30 May 2022 - What's new
30 May 2022
- 'For years I have put off writing short stories and have written novels instead. And now I finally have the courage, because I believe the moment for short stories has come again. Why have they been in the doldrums? Why do we hear so much about novels and so little about short stories?... After all, the short story is at the very heart of our culture...' Sally Emerson, journalist, travel writer and author of six novels, three poetry anthologies and a volume of short stories, Perfect, Stories of the Impossible, to be published this month, in Bookbrunch.
- An Editor's Advice is a series of seven articles by one of our editors on really useful subjects for writers such as Manuscript presentation, 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...'
- Have you been working on your book over the holidays? Are you now ready to submit to publishers or to self-publish? We offer the widest range of editorial services on the web, tailored to writers' requirements and carried out by our professional editors, Our Services for writers.
- Links from the publishing and bookselling world: a big change in bookselling, How Amazon surrendered in its war on bookshops - New Statesman; astonishing decline in ebook sales, The Bookseller - News - E-book sales fell in 2021 to lowest point since 2012, Nielsen data reveals; a proposed re-alignment of book rights territories, The Bookseller - News - Call to ‘decolonise' publishing by promoting local houses and stop presses grabbing world rights; and more than 1,300 children's authors work together, Kid Lit Authors Petition Congress to Condemn Book Banning.
- A complimentary entry from our Endorsements page; On English Language editing: 'The result? A book that reads like it's written by a native speaker for only 13% of the price a complete translation would have costed. Thank you, writersservices.' Anthony Fitzgerald
- Are you having difficulty producing a really good blurb to self-publish your book? Or do you need a synopsis to submit it to publishers? Our services can help.
- Links from writers: Do we write in a specific genre because it aligns with our interests, personality, and expertise? An Author's Dilemma: How to Write Across Genres While Maintaining Your ‘Brand' ‹ CrimeReads; bestselling author of the Alex Rider books speaks out, The Bookseller - News - Horowitz ‘shocked' at notes for new book, saying children's publishers scared of causing offence; lit agencies and publishers are changing the rules, How the Publishing World Is Muscling in on Hollywood Deals - The Hollywood Reporter; it is much easier to doctor someone else's work than to see faults in one's own, Six Things I Learned in Moving from Editor to Author | Writers & Artists; and an entertainingly cynical summary of ten plots used by canonical authors, The Fence, All Possible Plots by Major Authors.
- Writers' stories - they're just a bit of fun, but in a rare moment of inspiration we wrote some fictionalised stories of how the services could turn out, to give you a better idea of how they might work for you. Joe's fantasy novel benefited from some professional editing, when he signed up for an Editor's Report Plus. Tony needed Copy editing to get his manuscript into shape for publication or self-publishing.
- If you're planning to submit to agents, you'll want to get your submission package into good shape before getting started, to give your book its best chance.
- Links about marketing and reading: with social media coming so much to the fore, Is BookTok Changing the Way We Talk About Books? | Book Riot; still going strong, The Bookseller - News - Book subscription services continue to deliver post pandemic boom; a key market for books, The Bookseller - Comment - Women over 45 love books - it's time the book trade loved them back; and today's media ecosystem is dramatically different from the one in which I grew up, How Growing Up In the Digital Age Impacts Young Minds ‹ Literary Hub.
- 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!'
- Links from genre writers: when I became a novelist, I formulated this question in more technical terms, What Really Distinguishes a Crime Novel? ‹ CrimeReads; "Mistakes might be inevitable, but I think they are worth mitigating." Maggie Shipstead on Dealing with Mistakes in Writing ‹ Literary Hub; friends and fans of each other's work talk frankly about the highs of writing and the lows of addiction, The king and queen of popular fiction: Marian Keyes and Richard Osman on their successes and struggles | Books | The Guardian; a literary sensation which still casts a long shadow over the psychological thriller market, 'Gone Girl' Legacy: How the Bestseller Changed the Psychological Thriller Market; and have you ever claimed to be working toward a deadline when you most definitely, assuredly were not? George R.R. Martin Gives 'The Winds of Winter' Update.
- 'Writers must fortify themselves with pride and egotism as best they can. The process is analogous to using sandbags and loose timbers to protect a house against flood. Writers are vulnerable creatures like anyone else. For what do they have in reality? Not sandbags, not timbers. Just a flimsy reputation and a name.' The late, great SF writer Brian Aldiss in our Writers' Quotes.
- If quotes are your thing we have a very large collection in our Archive, More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.
