12 October 2020 - What's new
12 October 2020
- ‘Dear Aspiring Writer, you are not ready. Stop. Put that finished story away and start another one. In a month, go back and look at the first story. RE-EDIT it. Then send it to a person you respect in the field who will be hard on you. Pray for many many, many red marks. Fix them. Then put it away for two weeks. Work on something else. Finally, edit one last time. Now you are ready to sub your first work...' Inez Kelley, author of Sweet as Sin, Turn It Up, Taming the Alpha and 11 other books.
- Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Promoting Your Writing (and Yourself) to Self-publishing: is it for you? from Keep up to date to Submission to publishers and agents. 'Be prepared to redraft your work and to rethink it. Many new writers assume that their work will immediately be ready for publication, but the truth is that many highly successful writers produced several drafts of their first work before they got it published.' And 'When you've got your work into the best state you can, put it on one side for a few weeks and then look at it afresh. You'll be amazed what difference a fresh eye will make.'
- 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 for and about writers: first, an exceptionally good article, What is Plot? A Writer's Guide to Creating Amazing Plots - The Art of Narrative; an American head of state publicly acknowledging the work of a private eye, in this case a former British spy named Christopher Steele, The Modern Detective: Inside the Secret World of Private Investigators | CrimeReads; they will not let their future novels be entered for the award after the prize asked them for information on their sex as defined "by law", Akwaeke Emezi shuns Women's prize over request for details of sex as defined 'by law' | Books | The Guardian; and her phone hadn't stopped ringing since 7 a.m., an onslaught of attention she described as "nightmarish", The Poet Louise Glück Talks About Winning the Nobel Prize in Literature - The New York Times.
- Here's a detailed article on how to prepare Your submission package - 'Given the difficulty of getting agents and publishers to take on your work, it's really important to make sure that you present it in the best possible way. Less is more, so don't send a full manuscript, as it's very unlikely to be read. Far better to tempt them with a submission package that will leave them wanting to see the rest of the manuscript...'
- Links from the publishing world: the pandemic persuaded Italians to overcome their reluctance to online shopping, Can Amazon Conquer the World? - The New York Times; one amazing success story, Why Hollywood has gobbled up book rights amid COVID-19 - Los Angeles Times; as the publisher prepares to release a highly controversial title later this week, it's the politics of American publishing that worries publisher Baldwin, Chelsea Green Prepares Naomi Wolf Release; and, more on this subject, Women's Prize confirms entrants 'must be legally defined as female' | The Bookseller.
- Our page of Picture library links provides a good starting-point for finding an image for your book, whether it's for the cover or inside. Gograph was added a while ago with its 18 million stock links.
- More links for writers: in my mind, "crime fiction" was exclusively written about crime and criminals from the perspective of detectives, Why I'm Proud to Have My Books Called "Crime Fiction" | CrimeReads; a shortlist that shows that poetry is "the most resilient, potent, capacious and universal art we have", TS Eliot prize unveils 'unsettling, captivating' shortlist | Books | The Guardian; a previously unpublished writer has described the "extraordinary" breakthrough moment, Children's fiction: Cardiff writer's debut book nets him six-figure deal - BBC News; right about that time, I stopped being interested in adults, Ramona Quimby and the Art of Writing From a Kid's Mind | Literary Hub; and no writer lives in a vacuum, their job is an endless task of paying attention, Top 10 books about creative writing | Books | The Guardian.
- 'A problem with a piece of writing often clarifies itself if you go for a long walk.' The late Helen Dunmore in our Writers' Quotes.
