5 September 2022 - What's new
5 September 2022
- 'One of the virtues of writing historical fiction is to remind yourself that earlier generations had things much worse. The Blitz. The First world War. The English Civil War. The Great Fire of London. The Plague. I was born in the 1950s, which is to have won God's lottery, really. It meant you could live a life of 60 or 70 years without having to put on a uniform and fight. But that is a rarity in human history unfortunately and what we're seeing now is far more like normality.' Robert Harris, author of 14 bestselling novels, including just-published Act of Oblivion in the Sunday Times Culture.
- The next article in The Pedant series is about accents. This demonstrates the pitfalls of trying to convey accents when you are writing fiction. The Pedant: how to make your editor happy 2: Dialogue tags. In this article editor Noel Rooney explores the difficulties in writing in accents or dialects and suggests some simple ways round the problem. 'Remember, we all have an accent; there is no absolutely correct way of speaking English, or any language, for that matter. The problem for the writer is how you deal with this in your work...'
- Are you having difficulty producing a really good blurb to self-publish your book? Or do you need a synopsis to submit it to publishers? Our services can help.
- Live competitions in our listing.
- Links from the publishing world about workload and the sensational trial and its fallout: workloads have never been this bad, Is the Publishing Industry Broken? It will have a massive impact on both the multibillion-dollar book publishing industry and on how the government handles corporate consolidation going forward, The antitrust trial of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, explained - Vox; more on the three-week trial over Penguin Random House's $2.2bn merger with Simon & Schuster, The Bookseller - News - Agents react to 'offensive' advances claims but say PRH could be a better home for S&S.
- So you want to be a romance writer? You've made an interesting choice because, although a lot of people scoff at romance, it is the most stable genre of all and has continued to keep its faithful readers when other categories have changed radically and sometimes lost their audiences. It has changed a bit in recent years and embraced a more complex story, sometimes with more explicit sex in it, but essentially this is a category which marches on, providing happy endings, when all around it the world has changed. Writing romance.
- Our Services for writers - just a list providing links to our 22 services.
- More links from the book world: A deep drop in orders and sales from Amazon at many companies since mid-July has prompted rumors and speculation, Amazon Stands by Books; attitudes toward free speech, blasphemy, and Islam have all changed considerably over the last three decades, How Woke Put Paid to Publishing | City Journal; and becoming a BookTok sensation, TikTok is driving book sales.
- An Endorsement from Elspeth, a UK writer: ‘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.'
- Links about the craft of writing: after leading writing workshops for over 20 years and still feeling gobsmacked by how stubbornly writers cling to certain myths, Don't Fall for These 5 Writing Myths That Can Set Back Your Writing | Jane Friedman; just don't go back and spend a bunch of time revising, Susan Choi on Powering Through a First Draft ‹ Literary Hub; one of the most important decisions you can make in creating a character is their name, Seven Tips For Choosing the Perfect Name For Your Characters ‹ CrimeReads; and how do you start on your first non-fiction book, Andrew Lownie Literary Agency | Writing your first non-fiction book?
- 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.
- Our other editing services.
- More writers' links: it's been tough not to notice the increase in dramatic rights deals in the book industry, How Are Books Adapted for the Screen? Two Agents Demystify the Process | Jane Friedman; can you trademark a description? Queens of crime: Val McDermid reveals legal threat over Agatha Christie title - BBC News; now enjoying a golden summer of talks, workshops and a booming merchandise line backed by high-profile influencers, The Bookseller - Spotlight - Women's Prize flourishing after charitable pivot as year-round strategy pays off; and a grisly story, Why Are Stories of Captivity and Abduction So Extraordinarily Terrifying? ‹ CrimeReads.
- Don't give up the day job. Perhaps you've even been indulging in thinking about it as you lay on the beach this summer, or more likely spent your precious holiday working on your latest novel. But how practical is it? Is it something you can realistically aspire to, or just a distant fantasy? What are your chances of making your dream come true?
- Get your manuscript typed up so that you can revise it, submit it or publish it. Do you need to get your material typed up, but can't face doing the job yourself? Our service offers help for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript which needs re-typing before the writer can proceed with submission or publication. Typing manuscripts
- 'I know I am finished with a book when I never want to see it again. And if you have worked at it long enough to hate the sight of it, I promise you will come to love it again some sweet day. That is when you will know you did a writer's work.' Robert Benson in our Writers' Quotes.
