The Guardian; the epic role of one translator, How Chinese Sci-Fi Conquered America - The New York Times; and the controversies surrounding literary prizes, A year of literary prizes and surprises in 2019.
Have you ever wondered why you don't win any of those competitions? What can you do to improve your chances? Our tipsheet on Entering Competitions.
'You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.' Annie Proulx in our Writers' Quotes.

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9 December 2019 - What's new

December 2019

'Dear Aspiring Writer, you are not ready. Stop. Put that finished story away and start another one. In a month, go back and look at the first story. RE-EDIT it. Then send it to a person you respect in the field who will be hard on you. Pray for many many many red marks. Fix them. Then put it away for two weeks. Work on something else. Finally, edit one last time. Now you are ready to sub your first work... Inez Kelley, author of Turn it Up, Myla by Moonlight, Jinxed and five other romance novels. Our Comment.
My Say gives writers a chance to air their views about writing and the writer's life. So we have Natasha Mostert on typing 'The End', Mary Garden on writers' block, Timothy Hallinan on The Writing Session and Dominae Primus on WritersServices.
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...'
Our links: as we move into the 2020s there are plenty of reasons to celebrate the resurgence of the book, BBC - Culture - How reading has changed in the 2010s; the writer who, for four decades, has imagined the near future more convincingly than anyone else, How William Gibson Keeps His Science Fiction Real | The New Yorker; my grandmother read one novel in her life, Reading the Unpublished Novel My Mother Took 30 Years to Write | Literary Hub; and Fern Michaels is women's fiction royalty and a publishing legend, Grande Dame of Women's Fiction Marks a Career Milestone.
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.
More links: when our writing resists us - when it refuses to do as we hope - we often respond with ever more force, pushing it to bend to our will, What Your Draft (and Its Problems) Says About You | Literary Hub; the antithesis of a hardbitten banker or financier, How Hong Kong poet Mary Jean Chan is wowing Britain's literary circles with first collection, Flèche | South China Morning Post; and, a bit crass but rather fascinating, The 10 Richest Children's Authors Of All Time, Ranked By Net Worth.
From our Endorsements page: ‘Absolutely first class job! Very professional. Thank you very much indeed. Wish I'd found you before, it would certainly have saved me a lot of unnecessary headaches. I'll now bin the rest of the editors I've so far dealt with, and hope to keep contact with you.' Steven Kocsis.
'Everything in art depends on execution: the story of a louse can be as beautiful as the story of Alexander. You must write according to your feelings, be sure those feelings are true, and let everything else go hang. When a line is good it ceases to belong to any school. A line of prose must be as immutable as a line of poetry.' Julian Barnes in our Writers' Quotes.

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25 November 2019 - What's new

November 2019

Do genre writers receive adequate respect from the literary establishment? ‘Everything's upside down. They assume that to do something that appeals to a huge audience is somehow easier than to do something that appeals to a tiny audience. Because we do a book a year people think you just crank a handle and out it comes. All my peers are smart, intelligent, well-informed, interested in the world; everybody puts in a huge amount of effort. It's not easy to do. This peculiar assumption that it is needs to be laid to rest. As Henry James said, "Easy reading is hard writing."' Lee Child, author of 36 novels, including the highly successful Jack Reacher series and ranging from Blue Moon to Killing Floor, in The Times magazine. Our Comment.
From Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk, The Business of Writing for Self-publishing authors offers terrific advice for all writers: 'Self-publishing authors - also known as ‘indie' authors or author-publishers - have had a steep learning curve these past few years. Getting to grips with the various sales channels available to them, producing top quality ebooks and paperbacks, and finding a place in mainstream outlets have left many writers struggling to keep up with the paperwork. What follows is a brief guide to the essentials your self-publishing business needs - because it is a business, even if you only publish one book!'
Wicked Young Writers 2020 is open to 5-25 year-old writers in the UK. There's no entry fee. Each winner gets four tickets to see the London production of WICKED at the Apollo Victoria Theatre + meet cast members after the show along with an exclusive backstage tour and £50 worth of books/eBooks tokens to spend. Closing 2 March.
For anyone thinking about or embarked on self-publishing, our ten-part WritersServices Self-Publishing Guide - also by Joanne Phillips - is an essential starting-point, taking you through the process step-by-step. 'Indie authors access the same professional services as traditional publishing houses. They employ freelance editors, proofreaders and cover designers. They have their work professionally formatted for ebooks and typeset for print. They may use service providers to manage some or all of the publishing tasks, or they may go it alone...' Articles include Choose Your Self-publishing Route and Marketing and Promotion for Indie Authors: Online.
Our links: after 20 years of writing, my first novel finally entered the world in August of 2019, Lessons: The Less-Traveled Road to Getting a Book Published - The Millions; "All money made by the band goes back to the band", Advice for Women with Book Advances; in Australia indigenous literature has been one of the top-performing categories for local booksellers in 2019, Indigenous books going global as local, international sellers notice spike; and - how things have changed - until the 2010s, if you were reading, it generally meant you weren't doing it online, What Tweets and Emojis Did to the Novel - The New York Times.
Last year we launched the Writer's edit, a top-level new service for writers who want line-editing as well as copy editing. Does your manuscript need high-level input from an editor to help you get it into the best possible shape for submission or self-publishing? This may be the service for you, offering the kind of editing which publishers' senior editors used to do in-house on their authors' manuscripts and which is now hard to find. Our other copy editing services.
More links: Lady Oracle is both the title of a Margaret Atwood novel (1976, very funny) and the author's unofficial epithet, Margaret Atwood on the Relevance of The Handmaid's Tale; his first title was Unreliable Memoirs - it was an immediate bestseller and went on to sell over a million copies, Clive James dies at 80; a last poetry book will come next year | The Bookseller; a story of copyright and licensing infringement that sheds light on the exploitative nature of one of Egypt's most respected publishers, Naguib Mahfouz's Daughter Fights to Preserve Her Father's Legacy | Literary Hub; and my writing has always been a part of me, much like my disability, but for a long time I kept the two things stubbornly separate, A Writer's Wheels.
For quotes fans we have superb collections in More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.
And this week, in our Writers' Quotes, from British poet Karen McCarthy Woolf: 'Poetry is a communicative art and also one that has the capacity to disrupt through its relationship with grammar, music and form.'

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18 November 2019 - What's new

November 2019

‘What really annoys me are the ones who write to say, I am doing your book for my final examinations and could you please tell me what the meaning of it is. I find it just so staggering - that you're supposed to explain the meaning of your book to some total stranger! If I knew what the meanings of my books were, I wouldn't have bothered to write them.' Our Comment is from Margaret Drabble, author of 20 novels, including The Dark Flood Rises, A Summer Bird-Cage, The Needle's Eye and The Ice Age.
From our 19-part Inside Publishing series: on Copyright: 'Many writers worry about losing their copyright. Before sending out your manuscript it is always advisable to put a copyright line consisting of the copyright sign ©, the year and your name on the title page...'
On The Writer/Publisher Financial Relationship: 'There's no escaping the fact that publishers and authors are essentially in an adversarial position. Even in the very best and most supportive publisher/writer relationships there is the tension caused by the fact that authors would like to earn as much as possible from their writing and publishers to pay as little as they can get away with...'
Advice for Writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore over 7,500 pages of information for writers.
Our links: in two decades the audiobook market has grown from a publishing industry side hustle into a huge global business, 'Your throat hurts. Your brain hurts': the secret life of the audiobook star | Books | The Guardian; how do you stand out? Presentations (true for any author), 6 Tips for Securing Speaking Engagements as a Self-Published Author | Jane Friedman; the Chinese children's book market is immense (with 370 million people under the age of 18), Shanghai Children's Book Fair Gets Bigger and More Ambitious; and the new British Poet Laureate's prize for a collection that focuses on the environment, Simon Armitage: ‘Nature has come back to the centre of poetry' | Books | The Guardian.
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 their native language and our new Writer's edit, providing line-editing. Get the right level of editorial support for your needs. Contact us to discuss what you want and take advantage of our free samples - and written assessments - on most of these services.
More links: the big political books have been huge bestsellers, Why the Publishing Industry Just Can't Quit Donald Trump Jr. and Company | Vanity Fair; a new service designed to help self-published authors reach readers, BookLife Launches Paid Review Service for Self-Pubbed Books; a new biography about the writer, 10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About C.S. Lewis; and Book Aid InternationalSupplies much-needed books to developing countries, raising funds from publishers and general public; 'Reverse Book Club' is masterly idea-for just £5 ($10) month you can provide 48 books to go to where they're most needed steams ahead, Books for 10 Million.
If you are submitting your work to an agent or directly to a publishing house, check through our guidelines to give it its best chance. Making Submissions.
From the late Fran Lebowitz in our Writers' Quotes: 'All the time I'm not writing I feel like a criminal. It's horrible to feel felonious every second of the day. It's much more relaxing to actually write.'

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11 November 2019 - What's new

November 2019

‘Before the actual placing of words on pages, The Testaments was written partly in the minds of the readers of its predecessor, The Handmaid's Tale, who kept asking what happened after the end of that novel. Thirty-five years is a long time to think about possible answers, and the answers have changed as society itself has changed and as possibilities have become actualities...' Margaret Atwood, author of The Testaments, The Handmaid's Tale, Lady Oracle, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace and 12 other novels, as well as poetry books, children's books and non-fiction, in the Sunday Times' Culture. Our Comment.
Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Promoting Your Writing (and Yourself) to Self-publishing: is it for you? from Keep up to date to Submission to publishers and agents. 'Think about the market for your book. Research the category and read widely to see what other published writers in this area are doing. Which writers are successful and why? Visit bookshops and analyse what you find there. If you are reading this you are probably already writing, but it really is worth thinking right from the beginning about your readers, as that makes it far more likely you'll eventually find them...'
The Moth Poetry Prize 2019 is open internationally to all poets over 16 for an unpublished poem. Entry fee €15 per poem. The First Prize is €10,000 and three shortlisted poets will get €1,000. Closing on 31 December.
If you've come to the site looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one would suit you best? We have three different reports and also a set of reports for children's writers. Which report?
Our links: writing a memoir is not the same as writing an autobiography, 7 Common Mistakes in First-Time Memoir | Jane Friedman; a fun format, as performers and writers ask her about inspiration, sex and guinea pigs, Phoebe Waller-Bridge: ‘There was an alternative ending to Fleabag ... but I'll never tell' | Books | The Guardian; perhaps it's not fair to say so, but this is a surprising outcome for one of the trickiest publishing areas and the world's biggest online book retailer, Translations Pay Off for Amazon; on the trail of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the origins of modern anti-Semitism, 26 Years Later, Nicholas Meyer Is Returning to Sherlock Holmes. Why Now? | CrimeReads; and it was 'as if Milton and Blake had rewritten the Narnia books. I knew it would change the imagination of generations', Philip Pullman: a tribute to the enchanter.
Our page of Picture library links provides a good starting-point for finding an image for your book, whether it's for the cover or inside. Gograph was added a while ago with its 18 million stock links.
'You are a first-time author without an agent and you receive a contract to publish your book - just how do you evaluate it? Is it fair or biased against the author by prevailing industry standards? Is your publisher looking out for your interests as well as his own - or wording the clauses in a way only advantageous to the company?' Why your book contract needs vetting.
More links: just the author's personal advice, Lydia Davis: Ten of My Recommendations for Good Writing Habits | Literary Hub; an enchanting article, How a Harry Potter Illustrator Brings the Magical to Life - The New York Times; what if you love to write, you want to be a writer, but you don't feel that something sufficiently monumental has happened to you? Kurt Vonnegut's Advice for the Impatient Writer | Literary Hub; and, a sad reversal after last week's good news, Outrage after Turkish journalist re-arrested a week after his release | World news | The Guardian.
Have you managed to find a publisher for your work and are now enjoying the thrill of knowing that your book will soon be published? If you're wondering what happens next or just dreaming of being in that situation, Preparing for Publication gives an outline of what's involved.
'To present a whole world that doesn't exist and make it seem real, we have to more or less pretend we're polymaths. That's just the act of all good writing.' William Gibson's contribution to our Writers' Quotes.

