What's New in 2021
- ‘Quite a few of my authors have wanted to move into screenwriting which makes sense because publishing doesn't always pay them enough to keep them going in that particular way. I know publishers will disagree but I think there are some ideas that are better for screen than necessarily for books and vice versa, so that actually that is the thing I think agents should start to begin pivoting towards more rather than seeing it as an adjunct... particularly because film and television companies are desperate for IP and this is kind of a glorious time...' Agent Nelle Andrew of Rachel Mills Literary in London in conversation with the Bookseller's managing editor Tom Tivnan at last month's FutureBook conference.
- From our nineteen-part Inside Publishing series, you can read up on Advances and royalties: 'Publishers usually offer to pay authors advances against royalties. How do you work out how much money you might earn from your book? You need to understand for yourself how advances and royalties work and what they mean for you...'
- From the same series, Copy editing and proof-reading explains the difference between the two. Copy editing is the painstaking job of going through a manuscript line by line to correct the spelling, grammar and punctuation. Proof-reading at a later stage is a separate check through the book when it is set up in pages, before it goes to press or is finalised for ebook publishing.
- The 2021 Manchester Writing Competition is open to writers across the world. Entry fee for both prizes £18. Two £10,000 prizes are awarded: the Manchester Poetry Prize for best portfolio of poems and the Manchester Fiction Prize for best short story. Closing on 28 January 2022.
- Our links on writers and writing: from the astoundingly prolific author of 40 novels, James Lee Burke on Organized Labor, Corporate Evils, and the Plot to Dumb Down America ‹ CrimeReads; two authors who have published memoirs that peel back the curtain on their careers, Jami Attenberg and Bernardine Evaristo discuss their new memoirs | EW.com; there are wonderful stories in publishing, but this one is pure magic, A Forbidden Love Grows in Douglas Stuart's Glasgow; a conversation which ended up touching on almost every hot button topic in the genre, Sara Gran Talks Publishing, Sex Magic, and Ownership for Authors ‹ CrimeReads; and, a late addition which was originally published earlier this year, revived now to mark her recent death, California cool and Magical Thinking: Joan Didion at 86 | Joan Didion | The Guardian.
- 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 new 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 the craft of writing: a key marketing tool which must prompt potential readers to pick up the book in a bookstore or click on it online, Choose the Perfect Title for Your Novel or Memoir: 7 Authors Offer Tips | Jane Friedman; for a long time, I believed that my only hope of becoming a professional writer was to find the perfect tool, Can "Distraction-Free" Devices Change the Way We Write? | The New Yorker; nothing stresses me out like having too much work on my plate; too little time to do it, When Time Is the Enemy: The Ticking-Clock Thriller ‹ CrimeReads; it's all about a beautifully designed book, The 101 Best Book Covers of 2021 ‹ Literary Hub; and why do I ponder falling action so regularly? Falling Action: What it is & How to use it - The Art of Narrative.
- If you are trying to get your work into shape for publication, or for self-publishing, there's plenty of information on the WritersServices website which may help. Advice for writers
- A miscellany of links: what can we say about 2021, as a whole? It was a little bit better than 2020, if still not the greatest year in recent memory, The 10 Biggest Literary Stories of the Year ‹ Literary Hub; handwritten material by the Brontës, Austen, Scott and Burns, Rescued library of literary treasures evokes closeness to authors | Books | The Guardian; novels containing any commentary about race, sexuality and sexual content were put under the microscope, US conservative parents push for book bans - and unintentionally make reading cool again | US education | The Guardian; and his ascent to national treasure status was fuelled by a 70-year career as an illustrator, the late Quentin Blake: ‘I'm not so committed to cheering everybody up, you know' | Quentin Blake | The Guardian. (Thanks to the Guardian for its brilliant coverage.)
- If you're looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one of our three reports 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.
- 'The more you read, the more you write, and the more you free yourself to do so, the better writer you will become.' Adrienne Posey in our Writers Quotes.
- If quotes are your thing we have a very large collection in our Archive, More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.
- "I never give advice to young writers. They don't need someone to tell them to write something every day. The one thing I will say is: have fun with it. Don't listen to all these authors who tell you that writing is such hard work... If you go into it thinking that, it's going to be a chore for you. If you instead go, "Hey! Look at me writing. I'm creating something! I'm having a good time!" that's the way to go. Writing is a lot easier when you have that attitude." R.L.Stine, celebrated author of dozens of children's books, many in the horror genre, who died recently.
- An Editor's Advice is a series of seven articles by one of our editors on really useful subjects for writers such as Manuscript presentation, Dialogue, Doing further drafts and Planning: 'So, you need to provide good-sized margins, double-spacing, Times New Roman or Courier, and not at a microscopic point size. This applies as much for on-screen reading as for reading on paper. Why? Because editors and readers are human rather than automata, and we do not have bionic eyes. We read a lot every day. Well-spaced text in a typeface and point size that are easy on the eye make all the difference between a pleasant day's work and hours of agony.'
- '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. But how are you supposed to tell who will do a good job, when the editorial services on the web all sound pretty much the same and it's tempting to go for the cheapest?' Getting your manuscript copy edited
- The Selfies Book Awards UK 2022 is open to authors who have self-published adult fiction, children's books or adult memoirs/autobiography in the UK between January and December 2021. Entry fee: £30 per title to include a six-month subscription to Bookbrunch. There's a £750 cash prize for each category plus other prizes. Closing on 3 January.
- Other competitions which are still open.
- Links from the publishing world: would it really affect most authors? PRH Fires Back at the DoJ's Effort to Stop Its S&S Purchase; 'in an article claiming to include every genre, romance was nowhere to be seen', RNA 'demands respect' as romantic fiction excluded from Sunday Times best books list | The Bookseller; the publishing industry had an unexpectedly good year in 2020, but what's next? Michael Pietsch Looks at Publishing's (Near) Future; booksellers have kept readers around the UK going throughout a series of lockdowns, Crowdfunding offers the UK's independent booksellers a pandemic lifeline | Books | The Guardian; and more crowd-funding,this time for a literary magazine, The White Review launches £10k crowdfunder to support its future | The Bookseller.
- Our Children's Editorial Services help you to get your children's book ready for publication or self-publishing. Have you found it difficult to get expert editorial input on your work ? Do you want to know if it might find a publisher? Or are you planning to self-publish?
- A new entry to our Endorsements page: 'The copy-editor perfectly captured the spirit of my story, making not only pertinent corrections, but also a string of brilliant suggestions and comments that inspired me to improve the text on my own. So happy I chose Writers Services. Rasmus, Chile.'
- Links for writers: Why would someone like me want to write about trauma? Why would anyone read it? The Psychology of Reading and Writing Crime Fiction ‹ CrimeReads; 37 books which have sold more than 150 million copies around the world, 'Interview with a Vampire' Author Anne Rice Dies at Age 80; "I write my first draft in longhand," Robert Caro's Journalism Lessons | The New Republic; isn't it astonishing that someone working for the other side would have two Russian flags in their apartment? The Story of Espionage Is (Often) the Story of Incompetence ‹ CrimeReads.
- Are you thinking of submitting your book to an agent? Try our Finding an Agent page or Your Submission package.
- More links from writers: lost - the lovely, easy flow - the gush, often - of language, The Ironic Twist of Age: What It's Like to Keep Writing at 91 ‹ Literary Hub; it's difficult to predict whether a book will be a hit, Millions of Followers? For Book Sales, ‘It's Unreliable'; there will always be another James Bond movie, James Bond: acclaimed writers explain how they would reinvent 007 | James Bond | The Guardian; and for English speakers, there seems to be an expectation that the entire world should be instantly legible, Why Book Translators Are Fighting for More Credit.
- Get your manuscript typed up! 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 Typing manuscripts service offers help for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript which needs re-typing before the writer can proceed with revision, submission or publication.
- 'The biggest mistake you can make as an author is to think while writing "What does the reader wants to hear"? Because unique worlds & characters are built inside an individual mind. And also your readers do not know what they want to read until they read it.' Laura Chouette in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘By the time you get to a company that's bigger than, say, 300 or 400 people, an amazing amount of the energy that's expended is internal, it's all about filling out forms and attending meetings and setting standards and training and it's got very little to do with publishing. As an editor with a book you really believe in, you don't tell the world about it... We're nimble, we're flexible, we're not numbers driven in the same way, so we can publish books at the optimum time which is best for the book and best for the author and not because we have to fit it in as the 1,000th book that has to slot in with 999 others... Andrew Franklin, publisher of UK indie Profile Books, speaking at a recent IPG conference on Why indie publishers are better than conglomerates.
- 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.'
- New - the PFD Queer Fiction Prize 2022. Anyone who identifies as LGBTQIA+ and who is un-agented and in the process of writing a piece of fiction is eligible to enter. No entry fee. Three category winners will receive representation at PFD and guidance for completing their novel. Closing on 22 March, so plenty of time to prepare your entry.
- Have you been working on your book? Are you now ready to submit to publishers or to self-publish? We offer the widest range of editorial services on the web, tailored to writers' requirements and carried out by our professional editors, Our Services for writers.
- From our Endorsements page: 'I've used two services with this company: The Editor's Plus Report and the Writer's Edit. I am completely satisfied with the service I received and said service has led to the completion and publication of my first novel: Lightforce. I would recommend any of these services to any aspiring author.' Jason Handleman, author of Lightforce (Everything Changes Book 1).
- Our links for writers: can you write anywhere? Ann Patchett on Creating the Work Space You Need ‹ Literary Hub; the early days of forensics, From Superstition to Science ‹ CrimeReads; lockdown offered many frustrated writers a key to unbolt the constraints of daily routine and an opportunity to work on your manuscript, Authors and experts on how to get your book published; this year's key prizes have gone to writers from Africa and the diaspora, From the Booker to the Nobel: why 2021 is a great year for African writing | Books | The Guardian; and languages rich in imagery and metaphor, Languages and fiction.
- Advice for writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore our more than 8,000 pages of information for writers.
- Links from the publishing world: a well-informed but common-sense view from Mike Shatzkin, Doubts about the Department of Justice's objection to the PRH acquisition of S&S - The Idea Logical Company; the publisher's initial diversity report, Penguin Random House Authors and Creators Skew Heavily White; audio is booming, The UK's Publishers Association Charts a 'Steep Rise' in Audiobook Sales; small decline but Will Publishing Sales Grow Again? The huge potential of the backlist, A reprinted 1934 book going viral on BookTok sends an unequivocal message to publishers sitting on backlists and to publishers who still think the internet is the enemy of reading - The New Publishing Standard.
- Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for 150 lines of poetry can help. Our Poetry Collection Editing service, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you need.
- More links for writers: "What is the feeling you want to leave the reader with, when they finish this piece?" Nailing the Walkaway - The Millions; "There is really so much to admire in this manuscript," the email began. The Kindest Cut: On Rejection - The Millions; fascinating background reading, The British and Reading: a short history; and ripping up the traditional book publishing paradigm in politics, Trump allies launch publishing house with an eye on upending the book industry - POLITICO.
- 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, here is an outline of the processes involved. Preparing for publication.
- ‘All fiction is largely autobiographical and much autobiography is, of course, fiction.' P D James in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘What Hollywood needs is more and more content because of all the outlets, but in many cases, before studios buy the rights to a book, they need some form of validation, so they know something is good. I don't think [exclusively] writing books ever was a way to make a living. I mean, in the old days, authors were doctors and lawyers and had real jobs. Writing was rarely considered a full-time job. The difference is now, there are so many other opportunities for authors to write.' Peter Gethers, Knopf editor-at-large and co-producer.
- From our 19-part Inside Publishing series: on Copyright: 'Many writers worry about losing their copyright. Before sending out your manuscript it is always advisable to put a copyright line consisting of the copyright sign ©, the year and your name on the title page...'
