October 2006
The website for writers
News Review
- A Creative Commons license has worked well for the Friday Project on Tom Reynolds’ Blood, Sweat and Tea. The free download has led to 20,000 downloads but sales of nearly 30,000 copies.
- 'If Sobol manages to get the 50,000 entries that they reckon will constitute the cut-off, the competition will earn $4,250,000, a very good return for setting up a small website, doing a bit of judging and awarding a $100,000 prize.'
- News Review looks at last week's Frankfurt Book Fair, the biggest annual gathering of publishers in the world.
- As a teenager growing up in Brazil in the late seventies, Orlando Paes Filho dreamt up the idea of Angus, now coming to fruition as a seven-volume epic tale spanning twelve centuries of human history. News Review investigates.
- News Review on Oxfam's new bookshop: 'For many people, donating unwanted books to an international charity which will use them to raise money is a good way of dealing with the stacks of books they are never going to read again. Supporting Oxfam makes them feel good too.'
Comment
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'Women need the grown-up fairy stories of romantic fiction in order to make the random cruelty of everyday life more bearable.' Daisy Goodwin in the Sunday Times, talking about her TV series, Reader, I Married Him.
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Even experienced publishers sometimes throw caution to the winds after being caught up in the excitement of a bidding war conducted via frenzied conversations in a crowded hall.' Anne Louise Fisher, London literary scout
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'The more critically successful a writer becomes, the more need there is for a strong editor. To think otherwise risks artistic suicide.' Alan Garner, author of The Weirdstone of Brisingamen in The Times
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'Publishers need to make their sites more welcoming and rewarding to those tiny percentages of readers who do visit.' Peter Collingridge in the Bookseller
Writers' Quote
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'Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.'
The Bible: Ecclesiastes
The view from a publisher's desk
This is the second in a series of articles by Tom Chalmers, MD of Legend Press, giving a publisher's view of the submission process and what a publisher is looking for.
This month: Judging a book by its submission package:
'a poor covering letter or synopsis will have the reader already mentally halfway to the rejection pile, no matter how good the actual submission.'
What is RSS?
Our latest Writers Web Watch article explains this 'Push' technology which allows new web content to be sent to you if you have expressed an interest.
Deleting Data
The latest new article in our Writers Web Watch section on technology deals with deleting data from magnetic disks:
'At the end of its useful life, or whenever you plan to pass a computer on, it is vital to ‘scrub’ the data off the hard disk. This is a task to be taken seriously.'
Some compliments from those who have used the site
‘I love visiting your web site each week for updates - there is just
so much fantastic information there.’
Megan from Australia
Review of the Art of Punctuation
Maureen Kincaid Speller reviews Noah Lukeman's interesting book:
'He invites writers to look at the way in which they construct sentences, and to do so with minute attention... Lukeman has an extremely keen and sensitive eye for sentence structure and a neat way of explaining things.'
Our new audio section
Check out our new audio section. This shows you how to record your work using the facilities built into your computer. You can start with Preparing your story and How to start recording.
It's easier than you think, so get recording! We'll provide a site for you to podcast your work soon.
Working with an agent
It can be hard work finding an agent to represent you. Make sure though that, when you set up the relationship, you do so in a professional manner. Our new page shows you how to get the most out of this key relationship.
See also Finding an agent for how to go about getting someone to represent you.
Your submission package
Our new page shows you how to put your package together and what you should send. Essential reading to make sure you give your work its best chance.
You might also like to consider using our Submission Critique service.
Our Editorial Services for writers
Check out the 15 different editorial services we offer, from Reports to Copy editing, Typing to Contract vetting. Our latest new service is Coaching.
Bob's Journal goes into its 6th volume
Bob on not reading books you're bored by and what's fashionable in writing:
'So, a few suggestions for today’s fashion-conscious novelist: going up, bipolarity, going down, autism; going up, cricket, going down, football; going up, grandmothers who do, going down...'
Our new competition spirits you into the the world of poetry. Enter now and win a copy of the brand-new Poetry Writers' Yearbook.
John Jenkins on the how the successes of authors like Marisha Pressl and Michael Cox show that reading writers' books is not the only way; Google; a farewell to May Hogarth; and spy thrillers:
'There is no doubt that a good instruction book can short circuit your improvement as a writer. But really you teach yourself.'
New agency listings
New on the site - the bang up-to-date 2007 Writers' and Artists' Yearbook worldwide agency listings. Check out the UK and Ireland, US and international agencies lists
Writers' and Artists' Yearbook 2007
This is the 100th edition of this extremely useful book, which the Society of Authors calls 'A must for established and aspiring writers.'
Ian Rankin's Foreword
Shows how the bestselling crime writer used the book to help him find a publisher:
'Getting into print requires nerve, stamina, luck, stubbornness and talent. Even established authors can feel as though they’re climbing a mountain. Think of the Writers and Artists’ Yearbook as your sherpa.'
The Editor's View, written by the Editor of Writers' Forum magazine.
WritersPrintShop
We have revamped our WritersPrintShop website with lots more information. If you're thinking about self-publishing, this is the place to find out what's involved. If you're ready to go ahead, our high quality service is second to none and there's an economy version for those who want to tackle some of the work themselves. You can estimate the cost for yourself.
We investigated your book-buying habits, and found that the author's name is still the most important factor influencing book purchase.
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Previous serials & extracts
WritersServices.com Magazine October
2006
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