8 February 2021 - What's new
8 February 2021
- 'It is all for the taking. All the manuals by frustrated fictioneers on how to write can't give you the first syllable of reality, at any cost, that any common conversation can. All the classics, read and re-read, can't help you catch the ring of truth as does the word heard first-hand...' Nelson Algren, author of The Man with the Golden Arm and A Walk on the Wild Side.
- An essential read for children's authors is Suzy Jenvey's special series for WritersServices, the four-part Essential Guide to Writing for Children. The first article looks at the all-important question of age groups and what you should be aware of in writing for each one. The second part is - Before You Write: What is My Story Going to be? The third part deals with Starting to Write and the fourth part is about Submitting Your Work to Agents and Editors. This series by a hugely experienced children's editorial director and agent helps you get started on your own story or develop what you're already working on.
- Our Children's Editorial Services help you to get your children's book ready for publication or self-publishing. Have you found it difficult to get expert editorial input on your work ? Do you want to know if it might find a publisher? Or are you planning to self-publish?
- Our links on writers and writing: more than 130 years on, Holmes remains our almost constant companion, 'I think I've written more Sherlock Holmes than even Conan Doyle': the ongoing fight to reimagine Holmes | Books | The Guardian; coming up, a series on Ernest Hemingway's life and death and the myth that surrounded both, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Turn Their Lens, and Jeff Daniels's Voice, to Hemingway; it's a difficult time to write police procedurals. Or at least it should be, The Future of Police Procedurals ‹ CrimeReads; is it right to proceed with a biography against the wishes of the family? Hitchens Biography Proceeds, Against His Widow's Wishes - The New York Times; and the awful search for a flatttering author photo, Let's Face It: In Search of the Alluring Author Photo | BREVITY's Nonfiction Blog.
- Working with an agent explains how to get the best out of the relationship with your agent: 'It can be hard work finding an agent to represent you. Make sure though that, when you set up the relationship, you do so in a professional manner Don't let your eagerness to find representation mean that things are left vague. You will be depending on the agent to process all your income from the books they sell, so you need to have a written record of your arrangement, preferably a contract...'
- Do you want some help with your writing but don't know quite what you want? Choosing a service can help you work out which service is right for you, or you could just email us.
- Links from publishing and bookselling: rather shockingly, this bitter dispute has lasted two years, Feud Between Hollywood Agents and TV Writers Comes to an End - The New York Times; major changes may be coming for British publishers, Richard Charkin: Brexit Ushers British Publishing Into New Territory; more thoughtful articles on Amazon and Bezos, At last, the regime that enabled Amazon's monopoly power is crumbling | Amazon | The Guardian; and on the man himself, ‘A managerial Mephistopheles': inside the mind of Jeff Bezos | Jeff Bezos | The Guardian.
- 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 service offers help for writers who have an old or handwritten manuscript, or audio tapes, which need re-typing before the writer can proceed with submission or publication. Typing Manuscripts.
- 'Luckily for art, life is difficult, hard to understand, useless, and mysterious.' Grace Paley in our Writers' Quotes.