What's New in 2016
- The Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2016 is open to all poets over 18 with an entry fee of £5/€6/$8 and a First Prize of £5,000, but closes on 21 June. This week's Writing Opportunity.
- Subsidiary rights are very much in the news in this week when IPR Licensethe global, digital marketplace for authors, agents and publishers to list and license book rights; launched in 2012, whose former MD has written two articles for us, was bought by 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.. But don't think rights are just for publishers, the astute self-publisher also needs to have a clear handle on what might be possible. News Review
- An Editor's Advice is a series of seven articles by one of our editors on really useful subjects for writers such as Dialogue, Manuscript presentation and Doing further drafts: 'I have just finished writing a report on a novel. I've pinpointed various areas of weakness and made various suggestions that the writer may or may not wish to follow. But the nub of the report is a recommendation that the writer produce a further draft of the novel rather than trying to submit it to a publisher now. I wonder sometimes how writers feel when they get my reports and see that recommendation...'
- If you'd like to read the story by a British scientist which has just won the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award, and much else besides, you can find it on this page.
- 'I think teenagers are drawn to both worlds so I try to tell stories that have all the darkness of adult books, but which are written with a younger audience in mind. I'm always conscious of not taking it too far, but at the same time I believe YA books can go very far...' Darren Shan, author of the just-published Zom-B: Goddess in Bookbrunch, in our Comment column.
- 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.
- Our links: from the Literary Editor of the Sunday Times, Are Short Stories More Challenging to Write Than Novels? | Andrew Holgate; a fascinating discussion between two top book trade jornalists of the differences between publishing in the US and the UK, 'Tales of Two Markets' in London Book Fair's Big Week; from Lizzie Kremer of London agency David Higham AssociatesAgents for the negotiation of all rights in fiction, general non-fiction, children's fiction and picture books, plays, film and TV scripts (home 15%, USA/translation 20%, scripts 10%). Represented in all foreign markets. Preliminary letter and return postage. All adult submissions should be typed with double line spacing on one side only of A4 paper and pages should be numbered. Be sure to include a covering letter; a full plot synopsis of the proposed book; the first two or three chapters of the book; a CV and a stamped addressed envelope. Founded 1935, agents are under increasing pressure from the big corporates to make world rights deals, BookBrunch - World rights: why agents should hold firm; and, feeding into the discussion on literary prizes, Do Major Literary Awards Like The Pulitzer Help Boost Sales For Winners? - Forbes.
- Under 24 different headings we have hundreds of recommended links to sites, including Interesting Literature, a new one, Web Resources, Magazines & Writing Sites and Writers Online Services. Share with us any new links you'd recommend.
- More links: a lament for vanishing ebooks, I Wish Ebook Retailers Valued Ebooks; more on literary awards and how they deal with short stories, Should Literary Awards Do More to Recognize Short Stories? | Electric Literature; and, from Australia, an in-depth discussion of how editors impact on their authors' work, How an editor brings the writer's work squalling into the world | afr.com
- From our Writers' Quotes, William Falukner's advice to writers:'Read, 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's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.'
- We have a unique Writing Opportunity this week, The Novella Award 2016 from Manchester Metropolitan University, open to anyone who's over 16, with an entry fee of £17 and closing on 29 April.
- Sloan Harris, co-head of ICM's book department in the Hollywood Reporter:' The big brand-name authors with a track record, we're still fetching top dollar for them without breaking a sweat. It is progressively more difficult to launch a new voice and to create a sales track that's sustainable...' in our Comment column.
- Have you got something you'd like to say to our community of writers? My Say gives writers a chance to air their views about writing and the writer's life. So we have Natasha Mostert, 'There are few things as satisfying as typing THE END to a manuscript.' And there's British author Eliza Graham, author of Playing with the Moon and The One I Was, on her route to publication and Richard Hall "Write about what you know" - does this adage always make sense? Contributions should ideally be 200 to 400 words in length and of general interest. Please email them to us.