- On The Writer/Publisher Financial Relationship: 'There's no escaping the fact that publishers and authors are essentially in an adversarial position. Even in the very best and most supportive publisher/writer relationships there is the tension caused by the fact that authors would like to earn as much as possible from their writing and publishers to pay as little as they can get away with...'
- 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, offer exceptional value and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for 17 years. We have introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. Copy editing services.
- Links about writing: film and tv offer more and more opportunities for writers, How Authors Are Becoming Hollywood Power Players | Marie Claire (US); how your book can contain dreadful errors, Getting It Wrong: How Thomas Perry Learned to Live With His Books' Errors ‹ CrimeReads; one name that is, conspicuously and appropriately, left off the press release, Ghostwriters Come Out of the Shadows; how do you write about real people in historical fiction? The Ethics of Literary Revivification - Writer's Digest; that so many former spies became novelists is not surprising, From Tradecraft and Trench Coats to Magic and Adventure: When Spies Write for Children; and literature that makes integral use of or is generated by digital technology, How Collaborating With Artificial Intelligence Could Help Writers of the Future ‹ Literary Hub.
- 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.
- Links from the publishing world: a cracking read in the niche genre of antitrust litigation? A $2.2 Billion Penguin Deal Can't Be Good for Books - The Washington Post; but there's another side to this story, Book-Industry Insiders Back the Biden Administration's Bid to Stop a Publishing Mega-Merger | Vanity Fair; how distribution problems are affecting authors, Singing the Supply Chain Blues; quadrupled but 'still not there', Report shows fourfold rise in minority ethnic characters in UK children's books | Children and teenagers | The Guardian; and book fairs (surprisingly) combine, Shanghai Children's Book Fair Postponed to Next Year.
- Authors often find it difficult to write their own synopsis for submission to publishers, which is where our Synopsis-writing service can help. If you're preparing to self-publish and having difficulty with your blurb, our Blurb-writing service from a professional copy-writer will make your book stand out.
- More links from writers: paratext fascinates me to no end, Why Don't Books Have A Credits Page? Embedded firmly between the cozy and the hard-boiled, like middle-aged and elder women ensconced between siren and senior, Soft Boiled Mysteries for Women Over 50 ‹ CrimeReads; a global bestseller whose novels have sold more than 140 million copies worldwide in over 30 languages, Tributes paid to 'icon' Wilbur Smith after death, aged 88 | The Bookseller; "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn't." (Mark Twain) When Reality Is Too Strange To Make It Into Your Novel ‹ CrimeReads; and, to cheer us all up a bit, The Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title of the Year 2021 Shortlist is Revealed | The Bookseller.
- WritersServices editor Kay Gale on The Slush pile: 'When I started working in publishing over thirty years ago it was part of my job to check through the pile of unsolicited manuscripts that arrived on a daily basis, and like every other enthusiastic young editorial assistant, I dreamed of finding the next bestseller in the ‘slush pile'. I was soon disillusioned...'
- ‘Poetry might seem like an inconsequential side-casualty in a larger, noisier war, but in fact it is central to the story of ownership of ideas and expressions.' Sam Riviere in our Writers' Quotes.
- 'One of the shining exceptions in personalities is that writers do not need to be charismatic in their own persons; they are free to be dull by each of the human senses as a void for other, more powerful realities. Some have the ability to dwell almost completely in their imaginations, living vicariously through the stunning characters and fascinating worlds they create by using only words on paper. In this way, people are much like books: we can try judging them by their covers, but alas, there is always the possibility of our being deluded in doing so.' Criss Jami, author of Killospophy, Healology, Venus in Arms and 4 other books.
- Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Promoting your writing to Self-publishing: is it for you? to Keep up to date and 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.'
- What can really let your work down if you self-publish is not having your work copy edited before you do so - Copy editing for self-publishers.
- The Gingko Prize for Ecopoetry 2021 is open to all poets from across the world. Entry fee: first submission £7 then £4 for each additional poem. First prize £5,000, second prize £2,000 and third prize £1,000. Closing 31 January 2022.
- Our links from the publishing world: a significant move on behalf of authors, US Department of Justice sues to block Bertelsmann's S&S deal | The Bookseller; the biggest book fair in the world is still affected by Covid, Frankfurt Book Fair 2021: A Quieter Affair; and "IP is the new primetime", Business Musings: Untapped (Part One) - Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
- Our article on How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth) asks writers with a manuscript which needs translating or has been written in English by a non-native speaker: "if your English is good enough, what about translating your book yourself, or writing in English, and then getting your translation polished and copy edited by a professional editor who is a native English speaker?" This could be a cost-effective way of reaching the international English-speaking market.
- English Language Editing is a polishing service for writers who have translated their work into English or written it in English when it is not their native language. If you need to make sure it's good enough to publish, or send to a publisher, this service is for you. Acknowledging the growth of world English, English Language Editing is designed for the many non-native English speakers throughout the world who want to publish their work in English.
- Links from writers: a vital, nuanced chronicler of the deep hurts of South Africa, past and present, Damon Galgut's layered feat of fiction is a clear Booker winner | Booker prize | The Guardian; haunting us like a horror-movie villain who just will not die, Why Stephen King keeps coming back - Polygon; contemporary writers were asked to share the Black authors who have inspired them, and who deserve to be better known, My favourite overlooked Black writer - by Bernardine Evaristo, Margaret Atwood and more | Books | The Guardian; reading these beats staring at the walls, For One Writer, Rediscovering the Novels of Dick Francis Was the Answer to a Personal Crisis and a Mysterious Illness ‹ CrimeReads; and M Briscoe on how she realised she had written a sci-fi novel, The science behind the Green Eyes.
- An editor's take on using pdfs, 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. Why? Precisely because PDFs are designed not to be tampered with or changed. When you stop to think about it, editing is no more or less than a process of changing - and correcting - your file...'
- More links of interest to writers: new prize announced, Realists of a larger reality wanted: Ursula K Le Guin prize for fiction to launch in 2022 | Ursula K Le Guin | The Guardian; 15 tips on how to make your submission letter stand out from the pack, How to write the perfect pitch letter to an agent - Curtis Brown Creative; so, let's talk about sex, How to Have Sex in Crime Fiction ‹ CrimeReads; things are changing in the poetry world, Poetry is experiencing a new golden age, with young writers of color taking the lead - CNN Style; more on poetry, The Way We Talk About Poetry Is the Problem - The Millions; and I need to put this in a book, I thought, Why shouldn't children's writers talk of refugees, persecution and genocide? | Books | The Guardian.
- 'All writers are liars. They twist events to suit themselves. They make use of their own tragedies to make a better story... They are terrible people.' Nina Bawden in our Writers' Quotes.
- My teacher said: ‘Stories? How do you at the age of 13, come to me brazen-faced and say, "I'm not studying because I want to write stories?" Explain: how can you be so brazen-faced?... I decided I would start writing again, but I wouldn't tell anyone... The humiliation got to me and later, in spite of the swagger of youth, I really was very cautious. I didn't believe, for example, in the convention that we have a single face and that face is our identity. We are changeable organisms... ' Elena Ferrante, bestselling author of the Neapolitan quartet, My Brilliant Friend, The lying life of adults and many other novels, who has steadfastly concealed her or his true identity from the world.
- 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.
- From the same author, 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!'
- 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 new Writer's edit, providing line-editing, and Proof-reading. Get the right level of editorial support for your needs from our professional editors. Our low-cost services represent exceptionally good value. Contact us to discuss what you want.
- Links from publishing and bookselling: the publishing industry looks at the post-pandemic picture, Frankfurt Book Fair 2021: Attendees Asked to Answer Important Questions; an astonishing boom, Social video sharing revolutionising book sales in China; good news from the bookselling front, Another Pandemic Surprise: A Mini Indie Bookstore Boom; Mark Zuckerberg recently predicted that Facebook will be a "metaverse company" in five years. What does that mean for kids? The rise of VR and the metaverse could pose unique risks to children; and, easy to disrupt because it is particularly slow to change, What It Would Take to Disrupt the Publishing Industry.
- From our Endorsements page: ‘Absolutely first class job! Very professional. Thank you very much indeed. Wish I'd found you before, it would certainly have saved me a lot of unnecessary headaches. I'll now bin the rest of the editors I've so far dealt with, and hope to keep contact with you.' Steven Kocsis.
- Links from writers: it took me thirty years to get published, but now the second in the series of Albert the tortoise picture books is launching, A lifetime of writing; time to give up on the distractions of social media, A Writer Says Goodbye to the Twittersphere; I still remember a one-star review my first novel got on Goodreads. It simply said, "The problem with this book is that it's bad", How Negative Goodreads Reviews Affect Authors; I don't really like the term "win" when it comes to NaNoWriMo because anything writers do to cultivate a regular creativity practice is a win, Want to Win NaNoWriMo? The Secret Is Preparation • Jane Friedman.
- If you're looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one of our three reports 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.
- Other links about books and writing: 'Young Women With Long Hair Running Away from Spooky Houses in Nightgowns', That Gothic Feeling: 11 Masterpieces of Romantic Suspense ‹ CrimeReads; the legitimacy of a child's world - which is a world away from being child-ish, The Guardian view on children's books: take them seriously | Editorial | The Guardian; what do we talk about when we talk about science fiction? The Most Influential Sci-Fi Books Of All Time; and "In general the market for translated fiction is buoyant," Frankfurt Book Fair 2021: In Translated Crime, a Name Brand Hero Is Key.
- Have you ever wondered why you don't win any of those competitions? What can you do to improve your chances? Our tipsheet on Entering Competitions.
- 'Sometimes people dismiss SF and fantasy for being escapist...however, it is anything but. SF comes from its respective authors' societies, a reflection of the world's present, its history and its future. That world used to be overwhelmingly American, but it isn't anymore, and needn't be.' Lavie Tidhar in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘I write in my head on the way home from work, or when mowing the lawn, or on a night out with friends. Sometimes I find the time to capture those words that are rolling through my mind, quivering and drumming and swimming, banging into each other until I can finally trick them and leak them out onto the page. And sometimes I don't. Writers are like that.' Karl Wiggins, indie author of Calico Jack in Your Garden and three other books.
- A Publisher's View is our four-part series from publisher Tom Chalmers on what publishers are looking for. What a publisher wants from submissions, Judging a book by its covering letter and synopsis, The writer's X factor and The changing face of publishing. On submitting your manuscript: 'While editors may well do some later tinkering, it shouldn't be sent in unless the writer feels it is a manuscript ready for publication, in terms of both grammar and content. Lines like ‘I know it needs some work', or ‘I think it's nearly there' show admirable humility but are an immediate put-off!...'
- Are you getting ready to publish your book - perhaps planning to self-publish? WritersServices offers a suite of nine services which help writers get their work into shape before they self-publish. Services for Self-publishers
- Links from the publishing world: a dearth of what can be called midsize publishers that fall between the Big Five and the many independent publishers with sales of $20 million or less, Where Have All the Midsize Book Publishers Gone?; there's more to authoring than conquering the blank page, Ten Things Nobody Tells You About the Publishing Industry; children's book criticised for using "harmful stereotypes", HarperCollins to remove Chinese character from Walliams book after criticism | The Bookseller; the long coronavirus lockdowns gave many of us a lot more time to read, Booksellers hope soaring sales will continue as we read more - BBC News; still avoiding international book fairs, For American Agents, It's Another Year of Managing the Frankfurt Book Fair from Home; and how did you get into publishing?; Ask An Editor: Ailsa Bathgate, Barrington Stoke editorial director.
- 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, here is an outline of the processes involved. Preparing for Publication
- Links from writers: deepening your appreciation of life, and empowering you as an agent of positive change? Can creative writing be taught?; writing a story that feels like a movie, Roy Peter Clark on How to Write Cinematically ‹ Literary Hub; when a former student of hers was murdered, Nicola Garrard set out to write a story challenging the racist stereotypes that had devalued his death, How grief and anger fuelled my inner city novel; and a thoughtful article reflecting on what makes an excellent Regency romance, Stephen Fry on the enduring appeal of Georgette Heyer | Books | The Guardian.