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4 November 2019 - What's new

November 2019

‘When the last autumn of Dickens's life was over, he continued to work through his final winter and into spring. This is how all of us writers give away the days and years and decades of our lives in exchange for stacks of paper with scratches and squiggles on them. And when Death calls, how many of us would trade all those pages, all that squandered lifetime-worth of painfully achieved scratches and squiggles, for just one more day, one more fully lived and experienced day?... ' Dan Simmons, author of 37 horror, science fiction, fantasy and historical novels and collections of short stories, including Drood, Hyperion and The Terror. Our Comment.
From our nineteen-part Inside Publishing series, you can read up on Advances and royalties: 'Publishers usually offer to pay authors advances against royalties. How do you work out how much money you might earn from your book? You need to understand for yourself how advances and royalties work and what they mean for you...'
From the same series, Copy editing and proof-reading explains the difference between the two: 'Proof-reading is a separate activity from copy editing and should always be done afterwards as part of a final check that the text is in good order. Traditionally, proof-reading was done at galley stage, when the text was set up in type but not yet made into pages...'
The Bookbrunch Selfies Awards 2020 is for self-published titles published since January 2018, and entries will be accepted from authors based in the UK who are predominantly or only self-published. There is an entrance fee of £25+VAT per title, and all those submitting work will receive six-month subscriptions to BookBrunch. The winners will get £1,000 in each category and other prizes.
WritersServices can provide a range of services working on your manuscript, to help you get it ready for submission or self-publishing. We are UK-based, offer exceptional value and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for 17 years. We have just introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. Copy editing services.
Our links: Jane Friedman argues that the secret to selling a book is understanding its readers and how to deliver on their expectations, No Clear Readership, No Clear Sales; what's behind our heightened connection with children's books? Why the books we read as children are the ones that shape our psyche | Books | The Guardian; book publishing has changed dramatically over the last twenty years, Intellectual Property: The Big Picture for Authors | Jane Friedman; and how do you tackle writers block? I don't believe in writer's block, Bernardine Evaristo on the Illusion of Writer's Block | Literary Hub.
Why your book contract needs vetting - 'You are a first-time author without an agent and you receive a contract to publish your book - just how do you evaluate it? Is it fair or biased against the author by prevailing industry standards? Is your publisher looking out for your interests as well as his own - or wording the clauses in a way only advantageous to the company? Would you, for example, know which rights to grant - for how long and on what terms...' Our contracts expert on why contract vetting is essential if you don't have an agent.
More links: should only writers from marginalized backgrounds tell stories about people who share their cultural histories? Who Gave You the Right to Tell That Story? What interests me most is that I think the different eco-systems within publishing are settling down somewhat, Questions for: John Bond; lost or found languages, Conlangers invent languages for science, pleasure-and the occasional hoax; his prison memoir I Will Never See the World Again, was longlisted for the £50,000 Baillie Gifford prize in September, Jailed Turkish author Ahmet Altan freed after three years | Books | The Guardian.
Are you thinking of submitting your book to an agent? Try our Finding an Agent page or Your Submission package. Our Submission critique service may also help, as it's essential to get your package into the best possible shape before you start submitting.
'It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style.' P D James in our Writers' Quotes.

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28 October 2019 - What's new

October 2019

‘The society to which we belong seems to be dying or is already dead. I don't mean to sound dramatic, but clearly the dark side is rising. Things could not have been more odd and frightening in the Middle Ages. But the tradition of artists will continue no matter what form the society takes...' Anne Lamott, author of seven non-fiction books, and the forthcoming Hallelujah Anyway, and two novels, Imperfect Birds and Rosie. Our Comment.
An endorsement from Anthony Fitzgerald for our English Language Editing Service: 'The result? A book that reads like it's written by a native speaker for only 13% of the price a complete translation would have costed. Thank you, writersservices.'
The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award 2020 is open to any novelist or short story writer from around the world who has been published in the UK or Ireland. No entry fee. First Prize £30,000, shortlisted authors get £1,000. Closing 13 December.
An essential read for children's authors is Suzy Jenvey's special series for WritersServices, the four-part Essential Guide to Writing for Children. The first article looks at the all-important question of age groups and what you should be aware of in writing for each one. The second part is - Before You Write: What is My Story Going to be? The third part deals with Starting to Write and the fourth part is about Submitting Your Work to Agents and Editors. This series by a hugely experienced children's editorial director and agent helps you get started on your own story or develop what you're already working on.
Our links: celebrating the wide world of crime and mystery, The State of the Crime Novel: A Roundtable Discussion with Crime Authors | CrimeReads; asked to explain "Why the novel matters", my first question is: "Well, does it?" Why the novel matters; are you a country girl or a city boy? Would a week in Las Vegas be a dream or a nightmare? Fiction and the power of place; the move to children's lit as consciousness-forming propaganda, Children's literature has become horribly right-on | The Spectator; and audiobooks and podcasts alike have been booming across the past few years, The Publishing And Podcasting Industries Are Getting Even Cozier.
Have you been working on your book? Are you now ready to submit to publishers or to self-publish? We offer the widest range of editorial services on the web, tailored to writers' requirements and carried out by our professional editors, Our Services for writers.
More links: the wave came and went; digital found its niche, but print asserted its ongoing value, In search of the new frontier; presented as an infographic, The Most Well Read Regions | UK Reading Habits | The Book People; a bit of a reckoning in our corner of the world, showing the fault lines in our community, We Need Noir - Because the Truth Is Dark, Messy, and Sometimes Ugly | CrimeReads; when Artemis first came out, the combination of lore and science fiction plus fantasy, I presumed hundreds of people had done that before, Q & A with Eoin Colfer.
'Poets are naturally keen to see their work in print but it's actually quite hard to get a first collection taken on by a publisher. This is because most poetry lists are pretty small...' Getting your poetry published.
'Writers cannot choose their own mood: with them it is not always hide-tide, nor - thank Heaven! - always Storm.' Charlotte Bronte in our Writers' Quotes.

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21 October 2019 - What's new

October 2019

‘I had always wanted to be a writer as a child but couldn't spell out this dream to myself because during the Cultural Revolution all writers were condemned. To be a writer was the most dangerous profession. I wrote my first poem aged 16 and destroyed it. When I was working spreading manure in the paddy fields aged 16 and 17, I was always writing in my head...' Jung Chang, author of the bestselling Wild Swans, Empress Dowager Cixi (with Jon Halliday) Mao The Untold Story and the just-published Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister, about the sisters who helped shape modern China, in the Observer. Our Comment
Inside Publishing is a 19-part series looking at publishing from the writer's point of view. Our article on Copyright: 'Unless there is a very good reason, authors should in general seek to retain copyright in what they write. The most obvious exceptions are if a writer is employed by a newspaper, journal or company, when the writer is producing the work as part of their job...' On Children's Publishing: 'Age groups are an important element of the way publishers look at publishing for children. The storyline and language must be appropriate for the intended age-group and this is where many writers who haven't written for children before are likely to go wrong...'
Our new page Copy editing services covers our six services working on writers' manuscripts, a range which includes our top of the range Writer's Edit and English Language Editing. We offer free samples and free short written assessments on most of these services, which are provided by our skilled professional editors. We are transparent about our rates and our high quality copy editing services are also very good value.
Our links: overall visitor numbers were up at the 2019 Frankfurt Book FairWorld's largest trade fair for books; held annually mid-October at Frankfurt Trade Fair, Germany; First three days exclusively for trade visitors; general public can attend last two., where rights trade was brisk and events addressed timely topics including Brexit, feminism, racism, and climate crisis, Frankfurt 2019: Big Crowds, Upbeat Industry, Social Purpose; Writing well is hard. All writers know this. So why don't we talk about it more? Demystifying the Writer's Fear of Failure | Literary Hub; these days, a huge following on social media, particularly Instagram, is a must for a book deal, What's an Influencer Worth to Books? You don't expect an author with more than 100 million copies of her books sold into 36 languages and 120 countries to tell you that she's out on a limb, Cornwell's New Spacewalk: 'Not Just About Putting a Flag on the Moon'; and writing the book had broken me open, filling me with a giddy joy, On the Darkness, Strangeness, and Unbridled Joy of Children's Books | Literary Hub.
We have a new page which gives an editor's take on using pdfs, So what's wrong with PDFs? 'If you need your file to be edited, PDF is not the ideal format; in fact, it is practically the worst format you can choose. Why? Precisely because PDFs are designed not to be tampered with or changed. When you stop to think about it, editing is no more or less than a process of changing - and correcting - your file...'
More links: writing books - which requires solitude and stamina and more solitude, Deborah Levy Beats Writers' Block by... Swimming | Literary Hub; speaking with editors about three areas of expansion, YA Publishing Widens Its Lens; one of the most daring writers working (in my opinion), Joyce Carol Oates Talks Crime Fiction, Character, and Cats | CrimeReads; and when the "Queen of Crime", who counts London gangsters such as Krays' rival Eddie Richardson as friends, gives you an order it would be foolish not to listen, Martina Cole: Best-selling author says she is 'victim of snobbery in publishing' | Books | Entertainment | Express.co.uk.
Putting together 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'.
'Read, read, read everything - trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out the window.' William Faulkner in our Writers' Quotes.

