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Insider tip
How to Get an Agent: "Follow your instinct – more often than not it will be right." » Read more on securing the services of a good agent by Philippa Milnes-Smith-
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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
Found on an agent’s slush pile
Filed under: Getting Published, Literary Agents
A heartwarming tale for writers: Stephen Kelman’s book, Pigeon English, was spotted on an agent’s pile of unsolicited submissions, and went on to be hotly fought over by no fewer than 12 publishers, before being snapped up by Bloomsbury.
This story of violence on a council estate is narrated by a 12-year-old boy, and in an interview 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
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
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
The Google Settlement: the (very) bare bones
Filed under: Digital publishing
The settlement reached between Google, the Authors Guild of America and the Association of American Publishers in October 2008, ran to a daunting 350 pages. The agreement has sparked a huge legal case in the USA, with some publishers and authors concerned about potential infringement of their copyright. So what might it mean for you? Read more
Your covering letter: just do it
Filed under: Getting Published, Writing Advice
I’ve just come back from a week away in the Green Green Grass of Home. And very nice it was too – warm and sunny (but then the sun always shines in Wales). But now I’m back in London, with its different kind of heat, a humid heat that’s making me feel a bit lethargic… but is it the heat?
I’m back at my desk and looking at a list entitled ‘things to do’. Read more
Authors and artists: be strategic!
The web and digitisation have made possible the rapid publication of anything by anyone with access to the Internet. As a side effect this has also created a vast swathe of content that creates much more noise than signal.
Any creative that attempts to engage an audience online is doing so amid a multitude of voices offering similar content, all hoping to engage with an audience too. Without a plan an online effort could easily flounder.
So what can an author or an artist do?
The best recommendation is to adopt a strategy based on three questions: Read more
A waste of time
Filed under: Getting Published, Marketing Yourself
Aspiring authors often do something which is very kind of them, improves my day, but has no positive effect on their chances of publication whatsoever.
When you send in a submission and you enclose folders, document wallets, nice paper clips and sometimes even pretty ribbon, and then ask for your small SAE to be returned – I am the unworthy recipient of your lovely stationery. It’s very kind, but it’s not necessary! So, at the risk of depleting my stocks of these items (what am I saying?!), you only need 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 »