- So, another London Book Fair has come and gone. Our links this week include some interesting stories about the Fair but the main thing seems to be that this was a lively and confident affair, with publishers from all over the world bullish and ready to do business. News Review
- Our links have more stories about the Fair, amongst other things: 'it's still stories and the people who create those stories - the authors - that underpin everything', Gail Rebuck: 'The Power of the Book' in the Digital Age; Mary Hoffman reports from Bologna, the key children's book fair, BookBrunch - Bologna 2016: busy, buzzy and hot; news about big deals at LBF, Chloé Esposito 'bad twin' trilogy bags over £2m at London book fair | Books | The Guardian; and do you know your doohickeys from your gizmos, and are you able to determine which will catapult you out past Uranus, Why Cutting-Edge Sci-Fi Is Often Penned By Marginalized Writers - The Establishment.
- A recent entry to 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
- The rest of this week's links: a Munich-based publishing group has just launched a new online community called Sinnliche Seiten (which translates as "Luscious Pages", Random House Germany Courts Romance Readers - Publishing Perspectives; Blanche Knopf built the reputation of the legendary publisher, but her name was left off the masthead, A Publishing House of Her Own | New Republic; and the final word on the London Book Fair from Neil Denny, BookBrunch - The Fair: God, we hate it, God, we love it.
- 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? Choosing a service can help you work out which service is right for you.
- 'Read, 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's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.' William Faulkner in our Writers' Quotes.
- And if quotes are your bag, we have More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes to keep you happy!
- 'Authenticity is a high priority for most of us who write. As creative souls with a message to share or a story to tell, we aim to come up with original ideas and find the most genuine words to express them to inspire the hearts and minds of our readers...' Our latest article A New Approach to Discovering Your True Writer's Voice from Julia McCutchen
is an intuitive creator, writer and mentor who guides people to share their unique gifts through creating, writing and living from a conscious and vibrant connection to Truth. A former international publisher, Julia experienced a life-changing accident in 1999 which triggered a series of major quantum leaps in her spiritual awakening. She subsequently developed a tried and tested holistic approach to access the present and aligned state required for original creative expression in all areas of life, especially writing. She is the founder and creative director of the International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers (IACCW) and the author of two books including, Conscious Writing: Discover Your True Voice Through Mindfulness and More (Hay House). For more information and a free video series visit www.JuliaMcCutchen.com and www.iaccw.com is a follow-up to her Conscious Writing.
- 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.'
- We're just entering a particularly key part of the spring book fair season this week, with the Bologna Children's Book Fair starting on 4 April and the London Book Fair on 12 April. (Pity the poor book fair attendees, rushing from one to the other!) News Review
- Our Services for Self-publishers include a complete set of editorial services you may need if you're publishing your own book - Copy editing, Proof-reading, Blurb-writing, Children's Copy editing, Poetry Collection Editing, Indexing and Manuscript Typing.
- 'There are fewer fairy tales in publishing these days, but there's still some magic left and dreams can come true. Don't write for the publishers and don't try to second guess the market; it's elusive and impossible to pin down...' Our Comment this week is provided by Lisa Jewel, author of The Girls and Ralph's Party, and it's from the Mail online.
- Our links: the joy of selling two million books, all down to self-publishing, 14 hour days, marketing and dealing with snobbery: my life as a self-published bestseller | Books | The Guardian; never judge a book by its cover, as the saying goes, but we do it every time, what difference does a cover make? Why Publishers Should A/B Test Book Covers | Digital Book World; Romance and the importance of book covers, With Romance Novels Booming, Beefcake Sells, but It Doesn't Pay - The New York Times; with increased government investments in education, India's literary rate has risen sharply over the last ten years, Is It Time for India's Book Market to Gain 'Industry' Status? and a fascinating insight into the German children's book market, Klaus Humann of Aladin Verlag on Children's Book Publishing.
- Our Publishing and Printing Glossary provides a handy reference to any terms you're not familiar with.
- 'Fantasy doesn't have to be fantastic. American writers in particular find this much harder to grasp. You need to have your feet on the ground as much as your head in the clouds. The cute dragon that sits on your shoulder also craps all down your back, but this makes it more interesting because it gives it an added dimension.' Terry Pratchett in our Writers' Quotes.
