August 2005
The website for writers
News Review
-
In what the UK reckons to be the dog days of summer, the most extraordinary dispute looks headed for open warfare... News Review looks at W H Smith's v the publishers.
-
News Review looks at the wonderful 'books for babies' scheme: Bookstart youngsters were six times more likely to be library members and confirmed that the effect of the early exposure to books lasts and helps with the children's attitudes to reading throughout their schooldays.'
-
'It's not surprising that many publishers now rate Amazon as their most important outlet as far as backlist is concerned. It is believed to account for up to 75% of Amazon's book sales.' News Review looks at the latest from the Internet giant.
Comment
-
'So, in 2004, do we need science fiction? Some features of the world of 2004 resemble science fictional dreams of the past; some science fiction scenarios are obsolete.' Stephen Baxter in The Times
-
‘In America, there’s a huge schism between literary and commercial, created largely by marketing and by chain bookstores. ' Jodi Picoult in Publishing News
-
'I feel that anyone who wants to write historical fiction needs to love the genre, rather than be tempted to have a go at historical novels just because they seem to be fashionable right now... But most of all, new novelists need to enjoy what they are doing, because this enjoyment will show in their writing.’ Jude Morgan, author of Passion in Writers’ Forum
-
'The business is so f***ing hard now, and there's so much pressure on those working inside it, that either they don't have the time for (shall we say) pro bono discourse about (say) how to do some of the little things better; or they feel that giving away what few secrets they possess will put them at the sort of competitive disadvantage that might, soon, cost them their jobs.’ Mad Max Perkins of BookAngst 101
Writers' Quote
-
‘God has a great sense of humour. If I hadn’t got my book deal, I’d be living off £400 a month pension.’
G P Taylor, who has a 9-book deal with Faber
Writing Handbooks
Novel Writing by Evan Marshall
The second excerpt from this title from the A & C Black Writing Handbooks series looks at beginning to define your lead and developing your 'Suppose' through wht literary agent Even Marshall calls 'the three three crisis criteria':
'The situation the crisis creates must intrigue you. You’ll be with this novel a long time. If you get bored while you’re writing it, you may not finish it...'
What is open access?
'Open Access is not a business model. It is an expression of the
rights of everybody to have access to these resources... If users
decide that the work available in open access is not up to standard this
model will struggle to grow.'
Chas Jones looks at how the open access model really works.
Review of Mslexia magazine
The fourth in our series of magazine reviews.
This month the focus is on Mslexia magazine:
'for women writers who take their writing quite seriously and are aiming at the more literary end of the spectrum but who want good practical advice, offered in an accessible and friendly way, Mslexia is perfect. '
For reviews of Writers' Forum, Writer's Digest and Writers' News, see our writers' magazine review section.
Our Editorial Services for writers
Check out the 15 different editorial services we offer, from Reports to Copy editing, Typing to Contract vetting. Our latest new service is Synopsis-writing.
We Watch the web for writers
Bob's Journal goes into its 4th volume
Bob on whether writers should reflect the new culture since 9/11 - and whether he's persona non grata at EasterEnders because of his article in the 2006 Writer's Handbook:
'A novelist only engages with real life in order to tidy it up... Should never forget that novels, no matter how ‘engaged’, are primarily works of the imagination.'
Check out WritersServices' wonderful review in ArtsProfessional magazine: 'this site was set up specifically to help writers prepare for publication. It has a great resource section...'
Selling books beyond the traditional bookstore
Chas Jones investigates how self-publishers can extend the market for their books: 'pursuing some of these avenues brings you much closer to your readers and should allow you to learn a lot more about your market'
Report from the Annual Writers' Conference in Winchester
Fay Weldon on the writer's role: ‘The reader is looking to you to provide some meaning and shape to the chaos of real life... The writer’s job is to provide a pattern.'
Try our new survey
See below
John Jenkins looks at the star-studded line-up at the Cheltenham Festival and what judges of writing competitions are looking for, and asks whether media studies are more important than Eng.Lit?
'So are the characters memorable? Is the dialogue crisp? Could the beginning and ending of the story be polished?'
The Editor's View, written by the Editor of
Writers' Forum magazine.WritersPrintShop
Our design, print and distribution service for self-publishers. The latest addition to the service is our WritersPrintShop online bookshop, which will sell your book for you on the Internet as soon as it's published.
Most recent Magazines
WritersServices.com Magazine August
2005
Try the survey
Can you spare a moment to tell us what you think of future formats for the written word?