What's New in 2020
- ‘Dear Aspiring Writer, you are not ready. Stop. Put that finished story away and start another one. In a month, go back and look at the first story. RE-EDIT it. Then send it to a person you respect in the field who will be hard on you. Pray for many many many red marks. Fix them. Then put it away for two weeks. Work on something else. Finally, edit one last time. Now you are ready to sub your first work. Criticism is hard to take at first. Trust me, I've been there. But learn to think of crit marks as a knife...' Inez Kelley, author of 16 novels, romance and general fiction, including Beauty and the Badge and If Only in Our Dreams. Our Comment.
- From our 19-part Inside Publishing series, Publishing and Pricing: 'Pricing can be a fraught subject, as it is something which publishers like to control and regard as an integral part of selling the book. It is quite common for authors to find that their book is not priced as they think, or had expected, it would be. Even your editor will not have the final say on this, which will be the decision of the sales department.' From Copy editing and Proof-reading: 'Perhaps, as an author, you feel you do not understand what copy editing is, or why you should need it. Copy editing is the painstaking job of going through a manuscript line by line to correct the spelling, grammar and punctuation...'
- How can you give yourself your best chance when entering competitions? Here's a set of tips to make sure you make the most of the opportunities.
- There are seven competitions and prizes we've featured which are still open. Writing Opportunities.
- Our links: it's definitely a very feel-good and motivational thing to say everyone has a book in them, but I do not believe this, How to Write an Email Well Enough to Land a Book Deal | Literary Hub; for five years, I both wrote and worked, squeezing in the writing on nights and weekends, Jessica Barry: the road to publication; plenty of writers swear by them, Is This the End of Writing in Cafés? | Literary Hub; and more highbrow. More participatory. More investigative, True Crime Has Been Having a Moment for Three Centuries. But the New Era Is Different. | CrimeReads.
- Do you want to get your script accepted and produced for the stage or screen? This is one of the most competitive areas to get into, with very few open doors. The glamour and potential financial rewards are contrasted with the reality of rejection, or no response at all, which is what is actually experienced by many aspiring scriptwriters. Get your TV script, screenplay or play professionally assessed. Our Scriptwriting assessment service.
- More links: a Nigerian-British writer has won the £10,000 award, Irenosen Okojie wins the Caine prize for 'stunning' short story Grace Jones | Books | The Guardian; the British Civil Wars of the mid-17th century are my passion, Grown up history for the fiction writer; WorldCon, where the winners of the prestigious Hugo awards are announced, has been running every year since 1946, but Authors condemn Saudi Arabia's bid to host World Science Fiction Convention | Books | The Guardian; and as hard as it may be to believe, not too long ago, it was actually quite difficult to sell a book about him, but Donald Trump Has Permanently Changed the Publishing Industry | The New Republic.
- An editor's take on why they are so difficult to use: So what's wrong with PDFs? If you need your file to be edited, PDF is not the ideal format; in fact, it is practically the worst format you can choose...'
- Meagan Spooner tells it like it is in our Writers' Quotes: '"Writer's block" is just a fancy way of saying "I don't feel like doing any work today."'
- ‘If something in the script did not ring true in the context of early post-independence India - and how could Andrew possibly have known every detail of that? - I pointed it out, and he took it on board. As for plot cuts and changes; it had been a long time since I wrote A Suitable Boy, so I was somewhat teflonised against what happened to every minor incident or character...' Vikram Seth, author of A Suitable Boy, talking in The Times about his working relationship with scriptwriter Andrew Davies on the dramatisation of the book which is just about to be shown by the BBC in the UK and by Netflix in India. Bestselling book to major TV series.
- From Tom Chalmers, formerly of IPR, two articles about rights for self-publishers, Self-publishing - the rights way and How to get your book in the hands of an international audience. 'It's a fact that most self-published authors understand the process that takes them from a written manuscript to a published book, but few realise the additional elements that make publishing a profitable business. Rights licensing is arguably the most vital element in this equation. Whether it's selling translation rights, audio rights or optioning the film rights, these all help balance the book's books...'
