6 January 2025 - What's new
6 January 2025
- ‘I have written four novels from the point of view of a woman, which is regarded as appropriation. I'm violently against any form of censorship. I defend a novelist's right to write about anything he or she wants. But in today's climate, the judging will be more harsh, severe or penetrative... There is no point in trying to whitewash old attitudes. Trying to tidy up the bad behaviour of novelists of the past is misguided and fundamentally a waste of time. But you can certainly alert people that opinions expressed in these books are not opinions we have in polite society today...' William Boyd, the prizewinning author of 17 novels, including A Good Man in Africa, Any Human Heart, Stars and Bars, Love is Blind and The Romantic, in The Times.
- Writersservices offers six different reports: our most popular Editor's Report Plus, which provides a chapter-by-chapter commentary, the Editor's Report, which offers an overview, and the introductory Reader's Report. Then we have the same services for children's writers, which are carried out by our skilled children's editors. Get in touch if you need any help with deciding what you need.
- The new article in the Worldbuilding series is Worldbuilding 10: the name of the rose, and other things: 'There are more things in the world than folk, and there are more things in a novel than characters. The world you build for a fantasy setting should give the reader a sense of completeness, and consistency; this means that you should pay attention to the smaller, peripheral elements as well as the main characters and events. In this article I'll look at some of those other elements and how to set them in context...'
- Publishing links from last year and predictions about 2025: best news for authors: increasing and profitable partnerships between self-pub authors and traditional publishers, My 2024 Year-End Review: Most Notable Publishing Industry Developments | Jane Friedman; PW looks back at the major trends of last year, The Top 10 Book Business News Stories of 2024; starting with Tom Weldon, Chief executive officer, PRH UK, The Bookseller - News - Predictions: what lies ahead for the book trade in 2025? and trade experts from across the book industry give their thoughts for the year ahead, The Bookseller - News - AI, collectible editions and reading for pleasure dominate 2025 book trade predictions.
- The new 2025 Action! Prize is open to unagented writers resident in the UK, Ireland and US and there's no entry fee. This Faber prize offers a publishing contract for 3 authors, First Prize £12,000 advance, Second Prize £9,000 advance and Third Prize £6,000 advance, for children's and YA authors writing for boys. It closes on 30 January, so you need to move fast to get your entry in by then.
- The Writer's Edit is an enhanced editing package that offers you all the benefits of our expert copy editing service, plus an extra level of advice and support to help you take your writing to a new level. We will copy edit your manuscript to our usual professional standard, but in addition we will offer you a line-by-line edit specifically designed to improve your style, structure and form, and a set of guidance notes, giving commentary and advice. Our full range of copy editing services.
- Links to writers' stories: it all started with a bizarre email. Hank Phillippi Ryan's imagination - and perseverance - took over from there, My First Thriller: Hank Phillippi Ryan ‹ CrimeReads; "If I didn't write this book now, then when would it happen?" Jami Attenberg on Writing a Book, 1,000 Words at a Time ‹ Literary Hub; a speed demon at the typewriter, Malzberg wrote quickly and brilliantly in a variety of genres including mystery, thrillers, and erotica, but his core work was in science fiction, Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939-2024 | The Nation; and on the joys of having your fictional hero interact with real people, The Delightful Encounters of Historical Crime Fiction ‹ CrimeReads.
- There are eight sets of Tips for Writers, which provide a useful summary for new writers, ranging from Improving Your Writing to Submission to publishers and agents: 'Get your work into the best possible shape before you start submitting it' and 'Do your research on agents and their clients. Many agents specify what they don't represent (scripts, children's and science fiction are often excluded), but try to gauge from their client lists what they might actually be looking for.'
- 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.
- 'The outcome of my experience with Writerservices has far exceeded my expectation and I was amazed by their professionalism, hard work, knowledge and keenness to edit my manuscript of the novel, "Uncle Thesiger's Mashhuf", in every detail, thereby ensuring it will appeal to English readers. Their services are very helpful to all writers', Ammar Al Thuwaini, an Iraqi novelist and translator, from our Endorsements page.
- Our third set of links relate to writers' issues: the average income for a UK writer is now £7,000, Impoverished authors are told they should do it for the love. Try saying that to a dentist | Gareth Rubin | The Guardian; a warning to self-published authors, Authors: Think Twice Before Paying to Exhibit at Industry Book Fairs | Jane Friedman; a new report has found that people prefer AI poetry to the human kind. It is based on a big mistake, The Bookseller - Comment - Radical technology; and many indie authors still dream of being traditionally published - but if it happens, the adjustment can be tough, The Bookseller - Comment - Turning traditional.
- From our 15-part Ask the Editor series, The limitations of editing software: 'Part of the problem with digital editing pertains to its design. There are two basic resources: an ‘in-house' grammar containing rules and alternatives; and a broader approach, using statistical probability. In theory, that broader approach can use the entire internet as its resource. And that's a nice theory. In practice, using everything ever written is a case of wielding a double-edged sword...'
- Are you having difficulty writing a blurb for the cover of your book? Our Blurb-writing service can give your book a professional look. What about your synopsis - often a tricky task for a writer? Our Synopsis-writing service can provide a synopsis of whatever length you need for your submissions.
- How to market your writing services online is a useful article about selling yourself as a writer. 'Recently someone commented to me that I seem to be doing a pretty good job of promoting my writing services on the internet. I was touched by the observation - we writers get so many rejections that a little praise is especially gratifying. And I began to wonder - what does it take to market yourself successfully as a jobbing writer today?...'
- More links: an excellent article on combining the storytelling techniques of fiction with the authenticity of fact, Unlocking the art of creative non-fiction: tips for writing compelling narrative stories | National Centre for Writing | NCW; many indie authors still dream of being traditionally published - but if it happens, the adjustment can be tough, The Bookseller - Comment - Turning traditional; and with download figures at a high, all-star Hollywood voice casts and Spotify's entry into the audiobook streaming business, the format is enjoying a surge in popularity, Listen up! Why 2024 was the year of the audiobook | Books | The Guardian.
- Have you managed to find a publisher for your work and are you now enjoying the thrill of knowing that your book will soon be published? If you're wondering what happens next, here is a helpful outline of the processes involved. Preparing for publication
- Our 22 Services for Writers - just some links to our services, which we think is the most wide-ranging on the web.
- And a subversive quote from Somerset Maugham in our Writers' Quotes: 'There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.'
