What's New in 2022
- ‘Does a dramatist have a duty of care to a public figure and to the audience for whom this imagined version might be their first or only contact with the historical material? (Hilary) Mantel thought it did: "You can select, elide, highlight, omit. Just don't cheat," she advised. I tend to agree - up to a point. When I started writing historical crime novels featuring the 16th century Italian philosopher and heretic Giordano Bruno, I was conscious that, for many English readers, these stories might be their first introduction to Bruno's life and work, and I wanted to do justice to a man who was - as I saw it - charismatic, flawed but ultimately courageous in his defence of free thought... Stephanie Merritt, author of four novels under her own name and ten Giordano Bruno novels under the pseudonym S J Parris, including Heresy, Treachery and Prophecy, in the Observer.
- Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Promoting your writing to Self-publishing: is it for you? to Keep up to date and 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.'
- The next in The Pedant series is Spoilt for choice: formats and fonts. 'Since the advent of home computing and the easy availability of word processing and publishing software (is it really only a generation ago?), the budding writer has been faced with a wonderland of possibilities; or a tyranny of choices, depending on your point of view. In this article we'll look at the vast range of formats and fonts available and suggest a few tips for negotiating the minefield and avoiding elephant traps...'
- There's still time to enter the most prestigious international competition for a single poem, the UK Poetry Society's National Poetry Competition 2022, before it closes on 31 October. It's open to anyone 18 or over from all over the world to enter an unpublished poem of up to 40 lines. Entry fee £7 for first entry, £5 for unlimited subsequent entries. First Prize: £5,000, Second Prize £2,000 and Third Prize £1,000, Commendations £200.
- Our first set of links cover the Frankfurt Book FairWorld's largest trade fair for books; held annually mid-October at Frankfurt Trade Fair, Germany; First three days exclusively for trade visitors; general public can attend last two., the biggest international gathering of publishers: now back at full force for the first time in three years, Frankfurt Book Fair 2022: Current Events Make an Impact; a new category was riding high, Frankfurt Book Fair 2022: 'Romantasy' and Revelry on the Fair Floor; the numbers are going back up, The Bookseller - News - Frankfurt Book Fair attracted 93,000 trade visitors; there were a good number of members of the public too, Frankfurt Book Fair Attracts 180,000 Attendees; and the crashing of the pound in recent weeks has hit costs for Frankfurt Book Fair attendees this week, but UK publishers and agents insist there is a silver lining for rights and export sales to the US, The Bookseller - News - Pound's plummet hits Frankfurt costs, but trade finds silver lining in rights and export sales.
- Writing Memoir - If you want to write a memoir or autobiography you're in good company - lots of writers want to try their hand at this category. As with other non-fiction books, do give some thought to your market before you start, if you can. Although writers often actually write their memoir and then think about what to do with it later, it does help to know who you're writing it for, so it' s a good thing to sort this out in your own mind at an early stage if you can...'
- 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, our Writer's edit, providing line-editing, and Proof-reading. There are also two unique new services, The Cutting edit and Development editing. 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.
- Links from the publishing world: "we built ourselves to a certain size where we could go no further without a partner." The Bookseller - News - Geller warns ‘tired' publishing model threatens to ‘dry itself out' if role of agent not reimagined; sales of books for young readers on violence, grief, and emotions have increased for nine straight years, Demand soars for kids' books addressing violence, trauma | AP News; and the staggeringly rapid rise of artificial intelligence over the past few decades, from pipe dream to reality, The real threat from artificial intelligence isn't superintelligence. It's gullibility.
- 'I cannot thank you enough!! Your editor has worked her magic and I am delighted with the results!! Please thank her for me, I really appreciate what she has done!' Wendy White in our Endorsements page.
- If you are submitting your work to an agent or directly to a publishing house, check through our guidelines to give it its best chance. Making submissions.
- Links from the ook world: I've resolved to only read the books I really want to read, The Truth About Fiction; the bestseller list is not mathematically objective; it is editorial content, which is protected by the First Amendment, What Counts as a Bestseller? - Public Books; What's new in the translation sector? Travelling through reading; and one of the UK's most successful children's authors says schools should teach black history all year round, Malorie Blackman calls for year-round black history in schools - BBC News.
- 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
- Get your manuscript typed up! Do you need to get your material typed up, but can't face doing the job yourself? We can provide a clean typed version of your work at very competitive rates. Our Typing manuscripts service offers help for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript which needs re-typing before the writer can proceed with revision, submission or publication.
- 'A writer who isn't writing isn't really alive' is from Robin Mckinley in our Writers' Quotes.
- If quotes are your thing we have a very large collection in our Archive, More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.
- ‘When you write something down you pretty well kill it. Leave it loose and knocking around up there and you never know - it might turn into something... My hands do the thinking. It is not a conscious process... I can't explain how one creates a novel. It's like jazz. They create as they play, and maybe only those who can do it can understand it.' Cormac McCarthy, author of The Passenger, The Road, No Country for Old Men, The Border Trilogy and five other novels, in interviews with local papers early in his career, reprinted in the New York Times.
