For one month only, get the Writers' Handbook for half price
firstwriter.com – Saturday June 24, 2017
From July 1 to July 31, ebook-seller Smashwords will be running its ninth annual Summer/Winter Sale (so called because while it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and the sale is a global event).
Paying to enter
mmegi.bw – Friday June 23, 2017
Years ago, before internet, if you wanted to submit a story or a poem to a literary magazine or to a writing contest, you needed to print it out, put it an envelope and send it off.
Sometimes even, you had to include inside another envelope with your address on it, and with enough postage for it to travel back to you so that the editor could post your submission back if it got a rejection. All of that was costly to writers and time-consuming. With the rise of the internet, that system has mostly fallen away. Now it is as simple as pressing a button to send your submission off.
That simplicity has increased submissions, especially ill-matched and inappropriate submissions, likely a hundred-fold. For a small literary magazine or writing contest that can be daunting. Because of this, some of them have begun to charge a fee to enter.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday June 23, 2017
Publishes: Essays; Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Short Stories;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Publishes essays, short stories, and poetry, which explore universal qualities: truth, justice, integrity, compassion and mercy. Send submissions by email or on disk by post, with hard copy and SASE. See website for full guidelines.
Macdougall joins United Agents
thebookseller.com – Thursday June 22, 2017
Laura Macdougall is joining United Agents next month after two “wonderful” years with Tibor Jones & Associates. She will join on 31st July as a literary agent in the Book Department.
Macdougall's clients at Tibor Jones included actor Jim Broadbent, Ruth Hogan of The Keeper of Lost Things (John Murray Press imprint Two Roads), which has now sold in 19 territories, Labour MP Jess Phillips, author of Everywoman (Hutchinson), and Kaite Welsh whose historical crime trilogy is published by Tinder Press.
20 inspirational pieces of advice for writers on National Writing Day
telegraph.co.uk – Wednesday June 21, 2017
June 21st is National Writing Day, a celebration of writing creatively that aims to encourage people of all ages to 'put pen to paper, unleash their imagination and make their voices heard'.
A number of events marking the occasion are being held across the UK, details of which can be found on the National Writing Day website.
On social media many people, professional authors among them, have been sharing their tips on how to go about become a better writer. Here are a selection of the best.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Monday June 19, 2017
Publishes: Fiction; Nonfiction;
Areas include: Autobiography; Biography; Crime; Culture; Erotic; Historical; Horror; Mystery; Thrillers;
Markets: Adult; Children's; Youth
Check website for submission windows. Submit query by email or through form on website, with table of contents and three sample chapters. No religious or spiritual books of any kind.
How Do You Become A Literary Agent? Joanna Volpe Of New Leaf Literary & Media Has Some Words Of Wisdom
bustle.com – Saturday June 17, 2017
It's not uncommon for book lovers to take an interest in literary careers. From authors to editors, publicists to agents, it seems like there are countless dream jobs all to to do with books... but securing one of those jobs can feel like a sheer impossibility. With so many prospective literary career seekers flooding the market, and so few coveted positions to go around, the job search can be equal parts frustrating, time-consuming, and soul crushing. But, maybe it doesn't have to be that way. There are, after all, lots of people who do succeed in finding their ways into the book world. Joanna Volpe, president and literary agent at New Leaf Literary & Media (she represents some of the biggest authors in the game, including Veronica Roth, Leigh Bardugo, Gabby Rivera, Holly Black, Susan Dennard, Danielle Paige, and others) is one of them, and she didn't get there by accident.
Top Tips for Writing a Killer Proposal
foyles.co.uk – Friday June 16, 2017
Writing a dazzling nonfiction proposal that will attract publishers is an art. As an agent I spend a lot of timing honing nonfiction proposals with authors. Here are ten top tips that all budding authors should bear in mind when putting together a killer proposal.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday June 16, 2017
Publishes: Essays; Fiction; Interviews; Nonfiction; Poetry; Reviews;
Areas include: Short Stories;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Literary magazine publishing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, literary essays, interviews, and book reviews by both well-known writers and promising newcomers. Submit up to 5 poems, or prose up to 25 pages, via online submission system ($3 charge per submission).
Get a Crash Course in Writing from 20 Journalists
lifehacker.com – Wednesday June 14, 2017
I only remember one practical writing lesson from my three years as an English major: Whenever you can, put the best bits at the end of the sentence. Put the next-best bits at the beginning, and put the rest in the middle. This trick works in every kind of writing, and I wish I’d spent my college years learning more tricks like it, instead of pretending to read The Brothers Karamazov.
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