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"Yes, the ending was as I planned it." Stephen Poliakoff explained the writing process behind his new thriller, Glorious 39, at his recent Waterstone's signing.
Read the interview with Stephen Poliakoff » -
"One of the most satisfying things about blogging is the immediacy. You think it up, type it out on your keyboard and then publish."
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When a publisher doesn’t accept unsolicited submissions…
Filed under: Getting Published
You’ve done your research, you know who to aim your work at, but there’s a big ‘No Entry’ sign that stops you going any further.
What do you do when a publisher says it doesn’t accept unsolicited submissions?
Sending your work in regardless runs the risk Read more
Grumpy old literary agent’s Christmas
Every year we go to a friend’s for a Christmas drinks thing – you know the score – the same bunch of people, the same canapés, the same wine and the same easy chat. All good stuff.
Conversation hovers around those safety zones of film (did you see?, wasn’t X great?, have you joined lovefilm? etc), music (do you remember that brilliant album by x?, Radiohead were great at Glastonbury – shame we had to watch it on skyplus etc) and books. Yes books.
Remarkably there are still some people out there who value books and who enjoy the fact they don’t have screens, they don’t require batteries and they can (just about) survive an accidental dip in the bath. All good. I enjoy chatting about all of this but something stopped me cold in my tracks last year. I was Read more
“It helps if you (occasionally) think you’re a genius…”
Filed under: Art and Illustration, Authors and Books
If I knew the definitive answer to ‘how to get a publishing deal’, I’d be able to mend the hole in my roof. Only kidding (I live in a basement).
I’ve had quite a few books published, but it’s always been tricky. It helps if you (occasionally) think you’re a genius of course, and are slightly rhino-skinned to let those rejection emails/letters bounce off you.
My first book was published in 1986. I love magic tricks, but am quite inept at Read more
Competition: Tell us your pitch!
Filed under: Competitions and Offers, Festivals and Events
Everyone loves a competition, which is why we’re announcing the details of our new writers’ conference with a great giveaway, so get your (virtual) pens at the ready.
On Saturday 13 March, we’re holding a conference for writers, called the ‘Insider Guide to How to Get Published’. We’ve brought together some of the top names in publishing to make it a day to remember.
Jo Herbert, the editor of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook will be there, as will a host of guest speakers Read more
Finding a voice
A guest post from Derek Neale, Lecturer in Creative Writing at The Open University:
This is the second of my blogs, offering some thoughts about how drama can be used to improve your fiction.
Actors impersonate. And in many ways that’s just what we do when we write a story – we put on the voices of our characters, and the voices of our narrators too. I think voice is very important in fiction.
In a film or play the mimicry is partly achieved by the actor’s intonation and performance. But a significant part of it is orchestrated by the scriptwriter, who provides the actor with a character’s specific diction and speech rhythms, as well as a subtext of that character’s fears and Read more
Can a computer judge your writing?
How do you judge the quality of your own writing? And how will others judge its quality? These are questions that any writer will think about. They concern us particularly when we submit our work for publication.
We all hope that our work will be judged by real readers rather than computers. The recent story on Channel 4 news was presented as a bit of fun, but actually it’s worrying that computer programs are now used to mark some English exams.
The Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors tried out one of these programs, developed in the USA, and tested some famous writers with it.
A passage of Hemingway failed the computer test: “lack of care in style of writing”. They then tried Read more
Sneak preview…
Filed under: Festivals and Events, Getting Published
Excitement is building in the publicity department today as we prepare to announce our first Writers’ & Artists’ writing conference!
Perfect for all you aspiring writers looking for a bit of insight into the publishing process, this will be a unique opportunity to benefit from the experience of some of the industry’s finest.
Make sure you’re signed up to Read more
How long is a piece of string?
Filed under: Getting Published, Writing Advice
I have mentioned previously that the ideal length for a manuscript is between 80,000 and 100,000 words, but as your questions have highlighted, there is often a bit more to it than that…
The word length for a manuscript is not set in stone, but here are some general guidelines that are well worth Read more
Free marketing advice: read it now!
Filed under: Marketing Yourself
If you’re a new author you’ll want people far and wide to read your book (especially after you’ve put so much serious effort into writing it!), which means you’ll also want to know how best to market it.
That’s why here at Writers & Artists we’re running a special serialisation of Alison Baverstock’s ‘Marketing Your Book’ (A&C Black), an essential read on Read more
Suffering from writer’s block?
Although my writing is more in the nature of reports and critiques, it can still be hard to motivate myself to get going on it.
I’ve tried various techniques to get myself past that initial writer’s block (kitchen timer, bribery after a certain amount of words etc), but a friend has just emailed me a rather more tough-love approach.
I thought I’d share it with you as a bit of Friday fun… Read more
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Buy the 2010 Yearbook
The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook is available at a discounted price from our online bookshop. Get all the info, contacts and advice you could need.On camera: Jon McGregor
"Being longlisted for the Booker Prize changed everything - it was the launchpad for my writing career." Click to view our video with novelist Jon McGregor »
On camera: Justin Cartwright
"Just write... If you're any good you may not know it, but certainly someone else will." Click to view our video with novelist Justin Cartwright »
On camera: Julie Myerson
The novelist and journalist Julie Myerson on how she got that all-important first publishing deal. Click here to view our video exclusive »