Breaking into writing: a few thoughts
denofgeek.com – Thursday January 28, 2016
Should you write for free? How do you get noticed if you want to write for a magazine or website? A few thoughts right here...
Can You Land an Agent or Book Deal at a Writers Conference?
huffingtonpost.com – Wednesday January 27, 2016
Yes! Look, you can't call up HarperCollins and say, "Hello! I've written a great book, could I please speak to Mr. Harper or Mr. Collins?" If you're an unknown quantity, and you aren't sleeping with someone at a literary agency--or even if you are, in some cases--it's virtually impossible to get face time with a publishing professional, be it an agent, editor, or publisher. Your blind query is usually dropped with a plop into the slop of the dreaded and aptly named slush pile, where it is then skimmed over by an eighteen-year-old unpaid intern. The fate of your book, the object of your passion and hard work, is frightfully beyond your control. Luckily, at the best writers conferences and workshops, and even some of the top-drawer bookfairs and festivals, you can personally meet, speak with, and sometimes even pitch to real publishing professionals. We know. We've met amazing writers at all of these places and helped them get book deals.
Getting Beyond Writer's Block
huffingtonpost.com – Tuesday January 26, 2016
Is there a "Right" way to write? In a word, "No."
What works for you does not necessarily work for another. Getting started is generally the first barrier to overcome. Most individuals get stuck and procrastinate when it comes to writing something longer than an e-mail. They don't want to look foolish or write anything that may be sub-par.
Who dunnit? Top tips for writing detective fiction
theguardian.com – Tuesday January 26, 2016
From red herrings to maguffins to double identities, Knightley and Son author Rohan Gavin shares the secrets of writing great detective stories.
A lonely story: the perils of writing in solitude
theguardian.com – Monday January 25, 2016
It worked for George Orwell and Henry Thoreau – but for Adrian McKinty, a retreat deep in rural Australia was a very sad tale indeed.
Could 'method writing' be the future for novelists?
bbc.co.uk – Saturday January 23, 2016
Could writers benefit from the same tactics as method actors, who immerse themselves in extreme surroundings in order to prepare for a role?
Every February, as the Oscars roll around, movie fans revel in stories about actors who have gone to extreme lengths to prepare for parts.
Daniel Day-Lewis learned to track and skin animals and fight with tomahawks for The Last of the Mohicans, while, more recently, Leonardo DiCaprio plunged into an icy river and sank his teeth into a hunk of raw bison while filming the Oscar-nominated film The Revenant.
Actors going to such lengths has become more common in recent years and a cynic might argue it certainly did not harm their film's publicity, but given the apparent success of their technique, could working in a similarly immersive way also benefit novelists?
What publishers should do
boingboing.net – Saturday January 23, 2016
You can’t work at a book publisher for more than five minutes without someone telling you what publishers should do. You know, “to survive.” “Be relevant.” Something.
Even literary agents, who should know better, will get in on this action. One of the most prominent agents in New York, seated next to me at an event a few years back, took the opportunity to lecture me through the appetizer course on how book publishers should band together and “build their own Amazon” to sell books. Digital disruption = solved.
Want to improve the quality of your writing? Type slower
sciencealert.com – Friday January 22, 2016
Let's face it, not everybody's equally gifted when it comes to getting their thoughts down on paper (or the digital equivalent). But according to a new study, there's an easy trick anybody can do to improve the quality of their writing: just type more slowly.
Write on: How you can publish a best-seller - The ebook revolution allows new authors to find fame
thisismoney.co.uk – Sunday January 17, 2016
They say everyone has at least one good book in them – and thanks to the internet there is no longer an excuse not to get it published.
The ebook revolution means writers no longer face the hassle of having to find publishers or agents who are willing to take them on.
Although sales of print books have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, ebooks – that can be downloaded and read on handheld electronic devices – are predicted to outsell traditional books by 2018.
Thinking Of Publishing A Book? Here Are Three Things You Need To Know
forbes.com – Sunday January 17, 2016
I do quite a bit of writing, and every so often the idea of publishing a book crosses my mind. Normally, thoughts like “I should write a book!” fall into the same category as “we should start a band,” or “let’s buy a bar!” Still, sometimes my interest gets the best of me, and I do a bit of digging into what it would take to get published.
Fortunately, I have a trusted resource close to home. My business partner’s wife, Maury Ankrum, recently went through the process of writing a book and getting published, and she was more than willing to share a few things she’s learned throughout her journey.
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