What's New in 2019
- The first draft - 'The toughest part of the whole process is going from the outline to the first draft. When you are writing the outline you can do anything from changing the gender of a character to reseting the whole thing in Egypt. You are all-powerful. After you have made those decisions, you come to the stage where each sentence in our outline has to be turned into four or five pages of prose. This is where the real imaginative work comes in...' Ken Follett, author of The Kingsbridge Series and The Century Trilogy from the Masterclass on his website. Our Comment.
- The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2019 is open to writers across the world. Entry fees are: Short Fiction £13.50, Poetry £9. There's £1,000 prize money for the Poetry winner and for the Short Fiction Winner, and it's closing on 31 August.
- 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, The Business of Writing for Self-publishing authors offers terrific advice for all writers: 'Self-publishing authors - also known as ‘indie' authors or author-publishers - have had a steep learning curve these past few years. Getting to grips with the various sales channels available to them, producing top quality ebooks and paperbacks, and finding a place in mainstream outlets have left many writers struggling to keep up with the paperwork. What follows is a brief guide to the essentials your self-publishing business needs - because it is a business, even if you only publish one book!'
- Our links: is this something to be worried about? New chapter? UK print book sales fall while audiobooks surge 43% | Books | The Guardian; why it can give you a powerful gift - insight into your own relationship to the creative process, Writer's Block Is a Gift. Here's Why. | Jane Friedman; five years ago, she wrote an essay for the Guardian that nearly ended her career, Who's afraid of Kathleen Hale? and why tariffs on books from China are bad news, The Book Industry Speaks Out Against China Tariffs.
- Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Promoting Your Writing (and Yourself), from Self-publishing: is it for you? to Keep up to date and Submission to publishers and agents. 'Think about the market for your book. Research the category and read widely to see what other published writers in this area are doing. Which writers are successful and why? Visit bookshops and analyse what you find there. If you are reading this you are probably already writing, but it really is worth thinking right from the beginning about your readers, as that makes it far more likely you'll eventually find them...'
- Are you now ready to submit to publishers or to self-publish? We offer the widest range of editorial services on the web, tailored to writers' requirements and carried out by our professional editors, Our Services for writers.
- More links: "the hardest working woman in trash fiction", Judith Krantz, the romance novelist with more than 80 million copies in print, dies at 91 - Los Angeles Times; everybody gets rejected at some point, but here are some rejection letters to well-known authors, quoted in full, "Perhaps We're Being Dense." Rejection Letters Sent to Famous Writers | Literary Hub; "African publishing is the new frontier," said Kenyan novelist Ngugi wa Thiong'o, The Fight to Improve Publishing in Africa; and a stunning story of literacy making a difference, Andy McNab: ‘At 16, I read my first book - and it changed my life' | Life and style | The Guardian.
- From Judith Krantz, who died this week, in our Writers' Quotes: ‘If you're going to write a good erotic scene, you have to go into details. I don't believe in thunder and lightning and fireworks exploding. I think people want to know what's happening.'
- For quotes fans we have superb collections in More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.
- 'I think I am starving for publication: I love to get published; it maddens me not to get published. I feel at times like getting every publisher in the world by the scruff of the neck, forcing his jaws open, and cramming the Mss down his throat - 'God-damn you, here it is - I will and must be published...' Our Comment is from Tom Wolfe, journalist and author of several novels and works of non-fiction, including The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, The Right Stuff and The Bonfire of the Vanities.
- Inside Publishing is a 19-part series looking at publishing from the writer's point of view. Our article on Copyright: 'Unless there is a very good reason, authors should in general seek to retain copyright in what they write. The most obvious exceptions are if a writer is employed by a newspaper, journal or company, when the writer is producing the work as part of their job...' On Children's Publishing: 'Age groups are an important element of the way publishers look at publishing for children. The storyline and language must be appropriate for the intended age-group and this is where many writers who haven't written for children before are likely to go wrong...'
- The Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award 2020 is open to writers writing in English and resident within the British Commonwealth and Eire, who have not yet published or self-published a full-length book. There's no entry fee and the First Prize is £10,000, with two runners-up prizes of £1,000. Closing on 31 October.
