December 2022
- ‘The most important skill a writer can have is curiosity... I don't think writer's block exists. I go through phases of hating writing. And I go through longer phases of feeling I've got nothing to say. But the idea of writer's block has never rung true for me. This idea that you're straining to get it out. I've thought, "Oh that's it, I'm finished," then something comes along that makes me interested in stuff again.' Geoff Dyer, author of four novels and ten non-fiction titles, including The Last Days of Roger Federer, But Beautiful, See/Saw and White Sands in the Observer.
- Worldbuilding 3: geography and physical location is the latest in this new series.'Pretty much every time I pick up a fantasy novel and begin to read, the first thing I encounter is a map, or a series of maps, laying out the whole world, the country or city where the main action takes place, two or more separate (and often belligerent) locations, or all of the above. It has become a convention of fantasy literature and, I tend to think, is often rather less use to the reader than the writer. Think of it this way: when you read a realist novel set in a location you are unfamiliar with, how often do you reach for an atlas before you start reading? I'd hazard a guess that it's not often; for most of us, likely never.'
- From our 19-part Inside Publishing series, The English Language Publishing World: 'Why does the English language world get divided up into publishing territories? How has this come about? How does it affect authors?... English language publishing has worked primarily on a London/New York axis. Publishing in English originated in the UK, primarily in London, as a family business, with British publishers exporting their books to the then British colonies...'
- From the same series, Children's publishing: '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. In some ways children's books are innately more stable, as successful authors sell their backlist strongly, with a new generation coming into each age group every year. For many years the sector as a whole was stable in terms of personnel as well, with editors staying in their jobs over a long period and having the chance to build their lists...'
- 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, Writer's edit, providing line-editing, Proof-reading and two new services, the Cutting Edit and Developmental editing. 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: a really excellent guide to writing suspene from a master of the form, Jeffery Deaver's Guide to Writing Page-Turning Fiction ‹ CrimeReads; the chair of the Society of Authors on authors' earnings, Horribly low pay is pushing out my fellow authors - and yes, that really does matter | Joanne Harris | The Guardian; a useful guide, How to write a short story; murder is a grisly, nasty business...except in the cozy mystery subgenre, where bloodless murders are the order of the day, Killing Them Softly: Getting Away With Murder in Cozy Mysteries ‹ CrimeReads; the star who has deposed Oprah Winfrey as queen of the online literary discussion groups, Legally bookish: Reese Witherspoon and the boom in celebrity book clubs | Books | The Guardian; and a novelist's worst nightmare, Ann Cleeves loses laptop containing draft of new book in Shetland blizzard | Books | The Guardian.
- 'I want to thank Chris and the team at Writers Services for their help and tolerance. My first submission of my rough draft came back with an extremely useful critique. I restructured, rewrote and resubmitted - and got an excellent feedback which has helped me to revise the book by highlighting the weaknesses and the development needed... the help received so far is already paying dividends. I have just signed with an agent on the strength of the latest draft.' Patrick Cox in our Endorsements.
- 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 from the publishing world: how did happy ever after come back in fashion? The love boom: why romance novels are the biggest they've been for 10 years | Romance books | The Guardian; who would be a writer? Well, no one who wants to earn a living, if the latest numbers are to be believed, The Bookseller - Editor's Letter - Write on; the contract demands made by the union failed to "account for the market dynamics of the publishing industry", HC Union Update: Authors Co-Host Rally at Harper Headquarters, Agents 'Overwhelmingly' Support Strike; Africa is a continent of 54 countries and some 1.4 billion people, speaking-and sometimes writing and publishing-in hundreds of languages, #ReadingAfrica: Five Writers and Publishers Discuss the Continent's Boundless Literary Landscape ‹ Literary Hub.
- 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.
- More links from writers: celebrity authored children's books have become stalwarts of supermarket books aisles, ‘I'm parking my guilt': confessions of a celebrity children's book ghost writer | Books | The Guardian; we all read crime novels, and all crime novels feature guns, 10 Things Crime Writers Should Know About Guns ‹ CrimeReads; three years and 12 entries later, the series has found an audience, mostly through Kindle Unlimited (KU), Paid-by-the-page ebook subscription model a boon for genre writers - The Globe and Mail; his former pupil David Cornwell (aka John Le Carre) "strikes me as the sort who might become either Archbishop of Canterbury or a first-rate criminal!" The Father of All Secrets | Sam Adler-Bell; Writers are calling on parents and grandparents to buy a book by a non-celebrity this Christmas, Steer clear of ‘mediocre writing' by celebrities for Christmas, authors plead | Books | The Guardian.
- Our printing and publishing glossary is a useful guide to some of the arcane terms used in the publishing world.
- Which service? is our guide to the services which are available from Writerservices.
- 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...'
- '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 in our Writers' Quotes.
- Finally we've passed a milestone this week, with over 9,000 pages available on the Writerservices site! The best way to access them is through Advice for Writers.
