New Literary Agent Listing: Eric Amling
firstwriter.com – Sunday November 27, 2022
Business Manager and Foreign Rights Director, coordinating relationships with subagents across all major territories. As an agent, he is currently considering literary fiction, poetry, art criticism and cookbooks.
New Publishing Imprint Listing: Geared Up Publications
firstwriter.com – Thursday November 24, 2022
Books on deep sea fishing and techniques for a robust catch.
New Magazine Listing: BFS Horizons
firstwriter.com – Thursday November 24, 2022
Biannual fantasy journal of fiction and poetry, published in print and ebook formats. Features a mix of work from new and established writers. Mainly looking for stories of up to 5000 words, but will consider more. Authors don’t have to be British, but prefers if stories have a thread linking it to these isles. Definition of ‘fantasy’ is broad, encapsulating weird fiction, swords and sorcery, science fiction and all varieties of horror. Accepts poetry in any form, up to 36 lines. Not keen on seeing rhyming poetry in iambic pentameter, but would be interested in sonnets, Villanelles, Rondeaus, or other forms. Lengthy poems or sagas will be considered, but should be submitted according to the guidelines for fiction. See website for full guidelines.
So You Want to Start Reading (or Writing) Fanfic
gizmodo.com – Wednesday November 23, 2022
Buckle up babes, we’re all in tonight. In a ridiculous moment of hubris a few weeks ago, I posted on Twitter that I was debating between writing fanfic and doing work while on a plane home from a work trip. My editor saw it, and now, wouldn’t you know it, I’m doing a whole slideshow to introduce you to fanfiction, fanfic, or just fic. Life is funny. (I posted that fic I wrote on the plane last week, btw, I’m very pleased. You will never find it.)
Let me take you on a journey through fanfiction—the history, the drama, the good, the bad, the ugly. All of it deserves its moment in the sun. Or on your screens. We’ll figure it out together.
New Literary Agent Listing: Rochelle Fernandez
firstwriter.com – Wednesday November 23, 2022
Seeking well written manuscripts of any genre with a compelling premise and three dimensional, interesting characters. Based in Sydney, she is passionate about hearing and seeing diverse stories that represent the wonderful multicultural multifaceted society that comprises Australia.
Penguin scraps $2.2bn deal to buy rival publisher
bbc.co.uk – Tuesday November 22, 2022
Publishing giant Penguin Random House has scrapped a $2.2bn (£1.9bn) planned takeover of rival Simon & Schuster.
Last month, a US court blocked the deal, saying it could "substantially" weaken competition in the industry.
Penguin's parent company Bertelsmann said Paramount Global, the owner of Simon & Schuster, decided not to appeal the ruling.
The proposed deal would have cemented Penguin Random House's position as the world's largest book publisher.
"We believe the judge's ruling is wrong" the company said in a statement.
"However, we have to accept Paramount's decision not to move forward," it added.
What's the Key to Writing Realistic Historical Fiction?
crimereads.com – Tuesday November 22, 2022
William Christie says it's all about timelines, a sense of place, and including the right details.
I’m not a historian, just a novelist who happens to be a history fanatic. So when I write a spy novel set during World War II, fake history is unacceptable. Even though my protagonist Alexsi and the situations he finds himself in may be fictional, the story has to be set within the context of real locations, real historical characters portrayed accurately, and an actual historical timeline.
As a history fanatic I feel obligated to offer my readers history that they may not necessarily be familiar with. My previous novel, A Single Spy, was set among the German exile colonies of Azerbaijan, Stalin’s Russia, Nazi Germany, Iran, and a German plot to assassinate Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin at the Teheran Conference in 1943.
Readers clearly appreciated it, so obviously for The Double Agent I couldn’t take the easy way out. Alexsi, who is interested only in personal survival, not ideology, had to make his way out of Iran after betraying both the Germans and the Russians, and being left disappointed in his offer of service to the British.
Of course his journey could not be carefree. Alexsi would have to be dragged to London, think he was safe, then targeted by the Russians and their traitors in British Intelligence. He had to get out of London in order to survive, but the only way he could do that was to offer to spy again. It’s 1944. Where?
‘Very scary time’ for Irish book publishers as print and paper costs soar
irishtimes.com – Monday November 21, 2022
Irish book publishers say it is a “very scary” time for the industry, with supply chain issues and the rising cost of paper and printing putting significant pressure on profitability.
Ivan O’Brien, managing director of O’Brien Press, said the company’s costs have risen “massively”, with increases of about 50 per cent.
“As we got squeezed from every other angle, print availability at a reasonable cost was something that we could rely on, and that is now gone,” he said.
“Timelines have also extended substantially, with another couple of weeks added to the schedule for most projects. Prices will have to go up, but it is unlikely that the market will take the level of increase required for the numbers to work. It’s very scary.”
Tilting At Windmills: Becoming (and Staying) A Writer
evesun.com – Sunday November 20, 2022
I recently finished writing a novel. It is an arson mystery called DOE EYES, and I like it a lot. After dotting the last “i” and scribbling THE END on the final page, the next item on my agenda was to send out query letters. For those not in the know, a “query letter” is a missive that provides an author’s credentials; a plot synopsis; a list of potential markets; a projected audience; the word count, etc., to literary agents who list themselves as “Open to Inquiries.”
This procedure is pretty much the same as it was about a million years ago, when I was trying to sell my first mystery, JULIAN SOLO. My quest then was painful, fatiguing, and frustrating (rejection is no fun). Eventually, however, it was rewarding, as my book was accepted by RLR Associates Literary Agency, with whom I remained until they closed up shop. JULIAN SOLO was also nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of American, and it set the stage for my happy marriage to RLR for over twenty years.
Now, however, I am back to square one ... trying to find a literary agent in a shrinking publishing market, where there are less publishers, less bookstores, more competition, and less books.
New Magazine Listing: Present Tense
firstwriter.com – Friday November 18, 2022
A literary magazine of new writing. Publishes poetry, flash fiction, short stories, and creative non-fiction with a strong sense of place.
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