- It's well worth entering this unusual prize in terms of the oppportuities it offers. Closing on 24 September, The Bodley Head/FT Essay Prize 2020 is open to anyone from across the world aged between 18 and 35 years of age and there's no entry fee. The First Prize is £1,000 cash and an e-publication with The Bodley Head, publication in the FT of their winning essay and a mentoring session with The Bodley Head. Two runners-up get £300.
- 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.
- Our links: it's been almost thirty years since I laid eyes on this single xeroxed sheet, but I can still remember one rule: You will not write stories about serial murderers, or even regular murderers, How I Stopped Worrying About the Rules and Learned to Write a Mystery Novel | CrimeReads; being able to describe yourself as a bona fide bestseller is key to conferring your career with a certain gravitas, An author bought his own book to get higher on bestseller lists. Is that fair? | Books | The Guardian; two initiatives that made sense for all publishers to employ to raise revenues and profits, Both the supply chain and book marketing are forever changed by Coronavirus | The Idea Logical Company; Ann and Jeff VanderMeer Preview The Big Book of Modern Fantasy, On the Biggest Collection of Fantasy Tales Since WWII | Literary Hub; and new CEO James Daunt began his tenure with a baptism by fire, Barnes & Noble Regroups and Looks Ahead.
- Finding an agent - 'Try to find an agency which is ‘hungry' for new clients. To keep their workload under control, an established agent might take on something like four new authors a year (this figure came from two agents I spoke to recently), 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...'
- More links: Could the Covid-19 pandemic create a moment of opportunity for writing? How does a young writer pay the rent? | Books | The Guardian; in this moment of political upheaval, we must ask what role has crime fiction played in getting us here, Crime Fiction Is Complicit in Police Violence - But It's Not Too Late to Change - Electric Literature; what matters is that I've spent that time with my work. The most important thing, for me, is to keep at it, day by day, How I Started Writing Every Day; dubbed "the nation's favourite storyteller", since 1998 she had sold 6.13 million books in the UK alone, Bestselling novelist Josephine Cox dies, aged 82 | The Bookseller.
- If you are not a native English speaker but you want to publish your book in English to make it available to the international market, what do you do? If your English is good enough, what about writing it in English or translating your book into English yourself, and then getting your translation polished and copy edited by a professional editor who is a native English speaker? The result should be a publishable manuscript at a relatively low cost, provided by our English Language Editing Service. How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth).
- 'In my experience, writing doesn't get any easier the more you do it. But there is a growth of confidence, not much, but a nugget, like a pearl, like a tumour.' The late Jenny Diski in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘People have been washing their hands while reciting 20-second poems and lifting their spirits with longer ones. It's clear from social media that poetry has had an amazing impact during the pandemic, offering solace and inspiration. People have been reading poetry, writing poetry, learning it by heart. It's been a grim time in so many ways, but there's no question; the pick-me-up of poetry has made a powerful and positive difference.' Gyles Brandreth talking in Bookbrunch about his daily Twitter recitals of favourite poems, which have drawn 1.65 million views since March. 'Poetry has had an amazing impact.'
- 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 The English Language Publishing World:'Why does the world get divided up into publishing territories? How has this come about? How does it affect authors?'
- The Women Poets' Prize 2020 is open to all women poets of 18 and over resident in the UK and Northern Ireland. There's no entry fee. It is awarded every two years to three women writers who each receive a package combining 'financial aid, creative development, well-being, and pastoral support'. This includes a £1000 bursary. Closing on 14 August.
- Some links: the decline of serious novels about middle-class morals and God, The novel is dead - again. And this time, it's women who have murdered it | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett | Opinion | The Guardian; in the 15 years since buying that first device, I'd fallen off the e-reading bandwagon, The Case for E-galleys; when the first coronavirus-related erotica appeared on Literotica, in mid-March, the moderators were not sure if it was fit to print, From neighbourly romances to Zoom sex: the boom in lockdown erotica | Books | The Guardian; and 'To some extent it's the role of the publisher to lead in terms of what people are reading', Dana Canedy, the New Head of Simon & Schuster, on Facts, Diversity, and the Future of Publishing | The New Yorker.
- The most recent addition to our range of reports is the Editor's Report Plus, a substantial report which offers chapter-by-chapter commentary on your manuscript, with a helpful blueprint for any further work which is recommended. It gives you the kind of expert advice which is usually only available from an in-house editor, which is why it has quickly become our most popular report.
