-
-
Insider tip
Enthusiasm is infectious... It is essential to convey enthusiasm for your work and for the job of meeting people and selling to them. Art is a luxury, so people need to enjoy buying it. The Artist's Guide to Selling Work by Annabelle Ruston-
You'll find us not just here, but also on Facebook.
Short stories, poems – what’s the point?
Filed under: Competitions and Offers, Getting Published
I am often contacted by authors who are writing short stories, and want to know what their chances of getting published are. There is good news and bad news.
The bad news is that most publishers will only publish short stories if you are an established author. Even the most well-known authors will sell fewer books if they write short stories, and bookshops stock fewer short story collections on their shelves.
So what’s the good news then? Read more
Fridge magnet poetry
Here’s an intelligent post on jargon, courtesy of a copywriting friend of mine who recalls painful memories of working for charities where interminable meetings – and jargon – sapped his will to live.
Take a look at that list of words that public sector officials should avoid using. Incredible. Read more
Must you write?
Filed under: Authors and Books, Writing Advice
This is the 2nd in a series of guest posts from Thomas E. Kennedy, each focusing on questions that have empowered him – and could also empower you – as a writer.
Q: Must you write?
Thomas E. Kennedy: This is a question that I learned to ask myself from the great Austrian poet R. M. Rilke from his marvellous Letters to a Young Poet (there is a photograph of Marilyn Monroe reading it by the way).
What Rilke said to the young poet he was mentoring was, ask yourself, ‘Must I write?’
If your answer is no, you have gained important self-knowledge; if you are able to quit writing, perhaps you 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.-
Win, Win, Win! We are giving away 5 copies of Qatari Voices, a collection of essays which will inspire new writers. For details of how to enter this giveaway go to 'The Accidental Writer' >
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 »