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Insider tip
Artists: Once you've identified a potential gap in the market, always submit your idea or portfolio to the editor of that section, and never to the art director. Art directors are inundated with unsolicited work, and if yours tickles the fancy of the section editor, you're in. (Martin Rowson)
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Children’s Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2011 – now available
Filed under: Authors and Books, Getting Published, Writing Advice
It doesn’t seem long ago that I was writing a post to announce the publication of the 2010 edition of the Children’s Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook. How time flies when you’re having fun…
That’s not far from the truth when it comes to the Children’s Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook. I love putting this book together for the simple reason that I love what’s in it. I truly think the content is more than good – it’s great: Read more
Writers’ & Artists’ masterclass – the result
Filed under: Festivals and Events
We’ve just run our two-part Writers’ & Artists’ masterclass about submitting your manuscript as planned.
In part one we tackled the tricky job of drafting the covering letter, and one week later we followed up with a look at the art of writing a synopsis.
This was the first time that I’ve taught alongside editorial consultant Cressida Downing and, if I say so myself, we make a really good team. I think the reason for this is that I understand the theory (I talk to the people involved in turning a manuscript into a book and I gather information for writers), while Cressida is actually on the front line. She reads people’s submissions Read more
The 2011 Yearbook – do you need it?
Filed under: Authors and Books, Getting Published, Writing Advice
The brand new Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook is published today, 30 June!
I’m always excited but slightly anxious at the prospect. I love the look of the uncreased cover, the perfect un-thumbed pages and the unbroken spine (I’ve never been one to treat books very well – does that make me a bad book person?). I can’t wait to give it a quick smooth, a quick fan and a quick sniff before I get out the post-its and spoil another perfect copy with my scribbles and coffee stains.
But what about you – the reader? Do you need a new copy? Read more
I’ve finished so I’ll get started
Filed under: Getting Published, Writing Advice
With the 104th edition of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook now safely at the printers, I’ve hit a bit of a mental slump.
After months of hard work – updating all those 5,000 or so listings, adding new ones, updating articles and making room for more – the buzz of having finished what I started has been short lived.
This is the pattern – I’ll rush to the finish line and then find it’s followed by a strange feeling of Read more
A taste of success
Filed under: Authors and Books
Despite it being dreary weather outside, I’m hot and bothered. I’m feeling the heat from my ever pressing deadlines.
Believe it or not, I’m in the throes of getting the 2011 edition of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook ready for press. There are new articles to edit, listings to update, pages to make up, the jacket to finalise and the index to compile.
This will be the eighth time I’ve put the Yearbook together and 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
Midsummer masterclass
Filed under: Festivals and Events
My favourite part of my job is getting to know writers.
It makes my everyday business of editing the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook come alive when I meet and talk to authors (both published and aspiring) at literary festivals, seminars and writers’ conferences.
Writers never cease to amaze me – I admire the ideas you have, your bravery Read more
‘How to get published’ seminar
Filed under: Festivals and Events
Want to get published? I hope I can help.
I’m holding a ‘How to get Published’ seminar at the Cambridge Wordfest on Saturday 10 April.
I’ll be discussing what aspiring authors should consider before approaching a publisher or an agent, including Read more
Winner of the 2010 Short Story Competition
Filed under: Competitions and Offers
At last, after weeks of deliberating, we’ve decided on a winner for the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook short story competition 2010.
We had well over 1,000 entries for this year’s competition, on the theme of ‘unity’ or ‘union’ and, as usual, standards were high – very high.
Stories were varied and subjects ranged from property issues between England and Wales, to conjoined twins, cloning and Read more
Are you a copycat?
Filed under: Writing Advice
Copyright law is an issue that I get lots of questions about, and rightly so, because it can be a complicated business.
The most recent enquiry was from a gentleman who wanted advice about using an extract from another author’s work in his manuscript. This is what I told him: 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.-
Tweet and Win! We are giving away free copies of our 2011 yearbooks - and you can win one in less than a minute. Visit our competition page now to be in with a chance...
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