- So you want to write historical fiction? Well, your timing is good, because historical fiction is fashionable again after many years in the doldrums. In fact it's so popular that it has virtually reinvented itself as a category. There have of course always been historical novels being published, but what has changed is that there is now a definable market for them, which means that publishers are looking for historical fiction and are much more open to taking it on. The result has been big reissue programmes involving many old-established favourites but also publishers looking out for authors working in this genre. Writing historical fiction
- My Say gives writers a chance to air their views about writing and the writer's life. So we have Lynda Finn about the isolation of New Zealand writers and their problems with getting published, British author Eliza Graham, author of Playing with the Moon, on her route to publication and Zoe Jenny, who is Swiss, on writing in English and why it was liberating. Send us your contributions, ideally 200 to 400 words in length and of general interest. Please email them to us.
- How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth) asks writers who are not native English speakers with a manuscript which needs polishing or translating: "If your English is good enough, what about translating your book yourself or writing in English, and then getting your work polished and copy edited by a professional editor who is a native English speaker?" This could be a cost-effective way of reaching the international English-speaking market.
- Links from publishers: three-quarters of UK bookshop customers intend to sustain their spending on books, The Bookseller - News - Shoppers keen to support bookshops despite cost of living, BA survey shows; Amazon founder Jeff Bezos knew size was crucial to exacting ever lower prices from suppliers, "Get Big Fast." How Amazon Accelerated the Commodification of Literature ‹ Literary Hub; for an increasing number of people, reading means listening to streamed audio files through a smartphone, Audiobooks: Every Minute Counts - Public Books; redundancy in publishing, The Bookseller - Comment - Brain drain; a new promotion feature on the social media platform, which creators are calling a cash grab, TikTok's Penguin Random House Collab Has BookTok Creators Worried - Rolling Stone; and showing just how effective a small press can be, Four Nobels and counting: Fitzcarraldo, the little publisher that could | Books | The Guardian.
- Writing is a continual learning process. The best authors develop their skills over time and constantly strive to improve. And there is a lot to learn: plotting; dialogue; action scenes and set pieces; character development; continuity and consistency; style, language and tone. Our developmental edit is specifically designed to help you bring your writing to the next level. Our experienced team of editors will guide and support you, helping you to grow as a writer, as you take your book project from draft manuscript to finished product. Our brand-new Developmental editing service.
- Other editing services.
- How to market your writing services online is a useful article from Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk about selling yourself as a writer. 'Recently someone commented to me that I seem to be doing a pretty good job of promoting my writing services on the internet. I was touched by the observation - we writers get so many rejections that a little praise is especially gratifying. And I began to wonder - what does it take to market yourself successfully as a jobbing writer today?...'
- Links from writers: independent authors are changing the face of publishing with figures suggesting they now make up around a third of e-book sales in the largest English-language markets, WGGB launches new guide to self-publishing - Writers' Guild of Great Britain; Jude O'Reilly on her obsession with her protagonist, and on researching the tech that drives her plots, Not the forgiving kind; I wanted to know what books people were turning to in the early days of the pandemic for comfort, distraction, hope, guidance, Where Is All the Book Data? - Public Books; and top tips for creating brilliant non-fiction writing, How to craft creative non-fiction - National Centre for Writing.
- Get your manuscript typed up! Do you need to get your material typed up, but can't face doing the job yourself? We can provide a clean typed version of your work at very competitive rates. Our Typing manuscripts service offers help for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript which needs re-typing before the writer can proceed with revision, submission or publication.
- Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? Which service do you want? Our editorial services have been added in response to demand, so whatever you want we've probably got it covered with our 22 different services.
- From our Endorsements page 'The outcome of my experience with Writerservices has far exceeded my expectation and I was amazed by their professionalism, hard work, knowledge and keenness to edit my manuscript of the novel, Uncle Thesiger's Mashhuf, in every detail, thereby ensuring it will appeal to English readers. Their services are very helpful to all writers', Ammar Al Thuwaini, an Iraqi novelist and translator.
- More writers' links: death of well-known British crime-writer, The Bookseller - News - Peter Robinson, creator of the Inspector Banks novels, dies aged 72; Nobel Prize for Literature announced, Annie Ernaux: the 2022 Nobel literature laureate's greatest works | Annie Ernaux | The Guardian; the first time an award-winning novelist gave me feedback on my writing, I was seven. Growing up with a famous writer, Lessons in Writing and Life from My Grandfather, E.L. Doctorow ‹ Literary Hub; and a strangely compelling account, How Jackie O Helped Bring 'Sally Hemings' to Life - The Millions.
- Making submissions gives you the lowdown on making an effective submission.
- 'What makes you a poet is a gift for language, an ability to see into the heart of things, and an ability to deal with important unconscious material. When all these things come together, you're a poet. But there isn't one little gimmick that makes you a poet. There isn't any formula for it.' Erica Jong in our Writers' Quotes.
