What's New in 2020
- ‘He was a good pick. I thought it was an amazing fact that Henry VIII's reign is told and told and told - but where is Cromwell? It seemed to me that no one had bothered to try to listen to his voice, and that it is such a major gap because he is so central. It's almost as if he was so central that people couldn't see him...' Hilary Mantel, author of just-published The Mirror and the Light, the third book in her trilogy about Thomas More in the Sunday Times magazine. The first two books, Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, both won the Man Booker Prize. Writing about Thomas Cromwell
- An Editor's Advice is our seven-part series on how to become a better writer. On Genre writing: 'I've been reading science fiction, fantasy and crime novels since I was a teenager, and I can spot when a writer doesn't fully understand the mechanics of their chosen genre. It may not matter to a casual reader but it really matters to the fans, and if they don't like what they find, they'll be telling their friends why the novel is rubbish. So, what do you do about it? How do you become a successful genre writer?
- The new Page Turner Awards are open to all. Two different awards aim to help writers and authors to get discovered with possible literary agency representation and potentially taking a published book from page to film, the Page Turner Writing Award and the Page Turner Ebook Award. Closing 30 April. There are no entry fees and a £10,000 prize fund.
- Here's a detailed article on how to prepare Your submission package - 'Given the difficulty of getting agents and publishers to take on your work, it's really important to make sure that you present it in the best possible way. Less is more, so don't send a full manuscript, as it's very unlikely to be read. Far better to tempt them with a submission package that will leave them wanting to see the rest of the manuscript...'
- As well as our highly-regarded Copy editing service, which will help you prepare your manuscript for submission or self-publishing, we have Manuscript Polishing, which provides a higher-level polishing service, English Language Editing for those for whom English is not a native language, our new Writer's edit, providing line-editing, and Proof-reading. Get the right level of editorial support for your needs. Our low-cost services represent exceptionally good value. Contact us to discuss what you want.
- Our links: a positive comment about how the writing of a book will change their lives, Walter Mosley: 'Everyone Can Write a Book.' | Literary Hub; this happens more often than most authors realize, How to Choose an Agent Amid Competing Offers | Jane Friedman; Publishers often keep extremely tight-lipped about just how much cash they've parted with when paying authors their advances, 10 of the Biggest Book Deals in History | Book Riot; how the pandemic is affecting book fairs, Coronavirus: Uncertainty About Bologna Book Fair; London Remains a Go; and Normal People has been greeted by readers, critics and booksellers alike as one of those novels that captures something ineffable about its age, Is being the 'voice of a generation' a curse or an honour for novelists? | Books | The Guardian.
- From our Endorsements page: 'Today I only want to say, "thank you". DM has done a truly great job. I have worked with her suggestions which have brought clarity and depth to my subject. Her work on my punctuation is brilliant. As I read through the manuscript now, it is like gliding on silk.' Helena Dodds
- More links: Why is it that novels are so vital to women today? Women's Prize for Fiction Helen Taylor: Why do women read novels? - Women's Prize for Fiction; author and co-author of more than 80 books, he sold more than 100m books around the world, Clive Cussler, bestselling adventure novelist, dies aged 88 | Books | The Guardian; British Poet Laureate's National Poetry Centre, Simon Armitage plans national 'headquarters' for poetry in Leeds | Books | The Guardian; and once upon a time, writing and sharing fan fiction on the internet carried a distinct stigma, The Surprising 18th-Century Origins of Fan Fiction - The Atlantic.
- Sally Rooney speaks up in our Writers' Quotes: 'I certainly never intended to speak for anyone other than myself. Even myself I find it difficult to speak for. My books may well fail as artistic endeavours but I don't want them to fail for failing to speak for a generation for which I never intended to speak in the first place.'
- Modern children have ‘a yearning for a world without screens. Yes it's rough and Torak and Renn go through some difficult times, but it's this amazing world where there's no climate change, lots of animals, no pollution. It doesn't matter what you look like. What matters is you don't make any noise when you're hunting... Michelle Paver, author of Wolf Brother, Dark Matter and Spirit Walker, talking about her new book Viper's Daughter, published next month, in the Bookseller. Our Comment.
- Advice for Writers is a really useful page which takes you into our archive and helps you explore our more than 7,000 pages of information for writers.
- If you have written a poem you think would appeal to 7-11-year olds, then why not enter the The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2020? It is open to all poets across the world over the age of 16. Entry fee €14 per poem and the prize is €1,000. Closing date 31 March and the Prize will be judged by Roger McGough.
- 'Professional copy editing does make sense, either if you are trying to give your work its best chance when submitting it or, even more crucially, if you are planning to self-publish. But how are you supposed to tell who will do a good job, when the editorial services on the web all sound pretty much the same and it's tempting to go for the cheapest?' Getting your manuscript copy edited
- Our links:"What did you find to be the biggest difference between writing crime and writing fantasy?" Worldbuilding: Crime and Fantasy Books Have More in Common Than You Might Think | CrimeReads; not for everyone perhaps, but 'I use a systematic and business-like approach to help take the sting out of rejections and keep me focused on moving forward with querying', Here's a System and Template for Tracking Your Submissions; 'You ask yourself if you are a writer if there is no novel to prove that you are what you say you are,' Brandon Taylor, Reluctant Novelist | Literary Hub; erased from my zine's page, Did Amazon Throttle My Sales After I Criticized Them in the New York Times? | Literary Hub; and Fanny Blake reports on the crucial contribution of the Quick Reads programme to improving adult literacy, Making a difference - quickly.
