The Hollywood writers’ strike is over — and they won big
vox.com – Thursday September 28, 2023
Hollywood’s longest and most costly labor strike has ended.
Late in the day on Sunday, September 24 — after 146 days of labor stoppage, the longest strike in Hollywood history by a long shot — the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents Hollywood’s writers, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), an association of Hollywood’s largest studios and production companies, announced that an agreement had been reached. On Tuesday, September 26, the union’s leadership announced that they’d voted to end the strike and recommended the membership vote in favor of ratifying the contract.
The strike officially ended in the wee hours of Wednesday, September 27, and the union’s membership will begin their vote on Monday, October 2. For many, this moment is one for celebration. President Joe Biden, who is set to join striking auto workers on their picket line on Tuesday, issued a statement applauding the writers’ tentative deal. “There simply is no substitute for employers and employees coming together to negotiate in good faith toward an agreement that makes a business stronger and secures the pay, benefits, and dignity that workers deserve,” he said.
The White Review literary magazine ceases publishing
theguardian.com – Tuesday September 26, 2023
A statement cited increased costs and removal of UK state funding as the magazine, which featured writers including Paul Murray, Caleb Azumah Nelson and Sally Rooney, is to consider its future
Literary magazine the White Review will not be published “for an indefinite period” according to a statement from its board.
This comes after the not-for-profit journal’s applications for funding were rejected by Arts Council England for three consecutive years. The charity relied on this funding for “a substantial portion of its annual budget” between 2011-2021, read the statement.
“Despite our best efforts, the associated effects of the cost of living crisis and the increase in production costs, in tandem with reduced funding, has meant that the White Review has not been able to publish a print issue since No 33 in June 2022,” the board said.
New Literary Agent Listing: Jenny Simpson
firstwriter.com – Tuesday September 26, 2023
I am looking to build a list of commercial fiction and non-fiction books on health and wellness. As for my commercial taste, I am always looking for the next family drama, particularly stories that artfully weave in alternate perspectives from different generations. I am on the hunt for funny, contemporary romances. I am also looking for books that tackle the nuances of adult and female friendships with some humour and insight. I am an American who grew up in the United Kingdom, so any story that elaborates on the expat experience will always be up my alley. In the nonfiction space, I am similarly interested in food-adjacent, health and wellness topics.
The Art of Writing
altaonline.com – Monday September 25, 2023
Each month, noted authors join Alta Journal’s California Book Club to discuss their work during a free online gathering. Here are some insights into their craft, in eight of the authors’ own words.
JULIE OTSUKA ON SYMBOLISM
“If you let your unconscious write a story, then these symbols will emerge without you really realizing what it is that you’re doing. It’s always fun when people see things in your work that you didn’t—you weren’t even aware of doing. Just because you didn’t realize that your symbolism was working in a certain way doesn’t mean that it’s not there. But that’s what I love about the act of reading. Every reader brings something different to the work.”
STEPH CHA ON RESEARCH
“One of the ways I researched [Your House Will Pay], because I actually don’t really like research, is I just talked to people as I ran into them.… People hold on to all these stories, and they’re not even necessarily holding on to them tightly.… Sometimes they’re just waiting for people to ask. But I think something that I’ve learned by writing crime fiction is just how close all of this hurt and violence is to the surface for so many people and how it’s just a part of our lives that is waiting to be uncovered.”
Screenwriter David Hannam shares tips for would-be TV writers
artshub.com.au – Sunday September 24, 2023
Screenwriter and producer David Hannam has a slate of original projects in development in Australia and the UK. He is a writer and executive producer on Acorn’s first Australian original drama Darby and Joan, starring Bryan Brown and Greta Scacchi, which was released in August 2022 to critical acclaim. He is currently developing season two, after consulting and writing for Paramount+ music industry thriller Paper Dolls.
Here, he shares some tips and tricks of the trade ahead of a Masterclass with Media Mentors Australia.
How and when did you get into writing for screen (and was it always an ambition of yours)?
My writing career is a fortunate accident. In a biopic, it’d go something like this …
This teenage novelist is $1,400 out of pocket to self-publisher — but still doesn't have a book
cbc.ca – Saturday September 23, 2023
After spending about $1,400 through a U.S.-based self-publishing company and no books to show for it, a mother and daughter from Gander are cautioning people before taking the self-publishing route.
Lindsay Whiteway, 14, said it was a dream to have her book — which she compared to American author Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians series — published.
"I kind of wanted to publish them and get them out. Because it's just all the stories I built up in my mind…. I need other people to read it, you know," she told CBC News.
While looking for publishers online, Lindsay's mother, Jessica Pritchett, came across Premium Book Publishing, which is based in Florida.
Northern Fiction Alliance launches 'environmentally responsible' online book fair
thebookseller.com – Saturday September 23, 2023
The Northern Fiction Alliance is launching the online Green Book Fair which will take place between Wednesday 27th and Friday 29th September.
The pilot book fair aims to offer an "environmentally responsible way for international publishers to conduct business".
Funded by Arts Council England, the initiative is set to take place online, in line with its aim to be more sustainable than traditional festivals that require airplane travel. The goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of the festival while also ensuring that it is accessible to attendees from across the world.
New Literary Agent Listing: Aiden Siobhan
firstwriter.com – Friday September 22, 2023
Loves any story that is diverse, heartfelt, beautifully written, and makes them stay up reading until 3 A.M. Send them your trope-filled, high-stakes, addicting novels that will hook them so well they’ll have to draw fan art (and they will)!
Prototype Publishing announces new writing prize
thebookseller.com – Thursday September 21, 2023
Prototype Publishing, along with partners Monitor Books and frieze magazine, has announced the Prototype Prize, a new, bi-annual prize for published or unpublished writers and artists working at the intersections of different literary and artistic forms.
The prize of £3,000 plus publication by Prototype will go to the best book-length project by a writer or artist resident in the UK or Ireland. A second prize of £2,000 plus publication by Monitor Books will be awarded to the best proposal for a short-form work. Both prize-winners will have an excerpt of their work published by frieze.
The judges for the inaugural prize are Bhanu Kapil pictured, Tom McCarthy and Elizabeth Price, who will work alongside an editorial board from the publishers.
New Publisher Listing: Henley Hall Press
firstwriter.com – Thursday September 21, 2023
An independent publisher of thought-provoking non-fiction books.
Our categories are: farming, politics, history, garden design and that all-encompassing category ‘misc’.
No cancel culture here. We are happy to publish books that challenge received wisdom – or wokedom – and we support the work of the Free Speech Union.
We aim to publish just two to four books a year. This is to devote the time to help your book succeed in a crowded market.
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