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11 February 2013 - What's new

11 February 2013
  • Amazon's fourth quarter results have just come in $1 billion (£632,62m) short of analysts' expectations, but because of a 55% increase in operating income to $405m (£256m), shares rose 6%. There are however plenty of people who are beginning to wonder whether Amazon, with its ever-increasing sales and its wafer-thin margins, is ever going to make a profit. News Review reports.
  • This week's link is to a Telegraph story about a mysterious crime writer. Jake Kerridge profiles MC Beaton, the crime writer who's the third most borrowed adult author in Britain.

  • Our Writing Opportunity this week is the MslexiaStylish and lively site for quarterly UK literary magazine read by 12,000 'committed' women writers. Good range of quality writing, information and advice with news, reviews, competitions and interviews, all presented in a friendly fashion. Praised by Helen Dunmore as 'astute, invigorating and above all an excellent read.' www.mslexia.co.uk 2013 Women's Short Story Competition, closing on the 18th March.

  • 'After each book I get panicky. I don't love the reviews. I don't like going through all that, and you would think that, after almost 40 years of writing, I'd have got the hang of it.' Judy Blume in the Sunday Telegraph's Seven, quoted in our Comment column.

  • Screenplay assessment fictionalised story - 'Sarah had always been fascinated by the cinema. As a little girl going to see a film was her favourite treat and she was also interested in how movies got to be made. Her own favourites were the films with really good stories, like Titantic and Avatar, but she also liked the ones which were based on books, like Lord of the Rings and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...' Our fictionalised stories of how our services have helped writers give you some idea of what they can do.
  • In the same section of our website you can find details of our eighteen editorial services for writers and useful pages such as Making submissions and Finding an Agent.
  • 'Nothing on earth can stop people writing the books they want to write. It's a matter of desire. Don't be down-hearted.' Victoria Glendinning in our Writers' Quotes.