Writing Grief in Fiction is a Work of Love
lithub.com – Friday November 11, 2022
On a weekday morning in February, age twelve, I was shunted from the warm ignorance of sleep and propelled into a world where my Uncle Theo no longer existed. My mother’s keening was the thing that woke me; a sound I had never before heard or simply neglected to remember before that time. A sound that, from that moment, became part of everything I would associate with mourning; with grief.
The memory I have is of standing at the foot of my parents’ bed, barefoot and frightened, watching my father do his best to console my mother. I was invisible and I think even then, as a child, I understood something new and terrible: grief is the same colour as madness. It moulds us in ways we did not think we could bend. It is not neat and its messiness can be alarming. Following the death of my Uncle Theo, there were other losses, each one a simultaneously unique yet familiar blow to our collective gut.
New Publisher Listing: Collins
firstwriter.com – Friday November 11, 2022
Publishes reference books and educational resources.
New Literary Agent Listing: Alex Adsett
firstwriter.com – Friday November 11, 2022
Always seeking amazing manuscripts, with a focus on fiction and narrative non-fiction, especially SFF, crime and romance, for all ages from picture books to adults.
US Judge lays out case for blocking publishing giants merger
abcnews.go.com – Wednesday November 9, 2022
WASHINGTON -- A federal judge has laid out a data-laden case for why she blocked Penguin Random House’s proposed purchase of Simon & Schuster, handing a victory to the Biden Justice Department in its contention that combining two of the world’s biggest publishers would hurt competition for top-selling books.
In her ruling filed Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Florence Pan also waved off as not relevant the publishers’ assertion that Penguin Random House would be the best “home” for Simon & Schuster and that other buyers — notably private equity firms — could destroy it. That argument isn’t relevant to the case and her decision, Pan wrote, which turns only on the issue of how the merger would affect competition.
New Publisher Listing: Fairlight Books
firstwriter.com – Wednesday November 9, 2022
Publishes literary fiction. Accepts novels and novellas for print publication and short stories up to 10,000 words (including flash fiction) for online publication. Send query by email with synopsis and writing sample up to 10,000 words for long fiction, or full text for short stories. Temporarily closed to submissions of novels and novellas as at November 2022. Check website for current status.
New Magazine Listing: BFS Journal
firstwriter.com – Wednesday November 9, 2022
Fantasy journal devoted to non-fiction: interviews, academic articles, reviews and features.
How to navigate the writer-editor relationship
artshub.co.uk – Monday November 7, 2022
Consider: you’ve just had your first or latest book accepted by a publishing house (congratulations!) and you’ve been assigned an editor to finesse the manuscript into publishable form. Or you’re a newbie editor who’s at the start of your career and wanting to know how to navigate the potentially tricky conversations with writers who are understandably a little protective about their words.
ArtsHub has gathered voices on both sides of the publication divide to offer some tips on how to successfully manage the writer-editor relationship.
Frankfurt 2022 from a Children's Book Perspective
publishersweekly.com – Saturday November 5, 2022
For many rights professionals, the recent Frankfurt Book Fair was their first opportunity since 2019 to attend a fair in person. Attendees said they were delighted to be back, even amid industry challenges and world uncertainty on several fronts. We spoke with a number of savvy agents and scouts about their impressions of the fair, and asked them to talk about trends they were noticing.
“It was wonderful to be back at a fair, and to be among so many fellow book people again,” said Sara Crowe, senior agent at Pippin Properties. “Being back in Frankfurt was energizing, emotional, and re-affirming,” said Rachel Hecht, founder of Rachel Hecht Children’s Scouting. “There is no replacement for the in-person connections to be made over tables while gasping over sample spreads, or the bolt of joy from waving down an old colleague while rushing between stands. We are a community of book people who thrive when we gather, and while Zoom is a convenient tool, it cannot replicate the alchemy that happens during a fair.
Wild Places Publishing
firstwriter.com – Friday November 4, 2022
Publisher specialising in caving-related publications.
New Publisher Listing: Kane Press
firstwriter.com – Wednesday November 2, 2022
An award-winning publisher of illustrated STEAM and literacy titles. Fiction and nonfiction books for ages 3–11 feature fun stories with curriculum connections and are the perfect springboard for learning in classrooms, libraries, and homes. Currently accepting proposals for series only, from published authors and literary agents.
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