PRH acquires independent self-help publisher Hay House
thebookseller.com – Thursday December 14, 2023
Penguin Random House has acquired independent self-help and wellness publisher Hay House.
Nihar Malaviya, c.e.o. of Penguin Random House, and Reid Tracy, c.e.o. of Hay House, announced the acquisition on 12th December 2023 but the terms of the deal were not disclosed. The news comes just two months after PRH UK announced its acquisition of Hardie Grant’s UK publishing business.
Currently a client of Penguin Random House Publisher Services (PRHPS), Hay House will now be able to "further leverage" the resources capabilities of PRH, a press statement said. It will retain its editorial and publishing independence and Tracy will continue to run Hay House as its c.e.o. post-closing. No changes are planned for its London, New York and Carlsbad offices or its management and employees.
New Magazine Listing: Power Cut Lite
firstwriter.com – Wednesday December 13, 2023
Magazine exploring 20th century pop culture and focusing on 1930-1999. All work should be set in or explore this period. See website for submission guidelines.
Janson-Smith leaves Gleam to start new agency
thebookseller.com – Tuesday December 12, 2023
Agent Oscar Janson-Smith has left Gleam Futures to start his own agency.
Janson-Smith joined the agency in December 2021 after three years as an agent at Kruger Cowne, and was promoted to senior agent in March this year.
Over his two years at Gleam he sold 35 books, translated into 15 languages, with two titles becoming Sunday Times bestsellers. He also promoted new areas for Gleam such as fantasy, finance, craft, cookery and children’s.
Janson-Smith said: “It’s been a busy few months, so this is a delayed announcement, but it’s one that I’m very happy to be making. After a wonderful couple of years with Gleam, I had quite a few offers on the table — but once I’d got this idea into my head, it was hard to get it out again.
The ten-minute writing sprint is life-changing
jordannews.jo – Tuesday December 12, 2023
I now work on my fiction every day, even for only 10 minutes, and the words add up
I first heard about the ten-minute writing sprint concept during my podcast conversation with indie author Doug Weissman.
I was curious about this approach, so I tried it
Suffice to say, it has been life-changing.
I now work on my fiction every day, even for only 10 minutes, and the words add up, making me feel happy and accomplished.
Take that, procrastination!
Three Short Story Writers On Publishing and Crafting Their Debut Collections
electricliterature.com – Tuesday December 12, 2023
The short story is an entirely different pleasure than the novel. For writers, the form demands precision and intense scrutiny of craft choices. The short story is constrained by its brevity but remains limitless in the opportunities it presents to challenge notions of craft. The short story collection, then, is an art form in and of itself. In conversation, stories produce something new and thrilling. We are let in to linger and marvel at the writer’s world, to listen to its chorus of voices telling us something urgent.
This interview features three writers who published their debut short story collections this year: Ada Zhang, the author of The Sorrows of Others; Nishanth Injam, the author of The Best Possible Experience; and Alexandra Chang, the author of Tomb Sweeping. I called Zhang, Injam, and Chang to learn about their writing processes, relationships with the short story form, and experiences publishing their first collections.
Granite Noir short story competition launched to ‘unearth’ and celebrate north-east talent
pressandjournal.co.uk – Tuesday December 12, 2023
A brand new writing competition in the spirit of Granite Noir has been launched to encourage budding north-east writers.
Have you ever fantasised about the murky world of crime or how best to carry out a murder? Hypothetically of course.
If the answer is yes, Granite Noir might have a new challenge to put your shady skills to the test.
The popular Scottish crime writing festival is returning in February with another year of impressive events but with a delightful twist.
For the first time, a short story writing competition has been launched.
Crime creatives from all over the north-east will have their chance to put their hand at creating a work of suspense and intrigue.
For Sharon Burgess, chief executive of Aberdeen Performing Arts (APA), she hopes this will be a chance to “unearth” – not bodies for all you murky-minded people – but rather talent.
10X Your Writing Quality With These 8 Useful Websites
medium.com – Tuesday December 12, 2023
1. Aleenarais.com/write
The best-ever solution to overcome your writer's block.
Every time you open the website, it loads a random image with a text box to write your thoughts.
This instantly motivates you to write.
Because now you don't have a blank page in front of you.
People usually face "Blank Page Syndrome." It simply means not being able to start.
So this website is a lifesaver for you, as it perfectly solves that problem for you.
Check out the site: https://aleenarais.com/write/
Burnham-On-Sea Book Festival 2024 writing competitions are now open for entries
burnham-on-sea.com – Monday December 11, 2023
Burnham-On-Sea Book Festival’s 2024 writing and book-cover competitions are now open for entries.
The 2024 festival – which is set to return from May 17th-19th – is inviting local people to get involved with the new competitions.
Sponsored by Burnham’s best-selling crime author Damien Boyd, entries are now open and close on midnight March 4th, 2024.
Book festival treasurer Jonathan Pinnock says there has been a change this year to the competitions: “Damien has upped the prizes in the children’s categories, hoping to inspire more young people to write. We’ve also made the decision to offer £100 to the winner of the book cover competition.”
“There are competitions for short-story writers and poets in three age categories: 11 and under, 12 – 18, and 19+ (Adults); the book cover competition is open to all ages. There’s a maximum of three entries per author/illustrator in each category.”
Nosy Crow announces multi-year Unicorn Academy publishing deal
thebookseller.com – Saturday December 9, 2023
Nosy Crow has announced a multi-year deal for Unicorn Academy, covering a wide range of formats to be published in the next decade.
Kate Wilson, group c.e.o. of Nosy Crow, worked with Katie Woolley, Nosy Crow’s head of brands and licensing, to buy publishing rights for children’s books in all languages, excluding German, from Spin Master Entertainment. Nosy Crow’s first TV tie-in novelisation, Sophia’s Invitation, was published in October, in time for the global launch on Netflix on 2nd November.
The series is adapted from books originated and published by Nosy Crow, written by Julie Sykes and Linda Chapman and published in North America by Penguin Random House.
6 Non-Obvious Book Publishing Trends From 2023
inc.com – Saturday December 9, 2023
Across hundreds of nonfiction books published this past year, several big themes emerged. Here are six of the most significant -- and why they will matter in 2024.
One of the upsides of having hundreds of books sent to you for an awards program is that you have a chance to look at everything that was published over the past year in an aggregate form.
As we considered titles for the Inc. Non-Obvious Book Awards this year, there were some macro themes that stood out across multiple books that offer a window into the collective zeitgeist of the past year.
For the past several years, spotlighting these trends has been a part of our annual recap of books. Last year, some of our themes from the year included #emergefromcovid, #talktoanimals, and #underappreciatedwomen. In previous years, themes included #kindness, #overload, #endbias, and #corruptwinners. Each one encompassed multiple books from multiple publishers.
This year, we spotlighted six themes and included an overview of each one -- and the books included in them -- as part of our shortlist announcement show. Here they are, in no particular order:
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