What's New in 2024
- This week we have broken through 10,000 pages on the WritersServices site! Our huge site contains an enormous amount of information which can be accessed through the homepage or through Advice for Writers, which gives a breakdown of what is on the site.
- ‘Georgette Heyer was my favourite author, then and now. It might as well have been science fiction. That world was so alien to my world that I was lost in it, and I've never come out again... At the time, she was rated as a comic genius, along with PG Wodehouse. It's still respectable to read Wodehouse, but Heyer is in the romance box... I said: "please give me a job because I love Georgette Heyer. You may be deceived by my two degrees in English literature to think that I am interested in literary fiction, but really I love romance and I'm a Heyer obsessive." She ended up copy-editing Regency romances, which she loved - and she also found romance of her own, meeting her husband, fellow literary agent Luigi Bonomi, and is now writing under the name Emma Orchard. Falling in love with Georgette Heyer in a Bookbrunch interview.
- 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, the Writer's edit, providing line-editing, and Proof-reading. The Cutting edit and Developmental editing are two new services. 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.
- Tips for Writers is an eight-part series which offers easy access to information for writers. Tips for Writers 3 covers New Technology and the Internet: 'Sites such as WritersServices offer a vast amount of free information which can help you develop your writing and get published...' Tips for Writers 8 covers Submission to Publishers & Agents: 'Look for agents who are trying to build up their lists, rather than those with established client lists. It may be wonderful to think of being represented by the agents who act for Stephen King or Ian Rankin, but you're much more likely to get taken on by someone who's just set up, or a hungry young agent in a bigger agency...'
- Our first set of links are to writers' stories: the factories may have closed, but Sheffield's crime writers are still going strong, Crime Writing in Sheffield: England's Gritty Steeltown ‹ CrimeReads; fears no-one would want a read a book by "a woman who had never been to space", The Bookseller - News - Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey nearly 'lost her nerve' when writing Orbital; MWA Grand Master Peter Lovesey launched his crime writing career with 1970's Wobble to Death, the first of eight novels featuring Victorian-era Metropolitan Police sergeant Daniel Cribb; Diamond's Not Forever: PW Talks with Peter Lovesey; Fiona Lucas reports on the testimonies of coma travellers, 'Two weeks on the most amazing cruise' then she woke up; and talking about his immensely popular Southern Reach trilogy, Jeff VanderMeer Tells Victor LaValle Why He Returned to Area X.
- ‘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 on our Endorsements page.
- Are you having difficulty writing a blurb for the cover of your book? Our Blurb-writing service can give your book a professional look. What about your synopsis - often a tricky task for a writer? Our Synopsis-writing service can provide a synopsis of whatever length you need for your submissions.
- The Moth Poetry Prize 2024 is open to all poets over 16 for an unpublished poem. The entry fee is €15 per poem and you can enter as many poems as you like. 1st prize €6,000, plus three runner-up prizes of €1,000 and eight commended poets will each receive €250. To be judged this year by Fiona Benson, it's closing on 31 December.
- Links from publishing, AI, bookselling and world affairs: at the turn of the century a company called Napster launched a service that allowed music lovers to share downloaded tunes via a peer-to-peer online network, The Bookseller - Editor's Letter - The party crashers; allowing limited use of select nonfiction backlist titles for training AI models to improve model quality and performance, HarperCollins Inks AI Licensing Deal for Nonfiction Books; America's largest retail bookseller has reclaimed the flagship store it vacated in 2013, Barnes & Noble is making a comeback | CNN Business; and one of TikTok's defining subcultures is arguing over whether books are political, "red-listing" authors, and looking for guidance in speculative fiction, The US Election Is Tearing BookTok Apart | WIRED.
- The 11th article in the Ask the Editor series deals with English Language editing: 'English is the world's lingua franca. Over two billion people speak it as a first or second language. It is the official, or everyday, language in fifty-nine countries. In recent years, we have seen an increasing number of books and manuscripts from non-native speakers of English here at WritersServices. And the quality of those books has increased, impressively, year on year. Writing in a language you don't speak as a native presents a range of challenges to the author...'
- From our 19-part Inside Publishing series: Advances and Royalties: 'Writers are generally paid a royalty based on their book sales. The way it works is fairly complicated, so if you have an agent to represent you, you should take their advice on any offer you receive from a publisher. But if you don't have an agent, then make sure you check any contract carefully. You're still faced with the problem of knowing what to expect and what it all means. 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.