- Are you working to prepare your PhD for submission? Professional editing can help you improve the presentation of your work and iron out any grammar or spelling errors, so that you can achieve the best possible result. Our PhD editing service
- Are you thinking of submitting your book to an agent? Try our Finding an Agent page or Your Submission package.
- More links: a fascinating and well-informed article about one of the world's biggest literary prizes, Inside the Booker Prize: arguments, agonies and carefully encouraged scandals | Booker prize | The Guardian; the plight of the high street bookshop, Dave and Goliath: maverick writer Eggers makes a stand against Amazon | Books | The Guardian; are they being written out of novels at a similar rate to their extinction in the real world?; Animals have dwindled in novels since 1835. Is fiction undergoing its own extinction event? | Books | The Guardian; and personalised poetry collections, Faber and Wonderbly pioneer new personalised poetry platform | The Bookseller.
- Advice for Writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore our more than 8,000 pages of information for writers.
- 'Some day people will put faith in poets, who saw things centuries ago in perfect clarity.' E.B. White in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘Fiction is good at contradictions and flaws; it doesn't deal just in cause and effect, but in the inconsequential, the incidental, the half-formed, half-understood, and what is too ephemeral to write itself into the record. To a degree, historians have to believe that people meant what they said and said what they meant, and that their actions can be interpreted by the logic of their lives and times. But fiction redirects us to mystery and chance, and doesn't assume that people know their own minds or hearts.' Hilary Mantel, author of the Wolf Hall trilogy, two books from which won the Man Booker Prize, and six other novels, in the Sunday Times.
- My Say gives writers a chance to air their views about writing and the writer's life. So we have Eliza Graham on her route to publication, Zoe Jenny (who is Swiss) on writing in English, Richard Hall on "Write about what you know" - does this adage always make sense? - and Lynda Finn on the isolation of writers in New Zealand and their problems with getting published.
- Our 20 services for writers, just a listing of what we provide to help you get your manuscript ready for publication.
- You'll need to get your skates on to enter the Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2021, which closes on Monday 27 September. It's open to all poets internationally for unpublished poems. Entry fees are £5/€6/$7 per poem. The 1st Prize is £2,000, 2nd Prize £1,000 and 3rd Prize £500, plus 20 commendeds.
- Links from the publishing world: big American publishers seems to be doing well, Book Publishing's Rousing First Half of 2021; serialisation - is this the death of the novel? Can Salman Rushdie and Substack "Disrupt" the Book? | The New Republic; it's having a massive effect on sales, How TikTok Makes Backlist Books into Bestsellers; a sympathetic article for fans of 'bookishness, Why Are Ebooks So Terrible? - The Atlantic; and US agency professionals on some of the trends they are observing from their unique vantage point, Literary Agents Assess the Middle Grade Landscape.
- From our Endorsements page: 'I cannot emphasise enough my gratitude to writerservices.com. I more or less expected that they would treat me and my texts professionally - after all, this is what the site offers. What I haven't expected was the extra mile they were prepared to go on my behalf, their beautiful attention to both the letter and the spirit of what I had to say. My manuscript has now found an agent - a happy development in which they have definitely played a role. All I can say is that if I ever produce anything else, I will definitely be their client again.' Sveta, Windsor, UK
- Links from writers: book awards - especially for self-published authors like myself - are a critical litmus test in the writing journey, Why I chose indie publishing and never looked back; former UK children's laureate criticises the "lazy" assumption that "creating work with children in mind is easier or less demanding, Charlie and Lola author Lauren Child says children's books should be taken seriously | Books | The Guardian; 'I'd like to have a go at writing a full one myself', Felix Francis: how I took over my father's life; Booker winner turns to crime, Colson Whitehead: Why a Heist Novel Was the Best Way to Tell the Story of New York ‹ Literary Hub; and writing spy novels and why the government censor 'made me do it', For a writer, exile has a lot to recommend it.
- Advice for Writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore our more than 8,000 pages of information for writers.
- Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for 150 lines of poetry can help. Our Poetry Collection Editing service, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you need.
- More links on writers and writing: selling more than seven million copies through publishing your own work, LJ Ross: The self-published crime writer making a killing - BBC News; reading David Copperfield cover to cover? Jai Chakrabarti on how to get unstuck while writing; something 'gritty but fun', Why News Reporters Write the Best Crime Novels - InsideHook; a really useful list of UK opportunities, Places to Submit your Poetry in 2021 • Poetry School; an unfair lack of transparency? Why translators should be named on book covers | Fiction in translation | The Guardian; and - latest news - Netflix lands golden ticket by buying Roald Dahl estate - BBC News.
- Why has my manuscript been rejected? It is demoralising to get your manuscript rejected by publishers or agents. Here are some of the reasons why this happens and suggestions of what you can do about it. Rejection.
- ‘It's not my job to populate my books with characters that other people find relatable. It's my job to write about whatever comes into my head. If you don't want to read novels about writers, or women, or Irish people, don't read my novels. I won't mind.' Sinéad Gleeson in our Writers Quotes.
- If quotes are your bag, we have superb collections in More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.
- ‘I have often been asked how I came to write. The best answer is that I needed the money. When I started I was 35 and had failed in every enterprise I had ever attempted. . . I had gone thoroughly through some of the all-fiction magazines and I made up my mind that if people were paid for writing such rot as I read I could write stories just as rotten...' Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of 91 novels which have sold hundreds of millions of copies, who is best known for Tarzan of the Apes, the first of 26 Tarzan books which were translated into more than 56 languages.
- There are 19 articles in the Inside Publishing series, Children's Publishing provides an introduction to this: 'Long regarded as the Cinderella of the publishing world, children's publishing has enjoyed a remarkable rate of growth and is now seen by many as one of the most exciting areas to work in. This is not just because of the Harry Potter phenomenon, as many other children's authors such as Jacqueline Wilson, Philip Pullman and Judy Blume have also produced megasellers which have proved attractive to children all over the world.'
- From the same series Print on Demand: 'Print on demand is a now widely-used printing technology which delivers, literally, print on demand. It has the power to change the way books are published radically, and even publishers are using it on a very much greater scale. Some writers are still not yet familiar with its possibilities...'
- An unusual opportunuty for children's authors, the publisher Chicken House is offering Chicken House Open Coop, for one day only on 20 September. It's open to writers of children's novels for 7 up including YA and there's no entry fee. The prize is Mentoring from the editors at this very successful publishing house.
- 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 new 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 from the publishing world: how publishing has persisted and morphed in the digital environment, The Publishing Ecosystem in the Digital Era: On John B. Thompson's "Book Wars"; this could fatally undermine an exceptional system that plays a vital role in the life of the global book trade, Post-Brexit changes to the copyright system would be a betrayal of authors | The Independent; agreeing it's a powerful new threat, The Guardian view on changes to copyright law: book lovers beware | Editorial | The Guardian; book sales exploded during the coronavirus pandemic, so 'Hot vaxxed summer' fizzled, but 'hot books fall' might work - Los Angeles Times; and US thriller sales have dropped six percent in the last year, NPD BookScan: Mystery Solved on US Thriller Sales' Lag?
- 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...'
- Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? Our editorial services have been added in response to demand, so whatever you want we've probably got it covered with our 20 different services.
- Links about writers' inspiration: all children's worlds are an inextricable mixture of fantasy and reality, Imaginary Kingdoms: On the Power of Literature That Speaks to Children and Adults Alike ‹ Literary Hub; thirty years ago, Helen Mirren stepped into the role of Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison, and an icon was born, A Rumination on DCI Jane Tennison ‹ CrimeReads; every so often I set out to read as many books as I can by a single writer as I can in a single year, My Le Guin Year: Craft Lessons From a Master | Tor.com; how should I incorporate research into fiction? On the Fine Art of Researching For Fiction ‹ Literary Hub; and how the elements of cinematography and sound establish the important formal elements of the police procedural, How The French Connection Reinvented (and Exploded) the Police Procedural ‹ CrimeReads.
- Rotten Rejections is an extraordinary collection of rejection letters sent by publishers to writers - many delivered to now famous authors of classic books - which will make you laugh and provide comfort if you're having a struggle to get published. 'I regret we have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we could not publish it with commercial success...' An unnamed editor at Constable and Robinson, in turning down J K Rowling's first Harry Potter book.
- More links from writers: Salman Rushdie is just the latest in a growing number of authors writing serialised fiction delivered straight to the inboxes of subscribers, Why authors are turning down lucrative deals in favour of Substack | Books | The Guardian; at 30, she's already the most talked-about novelist of her generation, Sally Rooney on the hell of fame: ‘It doesn't seem to work in any real way for anyone' | Sally Rooney | The Guardian; trying to build the tension in both the suspense and the romance at the same time, What's the Secret to Writing Great Romantic Suspense? ‹ CrimeReads; her young witches stole the hearts of generations of children, selling more than 3m copies, Jill Murphy, children's author and illustrator, dies aged 72 | Books | The Guardian.
- Get some professional help. If you're self-publishing, you need good quality copy for the cover. Our Blurb-writing service can provide a professionally written piece of cover copy. Submitting to agents but finding it difficult to write your own synopsis? Commission a synopsis which will present your manuscript in the best possible light for submission.
- And while we're on the subject of Sally Rooney, here's a quote from her from 2020: 'I certainly never intended to speak for anyone other than myself. Even myself I find it difficult to speak for. My books may well fail as artistic endeavours but I don't want them to fail for failing to speak for a generation for which I never intended to speak in the first place.'
- ‘I always wanted to write books, and always crime. I'd read Agatha Christie as a child and in the late 1980s I discovered the US crime writer Sara Paretsky. I thought: wow, these are the kind of books I want to write - books with strong female protagonists with a brain and sense of humour; women who didn't have to get the guys in for the heavy lifting. I wanted my characters to be three-dimensional, and if some of those characters happened to be gay, they were not defined by it. Val McDermid, whose latest book is 1979, who is the author of 45 books which have sold over 17 million copies worldwide, in the Sunday Times magazine.
- 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?...'
- 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.
- Another big crop of links, these are from writers: the feedback from my readers is what drives me to keep writing, From Unconsecrated Ground: PW Talks to Lynda La Plante; I suddenly heard a burst of noise upstairs... Who's There?: Every Story Is a Ghost Story - The Millions; whether it's the language, the tradecraft or the folk legends of American Mafia life, it reads like a voyage through the underworld, The Power of Reading Mario Puzo's The Godfather as an Immigrant Story ‹ CrimeReads; a new poet laureate is announced, Scotland's new makar Kathleen Jamie: ‘Poetry is at the heart of our culture' | Poetry | The Guardian; and suppose you've played any video game in the past twenty years. In that case, you'll know there are two camera positions developers can use, Second Person Point of View: What it is & How to Use it - The Art of Narrative.
- Our Children's Editorial Services help you to get your children's book ready for publication or self-publishing. Have you found it difficult to get expert editorial input on your work ? Do you want to know if it might find a publisher? Or are you planning to self-publish?
- It may surprise you to know that the first of Julie Wheelwright's Top Ten Tips for Nonfiction Writers is: 'Story, story, story. Make sure that your story can sustain several chapters and tens of thousands of words. Keep asking yourself: Why would anyone want to read this story?'
- Links to stories from the publishing world: since the start of the Covid pandemic, there's been a rise in instances of government censorship of books, Censorship on the Rise Worldwide; more than 60 bookshops launched in the UK and Ireland in the past 18 months, ‘I'm giddy to be here': the risk-takers who opened bookshops during Covid | Booksellers | The Guardian; with in-person talks and signings out of the question, would the whole system collapse? Authors, Publishers, & Booksellers On The Future Of Book Promotion; an excellent article explaining this to writers, The Value of Book Distribution Is Often Misunderstood by Authors | Jane Friedman; another takeover of a major independent as consolidation continues, Hachette Book Group Will Acquire Workman Publishing for $240 Million; and the realities of indie publishing life, Richard Charkin: Notes From a Small London Publisher.
