2 February 2015

Authors take the long view, publishers don't. 'Amazingly, it looks as if many authors are having a longer-term business outlook towards the publishing of their books than traditional publishers have managed to achieve. The latest update of the 2014 Digital Book World and Writer's Digest Author Survey, written up by Dana Beth Weinberg, shows some interesting results. Authors with publishers have higher expectations of their publishers - quite reasonably they expect them to deliver much more than they could do for themselves...' News Review
'Discovering our authentic voice, writing with lasting impact, and standing out from the crowd are high priorities for most of us who write. But how do we go about achieving these intentions? Conscious Writing is a new approach to deep writing with full awareness which takes us into the core of what we're really here to write, and in the process, opens the way for us to realise our true potential as authors in the world...' Julia McCutchen is an intuitive creator, writer and mentor who guides people to share their unique gifts through creating, writing and living from a conscious and vibrant connection to Truth. A former international publisher, Julia experienced a life-changing accident in 1999 which triggered a series of major quantum leaps in her spiritual awakening. She subsequently developed a tried and tested holistic approach to access the present and aligned state required for original creative expression in all areas of life, especially writing. She is the founder and creative director of the International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers (IACCW) and the author of two books including, Conscious Writing: Discover Your True Voice Through Mindfulness and More (Hay House). For more information and a free video series visit www.JuliaMcCutchen.com and www.iaccw.com on Conscious Writing
'I began my writing career with short stories. I was happy to do so. Then, somewhat to my surprise, I wrote a novel, then another, and another. Short stories meanwhile deserted me - or perhaps I deserted them. I put it in that rather ashamed way because I have no sense of the short story being an inferior form only leading to novels. Both forms seem to me equally rich and viable. Much is made of their differences when actually they have a great deal in common...' Graham Swift, author of Last Orders and England and Other Stories in the Independent on Sunday, quoted in our Comment column.
The BBC National Short Story Award 2015 is open to British nationals and residents aged 18 years or over, who have a prior record of publication in creative writing in the UK and there's a generous £15,000 for the winner. Closing on 25 February. This week's Writing Opportunity.
On the same page, the BBC Young Writers' Award is a new prize for young people from 14 to 18, closing on the same day.
Have you ever wondered why you don't win any of those competitions? Our tips on Entering Competitions.
Our links: Veteran author Warren Adler offers a "reality check" for would-be authors who believe fame and fortune is just a book away, So You Want to Be a Famous Self-Published Author? so have you ever thought what Tumblr could do for you? The Millions : A Future for Books Online: Tumblr's Reblog Book Club; a surprising figure from India as book business booms, Jaipur BookMark Estimates Indian Publishing Worth $20bn; Digital Book World's survey, the subject of this week's News Review, Authors Playing the Long-Game in Tough Book Market, Survey Finds | Digital Book World; and a free online encyclopedia for 8 to 13-year-olds launched, Orpheus creates online encyclopedia for children | The Bookseller.
'The majority of poems one outgrows and outlives, as one outgrows and outlives the majority of human passions.' T S Eliot, the subject of a new biography dealing with the first part of his life, in our Writers' Quotes.