Meeting the publishers – self-publishing vs a publishing house
yorkshirebylines.co.uk – Sunday July 19, 2026
The most popular tickets at any literature festivals are always the Meet the Publisher slots. For the average aspiring writer, getting a face-to-face with a publisher is well-nigh impossible, with the most sought-after speaking only to agents, not authors. Tickets to the event sell out almost instantly and the waiting list is substantial.
The brief is to send an example of your work ahead of the meeting, to allow the publisher to provide you with feedback. No-one’s going to find themselves signed to a company at one of these meetings, so it’s important to limit your expectations. However, you’ll receive feedback and you’ll make contact, both of which are essential to a future as a writer.
This year’s publishers at the Bradford Literary Festival were from Bloomsbury Publishing, one of the biggest publishing houses and most famous for publishing the Harry Potter series, and Bluemoose Books, an independent publishing company based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. Bluemoose publishes literary fiction and has just celebrated its 20th anniversary with a star-studded event at the local town hall.
Solid advice based on experience
As a creative writing lecturer tasked with guiding aspiring writers, I’m constantly assessing the best route to publication. My students are currently very keen on the idea that self-publishing is now a better route than the soul-destroying traditional route of first finding an agent, then a publisher, usually across years of submissions and disappointment. They love that self-publishing appears to allow the writer to retain greater control as well as avoiding high agency fees.
Festival of Fiction 2026 returns to ECU Joondalup in Tess Woods’ final year as creative director
thewest.com.au – Sunday July 19, 2026
When an Australian author of Mem Fox’s calibre not only asks to return for the third year of your literary festival, but also lobbies — albeit unsuccessfully — the State Government on her own accord for event funding, it becomes the best kind of validation Festival of Fiction creative director Tess Woods could imagine.
“Mem said it’s one of the best-run events she has ever attended,” says Woods, who herself is a local author of The Venice Hotel and upcoming new release The Cairo Bridal Shop.
“After last year’s festival, I had no less than 30 authors write to me personally afterwards to say what a wonderful festival it was and how much they enjoyed meeting readers. The lighthearted, community nature of our festival is a winner.”
In the event’s biggest year yet, Festival of Fiction 2026 will bring together more than 80 Australian authors, 10 publishing executives, and 1200 readers and writers at Edith Cowan University Joondalup across one huge weekend in November.
Writers' Handbook 2027 now available to buy
firstwriter.com – Sunday July 19, 2026
The 2027 edition of firstwriter.com’s annual directory for writers has just been released, and is now available to buy both as a paperbook and an ebook.
The directory is the perfect book for anyone searching for literary agents, book publishers, or magazines. It contains over 1,500 listings, including revised and updated listings from the 2026 edition, and over 500 brand new entries.
Holocaust scholar says publisher cancelled book after he refused demands to condemn Israel
jewishnews.co.uk – Thursday July 16, 2026
A Holocaust scholar has claimed his latest book was cancelled after he refused what he says were demands to condemn Israel before it could be published, despite the project already being ready to enter production.
Dr Rafael Medoff, founding director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies in Washington DC, said Cartoonists Against the Holocaust had been scheduled for publication by Dark Horse Comics in summer 2026.
The dispute first emerged in reporting by the New York Post, which said Medoff objected to proposed wording for the book’s introduction that referred to alleged Israeli “war crimes” and compared US immigration policies to “concentration camp-style prisons”.
Speaking to Jewish News, Medoff said the project had already reached its final stages before the disagreement.
“Dark Horse accepted Cartoonists Against the Holocaust for publication, sent me a contract, and scheduled it for release in the summer of 2026. The designer completed the layout, the book was ready to enter the production process, and then the editor suddenly began making outrageous political demands. Denouncing Israel became the prerequisite to publishing my book.”
Springer Nature launches Nature Books imprint
researchinformation.info – Thursday July 16, 2026
Springer Nature has launched Nature Books, a new imprint designed to give authors the opportunity to publish long-form work under the famous brand for the first time.
The publisher says the new imprint combines the subject expertise of in-house Nature Portfolio editors with Springer Nature’s established academic books programme, creating a publishing model intended to help authors develop, strengthen and broaden the reach of their work.