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14 October 2019 - What's new

October 2019

‘First of all, I'm always writing from a point of view. I decide what the purpose of the scene is, and at least begin with some purpose. But, even more important, from whose point of view is this scene seen? Because then the narrative will take on somewhat the sound of the person who is seeing the scene...' Elmore Leonard, author of 45 novels, including Fifty-two Pickup, The Switch, Freaky Deaky, Get Shorty and Cuba Libre. Our Comment.
An Editor's advice on planning, part of our 7-part series, 'Some people like to know exactly what they're doing before they start writing. They make very elaborate diagrams of the plot, note what each character is doing and when - this is particularly useful if you're writing a story which depends very heavily on a complex series of events coming together at just the right moment. Some writers focus on building detailed descriptions of their characters, so they know how they will react in any given situation, and then put them into the action. Once they've made a plan, they stick to it, but they then make a note of the ideas they have as they work, and then go back later and see if they can be incorporated into the story. If not, they might be worth using elsewhere...'
Links relating to the Frankfurt Book FairWorld's largest trade fair for books; held annually mid-October at Frankfurt Trade Fair, Germany; First three days exclusively for trade visitors; general public can attend last two., now in full swing, amazing deal for first-time author, HarperFiction signs six-figure deal with debut author Abigail Dean; Bowker announces huge rise in US self-pubishing, Number of Self-Published Titles Jumped 40% in 2018; and is it friend or foe to the book business? Netflix sees itself as publishing's partner.
Do you want some help with your writing but don't quite know what you want? Are you a bit puzzled by the various services on offer, and not sure what to go for? This article will show you how to work out which is the right editorial service for you. Choosing a service. Alternatively, email us and we'll do our best to help.
More links: In the Golden Age of British detective fiction in the 1920s and 1930s, four women were universally considered the four Queens, Dorothy L. Sayers: A Crime Reader's Guide to the Classics | CrimeReads; are his life story and his career too good to be true, How Seamus Heaney Became a Poet of Happiness | The New Yorker; and a writer who happened to win an award, I was proud my literature award. Then came the talk of ‘box-ticking' | Chitra Ramaswamy | Opinion | The Guardian.
Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for 150 lines of poetry can help. Our Poetry Collection Editing service, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you need.
Links about prizes, very much the topic of the week: the Austrian playwright who had publicly suggested that Sarajevo's Muslims had massacred themselves and denied the Srebrenica genocide, 'A troubling choice': authors criticise Peter Handke's controversial Nobel win | Books | The Guardian; and two reactions to splitting the Booker between two authors, Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo win Booker Prize 2019; and is this a fudge? Booker judges try to have it both ways | Books | The Guardian.
A new addition to our Endorsements page: 'I've used two services with this company: The Editor's Plus Report and the Writer's Edit. I am completely satisfied with the service I received and said service has led to the completion and publication of my first novel: Lightforce. I would recommend any of these services to any aspiring author.' Jason Handleman, author of Lightforce (Everything Changes Book 1).
‘The first thing you must remember: An editor does not add to a book. At best he serves as a handmaiden to an author. Don't ever get to feeling important about yourself, because an editor at most releases energy. He creates nothing.' editor Maxwell Perkins in our Writers' Quotes.

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7 October 2019 - What's new

October 2019

‘Before the actual placing of words on pages, The Testaments was written partly in the minds of the readers of its predecessor, The Handmaid's Tale, who kept asking what happened after the end of that novel. Thirty-five years is a long time to think about possible answers, and the answers have changed as society itself has changed and as possibilities have become actualities. Margaret Atwood, author of 17 novels, including The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments, which is shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize, in the Sunday Times Culture. Our Comment.
Our article on How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth) asks writers with a manuscript which needs translating or has been written in English by a non-native speaker: "if your English is good enough, what about translating your book yourself, or writing in English, and then getting your translation polished and copy edited by a professional editor who is a native English speaker?" This could be a cost-effective way of reaching the international English-speaking market.
English Language Editing is a polishing service for writers who have translated their work into English or written it in English when it is not their native language. If you need to make sure it's good enough to publish, or send to a publisher, this service is for you. Acknowledging the growth of world English, English Language Editing is designed for the many non-native English speakers throughout the world who want to publish their work in English.
There are two poetry competitions, two short story competitions and one wonderful competition for a debut novel still open on our Writing Opportunities page.
Our links: as the publishing world grinds its way towards the Frankfurt Book FairWorld's largest trade fair for books; held annually mid-October at Frankfurt Trade Fair, Germany; First three days exclusively for trade visitors; general public can attend last two., An Unsolicited Manuscript Becomes a Hot Pre-Frankfurt Property; how one author drew on his own childhood experience in setting up a bookshop, Diary of a small town sensation: how the Wimpy Kid author built his dream bookshop | Books | The Guardian; how one author's 'wholly one-sided and indecorous obsession with another author' led her into looking at famous rivalries, Headbutts, snark and furious obsession: a toxic history of literary rivalries | Books | The Guardian; and an economical opportunity to have your work reviewed by a professional editor before you begin querying and submitting, Manuscript Evaluations: What They Are and What to Expect | Jane Friedman.
Our Services for Writers - just a list of 20 services to help you get your work ready for publication.
More links: where do prize-winning authors find their inspiration? How to write a Booker contender - by Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and others | Books | The Guardian; for Martina Myers, a high school English teacher on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, a novel which seemed too good to be true, Do Works by Men Toppled by #MeToo Belong in the Classroom? - The New York Times; and a troubling plagiarism accusation when two authors have been mining the same historical events, Jojo Moyes Has Been Accused Of Publishing A Novel With "Alarming Similarities" To Another Author's Book.
The Web as a Research tool - there are some sensational research resources for writers on the web. The search engines and other directories have made these accessible.
In our Writers Quotes, the great northern Irish poet Ciaran Carson, who died this week: ‘If you know exactly what you are going to say in a poem, that poem will be a failure. Besides, there is no interest or fun, in saying what you already know.'

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30 September 2019 - What's new

September 2019

'I only really care about my readers. But I've always been irritated by the lazy assumption among critics that what I do is somehow easier than what ‘literary' novelists do. It's actually quite the reverse - to write something to please millions is obviously harder than doing something that only has to please thousands. I also think that genre writers have a greater responsibility. A literary reader has no expectation that everything they read is going to be great...' Lee Child, author of the 23 Jack Reacher novels, most recently Past Tense, in Books magazine. Our Comment
Bob's Journal is a long-running column from writer Bob Ritchie described by fellow EastEnders script-writer Pippa McCarthy: 'Just discovered your web page... I've just spent the last hour crying with laughter with periodic yelps of 'been there!'... I'm going to make my entire family read your diary. Then perhaps will understand own bizarre behaviour every time I start a script... Anyway, will shut up now but just wanted to say you have cheered me up no end. It's brilliant.'
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 their native language and our new Writer's edit, providing line-editing. Get the right level of editorial support for your needs. Contact us to discuss what you want and take advantage of our free samples - and written assessments on most of these services.
Our links: for almost two years after my first book was published, I did not write a single new thing, Maybe the Secret to Writing is Not Writing? | Literary Hub; what's the difference between an unforgettable crime thriller and the sort of thriller that retreats into the remote fissures of your brain? The 5 Essential Elements of Unforgettable Crime Thrillers | CrimeReads; it sounded like a book, or a film, or something, a cool story, It sounded like a novel - so I wrote it; and joining their tribe seems simple enough: Get a book, read it, and voilà! Why Do Some People Love Reading? - The Atlantic.
WritersServices editor Kay GaleWritersServices editor who has worked for many years as a freelance editor for number of publishers. on The Slush pile: 'When I started working in publishing over thirty years ago it was part of my job to check through the pile of unsolicited manuscripts that arrived on a daily basis, and like every other enthusiastic young editorial assistant, I dreamed of finding the next bestseller in the ‘slush pile'. I was soon disillusioned...'
More links: for decades, Mighty Girls have devoured her works, Protecting "The Books That Will Never Be Written": Judy Blume's Fight Against Censorship | A Mighty Girl; publishing is the business of creating books and selling them to readers. And yet, for some reason we aren't supposed to talk about the latter, Everything You Wanted to Know about Book Sales (But Were Afraid to Ask) - Electric Literature; and this summer, author Megan Miranda won the publishing lottery, Reese's Book Club is publishing's secret weapon - Vox.
Have you ever wondered why you don't win any of those competitions? What can you do to improve your chances? Our tipsheet on Entering Competitions.
‘The crime novel should have a compelling and credible plot, characters who are more than stereotypes, good writing and the creative integration of setting, narrative, characterisation and theme. To put it simply, a good detective story should be a good novel.' P D James in our Writers' Quotes.

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23 September 2019 - What's new

September 2019

'Every time you write a poem you start again. Sometimes things happen quickly, sometimes it can take years for a poem to find its proper mode of habitation. I think as writers we enter into a contract of trust, with ourselves, with our friends, with our editors, with our readers, when sending a poem out. Yes, practically, we have to think about stopping work on a poem. But isn't it more about when a poem is properly ready to be part of a useful exchange? Deryn Rees-Jones, poet and author of The Memory Tree, Signs Round a Dead Body and Quiver, and editor of Modern Women Poets, in the PBS's Poetips. Our Comment.
My Say gives writers a chance to air their views about writing and the writer's life. So we have Dominae Primus on her impressions of Writersservices, now and then, Richard Hall on "Write about what you know" - does this adage always make sense? Mary Garden on Writer's Block. Send us your contributions, ideally 200 to 400 words in length and of general interest. Please email them to us.
Closing on 21 October, the Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2019 is open to all poets internationally. The entry fee is £5/€6/$7 per poem and the 1st Prize is £2,000, 2nd Prize £1,000 and 3rd Prize £500 plus 20 commendeds.
Are you getting ready to publish your book - perhaps planning to self-publish? WritersServices offers a suite of nine services which help writers get their work into shape before they self-publish. Services for Self-publishers
Our links: "Write every day, every second of the day. Is this a joke? Everyone Writes. But Is Everyone a Writer? - The New York Times; are they "punishing an author for her human rights advocacy", Hundreds of authors protest after Kamila Shamsie's book award is revoked | Books | The Guardian; turning around the fortunes of Barnes & Noble, B&N's James Daunt Isn't Daunted At All; in an era plagued by deep fakes and online disinformation campaigns, we still tend to trust what we read in books. But should we? It's a Fact: Mistakes Are Embarrassing the Publishing Industry - The New York Times; and everyone wants to write a book, or to say they have written a book. Publishing a book is still an honour, a point of pride, An Agent Explains the Ins and Outs of Book Deals - Electric Literature.
Are you thinking of submitting your book to an agent? Try our Finding an Agent page or Your Submission package. Our Submission critique service may also help, as it's essential to get your package into the best possible shape before you start submitting.
More links: the new Waterstones Children's Laureate on why children's engagement with books must be encouraged at every opportunity, Cressida Cowell warns industry will become 'dead in the water' without school libraries | The Bookseller; publishers allege copyright infringement, the audiobook company asserts fair use, Points, Counterpoints: The Publishers v. Audible Lawsuit Lines Are Drawn; the Chocolat author urges publishers to support existing writers in their careers rather than pursuing one debut after another, Joanne Harris speaks out against publishing's focus on debuts | The Bookseller; and after two decades of immense popularity, this style of storytelling fell out of fashion, The Golden Age Detective Fiction Renaissance | CrimeReads.
Advice for Writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore over 7,000 pages of information for writers.
In our Writers' Quotes: 'It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by. How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment? For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone. That is where the writer scores over his fellows: he catches the changes of his mind on the hop.' Vita Sackville-West