- Which service? offers an overview of the editorial services we offer and Our Services for Writers offers links to all 22 of them - we think this is the biggest range on the internet.
- More links from writers: British author Katherine Rundell will give all the royalties from one of her books to climate charities, Author Katherine Rundell donates royalties to climate charities in Trump protest | Books | The Guardian; Jo Nolan takes a wry look at the fine art of self-publishing, How (not) to publish; a conversation with the author of White City, Dominic Nolan on Historical Crime Fiction, London, and Cycles of Violence ‹ CrimeReads; from the amazing Jane Friedman herself: Who is the primary readership for your book? And have you stretched it too far or too thin in your book proposal's target audience section? How to Describe Your Target Readership So It's Meaningful to Agents and Publishers | Jane Friedman; and her clear and helpful article on POD, Don't Demonize Print on Demand | Jane Friedman.
- 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...'
- 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...' These articles also explain subidiary rights, which are important for any author.
- Our final set of links: mashing genres can be a tricky business, Navigating ‘Dark Space': How Rob Hart and Alex Segura Mashed Up Spy and Speculative Fiction ‹ CrimeReads; "The school curriculum has become so packed and so prescriptive that it is very hard to make schools places where books can be enjoyed", The Bookseller - Author Interviews - Q&A: Michael Rosen; and men don't just think about the Roman Empire - they're also more likely to want to read about it, Do Men Read Less Fiction? Jenna Bush Hager Asks Why.
- 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
- ‘In a children's book, the child must be the agent. You mustn't take the meat and potatoes of the story away from the child.' Michael Rosen in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘I usually go back a little bit and then move forward. The objective is that I want the reader to be transported. Writing is like a ride - you're getting into a spaceship and you're going somewhere where you're going to have an adventure. It takes you away from the moment that you're in and your real life... It's a strange thing when I start a book. I'm writing about Scarpetta, but I don't feel like she's there. It's like she's saying to me, "When you're ready for me, I'll show up, but you're not ready for me yet." Then, all of a sudden, she populates the character on my screen, and the characters start becoming alive. I don't get tired of her, even though I've been living with her for several decades now...' Patricia Cornwell has sold over 9 million copies in the UK, and 120 million copies worldwide, including in 36 languages to over 120 countries. The latest Scarpetta title, Identity Unknown, the 28th in the series, was published on 8 October.
- Worldbuilding 9: how should my characters speak? is the latest in our Worldbuilding series:''Your world is constructed: you have a comprehensive setting, a cast of characters (human and/or otherwise), and a plot ready to launch. You come to the first lines of dialogue in the story; how do your characters speak? In this article I'll look at some useful strategies, and some of the pitfalls, involved in fantasy dialogue.The classic fantasy setting is mediaeval in design; technology is basic, the weapons of choice are swords and spears rather than ray-guns and rockets, characters dress, behave and speak in a way that fits the setting...'
- Our new nine-part Worldbuilding series is designed to help fantasy and science fiction writers think about the various things they need to consider when constructing the world in their novel: 'Fantasy fiction is a niche market, but a very popular niche market. It is particularly popular among new writers, and I suspect this is a consequence of growing up on a diet of best-selling fantasy fiction over the last couple of decades...' The titles are: 1: Character names in fantasy novels, 2: The basics of writing fantasy fiction, 3: Geography and physical location, 4: Technology, 5: Culture, 6: Magic, 7: It's a kind of magic, 8: Non-human characters and 9: How should my characters speak?
- Our Editor's Report Plus is a substantial report which offers an overview and an extended chapter-by-chapter commentary on your work. If you opt for our Editor's Report Plus you'll get the kind of expert advice which is usually only available from an in-house editor, which is why it has become our most popular report. Our other reports are the Editor's Report and the brief Reader's Report. We also have a range of children's reports.
- Links to writers' stories: Olivia Rutigliano talks to the legendary thriller writer about his new (or not so new) change of pace, Lee Child on writing short stories ‹ CrimeReads; the dream of becoming a full-time writer is an exceedingly difficult one to achieve in trade publishing today, How Alex Segura and Rob Hart Made the Full-Time Writer's Life Work; and "It is really meaningful to me that people in their 20s and a little bit younger still have a place in their hearts for my books," the author tells PEOPLE, Jeff Kinney Calls His Latest 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' Book 'Hot Mess' the 'Best Story' (Exclusive).
