Spent whole working life in publishing; worked for eight publishers, two book club groups, a literary agency and a literary charity.
Still think book publishing is about most enjoyable thing you can do – aside from running a writers’ website, of course!
Our new ten-part Worldbuilding series is designed to help fantasy and science fiction writers think about the various things they need to consider when constructing the world in their novel.
Writing is a continual learning process. The best authors develop their skills over time and constantly strive to improve. And there is a lot to learn: plotting; dialogue; action scenes and set pieces; character development; continuity and consistency; style, language and tone. Read more
So you have finished your book, but it is too long; how do you go about reducing the word count without losing important parts of your work?
We're here to help. Our experienced editors will work with you to reduce the word count of your book while preserving the main narrative elements and your individual style. This service is available for both fiction and non-fiction. Read more
WritersServices offers a comprehensive range of editorial services for authors writing for the children's market. All our services guarantee a high standard of professional care, and offer competitive rates and excellent value for money.
You can find a full listing of our editorial services for the children's market here. Read more
22 services to help you get your work ready for publication
We've been offering editing services for writers from our office in London since 2001 and have the widest and best-value range on the web. Get your work ready for publication or submission with the help of our team of skilled professional editors.
A top-level service for writers who want line-editing as well as copy editing
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. Read more
In The Raven Scholar, the first volume of the Eternal Path trilogy, award-winning historical mystery author Antonia Hodgson masterfully combines epic fantasy and a fair-play whodunit. Read more
‘All of writing is a huge lake. There are great rivers that feed the lake, like Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky. And then there are mere trickles, like Jean Rhys. All that matters is feeding the lake. I don't matter. The lake matters. You must keep feeding the lake.'
Open to unpublished, unagented children’s writers based anywhere in the world.
Entry fee £20
Prize:
First Prize: a publishing contract with Chicken House with an advance of £10,000
Top prize in children's writing competition is a publishing contract with Chicken House with an advance of £10,000
Chicken House is 'thrilled to announce' the opening of its 2025 writing competition, ran in conjunction with The Times, and with a prize sponsored by TV production company Lime Pictures. The deadline for submissions is 2 June 2025. Read more
Gen Zers and millennials are putting creative twists on book clubs, driven by a renewed love of reading and a growing desire for off-screen connection.
The Association of American PublishersThe national trade association of the American book publishing industry; AAP has more than 300 members, including most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies filed an amicus brief on April 11 supporting authors in their class action lawsuit against Meta for copyright infringement related to AI training.
What began as a cozy nook on the corner of the internet, has quickly transformed into a global phenomenon. As of 2025, #BookTok has accumulated 370 billion views, with over 52 million creations jumping on board-skyrocketing bestsellers, reviving backlist titles and informing reading habits worldwide1.
The Publishers' Licensing Services (PLS) and the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) have announced "a significant development" in the licensing of content for generative AI.
'For books are more than books, they are the life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason why men worked and died, the essence and quintessence of their lives.'
'Plan like a raven, but write like a fox'
In The Raven Scholar, the first volume of the Eternal Path trilogy, award-winning historical mystery author Antonia Hodgson masterfully combines epic fantasy and a fair-play whodunit. Read more