What's New in 2021
- '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.