- From our Endorsements page: on English Language Editing: 'The result? A book that reads like it's written by a native speaker for only 13% of the price a complete translation would have costed. Thank you, writersservices.' Anthony Fitzgerald
- More links about writers and writing: how lockdown has changed a small children's publisher, Ask An Editor: Tom Bonnick, Nosy Crow senior commissioning editor; plagued by fake pornographic e-books listed under her name, Author Szereto 'horrified and angry' over Amazon fake e-book scam | The Bookseller; like almost every other children's writer I know, my overwhelming desire is to get children reading, Tackling complex themes for children; 'There's more than one way to burn a book', Kate Clanchy and the new censorship in publishing | The Spectator; and only 2-4% of children's books published in English are translated, The Most Popular Children's Books From Every Country In The World.
- Don't give up the day job. Perhaps you've even been indulging in thinking about it as you lay on the beach this summer, or more likely spent your precious holiday working on your latest novel. But how practical is it? Is it something you can realistically aspire to, or just a distant fantasy? What are your chances of making your dream come true?
- 'It is a sad fact about our culture that a poet can earn much more money writing or talking about his art than he can by practicing it.' W. H. Auden in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘The outlook may sound bleak. But the internet has been a lifeline, enabling authors to lean on their peers. With fewer events and chances to meet face-to-face, the virtual author community has never been more important. And boy, have we needed moral support the past year or so!... More people turned to reading during the pandemic, in particular using their e-readers when they couldn't get to physical stores. A lot of authors I know have seen this reflected in their digital sales, which have positively boomed during this time.' Tracy Buchanan, creator of Savvy Writers, a blog which offers help and resources for published authors, in Bookbrunch.
- From our 19-part Inside Publishing series, we have The Writer/Publisher Financial Relationship: 'There's no escaping the fact that publishers and authors are essentially in an adversarial position. Even in the very best and most supportive publisher/writer relationships there is the tension caused by the fact that authors would like to earn as much as possible from their writing and publishers to pay as little as they can get away with...' 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.
- Our Children's Editorial Services help you to get your children's book ready for publication or self-publishing. Have you found it difficult to get expert editorial input on your work ? Do you want to know if it might find a publisher? Or are you planning to self-publish?
- The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2021 is open to all. Entry fees: Poetry entries £12 and Short Fiction entries £18. £2,500 is awarded to both the Poetry and Short Fiction winners and publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Anthology is awarded to 60 writers, shortlisted by the judging panel. Closing 31 August.
- Links from the writers' world: Creative writing courses have always been viewed sceptically, and yet more than 100 universities in the UK, and many more in the, US now offer them, Creative writing: a 'con job'?; it's as basic as a bar-room brawl. They're fighting over a woman, Pat Barker on The Silence of the Girls: ‘The Iliad is myth - the rules for writing historical fiction don't apply' | How I wrote | The Guardian; it's increasingly making the life of an author a little easier, but Can technology help authors write a book? - BBC News; 'It was incredibly difficult to find a publisher... I finished the novel in 2017. And no one was interested.' ‘I've been poor for a long time': after many rejections, Karen Jennings is up for the Booker | Books | The Guardian; 'Revision is my favorite part of the writing process. I relish the creative problem-solving more than the rush of getting it down', Maggie Smith on How to Revise Poems Without Losing the Initial Spark ‹ Literary Hub; and should we be expected to write free stuff as part of a publisher's ‘PR' plan? Savvy Writers - Blog.
- Advice for Writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore our more than 8,000 pages of information for writers.
- An endorsement from Anthony Fitzgerald for our English Language Editing Service: 'The result? A book that reads like it's written by a native speaker for only 13% of the price a complete translation would have costed. Thank you, writersservices.' More endorsements.
- More links from writers: narrative and imagination, this comes from science fiction, Militaries plunder science fiction for technology ideas, but turn a blind eye to the genre's social commentary; 84% majority for this recognition of how crime-writers work now, CWA now open to self published authors; should archives be closed because of their embarrassing content? Lownie campaign sees some Mountbatten archives released but tribunal looms | The Bookseller; and as we teach computers to use natural language, are we bumping into the inescapable biases of human communication? The Chatbot Problem | The New Yorker.
- Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? This is the question our page Which service? answers and it then goes on to give a quick rundown on our 20 editorial services for writers, which we think is the biggest and most comprehensive you can find on the internet.
- 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...'
- Links from the publishing world: growth has cooled, Amazon Sales Only Rose 27% in Q2; you're really only renting, not buying, Sell This Book! | The Nation; encouragingly, book sales rose last year because people were reading more, Reading Time Rose 21% in Second Half of 2020; and the literary agent who is successfully getting Korean writers to the world, 'Zitwer factor': Before her, few readers outside Korea heard about Korean thrillers.
- ‘It's an accepted fact that all writers are crazy; even the normal ones are weird.' William Goldman in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘The pandemic has been a period of caution, safe bets and, understandably due to the restrictions in distribution, a time of low experimentation. I hope this will change over the summer and through the personal connections that will infuse a new energy in the business... One thing the lockdown has proven without any doubt is that the relationship between agent and editor cannot be conducted via Zoom. We need to know what is going on in editorial commissioning rooms and understand the changing tastes of acquiring editors. Jonny Geller, CEO at Curtis BrownSee Curtis Brown listing UK, in the Bookseller.
- 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. From Submissions: 'Few editors will give any reasons for rejecting your work. However, if in turning it down they pay you any compliments, you can take them at face value. Publishers don't encourage would-be writers unless they mean it. If your work is rejected six times or more, without any snippets of praise, you should look at it again, to see if you can discover what is wrong. It may be a long time since you last read it, and with fresh eyes you may see glaring faults.'
- 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 from writers: films are about 25,000 words, with TV shows half that. A novel is five times longer, Screenplays and novels: transferable skills?; unlike in the movies, Jack Ryan's not in a great position to fight back, Are Fictional Characters Protected Under Copyright Law? | Jane Friedman; Penguin Random House cancelled his book about the British army, The Changing of the Guard, and demanded back his advance, ‘A terrifying precedent': author describes struggle to publish British army history | Books | The Guardian.
- Have you ever wondered why you don't win any of those competitions? What can you do to improve your chances? Our tipsheet on Entering Competitions.
- More links on writers' affairs: literary adaptations to television have been on a steady climb, How TV Adaptations Are Changing Fiction - The Atlantic; I've been self-employed for decades. No one has paid for my health insurance, or into a pension fund, or given me sick days or workers' comp, in a million years. This is the way it is for writers, The Business Side of Being a Writer | by Susan Orlean | Jul, 2021 | Medium; is the idea of being a novelist just a ridiculous dream? The prize that opened prison doors.
- Our 20 services for writers gives a simple list with links.
- Links from the publishing world: a publicity chief's view of changes in the publishing world, Questions for: Alex Hippisley Cox; see how Amazon dominates book sales, Every Book Lover Should Fear This Graph | by Andy Hunter | Jul, 2021 | Medium; there's just something satisfying about turning the page and holding a physical book in one's hands, Survey: Most people prefer reading paper books over digital books on tablets, phones - Study Finds; and when we assume we as adults know what's best for teens, we make a bigger mistake, White Gatekeeping in YA Harms Teen Readers | Book Riot.
- 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...'
- Get your manuscript typed up so that you can revise it, submit it or publish it. 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, which needs re-typing before the writer can proceed with submission or publication. Typing manuscripts
- 'The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof lie detector. This is the writer's radar and all great writers have had it.' Ernest Hemingway, currently the subject of a wonderful BBC series available on the IPlayer, in our Writers Quotes.
- ‘The impact of Amazon dwarfs all the other changes, even the rise of digital. Of course, the idea of ordering a book in the morning and having it delivered in the afternoon still thrills and amazes me. But it has led to the erosion of earnings for most authors and smaller publishers, and that should worry all of us who want a diverse and healthy ecosystem for books... I am encouraged by the way (mostly) independent publishers are beginning to innovate in their direct-to-reader offerings. Subscription services, crowd-funding, exquisitely produced merchandise: the communities that Rough Trade, Galley Beggar, Influx Press and others are building offer a commercially viable alternative to the Amazonian race to the bottom... John Mitchinson, publisher and co-founder of Unbound, in Bookbrunch.
- 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 traditional publishing world get divided up into publishing territories? How has this come about? How does it affect authors?'
- A new comment from an enthusiastice author on our Endorsements page: 'The copy-editor perfectly captured the spirit of my story, making not only pertinent corrections, but also a string of brilliant suggestions and comments that inspired me to improve the text on my own. So happy I chose Writers Services.' Rasmus, Chile.
- 'If you're looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one of our four would suit you best? Which Report? includes our 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.
- We have a bumper crop of links this week. Links to articles about writers: now he's on his way to becoming a senior citizen, Immortalizing Jack Reacher ‹ CrimeReads; for a decade I moved around from town to town, itinerant and rootless, Connections and disconnections: England on the eve of Covid; no one before him thought to write such spooks and frights into a children's book, RL Stine has sold 400 million books: ‘And people say kids don't read'; everything from poetry, short stories, essays and more esoteric forms of writing can now find a home in what has become a welcome and flourishing scene, Why Ireland's literary journals are brilliant stepping stones for emerging writers - Independent.ie; and composed for an audience not of one friend but of many fans, Email Newsletters Are a New Literary Genre.
- Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for 150 lines of poetry can help. Our Poetry Collection Editing service, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you need.
- General links: Agatha Christie wasn't overly fond of her iconic detective, Hercule Poirot, describing him as a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome, egocentric little creep," 14 Works Of Literature That Authors Regretted Publishing; now more than ever, novelists are facing up to the unthinkable, Stories to save the world: the new wave of climate fiction | Books | The Guardian; the big annual UK celebration of poetry, National Poetry Day to spotlight over 40 books in recommended lists | The Bookseller; the publishing industry's self-examination, Richard Charkin: An Age of Aquarius; now becoming an essential part of writing and publishing fiction in the US, The rise of the 'sensitivity reader' | The Spectator.
- Working with an agent: 'Don't ever take on an agent you don't like or don't trust, however desperate you may feel. You have to be able to work with them in what should be an extremely important relationship for you as a writer. You must also feel confident that they are competent, enthusiastic about your work and can be trusted, both in terms of the advice they offer and in relation to handling your money...'
- Do you want some help with your writing but don't know quite what you want? Are you a bit puzzled by the various services on offer, and not sure what to go for? Choosing a service helps you work out which is the right editorial service for you.
- Links about publishing and bookselling: James Daunt, the managing director of Waterstones, Can bookshops survive in the era of Amazon?; a surprising picture on US sales, Print Book Sales Soar in Year's First Half; a new challenge to Amazon? Sales have reached $29 million this year, Bookshop.org Continues to See Strong Sales; pre-Covid - 'a time of innocence, of happy, purblind naivety', Faber and the Blitz spirit; racism on the job in the US? Survey Reveals a Need for Greater Workplace Inclusivity; has there been a migration of conservative book publishing from the mainstream houses to smaller companies? Interview with Eric Nelson of Broadside Books, a conservative imprint at HarperCollins.
- 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 really heroic thing about Nick Hornby is that he lives in north London and rarely leaves it... Every English writer needs their corner that is forever England - but only a few brave men choose to make that corner Highbury.' Zadie Smith in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘When people come together - let's say they come to a little party or something - you always hear them discuss character. They will say this one has a bad character, this one has a good character, this one is a fool, this one is a miser... The writers who don't discuss character but problems - social problems or any problems - take away from literature its very essence. They stop being entertaining. We, for some reason, always love to discuss and discover character. This is because each character is different, and human character is the greatest of puzzles.' Isaac Bashevis Singer, distinguished author of The Magician of Lublin, The Slave, The Family Moskat, 16 other novels and many other works.
- Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Learn on the job to Self-publishing: is it for you? to Keep up to date and Submission to publishers and agents. 'Before deciding to go for self-publishing, you should think through what is involved. Certain kinds of books lend themselves to this approach. If you have a book which you can sell after your lectures, or as a promotional tool, or there's some local or specialist interest in what you have written, then self-publishing can be a good idea. If you've written a novel and want to get it published, you should think hard about how you're going to market it...'
- This is the big one for poets! The National Poetry Competition 2021 is open to anyone 18 or over from all over the world to enter an unpublished poem of up to 40 lines. Entry fee £7 for first entry, £4 for subsequent entries. First Prize £5,000, Second Prize £2,000 and Third Prize £1,000, 7 Commendations £200. Closing on 31 October.
- 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, offer exceptional value and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for 20 years. We have recently introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. Copy editing services.
- Links about writers and writing: what the agent's percentage gets you, Why do writers need agents? To keep track of the rejections | Publishing | The Guardian; legacy to a writer, My father's best gift; the latest on The History Makers - or whatever it's going to be called, Publication delayed of epic history book amended after being called ‘too white' | Race | The Guardian; how reading your work aloud can change your attitude to it, How Stories Change When They Move From Page to Voice - Literary Hub; using fiction to predict, ‘At first I thought, this is crazy': the real-life plan to use novels to predict the next war | Books | The Guardian.
- 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.
- We have a new page which gives an editor's take on using pdfs, 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. Why? Precisely because PDFs are designed not to be tampered with or changed. When you stop to think about it, editing is no more or less than a process of changing - and correcting - your file...'
- From our Endorsements page: 'Today I only want to say, "thank you". DM has done a truly great job. I have worked with her suggestions which have brought clarity and depth to my subject. Her work on my punctuation is brilliant. As I read through the manuscript now, it is like gliding on silk.' Helena Dodds.
- Links from the publishing world: the first two both changed the shape of the industry, "Enterprise self-publishing" is coming: the third great disruption of book publishing since the 1990s | The Idea Logical Company; how social media is changing the book world, The rise of BookTok: meet the teen influencers pushing books up the charts | Books | The Guardian; and distributing free books to libraries, schools, universities, refugee camps and prisons round the world, Book Aid International: the power of partnerships.
- 'Writing romantic fiction is the second chance that loved ones denied us.' Shannon Alder in our Writers' Quotes.
- 'Writing is rewriting. The first draft is the jabber you forced on that blind date. She was hoping for someone to ask her what she was feeling, but all you said was, and then I, and then I, and then I, and then . . . The first draft is meant to be discarded. The first draft is the beginning of the idea, the slender thread of a story. The second draft is little better, as is the third, and the fourth and fifth...' Walter Mosley, author of Devil in a Blue Dress, The Long Fall, Blood Grove and dozens of other books in LitHub.
- An Editor's Advice is a series of seven articles by one of our editors on really useful subjects for writers such as Manuscript presentation, Dialogue, Doing further drafts and Planning: 'The idea of planning doesn't fit well with the idea of the writer as inspired genius, frantically scribbling away. However, I am willing to bet that, no matter what they would have you think, most successful writers plan as much as they write. They just don't tell you about it. The biggest objection that most inexperienced writers raise when someone broaches the delicate matter of planning is that it will get in the way of their inventive powers. A plan will be like a straitjacket. They'll be stuck with this plan and if they come up with a good idea along the way, they will not be able to use it. They are genuinely horrified at the thought...'
- Are you getting ready to publish your book - perhaps planning to self-publish? WritersServices offers a suite of nine services which help writers get their work into shape before they self-publish. Services for Self-publishers.
- Links from writers: writing historical fiction is more than just creating a simulacrum of the past and letting your characters frolic around in it, Balancing historical fiction and historical fact; every fiction writer understands the need to include elements of rising tension in their stories, Don't Tease Your Reader. Get to the Tension and Keep It Rising | Jane Friedman; Creativity and change are key to any successful poetry publishing venture, 35 pioneering years at the Poetry Business; an author who became writer and executive producer, 'Shrill,' 'Summer I Turned Pretty' Adaptations Allow Authors Agency - Variety; and 'That's how we did it': writing about the special forces.
- New on our Endorsements page: 'I cannot emphasise enough my gratitude to writerservices.com. I more or less expected that they would treat me and my texts professionally - after all, this is what the site offers. What I haven't expected was the extra mile they were prepared to go on my behalf, their beautiful attention to both the letter and the spirit of what I had to say. My manuscript has now found an agent - a happy development in which they have definitely played a role. All I can say is that if I ever produce anything else, I will definitely be their client again.' Sveta, Windsor, UK
- 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.
- Links from the publishing world: bestselling writers including Philip Pullman and Kate Mosse are warning of a "potentially devastating" change to the UK's copyright laws, Leading authors sound alarm over post-Brexit changes to copyright | Publishing | The Guardian; misleading or downright bad book blurbs, Book jacket descriptions for titles like Luster and The Silence are terrible; predictions from a top corporate publisher, HC's Murray Sees Higher Sales, More Consolidation Ahead; and an interesting article on Harry Potter, The boy who lived and lived and lived | The Bookseller.
- If you need to get your material typed up, but can't face doing the job yourself, Typing manuscripts is a service for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript or audio tapes, which need typing before they can proceed with reworking, submission or publication.
- Don't know what they're talking about? Here's our Publishing glossary, featuring printing & publishing terms & abbreviations.
- ‘All fiction is largely autobiographical and much autobiography is, of course, fiction.' P D James in our Writers' Quotes
- 'Editors can be stupid at times. They just ignore that author's intention. I always try to read unabridged editions, so much is lost with cut versions of classic literature, even movies don't make sense when they are edited too much. I love the longueurs of a book even if they seem pointless because you can get a peek into the author's mind, a glimpse of their creative soul. I mean, how would people like it if editors came along and said to an artist, "Whoops, you left just a tad too much space around that lily pad there, lets crop that a bit, shall we?" Monet would be ripping his hair out.' E A Bucchianeri, author of Little Month of Saint Joseph, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly, Faust and 5 other books.
- From our nineteen-part Inside Publishing series, you can read up on Copyright: 'Many writers worry about losing their copyright. Before sending out your manuscript it is always advisable to put a copyright line consisting of the copyright sign ©, the year and your name on the title page...' and 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...'
- Our 20 Services for Writers is just a list of our writers' editorial services.
- Our links about writers: I had always thought that I would be a writer, Never too late: ‘In my late 40s I realised writing a novel had become like Everest' | Life and style | The Guardian; death of celebrated children's author, whose book sold 50 million copies, Eric Carle: Very Hungry Caterpillar author dies aged 91 - BBC News; new author has written a scorching portrait of the British class system, Author Natasha Brown On Writing The Debut Novel Of The Summer | British Vogue; winner reflects on her writing process, The Selfies children's fiction winner Kate Claxton on her self publishing success; and writing historical fiction, What the Romans smelled.
- Are you hoping to submit your book to publishers? Will you plan to do this through an agent? Finding an agent shows you how to go about this: 'Many writers see being taken on by an agent as the first step in getting taken on by a publisher, because it is so difficult to get publishers to pay attention to unagented writers...'
- Get some professional help. If you're self-publishing, you need good quality copy for the cover. Our Blurb-writing service can provide a professionally written piece of cover copy. Submitting to agents but finding it difficult to write your own synopsis? Commission a Synopsis which will present your manuscript in the best possible light for submission.
- Links from the publishing world: Publishers WeeklyInternational news website of book publishing and bookselling including business news, reviews, bestseller lists, commentaries http://www.publishersweekly.com/'s inaugural book show, U.S. Book Show: An Oprah-Style Kick Off; a once-thriving literary subgenre, Why the YA dystopia fad sparked by The Hunger Games finally crashed and burned - Polygon; and a new scheme dreamed up by used booksellers, Authors to earn royalties on secondhand books for first time | Booksellers | The Guardian.
- If you need to get your material typed up, but can't face doing the job yourself, Typing manuscripts is a service for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript which needs typing before they can proceed with reworking, submission or publication.
- Links on writers' affairs: so many fantasies of what the writer's life is like, The End of Editing; writers and critics are raising questions over the role that agents and estates play in limiting access to biographical material, The reputation game: how authors try to control their image from beyond the grave | Philip Roth | The Guardian; and the challenges facing historical novelists, A rollercoaster called Romanov: the joys of hidden historical heroines.
- From our Writers' Quotes: 'I don't need inspiration from real children. The real test is the child within me.' The late, great Eric Carle, who died this week.
- ‘Everything hinges on character. Plot is important, but character is crucial. Character is best revealed through action. Someone pulls a gun on your hero. How do they react? Fight or flight? Their character will determine. Complex characters are gold. A hero whose first reaction is flight but who plausibly stands and fights is way more interesting. Mike Bullen, British scriptwriter, who has written the successful series Life Begins, Cold Feet and All about George, as well as a novel, Trust.
- 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. 'Indie authors access the same professional services as traditional publishing houses. They employ freelance editors, proofreaders and cover designers. They have their work professionally formatted for ebooks and typeset for print. They may use service providers to manage some or all of the publishing tasks, or they may go it alone...' Articles include Choose Your Self-publishing Route and Marketing and Promotion for Indie Authors: Online.
- The James Berry Poetry Prize closes on 1 June. It's open to poets of colour, who are UK residents who have not yet published a book-length collection, special consideration given to LGBTQ+/disabled poets and poets from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. No entry fee. 3 equal winners are each to receive a £1,000 prize, expert mentoring and their debut collection published with Bloodaxe Books.
- Other live competitions.
- 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. But how are you supposed to tell who will do a good job, when the editorial services on the web all sound pretty much the same and it's tempting to go for the cheapest? Getting your manuscript copy edited
- Links from the publishing world: in the past authors banded together to make the case that publishing was a crucial industry for the nation's cultural and intellectual life, Book Publishing's Mike Pence Problem | The New Republic; a different perspective on book publishing's existential crisis, Mike Pence's book deal and publishing's wide rift on cancel culture - Vox; who knew that publishing could be so thrilling? New Thriller Books Find Drama in the Publishing World | Time; Wattpad already has 90 million monthly users, including five million writers who have contributed stories to the platform, Korea's Naver Completes Wattpad Acquisition; and the latest book fair news, Beijing Book Fair 2021: Internationally Digital, Physical for China-Based Publishers.
- Your submission package - how to put your package together to make the best impression when you're submitting to agents and publishers.
- Links from the world of writers: the more we all open up, then the more we can normalize the practice of talking about art and commerce, How Much Do Authors Earn? Here's the Answer No One Likes. | Jane Friedman; how female novelists have captured the literary zeitgeist, displacing men, How women conquered the world of fiction | Books | The Guardian; what makes some books work when others don't? The Magic Number - Bard Press; and another kind of magical entity at work, Deb Caletti on the Practical Magic of Research.
- From Joanne Phillips, 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!'
- Links from writers and readers: the bestselling YA author on having your novels adapted for the screen Shadow and Bone author Leigh Bardugo: ‘People sneer at the things women and girls love' | Leigh Bardugo | The Guardian; I wrote my first crime novel for the saddest of reasons, Fuelled by grief: why I write crime fiction; a controversial book about the history writers, Who's missing? Top author stirs anger with ‘too white' history | History books | The Guardian; and do you get a buzz from your reading achievements? Why I am deleting Goodreads and maybe you should, too | Books | The Guardian.
- From our Writers' Quotes: 'Writers are fortunate in that they are able to treat their neurosis every day by writing and as soon as the writer is blocked - this is catastrophic because the writer will start to go to pieces.' Edmund Bergler.
