10 August 2020 - What's new
10 August 2020
- ‘We say to girls, "you can have ambition, but not too much" When I was five, I thought I was a writer. I didn't just want to be, I thought I was...' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah, and very successful TED talks, including 'The Danger of a Single Story', in the Sunday Times magazine. Our Comment.
- Veteran publisher Michael Legat's 19 Factsheets provide a pithy introduction to many topics of interest to writers, from Copyright to Revision, with writing advice on Plotting the novel and The First and Last Pages. From Copyright: 'It is not legally necessary to put a copyright notice on your work, but it does no harm and may scare off anyone who thinks of infringing your copyright. The usual form is: ‘Copyright your name, and the year when the work was published or completed if it has not been published.'
- 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 their native language, our latest new service Writer's edit, providing line-editing, and Proof-reading. Get the right level of editorial support for your needs. Our low-cost services represent exceptionally good value. Contact us to discuss what you want.
- Our links: an exceptionally comprehensive and helpful article, 6 Principles for Writing Historical Fiction | Jane Friedman; almost 600 hardbacks are due to be published on 3 September in a "massive bun fight" of new titles, 'It's a mega year!': book trade braces for autumn onslaught of major new titles | Books | The Guardian; the first adult book I ever read was The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I was seven years old, Stephenie Meyer: 'I'd like to be remembered for writing The Host - but it'll be Twilight' | Books | The Guardian; and amid fervent chants of "Black Lives Matter" and clenched fists raised in solidarity, Thomas said she saw something that nearly brought her to tears, Author Angie Thomas on How Books Empower the Next Generation | TIME.
- 'It's a common enough fantasy for writers: maybe now I can leave that dreary job and devote myself whole-heartedly to writing... But how practical is it? Is it something you can realistically aspire to, or just a distant fantasy? What are your chances of making your dream come true?' Don't give up the day job.
- More links: how will this global pandemic story play out?... I have hard-won advice for this odd moment in our lives: Write. Specifically, write what you know, Why Write Memoir Right Now | Jane Friedman; ask any Black or Brown writer if they're the reason white men are being shut out of the books world and they'll probably shout, because the alternative is crying, Where are the hotshot British male novelists? BAME authors may know | Books | The Guardian; and joining a long tradition of expatriate writers, The ardour of the exile.
- What kind of report are you looking for? If you've come to the site looking for a report on your manuscript, how do you work out which one would suit you best? Which service? offers a quick rundown on all the services we offer, but Which report? just looks at our reports.
- 'I can still remember the miraculous feeling of writing a sentence, then more sentences, telling a story. The first thing I wrote was a one-page summary of Robinson Crusoe and I am so sorry I do not have it any more; it was at that moment I became an author.' Crimewriter Henning Mankell in our Writers' Quotes.
