18 November 2024 - What's new
18 November 2024
- This week we have broken through 10,000 pages on the WritersServices site! Our huge site contains an enormous amount of information which can be accessed through the homepage or through Advice for Writers, which gives a breakdown of what is on the site.
- ‘Georgette Heyer was my favourite author, then and now. It might as well have been science fiction. That world was so alien to my world that I was lost in it, and I've never come out again... At the time, she was rated as a comic genius, along with PG Wodehouse. It's still respectable to read Wodehouse, but Heyer is in the romance box... I said: "please give me a job because I love Georgette Heyer. You may be deceived by my two degrees in English literature to think that I am interested in literary fiction, but really I love romance and I'm a Heyer obsessive." She ended up copy-editing Regency romances, which she loved - and she also found romance of her own, meeting her husband, fellow literary agent Luigi Bonomi, and is now writing under the name Emma Orchard. Falling in love with Georgette Heyer in a Bookbrunch interview.
- 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 a native language, the Writer's edit, providing line-editing, and Proof-reading. The Cutting edit and Developmental editing are two new services. Get the right level of editorial support for your needs from our professional editors. Our low-cost services represent exceptionally good value. Contact us to discuss what you want.
- Tips for Writers is an eight-part series which offers easy access to information for writers. Tips for Writers 3 covers New Technology and the Internet: 'Sites such as WritersServices offer a vast amount of free information which can help you develop your writing and get published...' Tips for Writers 8 covers Submission to Publishers & Agents: 'Look for agents who are trying to build up their lists, rather than those with established client lists. It may be wonderful to think of being represented by the agents who act for Stephen King or Ian Rankin, but you're much more likely to get taken on by someone who's just set up, or a hungry young agent in a bigger agency...'
- Our first set of links are to writers' stories: the factories may have closed, but Sheffield's crime writers are still going strong, Crime Writing in Sheffield: England's Gritty Steeltown ‹ CrimeReads; fears no-one would want a read a book by "a woman who had never been to space", The Bookseller - News - Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey nearly 'lost her nerve' when writing Orbital; MWA Grand Master Peter Lovesey launched his crime writing career with 1970's Wobble to Death, the first of eight novels featuring Victorian-era Metropolitan Police sergeant Daniel Cribb; Diamond's Not Forever: PW Talks with Peter Lovesey; Fiona Lucas reports on the testimonies of coma travellers, 'Two weeks on the most amazing cruise' then she woke up; and talking about his immensely popular Southern Reach trilogy, Jeff VanderMeer Tells Victor LaValle Why He Returned to Area X.
- ‘A wonderfully detailed and helpful report. The editorial advice and knowledge sharing is extensive and generous. Your editor has identified the points where and why my novel falls short and provided clear and practical advice on how to remedy the shortfalls... I would not hesitate to recommend your service to other writers both in terms of output and value for money.' Elspeth, UK on our Endorsements page.
- Are you having difficulty writing a blurb for the cover of your book? Our Blurb-writing service can give your book a professional look. What about your synopsis - often a tricky task for a writer? Our Synopsis-writing service can provide a synopsis of whatever length you need for your submissions.
- The Moth Poetry Prize 2024 is open to all poets over 16 for an unpublished poem. The entry fee is €15 per poem and you can enter as many poems as you like. 1st prize €6,000, plus three runner-up prizes of €1,000 and eight commended poets will each receive €250. To be judged this year by Fiona Benson, it's closing on 31 December.
- Links from publishing, AI, bookselling and world affairs: at the turn of the century a company called Napster launched a service that allowed music lovers to share downloaded tunes via a peer-to-peer online network, The Bookseller - Editor's Letter - The party crashers; allowing limited use of select nonfiction backlist titles for training AI models to improve model quality and performance, HarperCollins Inks AI Licensing Deal for Nonfiction Books; America's largest retail bookseller has reclaimed the flagship store it vacated in 2013, Barnes & Noble is making a comeback | CNN Business; and one of TikTok's defining subcultures is arguing over whether books are political, "red-listing" authors, and looking for guidance in speculative fiction, The US Election Is Tearing BookTok Apart | WIRED.
- The 11th article in the Ask the Editor series deals with English Language editing: 'English is the world's lingua franca. Over two billion people speak it as a first or second language. It is the official, or everyday, language in fifty-nine countries. In recent years, we have seen an increasing number of books and manuscripts from non-native speakers of English here at WritersServices. And the quality of those books has increased, impressively, year on year. Writing in a language you don't speak as a native presents a range of challenges to the author...'
- From our 19-part Inside Publishing series: Advances and Royalties: 'Writers are generally paid a royalty based on their book sales. The way it works is fairly complicated, so if you have an agent to represent you, you should take their advice on any offer you receive from a publisher. But if you don't have an agent, then make sure you check any contract carefully. You're still faced with the problem of knowing what to expect and what it all means. Publishers usually offer to pay authors advances against royalties. How do you work out how much money you might earn from your book? You need to understand for yourself how advances and royalties work and what they mean for you.
- Which service? offers an overview of the editorial services we offer and Our Services for Writers offers links to all 22 of them - we think this is the biggest range on the internet.
- More links from writers: British author Katherine Rundell will give all the royalties from one of her books to climate charities, Author Katherine Rundell donates royalties to climate charities in Trump protest | Books | The Guardian; Jo Nolan takes a wry look at the fine art of self-publishing, How (not) to publish; a conversation with the author of White City, Dominic Nolan on Historical Crime Fiction, London, and Cycles of Violence ‹ CrimeReads; from the amazing Jane Friedman herself: Who is the primary readership for your book? And have you stretched it too far or too thin in your book proposal's target audience section? How to Describe Your Target Readership So It's Meaningful to Agents and Publishers | Jane Friedman; and her clear and helpful article on POD, Don't Demonize Print on Demand | Jane Friedman.
- Working with an agent: 'Don't ever take on an agent you don't like or don't trust, however desperate you may feel. You have to be able to work with them in what should be an extremely important relationship for you as a writer. You must also feel confident that they are competent, enthusiastic about your work and can be trusted, both in terms of the advice they offer and in relation to handling your money...'
- From Tom Chalmers, formerly of IPR, 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...' These articles also explain subidiary rights, which are important for any author.
- Our final set of links: mashing genres can be a tricky business, Navigating ‘Dark Space': How Rob Hart and Alex Segura Mashed Up Spy and Speculative Fiction ‹ CrimeReads; "The school curriculum has become so packed and so prescriptive that it is very hard to make schools places where books can be enjoyed", The Bookseller - Author Interviews - Q&A: Michael Rosen; and men don't just think about the Roman Empire - they're also more likely to want to read about it, Do Men Read Less Fiction? Jenna Bush Hager Asks Why.
- 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
- ‘In a children's book, the child must be the agent. You mustn't take the meat and potatoes of the story away from the child.' Michael Rosen in our Writers' Quotes.