- ‘When I was a child I was given a special book just to write stories because my handwriting and spelling were so bad. Suddenly I realised I wasn't hopeless at English. You forget children are always comparing each other, and if it's always about grammar and spelling, and if they don't get it, their self-esteem plummets. My terrible handwriting and sketches have turned into a billion-and-a-half dollar industry with my books and films. Never underestimate the value of allowing children to mess around. Cressida Cowell, UK Children's Laureate and author of the How to Train Your Dragon series, whose 23 books have sold 11 million copies, in The Times.
- 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...'
- Our article on How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth) asks writers with a manuscript which needs translating or has been written in English by a non-native speaker: 'if your English is good enough, what about translating your book yourself, or writing in English, and then getting your translation polished and copy edited by a professional editor who is a native English speaker?' This could be a cost-effective way of reaching the international English-speaking market.
- English Language Editing is our polishing service for writers who have translated their work into English or written it in English when it is not their native language. If you need to make sure it's good enough to publish, or send to a publisher, this service is for you. Acknowledging the growth of world English, English Language Editing is designed for the many non-native English speakers throughout the world who want to publish their work in English.
- Closing on 30 June, the Moth Short Story Prize 2021 is open to all writers over 16. Entry fee €15 per story.1st prize €3,000, 2nd prize week-long writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France plus €250 travel stipend, 3rd prize €1,000.
- Links from writers: first a big success, then... Kevin Power: My first novel was a hit. I could write full-time. And that made me ... angry; suddenly readers could and would read serious books about economics and social change and history and science and business, How ‘The Tipping Point' Spawned a New Kind of Business Book | by Margaret Heffernan | Apr, 2021 | Marker; talking to the self-described "demon dog of American literature", James Ellroy Gets to the Scene of the Crime; securing an international publishing deal, Author's debut novel written in Hampstead bookshop | Hampstead Highgate Express; and Ian Brown on getting published, 30 years writing and producing for TV - and what it's like working with a tortoise, Getting published: what I learned from my 80 year old pet.
- Advice for writers provides access to the mass of information on the site.
- Links from the publishing world: publishers and booksellers are not in a hurry to resume in-person author tours, In-Person Author Tours Won't Be Back Anytime Soon; crying "Censorship!" has become the right's favorite book marketing technique, Outcry over book ‘censorship' reveals how online retailers choose books - or don't - The Washington Post; a huge rise in sales and a tripling of profits, Amazon hopes pandemic habits stick after profits triple - BBC News; and writers' organisations pursuing the giant film studio, Writers Orgs Form #DisneyMustPay Joint Task Force.
- Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? This is the question our page Which service? answers and it then goes on to give a quick rundown on our 20 editorial services for writers, which we think is the biggest and most comprehensive you can find on the internet.
- Other links: scandal surrounds both the author and his biographer, Philip Roth Bio: Blake Bailey's Incuriosity - The Atlantic; does length matter? Novels and Novellas and Tomes, Oh My! - Counter Craft; an encouraging result from the pandemic, Children read more challenging books in lockdowns, data reveals | Books | The Guardian; and after a stellar year for new books, The State of the Crime Novel in 2021: A Roundtable With the Edgar Awards Nominees ‹ CrimeReads.
- Preparing for publication
- ‘People have many cruel expectations from writers. People expect novelists to live on a hill with three kids and a spouse, people expect children's story writers to never have sex, and people expect all great poets to be dead. And these are all very difficult expectations to fulfill, I think.' C. JoyBell C. in our Writers' Quotes.
- 'Technology is shifting more power to the hands of authors, who now have more options for what they can do with their manuscripts. Everything from the choice of publishing channels, to content formats, but also increasing the quality of their content using tools which perhaps would have been cost prohibitive to them in the past. Authors also want to reach as large an audience as possible. This is increasingly possible and becoming easier due to technology and digitisation of content. The easier it gets, the less reliant authors are on traditional publishing houses to reach these large audiences. Ali Albazaz, founder and CEO of Inkitt in 'The Power of Self-Publishing', Bookbrunch
- From our nineteen-part Inside Publishing series, you can read up on Advances and royalties: 'Publishers usually offer to pay authors advances against royalties. How do you work out how much money you might earn from your book? You need to understand for yourself how advances and royalties work and what they mean for you...'
- From the same series, Copy editing and proof-reading explains the difference between the two. 'Copy editing is the painstaking job of going through a manuscript line by line to correct the spelling, grammar and punctuation. Proof-reading at a later stage is a separate check through the book when it is set up in pages, before it goes to press or is finalised for ebook publishing.'
- Closing on 3 May, the new Leapfrog Global Fiction Prize is open to international entry. There's no entry fee. An Adult Fiction prize and a Young Adult /Middle Grade prize both offer a First Prize Publication contract offer from Leapfrog Press and Can of Worms Press with advance against royalties, Second Prize $150 and critiques.
- Other live competitions/awards.
- Assorted links: there's a lot of confusion about what the term means and how it really works, Everything You've Always Wanted to Know: Hybrid Publishing | Jane Friedman; did you know that UK primary schools do not have to have libraries? Children's laureates campaign for £100m a year to fix primary school libraries | Libraries | The Guardian; five tops tips for approaching the task, How to write a short story - National Centre for Writing; and Kathleen Woodiwiss' The Flame and the Flower was the instant bestseller that sparked it all off, Romance novels are big business. Here's how the genre took off. - The Washington Post.
- 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, offer exceptional value and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for 20 years. We have recently introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. Copy editing services.
- From our Endorsements page: On English Language editing: 'The result? A book that reads like it's written by a native speaker for only 13% of the price a complete translation would have costed. Thank you, writersservices.' Anthony Fitzgerald
- Links about writers: rejected by 32 publishers, his novel eventually found a home, earned the prestigious Booker Prize and became a bestseller, 'Shuggie Bain' author Douglas Stuart on love, working class - Los Angeles Times; one of the most original tots' tomes to hit the bookshops for many a decade, Terry Pratchett's debut turns 50: ‘At 17 he showed promise of a brilliant mind' | Books | The Guardian; and there are many reasons why it took me so long to write my eighth novel and not being Tolstoy is one of the main ones, On not being Tolstoy.
- Our latest new service is the Writer's edit, a top-level 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.
- Links from the publishing world: James Daunt says there's progress with America's biggest boookstore chain, Barnes & Noble, B&N CEO Says Things Are 'Much Better Now'; events are sadly to be streamed, Bologna abandons physical events to go digital only | The Bookseller; it's the same storry for the LBF, London Book Fair Opts for a Digital-Only Edition in 2021; and "It really was our backlist that saved the day for us," What Snoop Dogg's Success Says About the Book Industry - The New York Times.
- 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.
- ‘Writers Are Insane. For months we are lone wolves locked in our caves. Then overnight we become publicity hounds. It's a schizophrenic business.' Robert Mykle in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘When an editor works with an author, she cannot help seeing into the medicine cabinet of his soul. All the terrible emotions, the desire for vindications, the paranoia, and the projection are bottled in there, along with all the excesses of envy, desire for revenge, all the hypochondriacal responses, rituals, defenses, and the twin obsessions with sex and money. It other words, the stuff of great books.' Betsy Lerner, editor, agent, and author, whose best-known book is The Forest for the Trees, ‘about writing, publishing and what makes writers tick'.
- Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Improving your writing to Self-publishing: is it for you? to Keep up to date and 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.'
- The Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award 2021 is annual this year and closes on 1 July. It's open to writers writing in English and resident within the British Commonwealth and Eire, who have not yet published or self-published a full-length book. There's no entry fee. The First Prize is £10,000 and runners-up get £1,000.
- Get some professional help. If you're self-publishing, you need good quality copy for the cover. Our Blurb-writing service can provide a professionally written piece of cover copy. Submitting to agents but finding it difficult to write your own synopsis? Commission a Synopsis which will present your manuscript in the best possible light for submission.
- Links from writers: the Game of Thrones author just signed a massive deal, George R.R. Martin Signs Massive Five-Year Overall Deal with HBO (Exclusive) | Hollywood Reporter; investigating two genres, What's The Difference Between a Thriller and a Mystery? Pacing. ‹ CrimeReads; at least they decided the author was female, Have Italian Scholars Figured Out the Identity of Elena Ferrante? ‹ Literary Hub; and can writers describe the world from the point of view of characters from other cultural backgrounds? Writers grapple with rules of the imagination | PEN | The Guardian.
- 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.
- Links from the publishing world: enabling freelance writers and authors to bargain collectively with businesses that hire them, Authors Guild Asks Members to Support PRO Act; publishers grateful for new grants, Indies facing 'tough' market welcome ACE Culture Recovery Fund grants | The Bookseller; more consolidation from the merger and takeover frenzy, HarperCollins to Acquire HMH Trade; and discussion on the state of the publishing industry, Publishing Industry Insiders Share Insights into Opportunities, Challenges Ahead.
- Do you want some help with your writing but don't know quite what you want? Are you a bit puzzled by the various services on offer, and not sure what to go for? Choosing a service.
- A miscellany of links: a really stimulating article - if monetary rewards were all that mattered to potential authors, the list of people for whom writing a non-fiction book might make sense would be vanishingly small and works of fiction are even less likely to succeed financially, On the Behavioral Economy of the Book World ‹ Literary Hub; books based upon past investigative documentaries, The fact checking thriller writer; a fiendish new literary conundrum, ‘This is not an easy treasure hunt': puzzle book offers readers chance to win €750,000 golden casket | Books | The Guardian; a new grant to support writers, World of Books launches SoA award.
- 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...'
- 'I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged.' Erica Jong in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘I feel sorry for people who have massive success when they're young. I was 48 when Eats, Shoots & Leaves became a bestseller and that helped me deal with it. All the time it was happening I was thinking: "In 10 years' time I'll look back on this with fond memories," because at the time I was quite anxious. I was also quite amused by it, because it was hilariously unlikely that a book of punctuation would be the number one bestseller in America...' Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves and 30 other books, including four crime novels.
- How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth) - for non-native English speakers wanting to reach the international English language market. If your English is good enough, what about writing your book in English or translating it 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, ready for you to publish or submit to publishers.
- The International Rubery Book of the Year Award 2021 is open to all writers internationally who have published or self-published their work in a wide range of categories. The entry fee is £37 and the prizes are £1500 plus £150 for at least three category winners. This closes on 31 March, so you need to move fast.
- Other competitions which are still open.
- '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. But how are you supposed to tell who will do a good job, when the editorial services on the web all sound pretty much the same and it's tempting to go for the cheapest?' Getting your manuscript copy edited
- Links from the publishing world and Black Lives Matter: there's fear of the fallout if the deal goes ahead, Authors fear the worst if Penguin owner takes over Simon & Schuster | Publishing | The Guardian; good news from Italy for the children's book world, Bologna Confirms In-Person June Fair, New Programs; more on tranlators, Translators Weigh In on the Amanda Gorman Controversy - Asymptote Blog; and treating authors of colour as tools for self-improvement is an impoverished response to centuries of harm, White people, black authors are not your medicine | Books | The Guardian.
- A new addition to our Endorsements page: 'I cannot emphasise enough my gratitude to writerservices.com. I more or less expected that they would treat me and my texts professionally - after all, this is what the site offers. What I hadn't expected was the extra mile they were prepared to go on my behalf, their beautiful attention to both the letter and the spirit of what I had to say. My manuscript has now found an agent - a happy development in which they have definitely played a role. All I can say is that if I ever produce anything else, I will definitely be their client again. Sveta, Windsor, UK.
- Links to writers' stories: an author who turned 83 last month and has sold 1 million books for every year she's been alive, Are You There, Judy Blume? It's Us, the Generation of Writers You Inspired; one of the most wildly imaginative writers of any generation, Douglas Adams' note to self reveals author found writing torture | Douglas Adams | The Guardian; how did it all go wrong How I (Barely) Survived the Abject Failure of My Much Hyped Debut Novel ‹ Literary Hub; and I, too, assume that much of the contemporary fiction I read is autobiographical, Our Autofiction Fixation - The New York Times.
