NYC author Neil Olson on what it’s like to work in publishing today
amny.com – Tuesday January 9, 2018
Neil Olson is a mainstay in the New York City book scene.
The Massachusetts native started out as an assistant to esteemed literary agents Candida Donadio and Eric Ashworth in 1987, fresh out of Maine’s Bowdoin College with a degree in art history and English. That firm would be the only one he’d work at to this day; in 1996, Olson became a partner at what’s now Donadio & Olson.
Bloodhound Books on surviving and thriving as an indie publisher
telegraph.co.uk – Monday January 8, 2018
Indie crime fiction house, Bloodhound Books, is killing it right
now – and to such a degree that its doors have had to be temporarily shut for submissions.
"Our schedule is full up; we're set to release seven or eight books a month until June," says Betsy Reavley, who co-founded the company with her husband, Fred Freeman.
A Fine Bromance: On Writing About Friendship
signature-reads.com – Friday January 5, 2018
Over the course of the six novels I’ve published, my characters have fallen in love and had their hearts broken more times than I can count. There’s a reason why readers and writers relish a good love story: when we read an ecstatic description of a heart tumbling into deranged wonder, we think: yes. An intoxicating bell of recognition (or perhaps hope) chimes deep within us. And yet, as fascinating as we may find affairs of the heart, I’m starting to feel the limitations of writing about romance.
2018 Book Publishing Predictions - Are Indie Authors Losing their Independence?
huffingtonpost.com – Tuesday January 2, 2018
Welcome to my annual publishing predictions post where I prognosticate about the future and share my views on the state of the indie nation.
Each year around this time I polish off my imaginary crystal ball and ask it what the heck is going to happen next.
Roy Peter Clark needs your help writing a new book
poynter.org – Tuesday January 2, 2018
If you ever write a book and get someone to publish it, you will be looking for blurbs. The best blurb I ever received came from the jocular Dave Barry, who opined: “Roy Peter Clark knows more about writing than anyone I know who is not already dead.”
That juicy praise got me thinking about all those writing experts who now happen to be dead, some of them for a long time. The names are countless, from A (Aristotle) to Z (Zinsser). More than two millennia ago, Aristotle wrote "The Poetics," and in 1976 William Zinsser wrote "On Writing Well," which, over 30 years would sell more than a million copies.
Why should we subsidise writers who have lost the plot?
theguardian.com – Monday January 1, 2018
Following the announcement from Arts Council England that sales of literary fiction are plummeting, it is suggested that arts subsidies be deployed to help writers survive. I have another idea. They should write better books.
I barely read literary fiction any more. When I do it is almost always American writers: Michael Chabon, Jonathan Franzen, Anne Tyler, Donna Tartt. Not only are the aforementioned brilliant writers, they are accomplished storytellers. But here, the form of storytelling and literary novel writing has become largely divorced.
Interesting Video on “The Basics of Writing a Screenplay”
tvovermind.com – Sunday December 31, 2017
This interesting video on the basics of writing a screenplay is something that a lot of aspiring screenwriters should think about watching if they’re serious about getting their story noticed and made into a film by someone that is looking for an engaging story. Having written a few myself, but obviously never having sold one yet, this kind of a lot of review but it’s still something I think that anyone with an interest would be wise to look at. One thing you have to remember about a screenplay however is that it’s not a book. You’re not writing prose, and as a result you don’t need to be that descriptive. Instead of writing to create pages and expanded content you’re writing to create something concrete that can be filmed and idealized by those that read the script.
Bloodhound Books - A Crime Fiction Publisher That’s Killing It
huffingtonpost.com – Sunday December 31, 2017
Since I launched into the publishing industry in 2007, I have seen it morph from traditional publishers holding the reins to self-published authors trying to make a name for themselves to the newer model of independent (also known as hybrid) publishers finding a balance and niche between it all.
Today, it’s the independent publishers that are making their mark on the industry by offering a safe-haven for authors to see their books published in a professional manner without the worries of landing an agent and a deal with a big publishing house. With the right independent publishing company, marketing, and social media approach, many authors are doing quite well with this route.
How to Write a Great Book Fast—From the Author of 47
huffingtonpost.com – Sunday December 31, 2017
Is writing a book one of your goals for the new year? If so, these 10 tips can make the difference between dickering and done.
Now that I’m 47 full-length books down the road (all sold to major publishing houses), plus more than a dozen other compilations, I can attest that these principles work. A couple of my books were written in two days. The longest (95,000 words) took me 28 days to write. Several have been book club selections and won literary awards. Writing fast does NOT mean cutting corners on quality.
Here’s hoping these same tips will be helpful to you as you write your first or next book!
11 Essential Books On Writing, Based On The Genre You Want To Write
bustle.com – Saturday December 30, 2017
If you're an aspiring writer, you know that you have to read all kinds of books in order to hone your technique, but sometimes it might seem as if every writing book you look at is tailored toward people who want to write books in other genres. Not to worry, wordsmith, I have the No. 1 must-read book for aspiring writers in every genre below, so you can start building a library of writing references that work for you and your craft.
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