A new company has launched offering aspiring novelists an alternative to the "traditional" routes to publication: a salary from £2,000 per month to write their novels.
The outfit, De Montfort Literature (DML), says it will pay writers a salary to write their novels, which DML will then design, print, publish and promote.
After salary, production and marketing costs, authors will receive a 50% share of the book sale profits, the company said. In addition, writers will receive advice and support from professional mentors and editors, and get access to writing courses and classes to hone their skills.