- Our services for writers page is just a list with links to the 20 services we offer.
- Links on audio and children's books: a year ago, very few audiobooks listeners would have realised that duvets were a valuable asset for recording audiobooks as well as for listening to them, Don't close the studio; the inside story, How audiobooks get recorded: Narrator Abby Craden shares her process; the format children read in can make a difference in terms of how they absorb information, How Children Read Differently From Books vs. Screens - The New York Times; and the Sunrise Movement contact they'd been "bossing about" was a 13-year-old, who was organising the whole thing between her classes, Naomi Klein: 'We shouldn't be surprised that kids are radicalised'.
- Working with an agent: 'Don't ever take on an agent you don't like or don't trust, however desperate you may feel. You have to be able to work with them in what should be an extremely important relationship for you as a writer. You must also feel confident that they are competent, enthusiastic about your work and can be trusted, both in terms of the advice they offer and in relation to handling your money...
- James Baldwin in our Writers' Quotes: 'Unless a writer is extremely old when he dies, in which case he has probably become a neglected institution, his death must always be seen as untimely. This is because a real writer is always shifting and changing and searching. The world has many labels for him, of which the most treacherous is the label of Success.'
- ‘I think these shows have an innate sense of decency and optimism that underpins them all. It's compassion and a belief that people are essentially good. If I had to define the essential DNA of Unforgotten, it's that good people can do bad things... I think it's Priestley who says you have to put it on paper in order to formulate your views. Nothing comes fully formed. It's only in a detective story that the answers are always clear and unambiguous. Maybe that's why I like writing them so much.' Chris Lang, writer and creator of over 85 hours of prime time drama, including Unforgotten, Tom, Amnesia and A Mother's Son in the Sunday Times.
- 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.
- 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, offer exceptional value and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for 20 years. We have recently introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. Copy editing services.
- Links from writers and writing: just published, the 30th book in the series, Donna Leon On Thirty Years of Inspector Guido Brunetti ‹ CrimeReads; from one of the few children's book authors to host in-person events throughout the pandemic, Jeff Kinney, Meg Medina and other children's book authors discuss pandemic author events - The Washington Post; every one of my grandmother's dishes was full to the brim with history: the nation's, my family's, my own, Food is Love: Weaving Together World War II History and Family Recipes ‹ Literary Hub; everything depends on the writer and their goals, but Blogging Versus Email Newsletter: Which Is Better for Writers? | Jane Friedman; it's become routine for many people to discuss their self-care and wellness practices, The delicate relationship between grief and fanfiction, explained by a psychologist - Vox; and an older, more instinctive art form, How to Arrange a Poetry Collection Using Mix Tape Rules - Electric Literature.
- If you're looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one of our four 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.
- How to market your writing services online is a useful article 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 about selling yourself as a writer. 'Recently someone commented to me that I seem to be doing a pretty good job of promoting my writing services on the internet. I was touched by the observation - we writers get so many rejections that a little praise is especially gratifying. And I began to wonder - what does it take to market yourself successfully as a jobbing writer today?...'
- Links from publishing: the biggest international fair has recommitted to running a hybrid meeting in 2021, one which will feature in-person and virtual elements, Frankfurt Commits to In-Person Fair, Opens Registration; enthusiasm from head of Penguin Random House, ‘This is the best time in publishing ever,' says Markus Dohle - Atlantic Council; Dr Seuss Foundation to withdraw six books, 'It's a moral decision': Dr Seuss books are being 'recalled' not cancelled, expert says | Dr Seuss | The Guardian.
- Poets are naturally keen to see their work in print but it's actually quite hard to get a first collection taken on by a publisher and self-publishing may make a lot of sense. Getting your poetry published.
- 'If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don't listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.' Lillian Hellman in our Writers' Quotes.
- 'Booksellers have had many years of making themselves resilient, having had to live through the advent and growth of Amazon - they are entrepreneurial and hard-working, resourceful and creative. Despite having spent years building up USPs which the pandemic stripped away (gathering, meeting, conversation, events, in-person meetings and social spaces) they have managed, by hard work, to keep themselves visible to their customers and to the wider media, public, government and trade audiences.' Meryl Halls, MD of the UK Booksellers Association, in Bookbrunch.
- Health Hazards is our special series about the various health risks for writers, including the dreaded Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. If you know you're spending too much time at a keyboard, it's worth making sure you're being careful about how you're sitting, your eyes and your wrists. Although Coronavirus may be the main health risk you're focused on at the moment, these special writers' risks are worth thinking about.
- You'll have to hurry, but the the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prizes 2021 are open till 7 March. They're open to writers of any nationality writing in English in two classes: Best Unpublished Novel, which offers an advance of £15,000 on a publishing deal with Bonnier - entry fee £49 - and £10,000 for Best Published Novel.
- Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? This is the question our page Which service? answers and it then goes on to give a quick rundown on our 20 editorial services for writers, which we think is the biggest and most comprehensive you can find on the internet.
- Our links on writers and writing: it's a tough decision for a writer to make, one of the toughest: is now the moment to go for self-publishing? 11 Signs You're Ready to Self-Publish | Jane Friedman; a hugely admired author shares his thoughts, Jeff VanderMeer Talks Noir, Suspense, and His New Eco-Thriller With Meg Gardiner ‹ CrimeReads; nine books and three pseudonyms later, time for the lighthouse book, The sea in my bones; young authors may be self-censoring because they worry they will be "trolled" or "cancelled", Sir Kazuo Ishiguro warns of young authors self-censoring out of 'fear' - BBC News; and are you serious about putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and finally starting that novel idea you've had for years? 5 top tips for writing your novel - National Centre for Writing.
- 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...'
- Links on diversity issues and publishing: does a black poet need a black translator? 'Shocked by the uproar': Amanda Gorman's white translator quits | Books | The Guardian; four years after the first report, Diversity in Romance Books Still Lags; the amazing move of a bestselling author with her full back catalogue to a publisher who has never handled fiction before, Fifty Shades author E.L. James to anchor new imprint | EW.com; and since the human appetite for celebrity self-abasement and atonement, the raw materials of the well-turned tell-all, is unquenchable, Why the Political Memoir is 2021's Hottest Book Genre.
- If you need to get your material typed up, but can't face doing the job yourself, Typing manuscripts is a service for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript which needs typing before they can proceed with reworking, submission or publication.
- 'I have discovered that I cannot burn a candle at one end and write a book with the other.' Katherine Mansfield in our Writers' Quotes.
- For quotes fans we have superb collections in More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.
- ‘Poetry is definitely having a renaissance. There's been a real sea-change in terms of how it's seen, especially in lockdown. Poetry is the perfectly transportable art form. Owning a book is all you need to experience it. Poetry doesn't necessarily give us the answers, but it does give us the tools to think with and helps us process issues. Writing poetry might be a slow art - but publishing it well is an extremely slow art...' Jane Commane, publisher of Nine Arches Press in Bookbrunch.
- My Say gives writers a chance to air their views about writing and the writer's life. So we have Natasha Mostert on typing 'The End', Mary Garden on writers' block, Timothy Hallinan on The Writing Session and Dominae Primus on WritersServices.
- Links from Hollywood, Netflix and the Canon: a marmite book, but a huge success in the end, Netflix smash Behind Her Eyes: Sarah Pinborough on writing 'that ending' | Books | The Guardian; 17 million people use Blinkist alone. What is going on? Why are there so many book summary apps? ‹ Literary Hub; a look behind the book-to-screen deals to the people who made them happen, 8 major players behind Amanda Gorman gigs, book adaptations - Los Angeles Times; and what should we read? Will Self on What to Read: Canons to the Left, Canons to the Right, and Everything in Between ‹ Literary Hub.
- 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, offer exceptional value and 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, offer exceptional value and have been providing our services on writers' manuscripts through skilled professional editors for 20 years. We have recently introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. We have recently introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. Copy editing services.
- Links from the publishing world: the industry as a whole is a dismal underperformer, Big Fail for publishers? Just $92 per household spent on rec reading in 2019-and even that may decline long term; Which? found 10 websites selling fake reviews from £5 each, Fake Amazon reviews 'being sold in bulk' online; in the short term, sales of print books continued to ride a hot streak into February, New Releases Spark Another Big Book Sales Week.
- 'If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.' was Stephen King's view and Sarah Taylor-Fergusson argues that it's essential for nearly all authors to do a lot of reading. Writing for Children: Rule Number One.
- Links on writers adn writing: the second lockdown has been far bleaker and harder for creativity, Writer's blockdown: after a year inside, novelists are struggling to write | Books | The Guardian; a fascinating article about the writer's less-known role as an editor, Toni Morrison as an Editor Changed Book Publishing Forever | by Arielle Gray | Feb, 2021 | ZORA; and 'If you would be a poet, create works capable of answering the challenge of apocalyptic times, even if it means sounding apocalyptic...', Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Peerless Poet-Publisher, Dies at 101.
- Advice for Writers provides access to the huge amount of material for writers on the site, including many series we've commissioned and published
- 'Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.' Neil Gaiman in our Writers' Quotes.
- 'It is all for the taking. All the manuals by frustrated fictioneers on how to write can't give you the first syllable of reality, at any cost, that any common conversation can. All the classics, read and re-read, can't help you catch the ring of truth as does the word heard first-hand...' Nelson Algren, author of The Man with the Golden Arm and A Walk on the Wild Side.
- 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 Children's Editorial Services help you to get your children's book ready for publication or self-publishing. Have you found it difficult to get expert editorial input on your work ? Do you want to know if it might find a publisher? Or are you planning to self-publish?
- Our links on writers and writing: more than 130 years on, Holmes remains our almost constant companion, 'I think I've written more Sherlock Holmes than even Conan Doyle': the ongoing fight to reimagine Holmes | Books | The Guardian; coming up, a series on Ernest Hemingway's life and death and the myth that surrounded both, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Turn Their Lens, and Jeff Daniels's Voice, to Hemingway; it's a difficult time to write police procedurals. Or at least it should be, The Future of Police Procedurals ‹ CrimeReads; is it right to proceed with a biography against the wishes of the family? Hitchens Biography Proceeds, Against His Widow's Wishes - The New York Times; and the awful search for a flatttering author photo, Let's Face It: In Search of the Alluring Author Photo | BREVITY's Nonfiction Blog.
- 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...'
- Do you want some help with your writing but don't know quite what you want? Choosing a service can help you work out which service is right for you, or you could just email us.
- Links from publishing and bookselling: rather shockingly, this bitter dispute has lasted two years, Feud Between Hollywood Agents and TV Writers Comes to an End - The New York Times; major changes may be coming for British publishers, Richard Charkin: Brexit Ushers British Publishing Into New Territory; more thoughtful articles on Amazon and Bezos, At last, the regime that enabled Amazon's monopoly power is crumbling | Amazon | The Guardian; and on the man himself, ‘A managerial Mephistopheles': inside the mind of Jeff Bezos | Jeff Bezos | The Guardian.
- 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.
- 'Luckily for art, life is difficult, hard to understand, useless, and mysterious.' Grace Paley in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘So in that sense, I and my fellow horror writers are absorbing and defusing all your fears and anxieties and insecurities and taking them upon ourselves. We're sitting in the darkness beyond the flickering warmth of your fire, cackling into our caldrons and spitting out spider webs of words, all the time sucking the sickness from your minds and spewing it out into the night.' Stephen King, whose scores of works include The Stand, Carrie, The Dark Tower and The Dead Zone.
- The Inside Publishing series consists of 19 articles giving you an insider's view of publishing. The English Language Publishing World looks at the traditional way in which the international English-language publishing has been split between UK and US publishers. Why does the world get divided up into publishing territories? How has this come about? How does it affect authors? Then there's The Writer/Publisher Financial Relationship: 'There's no escaping the fact that publishers and authors are essentially in an adversarial position. Even in the very best and most supportive publisher/writer relationships there is the tension caused by the fact that authors would like to earn as much as possible from their writing and publishers to pay as little as they can get away with...'
