13 November 2017 - What's new
13 November 2017
- 200,000 books published a year (just in the UK)! An optimist may think this abundance marvellous: a sign of publishing virility, of a lively literary culture. They would be wrong. It is a disaster for readers and for writers... Do we really think that we need all 200,000 books? Robbie Millen, Literary Editor, The Times, comments on the vast number of books published.
- The Moth Poetry Prize 2017 closes on 31 December. It is open to anyone over the age of 16 with an entry fee of £12 per poem. First Prize €10,000 with 3 runner-up prizes of €1,000, making it one of the most lucrative awards in the world for a single unpublished poem.
- 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.
- British publisher Richard Charkin of Bloomsbury on the blind spots that might keep the publishing industry from seeing what's ahead. Charkin, formerly of Macmillan and past president of the International Publishers Association, is known for being outspoken and radical in his approach. He condemns the fact that in this age of instant news, it still takes a year for traditional publishers to bring out a book. News Review
- Under 24 different headings we have hundreds of recommended links to sites for writers, including Poetry Sites and Writers Online Services. Share with us any new links you'd recommend.
- Our links: useful tips on writing, Writing Tips for Indie Authors; why has the percentage of Americans who have read a book in the last twelve months (73% according to Pew Research) stayed mostly unchanged since 2012? The Politics of Print & Why We Need It | HuffPost; from a literary agent who receives roughly 500 queries, or book pitches, a month, 10 Novels Agents Have Already Seen a Billion Times; and a massive deal - said to be close to $250 million - to acquire global TV rights, Amazon: ‘The Lord of the Rings' TV Series With Multi-Season Commitment | Deadline.
- 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...'
- More links: writing a book and getting it published used to be a huge endeavor but not any more, A Beginners Guide to Self-Publishing (and Other Avenues to Sell Your Books) | HuffPost; to celebrate her new book, some gems: Susan Sontag on Being a Writer: "You Have to Be Obsessed" | Literary Hub; from the Economist, the provocative 24-year-old poet who releases her short verses onto the slippery, reactive sphere of social media, Rupi Kaur reinvents poetry for the social-media generation - Insta iambs; and a curiosity which shows that you can never tell what will work, Why A 19th Century American Slave Memoir Is Becoming A Bestseller In Japan's Bookstores.
- Are you looking for an assessment of your book? Which Report? helps you work out which of our three reports might be the right one for you. Or do contact us, we'd be glad to advise.
- Since he's in the news this week, we thought J R R Tolkien should provide our Writers' Quote: 'One writes such a story [The Lord of the Rings] not out of the leaves of trees still to be observed, nor by means of botany and soil-science; but it grows like a seed in the dark out of the leaf-mold of the mind: out of all that has been seen or thought or read, that has long ago been forgotten, descending into the deeps.'
