What's New in 2021
- ‘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.