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16 September 2019 - What's new

September 2019

‘Sometimes I feel like I talk about these things too dramatically. I'm sure some writers might read this and go, "For f*** sake you just published a book. Get over yourself." But you have to understand - before, there was none of it, then everything changed... It's changed my life, and made it so interesting and exciting. So happy, on a cellular level... When your first book is a bestseller is our Comment from Jessie Burton, author of just-published The Confession, The Muse and her bestselling first novel The Miniaturist in the Sunday Times' Culture.
The Inside Publishing series consists of 19 articles giving you an insider's view of publishing. The English Language Publishing World looks at the traditional way in which the international English-language publishing has been split between UK and US publishers. Why does the world get divided up into publishing territories? How has this come about? How does it affect authors? Then there's The Writer/Publisher Financial Relationship: 'There's no escaping the fact that publishers and authors are essentially in an adversarial position. Even in the very best and most supportive publisher/writer relationships there is the tension caused by the fact that authors would like to earn as much as possible from their writing and publishers to pay as little as they can get away with...'
Closing on 9 December, the Nobrow Short Story Competition is open to all writers of 18 and over internationally with an unpublished and not yet submitted story or creative non-fiction piece. There's no entry fee. Winning stories will go into a book and the overall winner will receive £2,000, with all selected contributors receiving £150 and two complimentary copies of the book.
Other competitions we've covered on the site which are still open.
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 their native language and our new Writer's edit, providing line-editing. Get the right level of editorial support for your needs at a sensible price. Contact us to discuss what you want and take advantage of our free samples - and written assessments on most of these services.
Our links: how do writers manage - or deploy - the distractions? 'I have to put my phone in the wardrobe': how do authors deal with social media? | Books | The Guardian; one day not long ago in a college class I was teaching, some of my students couldn't find the page I was talking about in the reading, Opinion | Steal This Book? There's a Price - The New York Times; Sleepless in Seattle, the starry-eyed, bi-coastal love story written and directed by Nora Ephron in 1993, is a strange bird, The Best 1990s Rom-Coms Are Detective Stories in Disguise | CrimeReads; and increasingly, people of the book are also people of the cloud, Books Won't Die.
If you're planning to submit to agents, you'll want to get your submission package into good shape before getting started, to give your book its best chance.
More links: as self-publishing services have proliferated, promising all variety of benefits and recipes for boosting sales, it's more important than ever for indie authors to have a discerning eye when seeking out assistance, DIY: How to Avoid Self-Publishing Scams; from a successful children's publisher, Questions for: Kate Wilson; encountering a legendary editor, On the Rare Decency of Susan Kamil | Literary Hub; beautiful objects that would be there for hundreds of years but weren't flashy like stained glass or carvings or floor tiles, Tracy Chevalier Is Threading the Past.
Authors often find it difficult to write their own synopsis for submission to publishers, which is where our Synopsis-writing service can help. If you're preparing to self-publish and having difficulty with your blurb, our Blurb-writing service from a professional copy-writer will make your book stand out.
John Steinbeck in our Writers' Quotes: 'Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.'

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9 September 2019 - What's new

September 2019

'I put my whole soul into this book, but I didn't allow myself to hope that it would lead to anything. In fact I firmly hedged my bets against it having any success at all, because it would have been too painful to hope and then be disappointed. But then this happens, and I'm proven miraculously, incredibly, joyously wrong...' 'Success is not particularly good for creativity' is our Comment this week from from Jessica Love, winner of the £5,000 Klaus Flugge award for illustrated books for her picture book about a trans child, Julian Is a Mermaid, in the Guardian.
For anyone thinking about or embarked on self-publishing, our ten-part WritersServices Self-Publishing Guide by Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk is an essential starting-point, taking you through the process step-by-step. 'Indie authors access the same professional services as traditional publishing houses. They employ freelance editors, proofreaders and cover designers. They have their work professionally formatted for ebooks and typeset for print. They may use service providers to manage some or all of the publishing tasks, or they may go it alone...' Articles include Choose Your Self-publishing Route and Marketing and Promotion for Indie Authors: Online.
From the same author, The Business of writing, 'Writing is undoubtedly a creative art. Whether we are working on the next Booker Prize winner or ghostwriting blog posts, writers need to be original, imaginative and inspired. But writing is also a business, with invoices to raise, accounts to be submitted and records to be kept. Writers, like artists, can find themselves floundering when it comes to the ‘business end' of the job.'
This is the biggie, the very prestigious National Poetry Competition 2019, which closes on 31 October. It's open internationally to all poets who are 17 or over with an entry fee of £7 for the first poem and £4 for subsequent poems. The First Prize is £5,000, Second Prize £2,000, Third Prize £1,000 and 7 Commendations £200, but there's also a lot of kudos attached to being a winner.
Our links: an interview with an irrepressible and very popular author, Stephen King: ‘I have outlived most of my critics. It gives me great pleasure' | Books | The Guardian; some sharp insights into the publishing business, A Book Biz Insider's Letter to a (Future) Assistant; video continues to grow in popularity and importance - with the original video sharing platform YouTube now the second most visited website in the world, The future of video in publishing | The Bookseller; and just this week, a Catholic elementary school in Tennessee removed the books from its library, When We Ban Books Like 'Harry Potter,' Students Lose Out On More Than Magic | HuffPost UK.
If you're looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one of our three reports would suit you best? Which Report? includes our new top-of-the range service, the Editor's Report Plus, introduced by popular demand to provide even more detail. This very substantial report takes the form of a chapter-by-chapter breakdown and many writers have found this detail helps them to get their book right. Through our specialist children's editors we can offer reports on children's books.
More links: an early decision which can have a long-term impact with little or no chance for fixing or correcting, short of re-publishing, Why Self-Publishing Authors Should Consider Establishing Their Own Imprint | Jane Friedman; what can books published during wartime tell us about ourselves? The Crime Novels of WWII | CrimeReads; he sold only 4 books, Just Because Walt Whitman Self-Published, Doesn't Mean You Should, Too | Literary Hub; and the backlash against modern "culture warriors", Enid Blyton had racist views. But I still read her | Sian Cain | Opinion | The Guardian.
Meg Rosoff in our Writers' Quotes: 'Your writing voice is the deepest possible reflection of who you are. The job of your voice is not to seduce or flatter or make well-shaped sentences. In your voice, your readers should be able to hear the contents of your mind, your heart, your soul.'
For quotes fans we have further superb collections in More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.

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2 September 2019 - What's new

September 2019

'The book trade tends to get into a publishing bubble. Readers don't understand why they have to wait for the audio book or ebook; a simultaneous release is very important for them. Whenever a new format launches, we as the publishing industry acquire new audiences, and that's important... I think we've become slightly hijacked in the industry by an obsession with schedules and that it should take 13 months to bring a book to market...' Our Comment comes from Amanda Ridout, founder of new publisher Boldwood Books, in Bookbrunch.
If you are not a native English speaker but you want to publish your book in English to make it available to the international market, what do you do? If your English is good enough, what about writing it in English or translating your book into English yourself, and then getting your translation polished and copy edited by a professional editor who is a native English speaker? The result should be a publishable manuscript at a relatively low cost, provided by our English Language Editing Service. Our article How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth) shows you how.
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2020 is open to Commonwealth writers with unpublished stories in 11 Commonwealth languages. There's no entry fee. The overall winner gets £5,000, five regional winners £2,500. Closing on 1 November.
Our links: a three-book deal and a film option at Universal Pictures, A Debut Middle-Grade Author's Life-Changing Tweet; a physical book is good for much more than reading, Reader, I Googled It | The New Yorker; a 1,000-page plus novel - but the narrative occupies a mere eight sentences - is amongst other more famous novelists' work, The Booker prize shortlist resists easy reading | Books | The Guardian; and turning back to poetry, How Barbara Kingsolver reignited her love affair with words - The Washington Post.
Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? This is the question our page Which service? answers and it then goes on to give a quick rundown of our 20 editorial services for writers, the biggest range you can find on the internet.
More links: oh, the heyday of publishing - big desks, lots of cash, martini-soused three-hour lunches, trying to appease your government, From Animal Farm to Catch-22: the most regrettable rejections in the history of publishing | Books | The Guardian; where has all the Horror gone? A Lot of Sci-Fi and Fantasy is Horror Despite the Label | Houston Press; impressive signs of a book trade that's flourishing, US publishers' revenues up 6.9% | The Bookseller; and Amazon has stepped back following last week's threat from publishers, Audible Will Exclude Publishers' Works from Captions Program - For Now.
From our Endorsements page: 'As a total neophyte as a writer, I have been doing a huge amount of research suddenly as to what services are available to writers, on both sides of the Atlantic, and am amazed that you are able to have someone read a whole book and give a serious critique for just 180 pounds. I think that is incredible value for money, compared to other similar services that appear to be available out there. I hope to be back to you again for more assistance, once I've cleaned up my work! Martin Humphries, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
'As for ‘Write what you know,' I was regularly told this as a beginner. I think it's a very good rule and have always obeyed it. I write about imaginary countries, alien societies on other planets, dragons, wizards, the Napa Valley in 22002. I know these things. I know them better than anybody else possibly could, so it's my duty to testify about them.' the inimitable Ursula K. Le Guin in our Writers' Quotes.