- Working with an agent: 'Don't ever take on an agent you don't like or don't trust, however desperate you may feel. You have to be able to work with them in what should be an extremely important relationship for you as a writer. You must also feel confident that they are competent, enthusiastic about your work and can be trusted, both in terms of the advice they offer and in relation to handling your money...
- '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...'
- More links: political books are selling like Donald Trump merchandise at Mar-a-Lago, dominating nonfiction bestseller lists for the past few years, John Bolton's $2 million book deal about the Trump administration isn't brave - Vox; finally moving into the limelight, Asian American Writers Are Finally Breaking Out on Their Own Terms; cover presentations designed by Amazon Publishing did by far the best job of luring in prospective buyers, Judging a Book by Its Title; and it's pretty clear what's unfair. Not paying on time. Breaking the terms of an agreement between publishers, booksellers, authors, agents. But fairness is more difficult to pin down, Opinion: Richard Charkin on Fairness in Book Publishing.
- Our 20 Services for writers - just a list of what we offer at WritersServices.
- From Tom Clancy in our Writers' Quotes: 'The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.'
- ‘Lots of aspiring writers ask me, "How do you write a book without offending people you love?" And you have to make a decision to be honest. I mean it's painful, but I want to write a book that is true to my moral core and that is true to my characters. Writing the abortion storyline, I found that really frightening because I was brought up as a Catholic, it went into my bones and the fear was real...' Marian Keyes, author of Grown Ups, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, Rachel's Holiday, Anybody out There? and 14 other novels, in The Times. Our Comment.
- There are 19 articles in the Inside Pubishing series, Children's Publishing provides an introduction: 'Long regarded as the Cinderella of the publishing world, children's publishing has enjoyed a remarkable rate of growth and is now seen by many as one of the most exciting areas to work in. This is not just because of the Harry Potter phenomenon, as many other children's authors such as Jacqueline Wilson, Philip Pullman and Judy Blume have also produced megasellers which have proved attractive to children all over the world.'
- From the same series Print on Demand: 'Print on demand is a now widely-used printing technology which delivers, literally, print on demand. It has the power to change the way books are published radically, and even publishers are using it on a very much greater scale. Some writers are still not yet familiar with its possibilities...'
- Calling all American self-publishers - The new Selfies Book Awards US is closing on 29 February. Eligible titles in the adult fiction category must have been self-published in the United States during the calendar year 2019 by authors who live in the US. The Prize is $1,000 plus $5,000 worth of trade advertising and free display at five trade shows in 2020-21. Run by Publishers WeeklyInternational news website of book publishing and bookselling including business news, reviews, bestseller lists, commentaries http://www.publishersweekly.com/ and Bookbrunch, this is sure to get US book trade support for the winner.
- Four other Writing Opportunities are still open.
- As well as our highly-regarded Copy editing service, which will help you prepare your manuscript for submission or self-publishing, we have Manuscript Polishing, which provides a higher-level polishing service, English Language Editing for those for whom English is not a native language, our new Writer's edit, providing line-editing, and Proof-reading. Get the right level of editorial support for your needs. Our low-cost services represent exceptionally good value. Contact us to discuss what you want.
- Our links, a bumper crop this week: how will the book world be affected? Virus Impacts Publishing In and Out of China; for readers, the anonymous author holds a simple and compelling promise, Who's in charge? How Anonymous became a star in publishing | Sarah Ditum | Books | The Guardian; a torn scrap on which I'd written hurriedly a name and the plot number of a grave, How to Write Autofiction About Your Family Without Losing Your Mind | Literary Hub; and are you a Serious Author, an author of genre fiction, or a clueless dilettante? What Your Choice of Dialogue Tags Says About You | Jane Friedman.
- It may surprise you to know that the first of Julie Wheelwright's Top Ten Tips for Nonfiction Writers is: 'Story, story, story. Make sure that your story can sustain several chapters and tens of thousands of words. Keep asking yourself: Why would anyone want to read this story?'
- More links: the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, New Literary Prize Will Award Over $100,000 to a Female Novelist - The New York Times; a bestselling phenomenon, with over 48 books and more than 100 million copies of her books in print in the US, Mary Higgins Clark Dead at 92; and take part in this by reading all the winners, Women's Prize for Fiction to mark 25th anniversary with 'Winner of Winners' contest | The Bookseller.
- Authors often find it difficult to write their own synopsis for submission to agents and publishers, which is where our Synopsis-writing service can help. If you're preparing to self-publish and having difficulty with your blurb, our Blurb-writing service from a professional copy-writer will make your book stand out.
- American Dirt is getting a lot of attention. Three articles look at dfferent aspects of this: is it part of the literary vs. genre divide, which is centuries old? American Dirt Is The Latest Shot Fired in the Genre Wars | CrimeReads; this well-meaning nonsense got us, the readers, nowhere, American Dirt's problem is bad writing, not cultural appropriation | Nesrine Malik | Opinion | The Guardian; and mixed reaction from myriad publishing professionals, Publishing's ‘American Dirt' Problem.
- In our Writers' Quotes from T C Boyle: 'But then, that's the beauty of writing stories - each one is an exploratory journey in search of a reason and a shape. And when you find that reason and that shape, there's no feeling like it.'