21 February 2022 - What's new
21 February 2022
- 'Normally agents and editors read a book thinking. "Do I love this, would other people love this?" Now a new concern has sprung up: "Will other people object to it?" You're worrying about whether what characters say can be taken out of context, screengrabbed and put on Twitter, and that the author will be punished. Books are judged by people who haven't read them more than ever before...' An unnamed publishing editor in the Sunday Times Culture.
- 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.
- English Language Editing is a polishing service for writers writing in English who are not native English speakers. It is specially designed to help non-native speakers of English to find success in the international publishing market. If English is not your native language, you may require extra help to take your work to a professional standard and a native level of fluency.
- The 2022 Page Turner Awards are open to all writers over 18 across the world in five categories. Entry fees and £35,000 prize fund. Closing 31 May 2022.
- Other live competitions.
- Links from the publishing world: encouraging news about US book sales, Bookstore Sales Rose 28% in 2021; a few years ago, I dove into romance novels again with absolute delight, How to get into romance books - and why you should - Polygon; more on romance, the romance sector from a representation point of view, The Bookseller - Features - Love without limits: editors and authors on the barriers to a diverse romance sector; and one author's experience of having her prize-winning book assessed by experts who would detect and reform its problematic racism and ableism, How sensitivity readers corrupt literature - UnHerd.
- WritersServices can provide a range of services working on your manuscript, to help you get it ready for submission or self-publishing. We are UK-based, offer exceptional value and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for 17 years. We have introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. Copy editing services.
- Health Hazards is our special series about the various health risks for writers, including the dreaded Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. If you know you're spending too much time at a keyboard, it's worth making sure you're being careful about how you're sitting, your eyes and your wrists. Although Coronavirus may be the main health risk you're focused on at the moment, these special dangers writers face are worth thinking about.
- Links about writing: are authors artists who should worry first and foremost about creating the best art they can, or is it more important to understand the business side of the equation? Some Words About Word Counts - by Lincoln Michel; a strong character arc really is the key to an emotionally affecting novel, one that will make a strong connection with readers, Want to Write a Great Novel? Be Brave. | Jane Friedman; five poets on their work, A Zoom of One's Own: Poetry 2022; and "I don't remotely feel as if I've been ‘cancelled'", Author Joanne Harris turns down US book deal over censoring of ‘f-bomb' | Joanne Harris | 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
- More links from writers: the author who had his manuscript knocked back by publishers 44 times, The Bookseller - Author Interviews - Douglas Stuart | 'Mungo was a way to explore masculinity and how we teach little boys how to be men'; the freedom for anyone to reproduce or reimagine books once they are out of copyright is corrupting classic texts, The Great Gapsby? How modern editions of classics lost the plot | Publishing | The Guardian; the difficult set of decisions which face a literary executor, When a Writer Dies: Making Difficult Decisions About the Work Left Behind | Jane Friedman; and I've found darkness lurking in some of the most unexpected places, The Darker Side of Jane Austen ‹ CrimeReads.
- Our 20 Services for Writers.
- ‘Words may, through the devotion, the skill, the passion, and the luck of writers prove to be the most powerful thing in the world.' William Golding in our Writers' Quotes.