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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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Waiting list – technical glitch
NEWS FLASH: Did you contact us to be on the waiting list for the Writers’ & Artists’ conference? Due to technical difficulties we have been unable to access emails sent between 20.01.10 and 01.02.10. To guarantee you’re on the list, please resend your message to waybconference@acblack.com
2010 – The Year of your book?
Filed under: Festivals and Events, Getting Published
Happy New Year to all Writers’ & Artists’ users and Yearbook readers!
How are you today? Are you looking back at 2009 and weighing up the highs and lows? Or are you thinking of the year ahead as a new opportunity – made any resolutions? Read more
Merry Christmas everyone!
Filed under: Festivals and Events, Getting Published
Wishing all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year – may 2010 be your most successful writing year yet!
We expect you’ll be getting to grips with your writing projects during the holidays. So, to help you along the way, we’ve set up a dedicated email address, especially for you to ask any burning questions about getting published.
Simply email your question to writersandartists@acblack.com by 4 January 2010 – it couldn’t be easier.
Please note that we won’t be able to Read more
We announce the winner!
A big thank you to everyone who took part in our recent competition!
We asked you to write a pitch for your book in 20 words or fewer, for a chance to win a place at the ‘Insider Guide to How to Get Published’ conference.
In the end we had hundreds of entries and the standard has been extremely high. It’s been a tough call choosing a winner, but finally we picked someone whose entry really sparked our imaginations and left us wanting to read more.
So a big congratulations to Read more
The truth about book fairs
Filed under: Festivals and Events
What many authors don’t realise is how critical marketing is to the success of their title once they’ve overcome the hurdle of getting an agent, finished the stellar content, and got the book on the shelf.
Store placement and promotional work are key to sales. Many publishers now want an author to have a ‘platform’ or personal marketing strategy of how they can get the title picked up by book clubs, reviewed on Amazon and recommended to 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
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
View from the Cheltenham festival
I’ve just spent the weekend at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.
I was taking part in several events, an afternoon workshop on how to get published, a weekend workshop on managing your life as a writer, and then the launch of our new book on parenting (with Gill Hines, It’s not fair! Parenting the bright and challenging child, Piatkus).
As part of my preparation, I went through the festival programme and worked out what I could fit around my own commitments, making tough choices (eg Mark Watson or Jack Dee, cruelly scheduled at the same time).
Looking at my programme now I am amused to see that Read more
The delights of diversity
The other evening I went to the British Library to hear Oona King deliver the second 26 Annual Speech. 26 is a membership organisation for writers which I co-founded six years ago, and our aim is to promote the value of writing – in business, in life, in all its diversity.
That’s why Oona was an appropriate choice of speaker. She’s now head of diversity for Channel 4 and was previously the Labour MP for Bethnal Green – a constituency where 79 different languages are spoken by residents. Oona famously lost her seat to George Galloway, notorious for being a cat on Big Brother. Did Oona’s defeat by an embarrassing and chubby moggy with a moustache mean that diversity and multiculturalism are dead? Read more
I’m here to help you get published
Filed under: Festivals and Events
UPDATE: Due to unforeseen circumstances Alison Baverstock will be talking on ‘How to Get Published’ as Jo Herbert is unable to attend the festival.
The countdown to my next ‘How to Get Published‘ workshop at the Cheltenham Literature Festival on 16 October has started.
Anyone and everyone is welcome, from writers whose book is still a twinkle in their eye, to those who are putting the finishing touches to their manuscript.
In three short hours (it’s ok there’ll be a tea break or two) I’ll give you an overview of the publishing industry and make suggestions of what to do before submitting your work 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 »