- More links: the world's first drive-in book launch? Book Launches Get More Creative; 'This is really painful', Editing history: Hong Kong publishers self-censor under new security law - Reuters; the biggest surprise in publishing since the Covid-19 pandemic began roiling the U.S. economy this spring, Print Units Post Surprising Increase in First Half of 2020; and some of the spinout that happens in social media has to do with people being inside a dynamic that allows them to forget that there's another person on the other side of it, Human First: PW Talks with Claudia Rankine.
- From 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.
- Last lot of links: might you work best with solitude or company, silence or noise, high speed internet or technological isolation? Writing: can't you do that anywhere?; an author enjoying an unparalleled moment in the spotlight, Patricia Highsmith: Preying on Our Minds | CrimeReads; sitting down to write, Stop Staring at a Blank Page: 4 (Not So) Silly Writing Tips to Get Words on Paper | Jane Friedman; and using poetry to inspire confidence and creativity in schools, Children's Books - Articles - Authorgraph: Joshua Seigal | BfK No. 243.
- If you are trying to get your work into shape for publication, or for self-publishing, there's thousands of pages of advice and help on the WritersServices website. Advice for Writers
- 'Oh it is only a novel... In short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best chosen language.' Jane Austen in our Writers' Quotes.
- 'Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do - the actual act of writing - turns out to be the best part. It's like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward.' Anne Lamott, author of seven non-fiction books, and the forthcoming Hallelujah Anyway, and two novels, Imperfect Birds and Rosie. Our Comment.
- Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Promoting Your Writing (and Yourself) to Self-publishing: is it for you? from Keep up to date to Submission to publishers and agents. 'Be prepared to redraft your work and to rethink it. Many new writers assume that their work will immediately be ready for publication, but the truth is that many highly successful writers produced several drafts of their first work before they got it published.' and 'When you've got your work into the best state you can, put it on one side for a few weeks and then look at it afresh. You'll be amazed what difference a fresh eye will make.'
- Are you writing for children? Our Children's Editorial Services can help you get your work ready for publication or self-publishing. Three reports and copy editing are available from our highly-skilled children's editors, including essential advice on age groups and vocabulary.
- Our links: a lengthy but superb analysis of the great crime-writer's work, P. D. James: A Crime Reader's Guide to the Classics | CrimeReads; latest evidence of the way the new and ever more successful tv and streaming services are filming authors' work, Maurice Sendak Foundation Teams with Apple TV Plus; from Nicola Upson, whose crime novels feature the author and playwright Josephine Tey, Five top tips for writing historical crime fiction - National Centre for Writing; from the late, great Discworld creator, Final Terry Pratchett stories to be published in September | Books | The Guardian; and the bestselling author talks about his approach to collaboration, Four Questions for James Patterson.
- From 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!'
- Last year we launched the Writer's edit, a top-level new service for writers who want line-editing as well as copy editing. Does your manuscript need high-level input from an editor to help you get it into the best possible shape for submission or self-publishing? This may be the service for you, offering the kind of editing which publishers' senior editors used to do in-house on their authors' manuscripts and which is now hard to find. Our other copy editing services.
- More links: encouraging news for crime-writers, Crime fiction boom as book sales rocket past 2019 levels | Books | The Guardian; sobering views from black professionals in publishing, who share long-suppressed frustrations about how racial prejudice has affected their work, ‘A Conflicted Cultural Force': What It's Like to Be Black in Publishing - The New York Times; bestselling authors team up with the giant internet retailer, Amazon joins Scott Turow, John Grisham, other top authors in effort to take down ‘pirate' book site - GeekWire; more campaigning, JK Rowling joins 150 authors and academics calling for an end of 'cancel culture' | Daily Mail Online; how children, particularly boys, are enticed into reading through audiobooks, UK's National Literary Trust Research Finds Benefits of Audiobooks for Kids.
- If you are submitting your work to an agent or directly to a publishing house, check through our guidelines to give it its best chance. Making Submissions.
- 'The best way to become a successful writer is to read good writing, remember it, and then forget where you remember it from.' Gene Fowler in our Writers' Quotes.