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Insider tip
Ensure that no key elements of your work, particularly your signature, will be concealed by a frame or mount. Paintings should be signed at least 15mm into the canvas/paper.
Artist's Guide to Selling Work-
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Making the most of summer
Filed under: Festivals and Events, Writing Advice
I’m in the midst of organising the second annual Summer Writing Institute for BQFP, the publishing company where I work. This year we are expanding to five tracks: fiction, personal essay, poetry and for the first time, Arabic language workshops in fiction and essay as well.
It’s our last event before the summer and also the perhaps the one I’m most excited about because of how much Read more
Sneak preview of Getting Published!
We are thrilled to announce that a new title for writers, the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook Guide to Getting Published, will be coming out this autumn. It’s a companion book to the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook so this is all very exciting!
To give you all a sneak preview of this new book, we have added an article exclusively to this website. It’s called Read more
Giveaway winners
We’re pleased to announce the 5 winners of our recent book giveaway. We’d like to congratulate Katherine Kepista, Jaroslaw Makuch, G. R. Aston, Alexander Sehmer and Chrissy Kent, who each win a copy of No Contacts? No Problem! How to Pitch and Sell a Freelance Feature, published by A&C Black.
Don’t worry if you missed out this time as we’ll be running more book giveaways soon!
When things start to happen…
Filed under: Authors and Books, Festivals and Events
A guest post from Bloomsbury author Katie Hickman, who is speaking on ‘How I Got Published’ at the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook writers’ conference on Saturday 19 June:
“Where does it all come from?” runs that favourite query of literary festival audiences. “Where do you get your ideas and your inspiration?”
Oh dear, I’ve always dreaded that question. I can answer anything, lierally anything at all, about the writing process. I can talk at length on word counts, publishers, how to get an agent – but this one has always Read more
Quick thoughts on age and prizes
Today I am speed blogging, which means no lengthy comment from me but just two things that have grabbed my attention today.
First off, praise from Richard and Judy or winning the Nobel Prize – which is the bigger honour? Before you say the Nobel, let me say this, a new survey has revealed that more people have heard of the Richard & Judy Book Club (despite it now being defunct) than the Nobel Prize for Literature. If your aim is to Read more
Advice for writers from Jodi Picoult
Filed under: Authors and Books, Writing Advice
I recently went along to see Jodi Picoult talking about her new book, House Rules, at an event put on by Toppings Booksellers in Ely. As you would expect from someone on her 17th book, she does a tremendous amount to get her books written, and to promote them when they come out.
The questions ranged over many of her previous books, asking how she came to write about so many Read more
“Finally it’s recognisably a book”
A guest post from Bloomsbury author Chris Priestley:
Not too long ago I received a package from my publisher, Bloomsbury. It contained the bound uncorrected proofs of my new novel, The Dead of Winter.
Bound proofs show a level of commitment from your publisher – which is always comforting. They will hopefully be sent out to booksellers and event organisers and shown to foreign publishers at trade fairs – maybe even (gasp!) to Read more
Jargon buster: POD
Filed under: Digital publishing
The term ‘print on demand’ (POD) crops up on this blog from time to time. I’m also often asked questions about it at seminars. So to clear things up, what exactly is POD and what does it mean for authors?
Quite simply, POD is a process of printing which does what it says on the tin – it prints as many books as is required at any given time.
Some speculate that POD could change the way publishers do business. Read more
500:1 against getting an agent?
I was reading an interview with a literary agent over on Galley Cat and among her answers, one thing stood out. The agent, an independent who is just broadening her client list to take on young adult fiction, mentioned the number of manuscripts she reviews.
Quite often you’ll hear a literary agent saying they are swamped by manuscripts or drowning under their slush pile, but it’s not often they attempt to put a number on what they actually look through.
Are they really Read more
Did your characters vote?
The country has recently been gripped by election fever – or bored rigid by politics (delete as appropriate!), which brings up another factor for writers.
As I mentioned in my post on the weather, when you are writing about characters in the ‘real world’, it’s important that you don’t leave out everyday life.
Some novels focus on the political and the personal, but even if your novel is simply set during contemporary times, don’t forget Read more
Buy the 2011 Yearbook
The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook is available at a discount from our online bookshop. Get all the information, 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 »