- ‘Poetry Prompts is my invitation to the nation, young and old, to become poets. We turn to poetry at weddings, funerals and births because it goes beyond mere words and translates the soul. But there is baggage associated with poetry that I want everyone to put down - to allow everyone to reclaim the birth right of poet. So often I've met children and adults scared to put pen to paper, terrified of 'getting it wrong' - this has repercussions in all aspects of life. I want to show everyone that poetry is for them, that we can enjoy the rules and break the rules.' Joseph Coelho, UK Children's Laureate, on the launch of Poetry Prompts. His books are Werewolf Club Rules, the Luna Loves series, If All the World Were, Overheard in a Tower Block and The Girl Who Became a Tree.
- From our 19-part Inside Publishing series - on Copyright: 'Many writers worry about losing their copyright. Before sending out your manuscript it is always advisable to put a copyright line consisting of the copyright sign ©, the year and your name on the title page...' On The Writer/Publisher Financial Relationship: 'There's no escaping the fact that publishers and authors are essentially in an adversarial position. Even in the very best and most supportive publisher/writer relationships there is the tension caused by the fact that authors would like to earn as much as possible from their writing and publishers to pay as little as they can get away with...'
- WritersServices can provide a range of services working on your manuscript, to help you get it ready for submission or self-publishing. We are UK-based, offer exceptional value and our skilled professional editors have been working on writers' manuscripts for 21 years. We have introduced free samples and free assessments on most of these services, please see the individual service page. Copy editing services.
- Our third new article in The Pedant series is Bells and Whistles? The use of bold, italics and capital letters in prose fiction. There are times when, no matter how well you write, you need typographical support to emphasise a point. English is a wonderfully flexible and suggestive language, but it can't do everything by itself, and replacing plain type with, for instance, italics, can really help the reader to understand what's happening in your story. In this article, we will look at the use of these non-standard fonts and suggest a few simple rules of thumb.
- Links about publishing: demand for books slowed this year, Big Publishers Hit a Rough Patch; back to pre-pandemic figures, Frankfurt Preview: Frankfurt Welcomes Back the World; and offering a "lovely, welcoming, independent bookstore kind of vibe", New audiobook platforms are launched to rival Amazon's Audible | Books | The Guardian.
- Poetry publisher Carcanet Press has announced a rare open submissions window in January. Now's the time to prepare your work. Poets with full-length poetry manuscripts in English, or translation can send their work and there's no entry fee. Publication is offered by Carcanet Press.
- Advice for Writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore our more than 8,000 pages of information for writers.
- Links abut the craft of writing: a book surfaced. All because of the power of incremental writing, a kind of compound investment, Persistence Pays the Weary Writer | Jane Friedman; the hours were gruelling. There were countless cancelled weekends, holidays, dates and family events, How writing adverts helped me write children's books; how to escape the everyday, Denise Mina: ‘All my reading is comfort reading' | Denise Mina | The Guardian; and if there's one thing we love here, it's plot structures! A Definitive Guide to the Seven-Point Story Structure - The Art of Narrative.
- From our Endorsements page: 'Please extend my gratitude to the editor for his/her thoughtful and detailed edit. I could not ask for better work! Its value far exceeded the cost.' Jim, Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA)
- The Writer's Edit is an enhanced editing package that offers you all the benefits of our expert copy editing service, plus an extra level of advice and support to help you take your writing to a new level. We will copy edit your manuscript to our usual professional standard, but in addition we will offer you a line-by-line edit specifically designed to improve your style, structure and form, and a set of guidance notes, giving commentary and advice.
- Written exclusively for WritersServices - Trident Media Group Literary Agent Mark Gottlieb explains how literary agencies work. It's no surprise that they do a lot more than you think and that they bring a lot of expertise in a range of different areas to bear on behalf of their authors. How Literary Agents Work.
- Links from writers: controversy continues, Philip Pullman calls for inquiry into writers' trade union the Society of Authors | Books | The Guardian; the author on his latest ‘whole-life' novel, the brutal realities of modern publishing and the inspirational influence of Catch-22, William Boyd: ‘The books world is much tougher now' | William Boyd | The Guardian; crime writer and former policewoman, Clare Mackintosh Finds the Life of the Party; and leading contemporaries pay tribute, Hilary Mantel remembered: ‘She was the queen of literature' | Hilary Mantel | The Guardian.
- Poets are naturally keen to see their work in print but it's actually quite hard to get a first collection taken on by a publisher. This is because most poetry lists are pretty small. Poetry is not in general given much space in bookshops and it is difficult to achieve any sales for first collections. Self-publishing offers a good approach and the live poetry scene is much livelier than it used to be. Getting your poetry published
- Our Poetry Collection Editing Service - are you ready to self-publish your poetry? Have you concluded that, given the scarcity of publishers taking on new work, it's too difficult to find a poetry publisher who will take on your collection? Are you ready to go ahead on your own, but want to make sure that your poetry is as good as it can be before you publish? Or would you like to get your work into as good a state as possible before you submit it to publishers?
- 'People say, "What advice do you have for people who want to be writers?" I say, they don't really need advice, they know they want to be writers, and they're gonna do it. Those people who know that they really want to do this and are cut out for it, they know it.' R L Stine in our Writers' Quotes.
