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18 April 2016 - What's new

18 April 2016
  • We have a unique Writing Opportunity this week, The Novella Award 2016 from Manchester Metropolitan University, open to anyone who's over 16, with an entry fee of £17 and closing on 29 April.
  • Sloan Harris, co-head of ICM's book department in the Hollywood Reporter:' The big brand-name authors with a track record, we're still fetching top dollar for them without breaking a sweat. It is progressively more difficult to launch a new voice and to create a sales track that's sustainable...' in our Comment column.
  • Have you got something you'd like to say to our community of writers? My Say gives writers a chance to air their views about writing and the writer's life. So we have Natasha Mostert, 'There are few things as satisfying as typing THE END to a manuscript.' And there's  British author Eliza Graham, author of Playing with the Moon and The One I  Was, on her route to publication and Richard Hall  "Write about what you know" - does this adage always make sense? Contributions should ideally be 200 to 400 words in length and of general interest. Please email them to us.
  • So, another London Book Fair has come and gone. Our links this week include some interesting stories about the Fair but the main thing seems to be that this was a lively and confident affair, with publishers from all over the world bullish and ready to do business. News Review
  • Our links have more stories about the Fair, amongst other things: 'it's still stories and the people who create those stories - the authors - that underpin everything', Gail Rebuck: 'The Power of the Book' in the Digital Age; Mary Hoffman reports from Bologna, the key children's book fair, BookBrunch - Bologna 2016: busy, buzzy and hot; news about big deals at LBF, Chloé Esposito 'bad twin' trilogy bags over £2m at London book fair | Books | The Guardian; and do you know your doohickeys from your gizmos, and are you able to determine which will catapult you out past Uranus, Why Cutting-Edge Sci-Fi Is Often Penned By Marginalized Writers - The Establishment.
  • A recent entry to our Endorsements page: 'As a total neophyte as a writer, I have been doing a huge amount of research suddenly as to what services are available to writers, on both sides of the Atlantic, and am amazed that you are able to have someone read a whole book and give a serious critique for just 180 pounds. I think that is incredible value for money, compared to other similar services that appear to be available out there. I hope to be back to you again for more assistance, once I've cleaned up my work!' Martin Humphries, Vancouver, BC, Canada
  • The rest of this week's links: a Munich-based publishing group has just launched a new online community called Sinnliche Seiten (which translates as "Luscious Pages", Random House Germany Courts Romance Readers - Publishing Perspectives; Blanche Knopf built the reputation of the legendary publisher, but her name was left off the masthead, A Publishing House of Her Own | New Republic; and the final word on the London Book Fair from Neil Denny, BookBrunch - The Fair: God, we hate it, God, we love it.
  • Do you want some help with your writing but don't quite know what you want? Are you a bit puzzled by the various services on offer, and not sure what to go for? Choosing a service can help you work out which service is right for you.
  • 'Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.' William Faulkner in our Writers' Quotes.
  • And if quotes are your bag, we have More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes to keep you happy!