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26 August 2019 - What's new

August 2019

‘I think people don't often realise that a lot of the joy of Jane Austen is that these books are funny. People think that, to adapt her, you've got to use long words and fancy sentences, and that's not the case at all. She could be very succinct and to the point and had a great sense of humour... Andrew Davies, acclaimed 82-year-old screenwriter of Pride and Prejudice, War and Peace and many other successful TV series, whose version of Sanditon has just started airing on the BBC, in the Observer. Our Comment.
Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Promoting Your Writing (and Yourself), from Self-publishing: is it for you? to Keep up to date and Submission to publishers and agents. 'Be prepared to redraft your work and to rethink it. Many new writers assume that their work will immediately be ready for publication, but the truth is that many highly successful writers produced several drafts of their first work before they got it published.' and 'When you've got your work into the best state you can, put it on one side for a few weeks and then look at it afresh. You'll be amazed what difference a fresh eye will make.'
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: celebrating the generosity of writers, I'm not surprised Olivia Laing is sharing her book prize money - I did the same | Daniel Hahn | Opinion | The Guardian; copyright is under attack this week, first - actions undertaken by a goup of American publshers, American Publishers Sue To Stop 'Audible Captions'; then - a contrary view, Audible Captions vs. The Publishing Industry - EContent Magazine; and are celebrity book clubs undermining literary culture? The new literary tastemakers: can they be trusted? | The Bookseller.
Literary magazines with one week's response time is Sandeep Kumar Mishra's useful list, which we added to the site. They range from literary fiction to non-fiction and include science fiction and fantasy, popular non-fiction, politics, flash fiction, reviews, humour, social issues, the economy, lifestyle, horror, artwork and much more. If you've ever despaired at how long magazine submissions can take, or wanted to extend your range, this is the list you need.
More links: ironically, while creative nonfiction and memoir writing can be a tool of self-discovery, you must have some distance from the self to write effectively, The Big Memoir Pitfall to Avoid | Jane Friedman; more on the subject of piracy and copyright from an author's SOA blog, Blogs | The Society of Authors; looking at celebrated children's author Malorie Blackman, ‘Do black people read?' What my years in publishing have taught me about diversity in books | Natalie Jerome | Opinion | The Guardian; and had the beloved author not had the confidence to publish the book on her own terms, we might not have ever known her name, Why Beatrix Potter Ended Up Self-Publishing The Tale of Peter Rabbit | Mental Floss.
WritersServices editor Kay GaleWritersServices editor who has worked for many years as a freelance editor for number of publishers. on The Slush pile: 'When I started working in publishing over thirty years ago it was part of my job to check through the pile of unsolicited manuscripts that arrived on a daily basis, and like every other enthusiastic young editorial assistant, I dreamed of finding the next bestseller in the ‘slush pile'. I was soon disillusioned...'
'Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.' Jane Yolen in our Writers' Quotes.

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19 August 2019 - What's new

August 2019

‘I was often accused of having an overactive imagination as a child and I was an avid reader. I used to fib to my mum, saying I was going out to play with the other kids and actually having a book in my pocket. I'd built a den on the waste ground at the far end of the housing estate where I grew up and I would hide there and read. I wrote a novel when I was 11; I even cut out cardboard covers because I wanted it to be a hardback. And I spent a lot of time in the local library. It made me into a writer... Louise Doughty, author of just-published Platform Seven, Whatever You Love, Apple Tree Yard and six other novels in the Observer. Our Comment.
Are you writing for the children's market? Have you found it difficult to get expert editorial input on your work ? Do you want to know if it has real commercial potential? Or are you planning to self-publish? Our Children's Editorial Services provide three levels of report, so you can get your work assessed, and copy editing by specialist children's editors.
The Ginkgo Prize for Ecopoetry is open to unpublished poems from poets from all over the world writing in English. The entry fee is £7 for the first poem, then £4 for every subsequent poem. The First prize is £5,000, Second prize £2,000 and Third prize £1,000. Closing on 15 September.
From Tom Chalmers, formerly of IPR, two articles about rights for self-publishers, Self-publishing - the rights way and How to get your book in the hands of an international audience. 'It's a fact that most self-published authors understand the process that takes them from a written manuscript to a published book, but few realise the additional elements that make publishing a profitable business. Rights licensing is arguably the most vital element in this equation. Whether it's selling translation rights, audio rights or optioning the film rights, these all help balance the book's books...'
Our links: no one seems to have escaped the fan fury over the finals season, not even the author, George R.R. Martin Doesn't Think Game of Thrones Was 'Very Good' For His Writing Process | Mental Floss; Orwell's reputation may be secure, but his sentences are not, Paging Big Brother: In Amazon's Bookstore, Orwell Gets a Rewrite - The New York Times; Why has the literary world gone crazy for her, Sally Rooney and the Hazards of Writing While Female - The Atlantic; and China's sales are growing fast - when will they challenge the US, the market leader? Exchange rates | The Bookseller.
Have you managed to find a publisher for your work and are now enjoying the thrill of knowing that your book will soon be published? If you're wondering what happens next, here is an outline of the processes involved. Preparing for Publication
More links: as writers, we need our room-with-a-view to be both reflective retreat and motivating, sustaining base camp, The Ways in Which Writing May or May Not Resemble Sex | Literary Hub; you may not even realize that your book contract could be canceled if you're accused of misconduct - or just cause drama, What Writers Need to Know About Morality Clauses - Electric Literature; a reminder of how much comics and popular culture have changed since the first show in 1970, The Next 50 Years of Comics Publishing; and the curious case of the paranormal-romance author who claimed that "her ex and one of her former assistants hatched a ‘Shakespearean plot' to murder her by poison, Author Sherrilyn Kenyon Drops Suit Against Ex for Poisoning.
'You are a first-time author without an agent and you receive a contract to publish your book - just how do you evaluate it? Is it fair or biased against the author by prevailing industry standards? Is your publisher looking out for your interests as well as his own - or wording the clauses in a way only advantageous to the company?' Why your book contract needs vetting.
'Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.' Stephen King in our Writers' Quotes.

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12 August 2019 - What's new

August 2019

‘It wasn't really writing. It was sort of doing something at night, rather than cultivating friendships. I found myself very good company, so I never needed a party or a dinner in order to make me wonder on Saturday night, what are you going to do? And besides I had these little children, so I wrote at night, sporadically, trying to build on a story I had written years before. I liked the authority of being in a place where I was doing it, and I liked how hard it was. And I liked the privacy, the interior world that was all mine, the freedom to explore that in a systematic way...' Toni Morrison, who died last week and was the author of Beloved, Song of Solomon, Sula, Jazz and 7 other novels, in a 1987 interview with Publishers WeeklyInternational news website of book publishing and bookselling including business news, reviews, bestseller lists, commentaries http://www.publishersweekly.com/. Our Comment.
If you're aiming at traditional publishing, Finding an agent and Working with an agent are two practical checklists to help set up and maintain this vital relationship. 'Try to find an agency which is ‘hungry' for new clients. To keep their workload under control, an established independent agent might take on something like four new authors a year, but only to replace four departing clients. This may seem obvious, but whether or not an agent is actively looking to build their list of clients is probably the single most important factor affecting how closely they are looking at unsolicited submissions...'
The Nan Shepherd Prize for Nature Writing is open to previously unpublished and self-published writers based in the UK and there's no entry fee. The winner gets an advance of £10,000, editorial mentoring and the option of literary representation with Jenny Brown Associates
Literary fiction, crime writing and writing for children; non-fiction: biography, history, sport, music popular culture. Also adult fiction and general non-fiction. No poetry, science fiction, fantasy or academic.

Represents children's writers and illustrators. No reading fee. See website for submission guidelines.
Submissions by email: Prefers to receive submissions by email. You will find their individual preferences and email addresses listed on their Agents page. Please email your submission directly to the agent you feel will be most compatible with your work. They read all submissions made in order of receipt. Please note that they will only respond to submissions if they wish to read more. If you have not heard back within eight weeks then you can assume that they do not feel that the work is right for the agency.
Submissions by post: Their strong preference is for submission by email, but if this is not possible, then send a hard copy to your preferred agent at Jenny Brown Associates, 33 Argyle Place, Edinburgh EH9 1JT. They will only respond if they wish to see more. Unfortunately they are unable to return material submitted, and their policy is to recycle all materials.

For fiction: send the first 50 pages (no more) and a synopsis in a single document, with a covering letter (see below).

For non-fiction: email a proposal and short example of the proposed work - a sample chapter, for instance. Please include a short note on the competing or comparable literature stating, where possible, author, title, publisher and publication date. It would be helpful to have an overview of possible marketing outlets and a biographical note outlining your background, training and experience.

For children's: Does not represent poetry or plays.

All submissions: Please write a covering letter in the body of the email giving an account of the background of the book and your writing career to date. If you have been referred to us by a publishing or personal contact then make this clear. If you have had previous correspondence with one of their agents please mention this. They appreciate knowing if your project has been sent to or is being considered by other agents or publishers.

Founded 2002
. Closing on 10 September.
Other live competitions and prizes.
'If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.' was Stephen King's view and Sarah Taylor-Fergusson argues that it's essential for nearly all authors to do a lot of reading. Writing for Children: Rule Number One
Our links: his books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies since he signed with Mondadori, Formerly Self-Published Italian Author Lands Netflix Series; bright stars in the self-contained, lucrative universe of ebooks, Amazon's Plan to Conquer the World of Publishing - The Atlantic; the man who spent weeks in a noisy, arm-waving debate about the ideal angle of tilt for bookstore shelving, Can Britain's Top Bookseller Save Barnes & Noble? - The New York Times; fiction that reflects and explores the social truths of our world, In Praise of Samuel R. Delany - The New York Times; and choosing such a backward time to set books, Why Write Medieval Mysteries? | CrimeReads.
If you've come to the site looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one would suit you best? Which report? gives you a breakdown on our three levels of report, including the most popular, the Editor's Report Plus, and the reports we can provide as part of our Children's Editorial Services.
More links: figure out what your characters do for work and show them working, Why You Should Write About Your Characters at Work | Literary Hub; the retail and streaming giant has been refused permission by the estate to use the bulk of the book's plot, Amazon's new Lord of the Rings 'cannot use much of Tolkien's plot' | Books | The Guardian; could we look to poetry, of all places, to lead the way toward more diverse representation of writers? The Case of the "Disappearing" Poet | The New Republic; and something which some writers may find useful, 6 Rules for Writing Realistic, Meaningful Gunfights | CrimeReads.
If you need to get your material typed up, but can't face doing the job yourself, Typing manuscripts is a service for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript or audio tapes, which need typing before they can proceed with reworking, submission or publication.
'Which of us has not felt that the character we are reading in the printed page is more real than the person standing beside us?' Cornelia Funke in our Writers' Quotes.

