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23 April 2018 - What's new

23 April 2018
  • 'For a long time, probably since 1988 when The Silence of the Lambs was published, the crime market was dominated by books about serial killers. I like a good serial-killer thriller, but, probably happily, I do not have one in me. Then Gone Girl changed the game. Psychological suspense is what I had studied and what I thought I would be able to write...' Daniel Mallory, who, under the pseudonym A J Finn, published his much-heralded debut crime novel The Woman in the Window after a career in crime publishing. Our Comment was in the Observer Magazine.
  • An Editor's Advice is a series of seven articles by one of our editors on really useful subjects for writers such as Dialogue, Manuscript presentation and Doing further drafts and Planning: 'The idea of planning doesn't fit well with the idea of the writer as inspired genius, frantically scribbling away. However, I am willing to bet that, no matter what they would have you think, most successful writers plan as much as they write. They just don't tell you about it. The biggest objection that most inexperienced writers raise when someone broaches the delicate matter of planning is that it will get in the way of their inventive powers. A plan will be like a straitjacket. They'll be stuck with this plan and if they come up with a good idea along the way, they will not be able to use it. They are genuinely horrified at the thought...'
  • The Bridport Prize 2018 is open to writers of any nationality writing in English, 16 years old and over. You can submit unpublished Poetry and Short Stories with a First Prize of £5,000, and Flash Fiction and First Novel with a First Prize £1,000. There are various fees. Closing 31 May.
  • 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, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you need.
  • Our links: I love publishing because it doesn't play to formulae, and something always happens that no-one could predict, Opinion - Publishing Monday, 23 April 2018; the number one question we were asked by investors was: How are you going to create great stories? Publishing startups have the tech - what they need is the stories | The Bookseller; five years ago, I decided that it was time to write my first book, What You Need to Know to Create a Best-selling Book; and What makes a writer? How do you become one? Let's silence the creative writing course snobs | Books | The Guardian.
  • Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? This is the question our page Which service? answers and it then goes on to give a quick rundown on our 20 editorial services for writers, the biggest you can find on the internet.
  • More links: it often surprises people that after her success, she couldn't put her feet up and retire, Hanya Yanagihara: influential magazine editor by day, best-selling author by night | Books | The Guardian; in a groundbreaking study of more than two million books published in North America between 2002 and 2012, scholars found that books by women authors are priced 45% less than those of their male counterparts, Want to earn more as a book author? A male name will help; Amazon is huge - worth $740bn (£530bn) at Monday night's share price - but it moves fast and is a lethal predator, The age of Amazon: a closeup examination of Bezos's behemoth | Technology | The Guardian.
  • It's a common enough fantasy for writers: maybe now I can leave that dreary job and devote myself whole-heartedly to writing. 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? Don't give up the day job.
  • 'Always stop while you are going good and don't worry about it until you start to write the next day. That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.' Ernest Hemingway in our Writers' Quotes.