According to the publisher, Nature Books will focus on publishing titles aimed at academics, policymakers and funders, bringing together expertise, evidence and insight on some of the most significant challenges facing research and society.
Harsh Jegadeesan, Chief Publishing Officer, Springer Nature commented: “Books are an important part of the research ecosystem because they allow authors to explore complex questions with a depth and context that other formats cannot always provide. As the world’s largest academic book publisher, we’re committed to offering publishing options that support author choice and help maximise the reach and impact of their work.
Beware the latest author scam-impersonating legitimate literary agents!
penbaypilot.com – Thursday July 16, 2026
If you're an author these days, you're getting at least five emails a week from people who claim to be book club presidents, social media experts, Goodreads gurus, and more. The shadiest ones are "I like your book. Can you tell me more about it?"
It's only designed to hook you in with flattery, so they can sell services. But how do you tell who is legitimate? What if you overlook an opportunity because you're wary of the scams?
This week, I have seen this email going around where an email from rebeccalogan.editorial@aol.com purports to summarize your book with an easily recognizeable churned AI summary and then claims she wants to know about your current and future literary projects.
Now, it's getting insidious when scammers are impersonating real people or real book conferences in the guise of extracting money from you.
Travel, photography and music didn’t stop for these creative writing students
news.northeastern.edu – Thursday July 16, 2026
After Petrina Danardatu graduated from Northeastern University’s Boston campus in 2025, she found herself being pulled in two opposite directions.
The dual journalism and English major already had dreams of writing a novel, but was torn between investing time pursuing a career in creative writing or going back to Indonesia, where her family is from, and traveling with friends.
Danardatu found a third option – the Northeastern London virtual graduate degree in creative writing.
“I was like: ‘I can do both of these things at once,’” said Danardatu. “I can be traveling and having these new cultural experiences while also getting my master’s degree and developing my creative practice.”
Danardatu is not alone. In recent decades, postgraduate creative writing degrees have established themselves as a key route into a fiercely competitive industry, allowing would-be authors, poets and nonfiction writers to experiment in varied forms of self-expression with expert guidance.
New Literary Agent Listing: Grace Garrahan
firstwriter.com – Wednesday July 15, 2026
Handles popular psychology, self‑development, pop culture, and memoir, with additional interest in literary‑leaning commercial fiction and mysteries or thrillers. Seeks platform‑driven nonfiction and character‑focused fiction with strong commercial appeal.
Take a Break fiction magazine pauses commissions and starts using AI
pressgazette.co.uk – Sunday July 12, 2026
Bauer Media’s monthly Take a Break-branded fiction magazine has told writers it is pausing commissions as it introduces the use of AI tools to help produce more content in house.
According to AI-checking service Pangram, short stories appearing in the title credited to the in-house team are 100% AI generated.
Take a Break Fiction Feast contains short stories aimed at women, written by external writers and members of an in-house editorial team, as well as puzzles.
The magazine costs £3.50 in shops or subscribers can get three issues for £5 and then pay £14.99 for six issues.
Press Gazette understands an email was sent to regular Fiction Feast writers on 12 June announcing a pause in commissions as too many had been received. AI was not mentioned.
Fiction writer Patsy Collins shared a second email sent on 1 July which indicated the magazine would rely on in-house stories using “AI tools” rather than commissioning new work.
Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship 2026 (up to £18,000)
opportunitydesk.org – Friday July 10, 2026
Applications are open for the Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship 2026. It can be difficult for writers, before they become established, to write while simultaneously earning a living. To help meet this need the MMF annually awards a small number of Morland Writing Scholarships, with the aim being to allow each Scholar the time to produce the first draft of a completed book. The Scholarships are open to anyone writing in the English language who was born in Africa, or both of whose parents were born in Africa.
Miles Morland set up the foundation which bears his name in 2013, after a career investing in Africa via two companies he created, Blakeney Management and DPI (Development Partners International). Based in London, the Miles Morland Foundation (MMF) is a UK registered charity which makes grants in areas reflecting its founder’s interests.
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