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5 August 2019 - What's new

August 2019

‘The best advice on writing drama was given to me by Barrie Keefe, wondrous playwright and screenwriter of The Long Good Friday. His guidance was simple: "Write great parts for actors." A brilliant actor is a dramatist's strongest weapon. And remember, as you stay at home writing, actors have to be in make-up at 5am, in the pouring rain, miles from home, standing around for twelve hours to shoot three minutes of screen time. Make it worth their while.' Chris Chibnall, television writer and producer, whose credits include Torchwood, Broadchurch and Doctor Who. Our Comment.
Last year we launched the Writer's edit, a top-level new service for writers who want line-editing as well as copy editing. Does your manuscript need high-level input from an editor to help you get it into the best possible shape for submission or self-publishing? This may be the service for you, offering the kind of editing which publishers' senior editors used to do in-house on their authors' manuscripts and which is now hard to find. Our other copy editing services.
Closing on 6 September, the Oxford Brookes International Poetry Competition 2019 is open in two categories to both new and established poets aged 18 and over from across the globe. Its unique English as an Additional Language category is open to all poets aged 18 and over who write in English as an Additional Language. It costs £5 to submit one poem or £4 per poem for more than three entries. Winners in each category will receive £1,000 and both runners up will be awarded £200.
From our 19-part Inside Publishing series: on Copyright 'Many writers worry about losing their copyright. Before sending out your manuscript it is always advisable to put a copyright line consisting of the copyright sign ©, the year and your name on the title page...'
On The Writer/Publisher Financial Relationship: 'There's no escaping the fact that publishers and authors are essentially in an adversarial position. Even in the very best and most supportive publisher/writer relationships there is the tension caused by the fact that authors would like to earn as much as possible from their writing and publishers to pay as little as they can get away with...'
There's a good crop of links this week in spite of the summer lull in the northern hemisphere: the consensus is that it's a positive move for bookselling in the US as Daunt takes over the biggest chain, Elliott Completes Purchase of B&N; Margaret Busby says she was 'my literary inspiration, the person who I wished I could become', 'Rest, Toni Morrison. You were magnificent'; leading writers on the great American author | Books | The Guardian; weaving something abstract and ultra-modern into the oldest kind of story, Towards a New Canon of Technothrillers | CrimeReads; and I've come to realize that the writers I actually see most of myself in are the other members of my writing group, Is It Okay If I Don't Care About Making Money from Writing? - Electric Literature.
If you are submitting your work to an agent or directly to a publishing house, check through our guidelines to give it its best chance. Making Submissions.
More links: "The reason Horrible Histories has been a success is I'm a fiction author. I published 50 fiction books before I turned to Horrible Histories." Horrible Histories: Author Terry Deary on being 'a fish out of water' - BBC News; the sales of crime and thriller fiction began their serious climb at more or less the same time as its launch, Crime Club at 50 (issues); a good summary of this significant case, Lady Chatterley's legal case: how the book changed the meaning of obscene | Law | The Guardian; a fascinating look at how the very young make book choices, What I Learned From Tracking My Toddler's Reading | Book Riot.
Have you been working on your book? Are you now ready to submit to publishers or to self-publish? We offer the widest range of editorial services on the web, tailored to writers' requirements and carried out by our professional editors, Our Services for writers.
'Occasionally, there arises a writing situation where you see an alternative to what you are doing, a mad, wild gamble of a way for handling something, which may leave you looking stupid, ridiculous or brilliant - you just don't know which. You can play it safe there, too, and proceed along the route you'd mapped out for yourself. Or you can trust your personal demon who delivered that crazy idea in the first place. Trust your demon.' Roger Zelazny in our Writers' Quotes.

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29 July 2019 - What's new

July 2019

'I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope to get published that publication is not all it is cracked up to be. But writing is. Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do - the actual act of writing - turns out to be the best part...' Anne Lamott, prolific author of 7 novels, including Hard Laughter and Imperfect Birds, several bestselling books of non-fiction and a number of collections of autobiographical essays on faith. Our Comment.
From our Endorsements page: 'Please extend my gratitude to the editor for his/her thoughtful and detailed edit. I could not ask for better work! Its value far exceeded the cost.' Jim, Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA)
Two competitions in one this week, The PBS & Mslexia Women's Poetry and Pamphlet Competitions 2019 both close on 16 September. They're open to all women poets - only women are eligible - for Poetry the entry fee is £10 for up to three poems, for the Pamphlet £20. The Poetry Competition prize is £2,000 (plus optional mentorship and writing retreat) | 2nd Prize £400, 3rd Prize £250. For the Pamphlet Competition the prize is publication by Seren BooksClick for Seren Books Publishers References listing and £200.
Our 19 Factsheets from the legendary Michael Legat are full of tips for the new writer or anyone who is trying to get their book published. From Literary agents to Copyright, from Libel to Submissions, this series is full of essential background information.
Our links: a writer contrasts traditional and self-pulishing, How indie publishing gave me my confidence back (and why I'm not going back to trad) - Helena Fairfax; Mike Shatzkin, international publishing world commentator par excellence, gives us an overview of what's happened to make for radical changes in publishing, A lot has changed in book publishing in the last ten years | The Idea Logical Company; still the same old story, A woman's greatest enemy? A lack of time to herself | Brigid Schulte | Opinion | The Guardian; and haunted mansion with a secret passage? Check. Vintage wedding gown and century-old sunken treasure? Check. Masked villains, gangsters and goons outwitted by Nancy and her BFFs? Triple badass chick check, The Art of Setting Your Crime Novel in a Not-So-Distant Past | CrimeReads.
Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for 150 lines of poetry can help. Our Poetry Collection Editing, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you need.
More links: well over half of full-time, published authors in the US now earn below the individual poverty level from their writing, Op-Ed: Online book-selling scams steal a living from writers - Los Angeles Times; not a smattering of talent making a splash but waves and waves of writers, going beyond much repeated names, Why is Irish literature thriving? Because its writers and publishers take risks | Alex Clark | Opinion | The Guardian; doesn't every bibliophile do this, buy books and fail to read them? Why Don't I Read All My Books? | Literary Hub; and welcome to the devious minds of thriller writers, We Asked 13 Novelists, From Lee Child to Ruth Ware, ‘What's the Best Murder You Ever Wrote?' - The New York Times.
'I learned that you should feel when writing, not like Lord Byron on a mountain top, but like a child stringing beads in kindergarten, - happy, absorbed and quietly putting one bead on after another.' Brenda Ueland in our Writers' Quotes.

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22 July 2019 - What's new

July 2019

'I write for myself first and foremost, but as I write, I imagine I am speaking to a friend who has just walked in, to whom I'm recounting a story already known, but for whom I am trying to make it worthwhile to listen again. Sometimes the "friend" here is one I have never met, but who I am confident will be cool with me. I write with that assumed familiarity. Sometimes I write song lyrics, sometimes lyric poems, always they are lyrical; and sometimes I write plays.' Inua Ellams, poet, playwright, author of six poetry pamphlets, including Candy Coated All Stars and Thirteen Fairy Negro Fairy Tales, and seventeen plays, in the Sunday Times Culture. Our Comment
My Say gives writers a chance to air their views about writing and the writer's life. So we have Lynda Finn about the isolation of New Zealand writers and their problems with getting published, British author Eliza Graham, author of Playing with the Moon, on her route to publication and Zoe Jenny, who is Swiss, on writing in English and why it was liberating. Send us your contributions, ideally 200 to 400 words in length and of general interest. Please email them to us.
The Tony Lothian Prize 2019 is open to all writers with a proposal for a first biography. The entry fee is £15 and the prize is £2,000. Closing 30 August.
Our new page Copy editing services covers our six services working on writers' manuscripts, a range which includes our top of the range Writer's Edit and English Language Editing. We offer free samples and free short written assessments on most of these services, which are provided by our skilled professional editors. We are transparent about our rates and our high quality copy editing services are also very good value.
Our links: a longlist packed with big names - but notable for its exclusion of well-received novels and for the fact that no American authors are included, Handmaid's Tale sequel leads 'exacting' 2019 Booker prize longlist | Books | The Guardian; a quick guide to the shortlist, Not read them yet? A cheat's guide to the 2019 Booker prize longlist | Books | The Guardian; the notion of being taught language has always been oxymoronic because language is in a constant state of flux, Style and Grammar Guides Won't Help You Write Better; and a useful article for all authors, Fourteen Kinds of Content Your Readers Will Want to Share.
Get some professional help. If you're self-publishing, you need good quality copy for the cover. Our Blurb-writing service can provide a professionally written piece of cover copy. Submitting to agents but finding it difficult to write your own synopsis? Commission a synopsis which will present your manuscript in the best possible light for submission.
More links: sometimes you just want to sit back with a book that's engaging, ingeniously plotted, and populated by memorable characters. In nineteen novels from 1959 to 1993, she gave you exactly that, Patricia Moyes: A Crime Reader's Guide to the Classics | CrimeReads; books are generally presented as the work of one person, but almost 60 others worked on mine, Should books include credits like films? | Books | The Guardian; a lively and varied "biography", 9 Things You Didn't Know About the Semicolon; and a useful list of pitfalls self-publishers face when doing their own book formatting, Top Five DIY Book Layout Mistakes.
Literary magazines with one week's response time is Sandeep Kumar Mishra's useful list, which we added to the site. They range from literary fiction to non-fiction and include science fiction and fantasy, popular non-fiction, politics, flash fiction, reviews, humour, social issues, the economy, lifestyle, horror, artwork and much more. If you've ever despaired at how long magazine submissions can take, or wanted to extend your range, this is the list you need.
'The books we think we ought to read are poky, dull, and dry
The books that we would like to read we are ashamed to buy
The books that people talk about we never can recall
And the books that people give us, oh, they're the worst of all.'
Carolyn Wells casts a sardonic eye on books in our Writers' Quotes.