- We have a new page which gives an editor's take on using pdfs, So what's wrong with PDFs? 'If you need your file to be edited, PDF is not the ideal format; in fact, it is practically the worst format you can choose. Why? Precisely because PDFs are designed not to be tampered with or changed. When you stop to think about it, editing is no more or less than a process of changing - and correcting - your file...'
- Our links: "You can really find your tribe online," a positive response to the question, Has the Internet Changed Book Culture? A room of one's own is still viewed as the most important requirement for a writing career 90 years on from Virginia Woolf's seminal essay, Two thirds of professional writers earn less than £10k, RSL survey finds | The Bookseller; some writers speak about their own difficulties, 'There's no safety net': the plight of the midlist author | Books | The Guardian; and the formula of the traditional mystery is straightforward. A crime (usually a murder) occurs, and then the detective assembles an array of clues, all of which are laid out in front of the reader, who is then given ample time to have a crack at solving the problem themselves before the detective lays out the solution in the final chapter, Sherlock Holmes, Hardboiled Detective | CrimeReads.
- Our new page Copy editing services covers our six services working on writers' manuscripts, a range which includes our top of the range Writer's Edit and English Language Editing. We have introduced free samples and free short written assessments on most of these services, which are provided by our skilled professional editors. We are transparent about our rates and our high quality copy editing services offer very good value.
- More links: What is it about language that gets people so hot under the collar? Language wars: the 19 greatest linguistic spats of all time | Science | The Guardian; after years, it finally happened: I was published in a literary magazine alongside Diane, my ultimate writing enemy, What My Writing Nemesis Taught Me About Myself | Literary Hub; a magazine produced in cooperation with the International Publishers Association and its 'Africa Rising' seminar in Nairobi last week, Publishing-Perspectives-Magazine-African-Publishing-June-2019-Magazine.pdf; and the dramatic ups and downs of a writer's self-esteem, which are entirely dependent upon the stage of the writing/editing process they're in, Why Does Writing Suck?
- From our Endorsements page: 'As a total neophyte as a writer, I have been doing a huge amount of research suddenly as to what services are available to writers, on both sides of the Atlantic, and am amazed that you are able to have someone read a whole book and give a serious critique for just 180 pounds. I think that is incredible value for money, compared to other similar services that appear to be available out there. I hope to be back to you again for more assistance, once I've cleaned up my work! Martin Humphries, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Frank Yerby in our Writers' Quotes: 'It is my contention that a really great novel is made with a knife and not a pen. A novelist must have the intestinal fortitude to cut out even the most brilliant passage so long as it doesn't advance the story.'
- ‘First the length. In an age of ever-shortening attention spans, you have to have a pretty powerful message to keep anyone's interest for much over 75,000 words (about 300 pages). In fact, if you can't present your proposition in 300 pages, then you may have a problem with excessive verbiage you should deal with...' David Craig, management consultant and author of The Great Charity Scandal and Don't Buy It! in an article on the Andrew Lownie Agency website. This week's Comment is on Writing your first non-fiction book.
- If you are not a native English speaker but you want to publish your book in English to make it available to the international market, what do you do? If your English is good enough, what about writing it in English or translating your book into English yourself, and then getting your translation polished and copy edited by a professional editor who is a native English speaker? The result should be a publishable manuscript at a relatively low cost, provided by our English Language Editing Service. How to get your book translated into English (without it costing the earth).
- An endorsement from Anthony Fitzgerald for our English Language Editing Service: 'The result? A book that reads like it's written by a native speaker for only 13% of the price a complete translation would have costed. Thank you, writersservices.'
- Closing on 31 August, The Kindle Storyteller Award 2019 is open to writers of 18 or over publishing in English in any genre, who publish their work through Kindle Direct Publishing between 1st May and 31 August 2019. There's no entry fee and the Grand Prize is £20,000 cash, a publishing agreement with Amazon Publishing and an Amazon launch.
- Other competitions and prizes
- Our links: although there have been reports of a competing bid for Barnes & Noble from Readerlink, these seem to have come to nothing, Daunt Relishes Challenge of Leading B&N; for many years regarded as a low-appeal format, audiobooks continue to boom, Fifth of book buyers consume audiobooks, PA survey reveals | The Bookseller; and - it sounds healthy - every day more than 1.8 million books are sold in the US and another half a million books are sold in the UK, BBC - Future - Does reading fiction make us better people?
- Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for 150 lines of poetry can help. Our Poetry Collection Editing service, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you need.
- More links: Guardian research shows that the top 100 illustrated children's books last year showed growing marginalisation of female and minority ethnic characters, 'Highly concerning': picture books bias worsens as female characters stay silent | Books | The Guardian; "There's no replacement for beginning to build a relationship in person; once you make that connection, your later follow-ups, via email or social media, are much more likely to be successful." Smart Indie Authors Connect at Writers' Conferences; and a digital launch from the International Publishers Association‘s (IPA) "Africa Rising" seminar in Nairobi, Nigerian Entrepreneurs Chidi and Chika Nwaogu: Publiseer.
- Do you want some help with your writing but don't know quite what you want? Are you a bit puzzled by the various services on offer, and not sure what to go for? Choosing a service can help you work out which service is right for you.
- Stephen King in our Writers' Quotes: 'If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.'
- ‘When...I started, there was the hardback and the paperback. Then there was the hardback, the trade paperback, and the paperback. Then there was the hardback, the trade paperback, the paperback, and the ebook. Then there was all that plus audio. Then all that plus podcasts; and, with the likes of Apple and Amazon involved, more places than ever before for serialisations and dramatisations; and more places than ever before for film and TV adaptations; and more markets than ever before opening up for deals...' This week's Comment about the growing market for books comes from Caroline Michel, literary agent and CEO at London literary agency Peters, Fraser & Dunlop, in Bookbrunch.
- For anyone thinking about or embarked on self-publishing, our ten-part WritersServices Self-Publishing Guide by 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 is an essential starting-point, taking you through the process step-by-step. 'Indie authors access the same professional services as traditional publishing houses. They employ freelance editors, proofreaders and cover designers. They have their work professionally formatted for ebooks and typeset for print. They may use service providers to manage some or all of the publishing tasks, or they may go it alone...' Articles include Choose Your Self-publishing Route and Marketing and Promotion for Indie Authors: Online.
- Our new page Copy editing services covers our six services working on writers' manuscripts, a range which includes our top of the range Writer's Edit and English Language Editing. We have just introduced free samples and free short written assessments on most of these services, which are provided by our skilled professional editors. We are transparent about our rates and our high quality copy editing services are also very good value.
- We've got some interesting links this week: authors who find it difficult to complete their novels because of the weight of their readers' expectations, Watched plots ... Hilary Mantel and the writers under pressure from fans | Books | The Guardian; nearly three times as many Americans read a book of history in 2017 as watched the first episode of the final season of "Game of Thrones", Opinion | The Comeback of the Century - The New York Times; essential reading for any author who ever has to give a reading, How to Plan a Book Reading That Delights Your Audience | Jane Friedman; a British author who has sold 100 million copies of books about an American hero, How author Lee Child lost his job and found global success - BBC News; and would my Korean publishers have done this if I were white? Being Published in Asia Changed Everything About My Asian American Writer Experience - Electric Literature.
- Are you thinking of submitting your book to an agent? Try our Finding an Agent page or Your Submission package.
- More links: hiring an editor to work on your manuscript is one of the best and most necessary investments an author can make, Indie Authors Talk Editors 2; what was it that made her children's books so special? Judith Kerr obituary | Julia Eccleshare | Books | The Guardian; talking about her approach to writing, Sara Paretsky Writes What's On Her Mind | CrimeReads; and a firm whose products and services are expanding, but they're still based on its first premise, that people want to read and write, What clicks with fiction readers? Wattpad helps authors find out - The Globe and Mail.
- Have you been working on your book? Are you now ready to submit to publishers or to self-publish? We offer the widest range of editorial services on the web, tailored to writers' requirements and carried out by our professional editors, Our Services for writers.
- From our Writers' Quotes, Samuel Delany: 'Talented writing makes things happen in the reader's mind - vividly, forcefully - that good writing, which stops with clarity and logic, doesn't.'