- The Conversation Prize is a new prize which is open to academics writing in English. The winner gets £1,000, publication on the Conversation's website, and mentorship from a Curtis BrownSee Curtis Brown listing literary agent and a Faber book editor. Are you an academic keen to develop a writing career? Do you have a book idea that has the potential to be a nonfiction bestseller? Applicants should submit a 2,000-word article based on their area of expertise, plus a trade non-fiction book idea that they would like to develop into a publishing proposal. The deadline is 30 November.
- Advice for writers - if you want to delve into the wealth of information on our huge site, here's the page which will help you find what you're looking for.
- Do you plan to self-publish your work? WritersServices offers a suite of services which help writers get their work into shape before they self-publish. This covers 12 services which will help you make sure your book is the best it can be. Services for Self-publishers
- Links on AI and social media: the BBC is among those organisations opposing a plan that would see AI models trained on content from publishers and artists by default, ‘An existential threat': anger over UK government plans to allow AI firms to scrape content | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian; the academic publisher has adopted an "opt-in" policy for licensing authors' content to generative AI companies, giving all authors the opportunity to understand how their work will be used before giving their consent, The Bookseller - News - Cambridge University Press & Assessment writes to 20k authors for AI licensing 'opt-in'; "We are working on a limited experiment with some Dutch authors, for their books to be translated into English language using AI." The Bookseller - News - Dutch publisher owned by Simon & Schuster to trial using AI for English-language translations; last week hundreds of thousands of Instagram users posted a block of text to their accounts hoping to avoid the plague of artificial intelligence online, How to Opt Out of A.I. Online | The New Yorker; a recent Nielsen BookData and GfK Entertainment report on global book sales for the first eight months of the year shows "rising revenues in fiction, while sales of nonfiction books are declining in many regions, BookTok Boom: Social Media Helps Drive Sales in Some International Markets.
- Inside Publishing is a 19-part series about publishing, which helps writers understand what goes on inside the business. Some columns are a bit technical, but please keep reading if you want to understand what's really happening inside publishing houses and what it all means for you. Even if self-publishing is what you have in mind, this series provides a lot of useful background.
- 'Why do publishers need agents? Actually they don't need them, although they have come to rely on them. In many ways publishers would prefer to deal direct with unagented authors. It's authors who need agents. Writers need someone to sell their work and then to look after their relationship with their publishers...' From Inside Publishing The Relationship between Publishers and Agents.
- 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. Avoiding rejection
- 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. Get your PhD edited by a professional editor to make sure you achieve the best result you can. PhD editing service
- Miscellaneous links: the writers and agents working behind the scenes tell us how it actually works, Who's Really Writing Celebrity Novels? NLT survey finds only 35% of eight to 18-year-olds enjoy reading in their spare time, a sharp drop on last year to the lowest figure yet recorded, Report finds ‘shocking and dispiriting' fall in children reading for pleasure | Books | The Guardian; calls for more investment and innovation in the audiobook sector, The Bookseller - Features - Surprise! The UK audiobook market stands at over £1bn; and listening to audiobooks opens older adults up to communities both online and offline, Listening to Audiobooks is Fun and May Be the Secret to Stronger Memory in Older Adults - WorldHealth.net.
- From our Endorsements page: 'Many thanks to you and the Editor for the edits, and the comments. I am really pleased with the services of your company. Will definitely use it again.' Merlin, India
- 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?
- Our latest new service is Developmental editing. If you are a new writer, setting out on your first book project, or a more experienced writer who wants to improve your skills, this service is for you. We will work with you to identify the areas where you need to develop new or better skills.
- Our last set of links are from the publishing world: though a global pandemic darkened the early 2020s, four US children's book imprints that launched soon before its onset are shining brightly as they mark their fifth anniversaries this year, Four Kids' Imprints Turn Five; Frankfurt then and now, by Trevor Dolby, Had to get the train to the Hauptbahnhof; the broadcast media has closed its doors on lesser-known names, making the jobs of publicists harder still, The Bookseller - Comment - What are publicists to do? Petworth Literary Festival doubled in size last year, Small, local book festivals are still thriving | Literary festivals | 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. This is because most poetry lists are pretty small. Poetry is not in general given much space in bookshops and it is difficult to achieve any sales for first collections. Self-publishing offers a good approach and the live poetry scene is much livelier than it used to be...' Getting your poetry published.
- 'Sometimes the ideas just come to me. Other times I have to sweat and almost bleed to make ideas come. It's a mysterious process, but I hope I never find out exactly how it works. I like a mystery, as you may have noticed.' J K Rowling in our Writers' Quotes.