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15 July 2019 - What's new

July 2019

'The best books come from someplace deep inside. You don't write because you want to, but because you have to. Become emotionally involved. If you don't care about your characters, your readers won't either. Those of us who write do it because there are stories inside us burning to get out. Writing is essential to our well-being. If you're that kind of writer, never give up! If you start a story and it isn't going well, put it aside... You can start as many as you like because you're writing for yourself. With each story you'll learn more...' Judy Blume, author of Are You there, God? It's Me, Margaret, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, Forever, Wifey and 25 other books, which have sold over 85 million copies worldwide, but often been banned. Our Comment.
An Editor's Advice is a series of seven articles by one of our editors on really useful subjects for writers such as Manuscript presentation, Doing further drafts and Planning: 'The idea of planning doesn't fit well with the idea of the writer as inspired genius, frantically scribbling away. However, I am willing to bet that, no matter what they would have you think, most successful writers plan as much as they write. They just don't tell you about it. The biggest objection that most inexperienced writers raise when someone broaches the delicate matter of planning is that it will get in the way of their inventive powers. A plan will be like a straitjacket. They'll be stuck with this plan and if they come up with a good idea along the way, they will not be able to use it. They are genuinely horrified at the thought...'
If you're planning to submit to agents, you'll want to get your submission package into good shape before getting started, to give your book its best chance.
Not long now for young poets 11-17 from anywhere in the world to get their entries in for the wonderful Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2019, closing on 31 July. The Curtis Brown First Novel Prize closes on 1 August and The Booklife Prize 2019 is open till 31 August. Other prizes.
Our links: sometimes a writer's life can be pretty amazing, From Uber driving to huge book deal: Adrian McKinty's life-changing phone call | Books | The Guardian; "Here's your cover! We hope you like it." Authors Don't Have Much Control Over Covers; Here's Why | Book Riot; it's 10 years since One Day became a publishing phenomenon - a word of mouth sensation that has sold more than five million copies, David Nicholls: Writing new novel 'completely terrifying' - BBC News; and authors can't win, Why should authors read your bad reviews? | Books | The Guardian.
Writing Biography & Autobiography is a serialisation from our Archives of the book by Brian D Osborne published by A & C BlackClick for A & C Black Publishers Publishers References listing. In the first excerpt, Managing the matters of truth and objectivity, the author says: 'Just as you need to remember that letters, reports, census forms, legal documents and so forth were not created simply for our convenience, so you also need to remember that what is written in them may not be true...'
Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? This is the question our page Which service? answers and it then goes on to give a quick rundown on our 20 editorial services for writers, the biggest range you can find on the internet.
More links: it's a bit dry, but this report contains encouraging news about audiobook sales, Audio Publishers Association: Nearly $1 Billion in 2018 Audiobook Sales; when you hear a poem, you meet it in a more intimate space, Podcasts Are Providing A New Way Into Poetry : NPR; and Monica Wood on why sometimes a story demands more than just a plot to move its emotional content forward, Creating Context.
If you need to get your material typed up, but can't face doing the job yourself, Typing manuscripts is a service for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript or audio tapes, which need typing before they can proceed with reworking, submission or publication.
'For me, writing [was] a question of survival...I could not trust anyone, even my family. The atmosphere was so poisoned. People even in your own family could turn you in.' - Gao Xingjian, refering to writing during the Cultural Revolution of Mao Tse-Tung. In our Writers Quotes.

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1 July 2019 - What's new

July 2019

‘There's been a great democratisation of the world of poetry, In the past, it was seen as only certain kinds of people wrote poems, but now there isn't that same divide. There's all sorts of different forms: spoken-word poetry, Instagram poetry... Poets like Hollie McNish have taken off and are selling lots. But the average poet is not selling lots, that's a bit of a press distortion...' Jackie Kay, Scottish Makar (Poet Laureate) and author of nine books of poetry, including Fiere and The Empathetic Store, as well as fiction and memoirs, in the Observer. Our Comment.
Getting Your Poetry Published has some suggestions on how to get started with this. 'Don't even try to approach publishers until you have a collection-length amount of material to offer. Your chances will be much better even then if you can point to publication of your poems in magazines. Don't waste any time trying to get a literary agent to represent you...'
The Caterpillar Story Prize 2019 for the best story of no more than 1,500 words written by an adult for children aged 7-11 is open to all writers over 16. The entry fee is €12. The First Prize is €1,000 and Second Prize a week's retreat at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Co. Monaghan, Ireland. Closing on 30 September.
Other live Opportunities include the Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award 2020 and The Booklife Prize 2019.
An essential read for children's authors is Suzy Jenvey's special series for WritersServices, the four-part Essential Guide to Writing for Children. The first article looks at the all-important question of age groups and what you should be aware of in writing for each one. The second part is - Before You Write: What is My Story Going to be? The third part deals with Starting to Write and the fourth part is about Submitting Your Work to Agents and Editors. This series by a hugely experienced children's editorial director and agent helps you get started on your own story or develop what you're already working on.
Are you writing for children? Our Children's Editorial Services can help you get your work ready for publication or self-publishing. Have you found it difficult to get expert editorial input on your work ? Do you want to know if it has real commercial potential? Or are you planning to self-publish? Three reports and copy editing are available from our highly-skilled children's editors, including essential advice on age groups and vocabulary.
Our links: 'We are not in the publishing industry. We are in the entertainment industry.' A challenging view, Business Musings: Rethinking The Writing Business (Part One) - Kristine Kathryn Rusch; underneath the froth, these were books written by women who not only understood the ways in which women's lives were changing but who were eager to capture those changes on the page, Bonkbusters are about so much more than sex and shopping | Books | The Guardian; and why are strong, attention-getting titles so important for indie authors? (in fact all authors), The Indie Authors' Guide to Book Titles.
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.
More links: the latest big book-to-screen news, Neil Gaiman's 'Sandman' Coming to Netflix; 130 submissions from 21 African countries - chair of the judges Dr Peter Kimani discusses what the prize has meant to African writing, 'Like placing a palm on the continent's pulse' - Dr Peter Kimani on judging the Caine Prize for African Writing; and I didn't try for an agent with my second novel, The Year of Dan Palace, because I'd been disillusioned about the traditional publishing business, Why Pursue Traditional Publishing? (Are There Enough Good Reasons?)
'When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art.' I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing.' George Orwell in our Writers' Quotes.

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24 June 2019 - What's new

June 2019

The first draft - 'The toughest part of the whole process is going from the outline to the first draft. When you are writing the outline you can do anything from changing the gender of a character to reseting the whole thing in Egypt. You are all-powerful. After you have made those decisions, you come to the stage where each sentence in our outline has to be turned into four or five pages of prose. This is where the real imaginative work comes in...' Ken Follett, author of The Kingsbridge Series and The Century Trilogy from the Masterclass on his website. Our Comment.
The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2019 is open to writers across the world. Entry fees are: Short Fiction £13.50, Poetry £9. There's £1,000 prize money for the Poetry winner and for the Short Fiction Winner, and it's closing on 31 August.
From Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk, The Business of Writing for Self-publishing authors offers terrific advice for all writers: 'Self-publishing authors - also known as ‘indie' authors or author-publishers - have had a steep learning curve these past few years. Getting to grips with the various sales channels available to them, producing top quality ebooks and paperbacks, and finding a place in mainstream outlets have left many writers struggling to keep up with the paperwork. What follows is a brief guide to the essentials your self-publishing business needs - because it is a business, even if you only publish one book!'
Our links: is this something to be worried about? New chapter? UK print book sales fall while audiobooks surge 43% | Books | The Guardian; why it can give you a powerful gift - insight into your own relationship to the creative process, Writer's Block Is a Gift. Here's Why. | Jane Friedman; five years ago, she wrote an essay for the Guardian that nearly ended her career, Who's afraid of Kathleen Hale? and why tariffs on books from China are bad news, The Book Industry Speaks Out Against China Tariffs.
Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Promoting Your Writing (and Yourself), from Self-publishing: is it for you? to Keep up to date and Submission to publishers and agents. 'Think about the market for your book. Research the category and read widely to see what other published writers in this area are doing. Which writers are successful and why? Visit bookshops and analyse what you find there. If you are reading this you are probably already writing, but it really is worth thinking right from the beginning about your readers, as that makes it far more likely you'll eventually find them...'
Are you now ready to submit to publishers or to self-publish? We offer the widest range of editorial services on the web, tailored to writers' requirements and carried out by our professional editors, Our Services for writers.
More links: "the hardest working woman in trash fiction", Judith Krantz, the romance novelist with more than 80 million copies in print, dies at 91 - Los Angeles Times; everybody gets rejected at some point, but here are some rejection letters to well-known authors, quoted in full, "Perhaps We're Being Dense." Rejection Letters Sent to Famous Writers | Literary Hub; "African publishing is the new frontier," said Kenyan novelist Ngugi wa Thiong'o, The Fight to Improve Publishing in Africa; and a stunning story of literacy making a difference, Andy McNab: ‘At 16, I read my first book - and it changed my life' | Life and style | The Guardian.
From Judith Krantz, who died this week, in our Writers' Quotes: ‘If you're going to write a good erotic scene, you have to go into details. I don't believe in thunder and lightning and fireworks exploding. I think people want to know what's happening.'
For quotes fans we have superb collections in More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.

