3 writing tools to use and 3 to avoid: What I've learned writing 55,000 words of my fantasy novel
laptopmag.com – Sunday December 3, 2023
Writing is challenging, especially if you’re taking on a 110K-word fantasy novel like I am. If we were back in the pen and paper days, I would have given up years ago — my hand cramps just thinking about it. But we are in the modern era, and it’s time to let modern technology help us out (no, I’m not talking about AI, may the gods damn it to the nine hells).
Whether it’s a spellcheck, a planner, or the source of your manuscript, the tool you use needs to fit for the task at hand. I have used all three kinds of tools to elevate my writing, and I will continue to use it in order to hit my goal word count. But not every tool actually helped.
If you’re planning on putting the figurative pen to paper, here are 3 tools to use and 3 tools to avoid.
Woke books bought by publishers for hundreds of thousands FLOP after disastrous sales
gbnews.com – Sunday December 3, 2023
Woke books which received huge advances have flopped commercially following dire sales, industry experts claim.
Insiders suggest "ideological fanatics" who allow politics to dominate professional decisions have seen profits plummet.
Among the books which have suffered huge losses includes a memoir by actor Elliot Page about his journey transitioning.
"Pageboy" was bought for a $3million advance but has sold just 68,000 copies.
New Publishing Imprint Listing: American Mystery Classics
firstwriter.com – Thursday November 30, 2023
Dedicated to reissuing classic American mystery fiction in new hardcover and paperback editions.
Sports Illustrated accused of publishing articles written by AI
theguardian.com – Thursday November 30, 2023
The US sports publication Sports Illustrated is embroiled in scandal after it has been accused of running articles written by artificial intelligence.
An investigative report published by the science and technology news publication Futurism found Sports Illustrated published articles written by fake authors. These fake authors also had headshots and biographies generated by artificial intelligence, Futurism’s investigation found.
For instance, one profile page of purported author “Sora Tanaka” claims she is a product reviewer. The page said: “Sora has always been a fitness guru, and loves to try different foods and drinks. Ms Tanaka is thrilled to bring her fitness and nutritional expertise to the Product Reviews Team, and promises to bring you nothing but the best of the best.”
But it turns out, Sora Tanaka is not a real person.
How to Write a Book: A 10-Step Guide
awesomelyluvvie.com – Thursday November 30, 2023
Writing a book is both an art and a science. It’s a journey that demands creativity, discipline, and strategic planning. I’ve written 4 New York Times bestselling books in 8 years, and I’ve used the same formula to make each happen. And now, I want to help more people get their stories out in ink, through books. I know the power of books, because becoming an author has changed my life! That’s why I’ve created The Book Academy, and why I’m teaching others how to get published!
Here’s a comprehensive 10-step guide to help you navigate from a budding idea to a published masterpiece.
Do I Need a Literary Agent?
keepthefaith.co.uk – Thursday November 30, 2023
Literary agent Vanessa Grossett explains the reasons for needing a literary agent, and the ins and outs of finding one
“Do I need a literary agent?” or “I am looking for a Christian-based literary agent” are the common question and statement I have been receiving lately, especially from new authors. Here is some info about why you might need one and how to find one.
What does a literary agent do?
A literary agent, sometimes called a literary manager, sells manuscripts on behalf on their authors. They manage their authors by making sure manuscripts get delivered on time to their editor; reading through contracts; some negotiate deals, and help promote their clients’ books.
New Magazine Listing: Kavya Kishor
firstwriter.com – Wednesday November 29, 2023
An online literary magazine of English and Bengali language from Bangladesh.
New Literary Agent Listing: Sophie Kelleher
firstwriter.com – Tuesday November 28, 2023
Joined the agency in January 2020, originally working as an assistant. In 2022, she covered an agent's maternity leave, expanding her knowledge as an agent across film, television and theatre. She now works as an associate agent with her own list of writers. Prior to her career in film and TV, she worked in publishing.
The big idea: should we abolish literary genres?
theguardian.com – Tuesday November 28, 2023
In her Reith lecture of 2017, recently published for the first time in a posthumous collection of nonfiction, A Memoir of My Former Self, Hilary Mantel recalled the beginnings of her career as a novelist. It was the 1970s. “In those days historical fiction wasn’t respectable or respected,” she recalled. “It meant historical romance. If you read a brilliant novel like I, Claudius, you didn’t taint it with the genre label, you just thought of it as literature. So, I was shy about naming what I was doing. All the same, I began. I wanted to find a novel I liked, about the French Revolution. I couldn’t, so I started making one.”
She made A Place of Greater Safety, an exceptional ensemble portrayal of the revolutionaries Danton, Robespierre and Desmoulins, but although the novel was completed in 1979, it wasn’t published until 1992 – widely rejected, as she later explained, because although she thought the French Revolution was the most interesting thing in the world, the reading public didn’t agree, or publishers had concluded they didn’t. She decided to write a contemporary novel – Every Day Is Mother’s Day – purely to get published; A Place of Greater Safety emerged only when she contributed to a Guardian piece about writers’ unpublished first novels.
Bentley and Singh join TGLA as literary agents
thebookseller.com – Tuesday November 28, 2023
Amandeep Singh and Kerry-Ann Bentley have joined The Good Literary Agency (TGLA) as literary agents and both will be building their lists across fiction and non-fiction. Author Arden Jones has also joined as submissions co-ordinator.
Singh has worked in publishing for seven years, beginning her career at Hamish Hamilton before working at Canelo. She became an assistant at The Blair Partnership before joining Ebury, HarperCollins and Penguin Press, where she collaborated on books by Greta Thunberg, Grace Dent and Nikita Gill. She published only debut authors during her time at HarperCollins, including Taz Alam, Oloni and Bretman Rock. She is primarily looking for literary fiction, narrative non-fiction, memoir and essays, as well as poetry, politics, cookery and food writing.
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