New Magazine Listing: Astronomy Now
firstwriter.com – Tuesday October 4, 2022
The UK’s biggest astronomy magazine. Since 1987 it has been essential reading for astronomers in the UK and around the world. Each month, the magazine contains features, reviews, news and practical guides on all aspects of astronomy, from the latest scientific discoveries to advice for those discovering the night sky for the first time.
New Publisher Listing: Pen & Ink Designs Publishing
firstwriter.com – Monday October 3, 2022
The publisher has been operating since 2012 on a small basis originally by publishing a selection of children's picture books and other short story books. This was followed by the publication of an award winning historical novel and due to a physical move of the business to Wales the company began working with another small independent publisher. Due to the pandemic this publisher had to retire from the business leaving the business to continue under the ownership of the original proprietor. Since then the publisher has become a member of and been accepted as a small independent Welsh Publisher by the CCPW Group (backed by Literature Wales). They have published a small quantity of manuscripts both fiction and non-fiction and offer a variety of services aimed at assisting new and developing writers.
Trade associations hit back as 300 authors accuse publishers of 'undermining libraries'
thebookseller.com – Sunday October 2, 2022
More than 300 authors including Neil Gaiman, Naomi Klein, and Lawrence Lessig have teamed up with advocacy group Fight for the Future with an open letter demanding publishers and trade organisations "cease efforts to undermine the essential contributions of libraries to an accessible and inclusive world of books”.
The letter mainly focuses on the lawsuit brought against the Internet Archive, over its Open Library programme, involving mass scanning and distribution of literary works under a process called Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) which publishers and trade organisations have criticised for “facilitating the distribution of millions of pirated books without paying a penny to the authors and publishers who produce them”.
There is also reference to the Association of American Publishers (AAP) suing to block a Maryland law that would have required publishers to offer commercially available e-book licences to libraries on “reasonable terms”.
The Authors Guild called the open letter "highly misleading” while the AAP and Publishers Association (PA) have sought to stress that the Internet Archive is “not a library” but instead “a pirate website”.
Writing Insights: Is it better to send an agent a full manuscript or a query letter?
authorlink.com – Sunday October 2, 2022
Word of caution. Never send a full manuscript to a literary agent unless that person has asked you to specifically do so. First send a query letter, but there are a number of steps you’ll want to take before you query anybody.
Start with some serious research. Make a list of ten or twenty agents who seem to be a fit for your material. Then study up on each one. Does the target agent(s) handle subjects or categories similar to yours? Visit their website. What titles have they represented? Is your manuscript too similar to a book the agent just recently represented. If so, they probably won’t be interested in your work. Can you find out anything about what the agent likes or doesn’t like, professionally? Has that person done any articles you can read or given any speeches that might give you some clues.
Amazon, major publishers win dismissal of antitrust lawsuits over book pricing
reuters.com – Saturday October 1, 2022
A federal judge on Thursday dismissed two antitrust lawsuits accusing Amazon.com Inc and five large publishers of illegally conspiring to fix U.S. prices of electronic and traditional books, causing consumers and bookstores to pay more.
U.S. District Judge Gregory Woods in Manhattan accepted a magistrate judge's recommendations to end both cases against Amazon, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishing Group, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster.
Consumers accused the defendants of signing agreements that let the publishers inflate e-book prices by locking in a 30% "agency" fee for Amazon on each sale, and guaranteeing that Amazon's prices would not be undercut.
Author coalition blasts publishers in legal fight with Internet Archive
reuters.com – Saturday October 1, 2022
A group of more than 300 authors including Neil Gaiman and Naomi Klein issued a letter Thursday criticizing lawsuits from major publishing companies over the lending of digital books.
The authors said in the open letter, organized by digital-rights advocacy group Fight for the Future, that publishers and their trade groups are "undermining the traditional rights of libraries to own and preserve books, intimidating libraries with lawsuits, and smearing librarians."
The letter said the authors were "disheartened by the recent attacks against libraries being made in our name."
New Magazine Listing: Hedgerow: A Journal of Small Poems
firstwriter.com – Friday September 30, 2022
A short-poetry journal dedicated to publishing an eclectic mix of new and established voices across the spectrum of the short poem, with particular attention to the constantly evolving forms of English-language haiku, senryu, tanka, haiga and haibun. Submissions of prose poems, other longer poems and sequences, as well as short stories also welcome. Please note—for consistency, the house style will inform both print and online presentation.
Free writing course for aspiring novelists
enfielddispatch.co.uk – Wednesday September 28, 2022
Indie Novella is launching a new writing course in October, alongside literary agency Watson Little (credit Deepesh Thobhani, Indie Novella)
Our North London-based publisher Indie Novella is launching a brand new form of writing course for new, aspiring and experienced writers.
What makes this writing course different to those currently out there can be summarised as follows: it is the only publisher and literary agent led writing course that is completely free and available to anyone.
Longrigg to retire from MBA Literary Agents after 25 years
thebookseller.com – Wednesday September 28, 2022
Laura Longrigg is retiring at the end of September 2022 after 25 years at MBA Literary Agents as an agent and director of the company.
Longrigg started her publishing career as assistant to Mic Cheetham at Abner Stein, before becoming an editor at HarperCollins, Hutchinson Heinemann and Penguin. In 1994 she joined Jennifer Kavanagh’s agency.
Since 1997 she has been a literary agent at MBA, where her clients have included Clare Morrall, Alex Dahl, Cathy Woodman and Rosanna Ley.
New Book Publisher Listing: Bass Clef Books
firstwriter.com – Wednesday September 28, 2022
A small, independent press based in the heartland of Kentucky, USA. Its mission is to promote contemporary works of writing that would be essential to the growth of creative language crafts from a broad aesthetic choir through a general submissions platform and a Sophomore Book Contest.
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