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17 June 2019 - What's new

June 2019

'I think I am starving for publication: I love to get published; it maddens me not to get published. I feel at times like getting every publisher in the world by the scruff of the neck, forcing his jaws open, and cramming the Mss down his throat - 'God-damn you, here it is - I will and must be published...' Our Comment is from Tom Wolfe, journalist and author of several novels and works of non-fiction, including The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, The Right Stuff and The Bonfire of the Vanities.
Inside Publishing is a 19-part series looking at publishing from the writer's point of view. Our article on Copyright: 'Unless there is a very good reason, authors should in general seek to retain copyright in what they write. The most obvious exceptions are if a writer is employed by a newspaper, journal or company, when the writer is producing the work as part of their job...' On Children's Publishing: 'Age groups are an important element of the way publishers look at publishing for children. The storyline and language must be appropriate for the intended age-group and this is where many writers who haven't written for children before are likely to go wrong...'
The Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award 2020 is open to writers writing in English and resident within the British Commonwealth and Eire, who have not yet published or self-published a full-length book. There's no entry fee and the First Prize is £10,000, with two runners-up prizes of £1,000. Closing on 31 October.
We have a new page which gives an editor's take on using pdfs, So what's wrong with PDFs? 'If you need your file to be edited, PDF is not the ideal format; in fact, it is practically the worst format you can choose. Why? Precisely because PDFs are designed not to be tampered with or changed. When you stop to think about it, editing is no more or less than a process of changing - and correcting - your file...'
Our links: "You can really find your tribe online," a positive response to the question, Has the Internet Changed Book Culture? A room of one's own is still viewed as the most important requirement for a writing career 90 years on from Virginia Woolf's seminal essay, Two thirds of professional writers earn less than £10k, RSL survey finds | The Bookseller; some writers speak about their own difficulties, 'There's no safety net': the plight of the midlist author | Books | The Guardian; and the formula of the traditional mystery is straightforward. A crime (usually a murder) occurs, and then the detective assembles an array of clues, all of which are laid out in front of the reader, who is then given ample time to have a crack at solving the problem themselves before the detective lays out the solution in the final chapter, Sherlock Holmes, Hardboiled Detective | CrimeReads.
Our new page Copy editing services covers our six services working on writers' manuscripts, a range which includes our top of the range Writer's Edit and English Language Editing. We have introduced free samples and free short written assessments on most of these services, which are provided by our skilled professional editors. We are transparent about our rates and our high quality copy editing services offer very good value.
More links: What is it about language that gets people so hot under the collar? Language wars: the 19 greatest linguistic spats of all time | Science | The Guardian; after years, it finally happened: I was published in a literary magazine alongside Diane, my ultimate writing enemy, What My Writing Nemesis Taught Me About Myself | Literary Hub; a magazine produced in cooperation with the International Publishers Association and its 'Africa Rising' seminar in Nairobi last week, Publishing-Perspectives-Magazine-African-Publishing-June-2019-Magazine.pdf; and the dramatic ups and downs of a writer's self-esteem, which are entirely dependent upon the stage of the writing/editing process they're in, Why Does Writing Suck?
From our Endorsements page: 'As a total neophyte as a writer, I have been doing a huge amount of research suddenly as to what services are available to writers, on both sides of the Atlantic, and am amazed that you are able to have someone read a whole book and give a serious critique for just 180 pounds. I think that is incredible value for money, compared to other similar services that appear to be available out there. I hope to be back to you again for more assistance, once I've cleaned up my work! Martin Humphries, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Frank Yerby in our Writers' Quotes: 'It is my contention that a really great novel is made with a knife and not a pen. A novelist must have the intestinal fortitude to cut out even the most brilliant passage so long as it doesn't advance the story.'

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10 June 2019 - What's new

June 2019

‘First the length. In an age of ever-shortening attention spans, you have to have a pretty powerful message to keep anyone's interest for much over 75,000 words (about 300 pages). In fact, if you can't present your proposition in 300 pages, then you may have a problem with excessive verbiage you should deal with...' David Craig, management consultant and author of The Great Charity Scandal and Don't Buy It! in an article on the Andrew Lownie Agency website. This week's Comment is on Writing your first non-fiction book.
If you are not a native English speaker but you want to publish your book in English to make it available to the international market, what do you do? If your English is good enough, what about writing it in English or translating your book into English yourself, and then getting your translation polished and copy edited by a professional editor who is a native English speaker? The result should be a publishable manuscript at a relatively low cost, provided by our English Language Editing Service. How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth).
An endorsement from Anthony Fitzgerald for our English Language Editing Service: 'The result? A book that reads like it's written by a native speaker for only 13% of the price a complete translation would have costed. Thank you, writersservices.'
Closing on 31 August, The Kindle Storyteller Award 2019 is open to writers of 18 or over publishing in English in any genre, who publish their work through Kindle Direct Publishing between 1st May and 31 August 2019. There's no entry fee and the Grand Prize is £20,000 cash, a publishing agreement with Amazon Publishing and an Amazon launch.
Other competitions and prizes
Our links: although there have been reports of a competing bid for Barnes & Noble from Readerlink, these seem to have come to nothing, Daunt Relishes Challenge of Leading B&N; for many years regarded as a low-appeal format, audiobooks continue to boom, Fifth of book buyers consume audiobooks, PA survey reveals | The Bookseller; and - it sounds healthy - every day more than 1.8 million books are sold in the US and another half a million books are sold in the UK, BBC - Future - Does reading fiction make us better people?
Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for 150 lines of poetry can help. Our Poetry Collection Editing service, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you need.
More links: Guardian research shows that the top 100 illustrated children's books last year showed growing marginalisation of female and minority ethnic characters, 'Highly concerning': picture books bias worsens as female characters stay silent | Books | The Guardian; "There's no replacement for beginning to build a relationship in person; once you make that connection, your later follow-ups, via email or social media, are much more likely to be successful." Smart Indie Authors Connect at Writers' Conferences; and a digital launch from the International Publishers Association‘s (IPA) "Africa Rising" seminar in Nairobi, Nigerian Entrepreneurs Chidi and Chika Nwaogu: Publiseer.
Do you want some help with your writing but don't know quite what you want? Are you a bit puzzled by the various services on offer, and not sure what to go for? Choosing a service can help you work out which service is right for you.
Stephen King in our Writers' Quotes: 'If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.'

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3 June 2019 - What's new

June 2019

‘When...I started, there was the hardback and the paperback. Then there was the hardback, the trade paperback, and the paperback. Then there was the hardback, the trade paperback, the paperback, and the ebook. Then there was all that plus audio. Then all that plus podcasts; and, with the likes of Apple and Amazon involved, more places than ever before for serialisations and dramatisations; and more places than ever before for film and TV adaptations; and more markets than ever before opening up for deals...' This week's Comment about the growing market for books comes from Caroline Michel, literary agent and CEO at London literary agency Peters, Fraser & Dunlop, in Bookbrunch.
For anyone thinking about or embarked on self-publishing, our ten-part WritersServices Self-Publishing Guide by Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk is an essential starting-point, taking you through the process step-by-step. 'Indie authors access the same professional services as traditional publishing houses. They employ freelance editors, proofreaders and cover designers. They have their work professionally formatted for ebooks and typeset for print. They may use service providers to manage some or all of the publishing tasks, or they may go it alone...' Articles include Choose Your Self-publishing Route and Marketing and Promotion for Indie Authors: Online.
Our new page Copy editing services covers our six services working on writers' manuscripts, a range which includes our top of the range Writer's Edit and English Language Editing. We have just introduced free samples and free short written assessments on most of these services, which are provided by our skilled professional editors. We are transparent about our rates and our high quality copy editing services are also very good value.
We've got some interesting links this week: authors who find it difficult to complete their novels because of the weight of their readers' expectations, Watched plots ... Hilary Mantel and the writers under pressure from fans | Books | The Guardian; nearly three times as many Americans read a book of history in 2017 as watched the first episode of the final season of "Game of Thrones", Opinion | The Comeback of the Century - The New York Times; essential reading for any author who ever has to give a reading, How to Plan a Book Reading That Delights Your Audience | Jane Friedman; a British author who has sold 100 million copies of books about an American hero, How author Lee Child lost his job and found global success - BBC News; and would my Korean publishers have done this if I were white? Being Published in Asia Changed Everything About My Asian American Writer Experience - Electric Literature.
Are you thinking of submitting your book to an agent? Try our Finding an Agent page or Your Submission package.
More links: hiring an editor to work on your manuscript is one of the best and most necessary investments an author can make, Indie Authors Talk Editors 2; what was it that made her children's books so special? Judith Kerr obituary | Julia Eccleshare | Books | The Guardian; talking about her approach to writing, Sara Paretsky Writes What's On Her Mind | CrimeReads; and a firm whose products and services are expanding, but they're still based on its first premise, that people want to read and write, What clicks with fiction readers? Wattpad helps authors find out - The Globe and Mail.
Have you been working on your book? Are you now ready to submit to publishers or to self-publish? We offer the widest range of editorial services on the web, tailored to writers' requirements and carried out by our professional editors, Our Services for writers.
From our Writers' Quotes, Samuel Delany: 'Talented writing makes things happen in the reader's mind - vividly, forcefully - that good writing, which stops with clarity and logic, doesn't.'

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13 May 2019 - What's new

May 2019

‘I get gendered questions about the violence. I'll give you a case study: a few years back, I got an email from Lee Child - who I love - saying he just read my recent book and he had just finished writing something with a similar theme. When I was doing press for that book, I got a lot of questions about the violence; Lee didn't get any. And there's Jack Reacher, going around killing around 3,000 people and beating everybody up... Karin Slaughter, author of The Last Widow (to be published in June), Fractured, Faithless, Pretty Girls and 15 other novels in the Bookseller. Our Comment.
The Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize 2019 is open to all new writers of Fiction, Poetry and Life Writing. There's an entry fee of £6, 2 entries are £10 and 3 entries £15. The prizes are £1,000 for each category and it closes on 28 June.
Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Promoting Your Writing (and Yourself), to Self-publishing: is it for you? from Keep up to date to Submission to publishers and agents. 'Your research into publishers and agencies should encompass what they say about submissions. Even if you think it makes no sense for them to bar you in this way, there's no point in sending your manuscript to a publisher which does not read its slush-pile or an agent who specifies that no unsolicited material should be submitted...'
If you're looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one of our four would suit you best? Which Report? includes our top-of-the range service, the Editor's Report Plus, introduced by popular demand to provide even more detail. This very substantial report takes the form of a chapter-by-chapter breakdown and many writers have found this detail helps them to get their book right. Through our specialist children's editors we can offer reports on children's books.
Our links: my entire childhood I hoped to write books, and entered the publishing industry after college on the now humorous assumption... that being an editor would help me realize that dream, What Writing a Book Taught Me About Being an Editor | CrimeReads; fascinatingly, the perception many have of book clubs - as primarily social groups with minimal serious discussion - isn't accurate, The Inner Lives of Book Clubs; behind all the talk, what's really been happening with literary translation? Translated Fiction Has Been Growing, or Has It? My self-improvement project for the year was to read a fresh poem every morning, Mary Oliver's Poetry Captures Our Relationship With Technology - The Atlantic; and an entertaining look at writers' pics, Author Photos: A Taxonomy | Literary Hub.
Our page of Picture library links provides a good starting-point for finding an image for your book, whether it's for the cover or inside. Gograph was the last one we added with its 18 million stock links.
More links: he has published 28 collections and is on the national curriculum, Simon Armitage: 'Witty and profound' writer to be next Poet Laureate - BBC News; is the low rate of diversity a by-product of the low author earnings exposed by the survey? U.K. Writing Scene Is 'Overwhelmingly White,' Study Finds; a bestseling author with a prodigious work ethic, How the Hell Has Danielle Steel Managed to Write 179 Books? | Glamour; in 1999, the main obstacle in getting children interested in reading was their own attention spans, How the Children's Laureate championed young literature - BBC News.
Poets are naturally keen to see their work in print but it's actually quite hard to get a first collection taken on by a publisher and self-publishing may make a lot of sense. Getting your poetry published.
From James Baldwin in our Writers' Quotes: 'Talent is insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins. Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but most of all, endurance.'

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