New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Monday February 5, 2018
Publishes: Fiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Short Stories;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Publishes poetry and fiction, with a particular (but not exclusive) interest in work which makes reference to the Pacific / Asia / Polynesia / Hawai'i. Send complete ms with SASE. No submissions by email.

Romance fiction authors reveal their secrets to writing about love and sex
perthnow.com.au – Saturday February 3, 2018

THE age of the alpha hole — the brooding, brutish alpha male that would set hearts aflutter in the bodice-rippers of yore — is over. The nice guys have won.
These days, the men steaming up the pages of romantic fiction are single dads, emotionally vulnerable Regency lords and bikies yearning to swap guns for groceries.

Publishers call on Man Booker prize to drop American authors
theguardian.com – Friday February 2, 2018

Tensions over the decision to allow US authors to enter the Man Booker prizehave flared up yet again, with 30 publishers signing a letter urging the prize organisers to reverse the change, or risk a “homogenised literary future”.
The letter, which was intended to be private and has been seen by the Guardian, argues that the rule change to allow any writer writing in English and published in the UK to enter has restricted the diversity of the prize and led to the domination of American authors since it came into effect in 2014. Previously, the prize only allowed citizens from Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland to enter.
New Literary Agency Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday February 2, 2018
Handles: Fiction; Nonfiction
Areas: Adventure; Autobiography; Biography; Cookery; Crime; Culture; Health; Nature; Politics; Travel
Markets: Adult; Children's; Youth
Interested in quality fiction and general nonfiction, particularly memoir, food/cooking, nature/environment, biography, pop culture, travel/adventure, true crime, politics and health/fitness. Also all types of children's literature (picture books, middle grade, and young adult). Send query letter by email or via online form on website. If no response within three months, assume rejection.

The Many Joys of a Writing Workshop
nextavenue.org – Thursday February 1, 2018

For two years, I had the pleasure of guiding a writing workshop that involved women ranging in age from their 40s to their 70s. Only one of these women was a professional writer, and only a few aspired to seeing a piece through to publication. Yet all of them were devoted to the weekly workshop, which had existed for several years before they invited me to take the helm.

J.K. Rowling shares insights into her writing style
aninews.in – Wednesday January 31, 2018

Washington D.C. [U.S.A.], Jan. 31 (ANI): J.K. Rowling took out some time and took to Twitter to answer some of the questions asked by her followers.
There were questions about her writing style, her upcoming novels, her ideation process, and such.
She replied in her usual candid, tongue-in-cheek manner. Here are some of the excerpts.
When a user asked if she plans her story before she starts, she answered in affirmative.
She wrote, "I plan a lot. This particular novel's plan comprises a vast, complicated, colour-coded table showing all the suspects, with blue ink for clues and red ink for red herrings".
New Literary Agency Listing
firstwriter.com – Tuesday January 30, 2018
Handles: Fiction; Nonfiction
Areas: Autobiography; Business; Cookery; Historical; Science; Sociology
Markets: Adult
Treatments: Literary; Popular
Prefers queries by email. Include a proposal and sample chapter for nonfiction, or a synopsis and sample pages for fiction. See website for specific agent interests and contact details, and approach one agent only. No romance or science fiction. Response only if interested.
SleuthFest 2018 Announces Special Programming Geared Towards Helping Writers Succeed
markets.businessinsider.com – Saturday January 27, 2018
BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mystery Writers of America's Florida Chapter will host the SleuthFest 2018 Writers Conference March 1-4, 2018 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Boca Raton, Florida. One of the country's premier conferences for writers, SleuthFest is an intensive four-day conference featuring writing workshops, social events, and pitch sessions. SleuthFest includes four tracks of workshops, presentations, and panels on the craft of writing, business, traditional and self-publishing, marketing, and forensics. In addition, top literary agents and editors will be available to hear pitches from aspiring writers, offer troubleshooting sessions, and manuscript critiques. SleuthFest also features the annual Freddie Awards for Writing Excellence and the SleuthFest Author Auction, where attendees can bid on such once-in-a-lifetime experiences as one-on-one sessions, critiques, and character naming opportunities featuring the conference's guests of honor, agents, and editors.

ICM Partners Acquires Lit Outfit The Sagalyn Agency, Opens D.C. Office
deadline.com – Friday January 26, 2018

ICM Partners has acquired The Sagalyn Agency, the Washington D.C.-based literary agency that reps leading journalists, historians, biographers, scientists, thought leaders and novelists. The deal comes four years after ICM and Raphael Sagalyn’s company formed an alliance that melded Sagalyn’s strong nonfiction author list and ICM’s roster dominated by fiction authors.

Dear younger writer self, can I give you some advice?
irishtimes.com – Thursday January 25, 2018

Joan Brady on taking the scenic route to write her novel, missing her deadline to go from journalist to author by a mere 20 years.
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