What's New in 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.'
- '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.'
- '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.
- '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.
- '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.