13 April 2015 - What's new
13 April 2015
- Our Writing Opportunity is The London Magazine's Poetry Competition 2015. Closing on 31 May, it's for poets across the world and there's an entry fee. First Prize: £200, Second Prize: £150 and Third Prize: £100.
- 'This year's Bologna Book Fair reflected the strength of children's publishing worldwide. Although relatively new fairs such as the China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair are making ambitious strides in terms of attracting children's publishers, Bologna is unsurpassed in its appeal as the international rights fair for children's books...' Our report from the Bologna Children's Book Fair is in News Review.
- Have you managed to find a publisher for your work and are now enjoying the thrill of knowing that your book will soon be published? If you're wondering what happens next, here is an outline of the processes involved. Preparing for Publication.
- 'It's good not to think too far ahead. If you have got a story that you feel you want to write, just write it...' Kate Hamer, whose 21st century 'Little Red Riding Hood', The Girl in the Red Coat, is tipped to be a bestseller, in the Independent on Sunday, in our Comment column.
- Do you want to self-publish your work? WritersServices offers a suite of services which help writers get their work into shape before they self-publish. Services for Self-publishers.
- Our links this week: the results of a new survey show what publishers need to do to keep their authors happy, Authors call for better communication with publishers | The Bookseller; famous quotes which have been misattributed, or even just made up, Maya Angelou's misquoted stamp - and other famous lines we all get wrong | Books | The Guardian; and does it really matter much to authors if publishers are engaged in battle with Amazon? How Do Amazon-Publisher Disputes Affect Authors and Readers?
- More links: a careful and detailed article about why you should produce your books as digital files, Twelve Ways to Update Print Book Production Habits | Digital Book World; battle royal has broken out in the SF world, George RR Martin says rightwing lobby has 'broken' Hugo awards | Books | The Guardian; and a well-argued defence of ebooks, What's the matter with ebooks? In our praise for print, we forget the great virtues of digital formats. | USAPP.
- Tom Chalmers of IPPR has written two articles about rights for self-publishers, Self-publishing - the rights way and How to get your book in the hands of an international audience. 'It's a fact that most self-published authors understand the process that takes them from a written manuscript to a published book, but few realise the additional elements that make publishing a profitable business. Rights licensing is arguably the most vital element in this equation. Whether it's selling translation rights, audio rights or optioning the film rights, these all help balance the book's books...'
- 'Much is written of the power of the Press, a power which may last but a day; by comparison little is heard of the power of books, which may endure for generations.' Sir Stanley Unwin, quoted in our Writers' Quotes.
