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25 February 2013 - What's new

25 February 2013
  • 'It's a sign of the changing times that Pan MacmillanOne of largest fiction and non-fiction book publishers in UK; includes imprints of Pan, Picador and Macmillan Children’s Books Science Fiction and Fantasy imprint Tor UK is now accepting direct submissions from authors. Most publishers have long since decided not to accept unsolicited submissions, so this is a major turnaround. It's possibly also a comment on the fact that so relatively few agents represent Science Fiction or Fantasy authors, in most cases because the agents concerned don't profess to understand these genres...' News Review reports.
  • MslexiaStylish and lively site for quarterly UK literary magazine read by 12,000 'committed' women writers. Good range of quality writing, information and advice with news, reviews, competitions and interviews, all presented in a friendly fashion. Praised by Helen Dunmore as 'astute, invigorating and above all an excellent read.' www.mslexia.co.uk now have the first in their series of three specially-commissioned short story writing workshops set up in relation to the Mslexia Women's Short Story Competition available for free online. The first workshop is all about 'Beginnings' and offers practical writing advice. The other two workshops will be available over the next few weeks.
  • Our new feature links to interesting blogs or articles posted online, which will help keep you up to date with what's going on in the book world: Books in Translation: It's Time for Others to Join the Fight, Killing the "Pay First, Read Later" E-bookselling Model and Osprey Takes Flight on Brands, Tribes, "Clonefiles" and the Crowd.
  • If you are looking for copy editing online, it is difficult to ensure that you are getting a professional copy editor who will do a good job on your manuscript. Our page on Getting your manuscript copy edited may help.
  • 'No longer was I the only mad woman in the attic. I went to an RNA weekend in Bournemouth. I had to get the train and I arrived late, and I knew no one, apart from the main speaker. And I only knew her because she'd been on television. But it was so wonderful meeting other people with the same obsession. Because when you're a writer, it's very difficult to explain what you do to those who have no concept of what it's like...' Katie Fforde, author of A French Affair and President of the UK Romantic Novelists' Association in our Comment column.
  • Have you ever wondered whether there's any point in entering competitions? Someone must be winning, but why is it somehow never you? It might be worth reviewing how you approach competitions, to see if you can achieve a better result. See our page on Entering Competitions.
  • 'Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.' T S Eliot in our Writers' Quotes.