24 January 2022 - What's new
24 January 2022
- ‘There's a whole debate about... whether we're just constrained to write about ourselves. But it's always seemed to me to be an absolute base fundamental that imagining my way into somebody's else's consciousness and what makes them yearn, what makes them happy, what makes them anxious - this kind of projection into another soul's being and, in many cases, into people's consciousness who are very unlike me, a different gender, a different age - has always been what writing has been about. Supposing Dickens had only written about himself?... Rose Tremain, author of 15 books, including Restoration, Sacred Country, Music and Silence and The Gustav Sonata.
- My Say gives writers a chance to air their views about writing and the writer's life. So we have Lynda Finn about the isolation of New Zealand writers and their problems with getting published, British author Eliza Graham, author of Playing with the Moon, on her route to publication and Zoe Jenny, who is Swiss, on writing in English and why it was liberating. Send us your contributions, ideally 200 to 400 words in length and of general interest. Please email them to us.
- The BBC National Short Story Award 2022 is open to British nationals and UK residents, aged 18 years or over. There's no entry fee and the winner gets £15,000 plus 4 shortlisted authors receive £600. There's lots of publicity through the BBC. Closing 21 March.
- Three other competitions are closing very shortly.
- 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, our new Writer's edit, providing line-editing, and Proof-reading. 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.
- Links on writing: don't forget: all great writers (and many of their now-beloved books) have been rejected, some of them many, many times, 20 Famous Writers on Being Rejected ‹ Literary Hub; Guadalcanal Diary made a steady climb up the bestseller charts, Creating a Classic of Military Literature; since the pandemic arrived in early 2020, the publishing community has turned its eye toward online events as a key way to spread word of mouth about books, How to Plan and Host Worthwhile Online Book Events | Jane Friedman; publishing has seen any number of innovative ideas that for one reason or another failed to thrive, Five Obscure But Interesting Publishing Experiments | Tor.com; and a long article about an extraordinary man, The Story of 18th Century England's Booming Graverobbing Industry, and the Man Who Inspired ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' ‹ CrimeReads.
- From Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk, The Business of Writing for Self-publishing authors offers terrific advice for all writers: 'Self-publishing authors - also known as ‘indie' authors or author-publishers - have had a steep learning curve these past few years. Getting to grips with the various sales channels available to them, producing top quality ebooks and paperbacks, and finding a place in mainstream outlets have left many writers struggling to keep up with the paperwork. What follows is a brief guide to the essentials your self-publishing business needs - because it is a business, even if you only publish one book!'
- Authors often find it difficult to write their own synopsis for submission to publishers, which is where our Synopsis-writing service can help. If you're preparing to self-publish and having difficulty with your blurb, our Blurb-writing service from a professional copy-writer will make your book stand out.
- Links from the publishing world: after authors including Kate Mosse and Philip Pullman warned that proposals to change the UK's copyright laws could be "devastating" for writers, Government pauses plans to rewrite UK copyright laws after authors protest | Books | The Guardian; a children's author has a seemingly unstoppable record-setting run of earning eight figures in the UK, Donaldson reigns supreme as backlist surge sees new authors make top 50; there's good news and bad news, Americans are buying more books-but reading fewer of them than ever. What gives? ‹ Literary Hub; are we confronted with an unprecedented "new illiteracy"? The History of Book Banning; and how publishers with a very local brief are thriving, Hackney author talks independent publishing | Hampstead Highgate Express.
- If you are submitting your work to an agent or directly to a publishing house, check through our guidelines to give it its best chance. Making submissions.
- Links from writers: what I want to do here is poke around a little bit in the who and the when and the how of writing these murder scenes, On Where We Get Our Ideas ‹ CrimeReads; what some call science fiction, I prefer to call science possible or sometimes science probable, Malorie Blackman on seeing her sci-fi novel about a pig heart transplant come true | Malorie Blackman | The Guardian; is he the quintessential Californian crime fiction writer? California Son: A Conversation with T. Jefferson Parker ‹ CrimeReads; like listening to your own soul speaking quietly as you turn the pages, My Year of Reading Every Ursula K. Le Guin Novel ‹ Literary Hub; it takes years to write a book, Annie Dillard on How Writers Learn to Trust Instinct ‹ Literary Hub.
- Advice for writers gives you access to the mass of information on the Writersservices website in our more than 8,000 pages.
- Hanya Yanagihara, who has just published To Paradise gives us the counter-approach to finding your audience in this week's quote: 'It never occurred to me to write something people want to read.'