February 2025
- 'I looked at authors who wrote series, and I privately thought they had it easy - they didn't have to create anything new, they had the characters, they had the world, all they had to do was throw another story at them. But it's not like that at all. Although you've got your core characters, you're creating new characters, and you create a new world and universe in each particular book. I boxed myself into a few corners with previous stories - for instance, I might want Ffion to go back to the station, but then I'd realise she couldn't, because I'd put it miles away and she couldn't physically get there. There were all these constraints - I found it really challenging...' Clare Mackintosh, author of 9 novels, including I Let You Go, Hostage and Other People's Houses, which have sold more than 2 million copies across 40 countries, in Bookbrunch.
- The new 17th article in the Ask the Editor series is Past or present tense? 'I regularly see books by new writers that switch intermittently from past to present; this is not always deliberate, unfortunately. I used to assume the book had been written in one tense and then, somewhat inefficiently, changed to another; but I've come to suspect that some writers don't actually notice. That's passing strange because, for the reader, there are clear differences; so much so that some readers (curmudgeons perhaps) apparently reject books out of hand if they are written in the present. If the reader can tell the difference, then you, dear writer, need to brush up...'
- The 16 other articles in the Ask the Editor series cover subjects as diverse as Writing non-fiction, How I assess a manuscript, The submission letter and What genre is my book?
- Our 8 UK-based Copy editing services specialise in writers' needs, offering competitive rates and providing highly experienced professional editors. We offer a wide range of editorial services to help you prepare your manuscript for submission to an agent or publisher, or for self-publication. Our team of expert editors has years of experience in helping and advising authors; we can help you to bring your work to a professional level of excellence. Most of our editing services offer a free sample and they are all excellent value for money.
- So you have finished your book, but you know it is too long; how do you go about reducing the word count without losing important parts of your work? We're here to help. Our experienced editors will work with you to reduce the word count of your book while preserving the main narrative elements and your individual style. This service is available for both fiction and non-fiction. The Cutting edit
- Links to writers' stories: a mystery author grapples with the lure of 'ripped-from-the-headlines' stories, Tying Your Story to Current Events: Brilliant Strategy or a Fool's Mission? ‹ CrimeReads; a hand-picked digest of news stories from the past month, The Bookseller - Comment - News for emerging authors; the Read Yourself Happy author tells BookBrunch about the restorative power of books, how social media has changed over the last few years, and her love of Jilly Cooper, Q&A: author Daisy Buchanan; and Steve Wick was a prize-winning reporter and nonfiction author. And he was searching for a new story to tell, How an Interview with a Killer Pushed One Journalist Toward Fiction ‹ CrimeReads.
- Do 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. Get your manuscript ready for your publication - Services for Self-publishers.
- So you want to write historical fiction? Well, your timing is good, because it is fashionable again after many years in the doldrums. In fact it's so popular that it has virtually reinvented itself as a category. The resurgence of historical fiction has been much appreciated by readers who have always enjoyed it and who for many years have had little new material to read... What has changed is that there is now a definable market for it, which means that publishers are looking for historical fiction and are much more open to taking it on. The result has been big reissue programmes involving many existing titles, but also publishers looking out for authors working in this genre. Writing historical fiction. There are six other articles in this series.
- Links from publishing and bookselling: imprints are great business, but is their prestige and value getting diluted as they proliferate? The Bookseller - Comment - Have we reached peak imprint? Current crime fiction backlist of more than 300 titles will be moved to the new imprint, Grove Atantic Press Launches New Crime Fiction Imprint; one has been well run; the other has been run into the ground, Waterstones and WHS: a tale of two retailers; after a decade of downsizing, the beloved bookseller is seeing a resurgence thanks in part to TikTok's #BookTok and a rise in so-called third spaces, Barnes & Noble opening 60 stores in 2025: List of new location cities - Fast Company.
- From our Endorsements page: 'Please extend my gratitude to the editor for his/her thoughtful and detailed edit. I could not ask for better work! Its value far exceeded the cost.' Jim, Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA)
- From our 19-part Inside Publishing 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 Julia Donaldson, 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...'
- 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.
- Links on AI and social media: defending copyright means defending the rights of creators and ensuring a sustainable future for the creative and knowledge-based economy, The Bookseller - Editor's Letter - Philip Jones | 'In a plot twist worthy of Jeffrey Archer, the government's preferred route is not one that defends creativity, but an opt-out system'; a statement released at the conclusion of the summit affirmed the main priorities of the attendees, Publishers See Mixed Messages in Paris AI Summit; this deal sheds light on how the industry values creative work in the AI era, Microsoft offers authors $5,000 to train AI on their books; as social media communities splinter, children's authors and publishers wonder where their next digital gathering place will be, Where Is the Kid Lit Community Online? And an intriguing parallel between evolutionary biology and artificial intelligence, Author Post: Why the Book Business Holds the Keys to Ethical AI.
- How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth) asks writers who are not native English speakers with a manuscript which needs polishing or translating: "If your English is good enough, what about translating your book yourself or writing in English, and then getting your work 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, using our English Language Editing service.
- Links for children's writers: over 10,000 books have been banned from American libraries and schools. Those leading the fightback caution that we need to focus on what those books represent, 'It's not about the books': banned in the USA; the classic, haunting tale of two brave children lost in an eerie and dangerous forest, Hansel and Gretel: Stephen King and Maurice Sendak - Stephen King Books; in a lot of ways, it's never been harder to convince kids to pick up a book over a phone or iPad, Mac Barnett named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature : NPR; and sales of graphic novels have doubled over the past five years, to some parents' dismay. But data shows these books can have a positive lifelong impact on young readers, Graphic novels are booming in popularity. It's changing children's relationship with books - Fast Company.
- 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 offer three levels of report and copy editing from specialist children's editors. Use their expertise to help get your work ready for publication in this tricky but potentially huge market.
- ‘Writing about historical figures is like trying to solve a mystery as you try to figure out who they were and get as close to them as you can without ever really knowing them.' Alice Hoffman in our Writers' Quotes.
