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16 July 2018 - What's new

16 July 2018
  • ‘You must dedicate yourself to keeping a journal. When I look into my own journals, what fascinates me most about what was going on in my life 30 years ago are the things that we would consider the most mundane. What was I reading, who was I talking to, what were the main subjects of conversation...' Ian McEwan, author of 22 books including The Child in Time, Amsterdam and Atonement in an interview in Signature provides this week's Comment.
  • The Gingko Prize for Ecopoetry closes on 15 August and is open to all with an entry fee. The first prize is £5,000, second prize £2,000 and third prize £1,000.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Our links: an extraordinary increase in sales by 5% to £5.7bn, driven by a growth in export sales which now account for 60% of the total, British publishing breaks revenue records but textbook sales are hit | The Bookseller; but what about the authors, Book sales boom but authors report shrinking incomes | Books | The Guardian; disturbing new figures show that 80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year, Reading books is on the decline; how to attract lots of visitors, gain tons of subscribers and even make some money on your services and products, How to Create Your Best Blogging Year - How to Blog a Book; and stories that tackle with elegant simplicity such complexities as uncertainty, loneliness, loss, and the cycle of life, E.B. White on How to Write for Children and the Writer's Responsibility to All Readers - Brain Pickings.
  • 'Hardly any authors can copy edit their own writing. It is notoriously difficult to spot the errors in your own work. So 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...' Getting your manuscript copy edited
  • More links: how self-publishing poets controlled the look and feel of their books and were able to get their book into the hands of their followers faster than with traditional publishing, How to Self-Publish a Poetry Book - 10 Steps | Blurb Blog; twenty-eight million American adults read poetry this year, How young writers are leading a poetry comeback | PBS NewsHour; and how giant, corporate publishers with racketeering business practices and profit margins that exceed Apple's treat life-saving research, Academic publishing is broken. Here's how to redesign it.
  • 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!'
  • From our Writers' Quotes: 'An essential element for good writing is a good ear: One must listen to the sound of one's own prose.' Barbara Tuchman