- The 2021 Page Turner Awards are closing on 30 May. Open to all fiction and non-fiction writers over 18. Five different awards aim to help writers and authors to get discovered with possible literary agency representation and potentially taking a published book from page to film. Entry fees £20 for entries received by 28 February and £30 after that. £10,000 prize fund.
- 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 from the publishing world: will the Department of Justice block this acquisition? Authors Guild Asks DoJ to Stop PRH Purchase of S&S; "it is not our role to further judge or punish [people] as a result of their criminal convictions", US magazine Poetry faces outcry for publishing work by sex offender | Poetry | The Guardian; a surprise move from Bezos, As Revenue Tops $380 Billion, Bezos to Step Down as Amazon CEO; more on Bezos (if you want it) from a 2008 profile, PW's Person of the Year 2008: Amazon's Jeff Bezos; twenty-five years later, an updated piece on this was still timely, 'The Unbearable Whiteness of Publishing' Revisited.
- From our Endorsements page: ‘A wonderfully detailed and helpful report. The editorial advice and knowledge sharing is extensive and generous. Your editor has identified the points where and why my novel falls short and provided clear and practical advice on how to remedy the shortfalls... I would not hesitate to recommend your service to other writers both in terms of output and value for money.' Elspeth, UK.
- Links on writing and writers: a point of view character who you can't trust for one reason or another, Unreliable Narrator: Definition & How To Use Them - The Art of Narrative; have we become overwhelmed by mindless scrolling through social media? Page refresh: how the internet is transforming the novel | Fiction | The Guardian; should you write what you know? Stay in your lane? Find your niche? Pick Your Pond: How Nonfiction Authors Can Find the Right Positioning | Jane Friedman; J K Rowling was an unpublished, unemployed single mother in Edinburgh in 1995 when she sent him the first three chapters of her first book, Christopher Little, Who Built an Empire Around a Boy Wizard, Dies at 79 - The New York Times; and something completely different, Teaching stories about cancer.
- Our page of Picture library links provides a good starting-point for finding an image for your book, whether it's for the cover or inside. Gograph was the last one we added with its 18 million stock links.
- 'I believe that a writer is a person who writes. An author is a person who has written.' Dean Wesley Smith in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘The imagination doesn't crop annually like a reliable fruit tree. The writer has to gather whatever's there: sometimes too much, sometimes too little, sometimes nothing at all. And in the years of glut there is always a slatted wooden tray in some cool, dark attic, which the writer nervously visits from time to time...' Julian Barnes, author of 25 books, including Metroland, Flaubert's Parrot, Arthur & George, England, England, A History of the World in 10½ Chapters and The Sense of an Ending, which won the Booker Prize in 2011.
- 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. 'Indie authors access the same professional services as traditional publishing houses. They employ freelance editors, proofreaders and cover designers. They have their work professionally formatted for ebooks and typeset for print. They may use service providers to manage some or all of the publishing tasks, or they may go it alone...' Articles include Choose Your Self-publishing Route and Marketing and Promotion for Indie Authors: Online.
- If you're looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one of our four would suit you best? Which Report? includes our 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.
- Rotten Rejections provides a note of the things publishers wish they'd never said: on Animal Farm by George Orwell ‘It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA' and Carrie by Stephen King 'We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.'
- Links on writers and writing: on writing historical fiction, What Writing About the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre Taught Me About the Madness of Crowds ‹ CrimeReads; there's only one thing that any novel must do if it's going to succeed, and that's arouse the reader's curiosity, The One Thing Your Novel Absolutely Must Do | Jane Friedman; What's a mystery all about? The ending? The Mystery Is Holmes: Why We Return to Conan Doyle's Stories Over and Over Again ‹ CrimeReads; a call for picture book submissions from international writers of colour', with a view to increasing the diversity of its picture book list, Submissions window opens at Nosy Crow; and twice in the last three years I have taught an undergraduate course at Stanford called "Unfinished Novels." Why Should We Read Unfinished Novels?
- Have you ever wondered why you don't win any of those competitions? What can you do to improve your chances? Our tipsheet on Entering Competitions.
- Our printing and publishing glossary is a useful guide to some of the arcane terms used in the publishing world.
- Links from the world of publishing: Giving away the audiobook for Michelle Paver's Viper's Daughter - read by Sir Ian McKellen, no less - may seem like a dumb idea to most publishers, but Head of Zeus are not most publishers, A beautiful word for consumers a terrifying one for publishers; the Big Five publishers' hold over the adult hardcover and paperback bestsellers lists declined in 2020 compared to 2019, with independent publishers gaining ground, Breaking Down 2020 Bestsellers by Publisher; another seismic shift that will go largely unnoticed and unremarked for now, but will send ripples across the global publishing arena for years to come, Naver's $600 million buy-out of Wattpad should be a wake-up call for western publishers who still don't "get" online reading - The New Publishing Standard; and renewed demand for the Regency-era novels by Julia Quinn that form the basis for the eight-episode program, Netflix's Hit Series 'Bridgerton' Drives Book Sales.
- Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for 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 need.
- ‘Historical romance does a different kind of work than historical fiction. The work of the romance novel is not to tell the story of the past. It is to hold a mirror to the present.' Sarah MacLean in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘My father was a playwright so I grew up with reverence for writing. The sound of his typewriter clacking was one I grew to love. What I didn't know was how disappointed he was by the failure of his work to reach the West End. Later, I realised not all writing careers end in disappointment, and it was worth trying to make mine a success... Rose Tremain, author of The Colour, Restoration, The Road Home, Music and Silence, Merivel and 14 other novels, in the Telegraph's Stella.
- Are you hoping to submit your book to publishers? Will you plan to do this through an agent? Finding an agent shows you how to go about this: 'Many writers see being taken on by an agent as the first step in getting taken on by a publisher, because it is so difficult to get publishers to pay attention to unagented writers...'
- Or perhaps you want to self-publish your work? WritersServices offers a suite of services which help writers get their work into shape before they self-publish. Services for Self-publishers.
- Links from the publishing world: it's very topical this week of the inauguration, Writers sign letter to stop Trump administration book deals - Los Angeles Times; maybe not book-burning per se, but it's certainly the 21st-century, polite-society equivalent of it, Josh Hawley and the new world of book cancellations | The Spectator; textbook publishers had been trying to shift from paper to digital for years, but now Pandemic helps push audience for textbook publishers into the digital age; and a major project to republish books by black British writers that generally disappeared without trace before they could receive the recognition they deserved, Booker winner's mission to put UK's forgotten black writers back in print | Bernardine Evaristo | The Guardian.
- 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.
- Links about writers and their books: eight of her novels are to be made into TV dramas after the author secured a major deal with independent film company The Forge, Barbara Taylor Bradford novels slated for TV | The Bookseller; is this your problem - not knowing the answers to crucial questions, and not knowing which questions were which in the first place, Is Your Writer's Block Really Writer's Indecision? | Jane Friedman; Women ‘are routinely overlooked for awards,' Melinda Gates Donates US$250,000 to New Carol Shields Prize for Fiction; and more books being filmed, Dune And 14 Other Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming In 2021 - CINEMABLEND.
- Get some professional help. If you're self-publishing, you need good quality copy for the cover. Our Blurb-writing service can provide a professionally written piece of cover copy. Submitting to agents but finding it difficult to write your own synopsis? Commission a Synopsis which will present your manuscript in the best possible light for submission.
- Miscellaneous links: Amazon and the Pandemic, COVID-19 and Book Publishing: Impacts and Insights for 2021; over the weekend fanfiction website Archive of our Own went down, People Are Reading So Much Fanfiction It's Crashing the Biggest Fanfic Website; Naver is the leading search engine and digital tools and services provider, a platform akin to Google, South Korea's Naver to Acquire Wattpad for $600 Million; and the Pandemic strikes again with move to streaming this Sunday, UK: TS Eliot Prize's Shortlisted Poets Set for Digital Readings.
- We have a new page which gives an editor's take on using pdfs, 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. Why? Precisely because PDFs are designed not to be tampered with or changed. When you stop to think about it, editing is no more or less than a process of changing - and correcting - your file...'
- If you were thinking of entering The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition 2020, the closing date has been moved to 15 May, so there's plenty of time.
- In our Writers' Quotes: 'No author dislikes to be edited as much as he dislikes not to be published.' Russell Lynes
- ‘The thing I like about novels is that they are a more forgiving form. You can make missteps. It's harder to write a really good short story - I'm more aware of the flaws in my short stories. There's pleasure I get being able to spend that much time with people and ideas in novels, but if you write a short story, the magical period of an idea to the excitement of composition and the first draft is short, but deeply pleasurable in a way novels are not... Elizabeth McCracken, author of Bowlaway, Thunderstruck and four other books of novels, short stories and a memoir, in the Observer.
- A Publisher's View is our four-part series from publisher Tom Chalmers on what publishers are looking for. What a publisher wants from submissions, Judging a book by its covering letter and synopsis, Making the submission and The changing face of publishing. 'While editors may well do some later tinkering, it shouldn't be sent in unless the writer feels it is a manuscript ready for publication, in terms of both grammar and content. Lines like ‘I know it needs some work', or ‘I think it's nearly there' show admirable humility but are an immediate put-off!...'
- The 2021 International Book and Pamphlet Competition is open to poets internationally. The entry fee is £28, £25 to subscribers to The North. The prize is publication by Smith|Doorstop Books; a share of £2,000 cash; a launch reading; publication in the North magazine; book vouchers from Inpress Books. Closing 1 March. This is one of the few poetry prizes which has publication as its prize.
- Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? This is the question our page Which service? answers and it then goes on to give a quick rundown on our 20 editorial services for writers, which we think is the biggest and most comprehensive you can find on the internet.
- Our links this week are a rather thin crop, as the book world lumbers its way back into action after the break: it's been a picture of gloom and doom for most business sectors in 2020, but it's good to know that 2020 has been surprisingly good for the publishing industry - Good e-Reader; the peril faced by the work of a writer dying young, George Orwell is out of copyright. What happens now? | George Orwell | The Guardian; George Saunders once said, ‘when you read a short story, you come out a little more aware and a little more in love with the world around you'...but what is the best way to get yourself going? Writing a short story - where do you start? - National Centre for Writing.
- It may surprise you to know that the first of Julie Wheelwright's Top Ten Tips for Nonfiction Writers is: 'Story, story, story. Make sure that your story can sustain several chapters and tens of thousands of words. Keep asking yourself: Why would anyone want to read this story?'
- A few more links: the generosity of a donor supporting poets and writers, B&N Founder Makes $250K Donation to Poets & Writers; pitching a manuscript isn't for cowards, the thin skinned, or those with no endurance. Believing your project is worthy, truly believing in it, is required, as is the patience of a saint, How I Landed a Book Deal Via Twitter - Unintentionally | Jane Friedman; and a renowned children's author points to the difference between 'selecting' and 'censoring'? Michael Morpurgo denies 'censoring' Merchant of Venice in children's book | Michael Morpurgo | The Guardian.
- WritersServices editor Kay GaleWritersServices editor who has worked for many years as a freelance editor for number of publishers. on The Slush pile: 'When I started working in publishing over thirty years ago it was part of my job to check through the pile of unsolicited manuscripts that arrived on a daily basis, and like every other enthusiastic young editorial assistant, I dreamed of finding the next bestseller in the ‘slush pile'. I was soon disillusioned..'
- '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. But how are you supposed to tell who will do a good job, when the editorial services on the web all sound pretty much the same and it's tempting to go for the cheapest?' Getting your manuscript copy edited
- 'People have many cruel expectations from writers. People expect novelists to live on a hill with three kids and a spouse, people expect children's story writers to never have sex, and people expect all great poets to be dead. And these are all very difficult expectations to fulfill, I think.' C. JoyBell C. in our Writers' Quotes
