New edition of award-winning mystery writing guide
firstwriter.com – Wednesday July 18, 2018
A new, revised edition of G. Miki Hayden's award-winning guide for mystery writers has just been released, and is now available to buy both in print and as an ebook.
G. Miki Hayden is a long-time member and former board member of Mystery Writers of America, and regularly teaches a mystery writing workshop (and other courses) at Writer’s Digest online university. This third edition of her book, Writing the Mystery: A Start-to-Finish Guide for Both Novice and Professional, provides invaluable step-by-step advice on shaping plots, developing characters, and creating a fast-paced and compelling mystery for the modern market. It includes practical exercises, guidance on how to approach agents and publishers and get your novel to market, and a whole new section on the self-publishing phenomenon that has exploded since the publication of the first edition.
Noirwich Crime Writing Festival set to return for fifth year
edp24.co.uk – Tuesday July 17, 2018
Benjamin Black, Val McDermid, Nicci French and Paula Hawkins are among the authors taking part in the festival which will run from September 13 to 16.
Noirwich is run by the National Centre for Writing (formerly Writers’ Centre Norwich) and the University of East Anglia, and it will see events taking place across Norwich, England’s first UNESCO City of Literature.
Writing about pop music is a novelist’s worst nightmare – and I should know
inews.co.uk – Tuesday July 17, 2018
For a writer in hot pursuit of that eye-catching new direction, there are not many greater challenges than the world of popular music. In fact, it isn’t going too far to say that from whichever historical vantage point you aim to examine the shambling behemoth of contemporary music, pop is both a novelist’s dream and a novelist’s nightmare: crammed with ready-made material, larger than-life characters, lurking tragedy and flagrant excess, yet simultaneously awash with protocols, jargon and technical detail that most newcomers to the scene will struggle to comprehend.
And then – even more problematic for an art-form that prefers solid subjects, where it can hunker down and modestly establish itself – there is pop’s built-in ephemerality, the suspicion that last year’s top ten smash will very likely be this year’s bargain bin-filler, the thought of an industry which is changing so rapidly that the whole edifice threatens to dissolve beneath the onlooker’s gaze. For the fan of the three-minute single, pop’s oddly provisional quality is part of its charm.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Monday July 16, 2018
Publishes: Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry; Reference;
Areas include: Adventure; Autobiography; Biography; Business; Cookery; Crafts; Crime; Entertainment; Fantasy; Film; Health; Hobbies; How-to; Humour; Leisure; Lifestyle; Mystery; Nature; Psychology; Romance; Science; Self-Help; Short Stories; Technology; Thrillers; Women's Interests;
Markets: Academic; Adult; Children's; Family; Professional; Youth;
Preferred styles: Contemporary; In-depth; Light; Literary; Mainstream; Niche; Popular; Positive; Progressive; Satirical; Traditional
We are passionate about writing. We are excited about books.
We (initially) are here for women; women with finished manuscripts. A nautical theme is our favourite but we are keen to read any adventure/travel/inspirational story - fiction or nonfiction. Technical books are also invited. We have a team with vast experience in all aspects of boating - professionally and recreationally.
Read our FAQ on our website.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday July 13, 2018
Publishes: Essays; Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Arts; Culture; Short Stories; Women's Interests;
Markets: Adult
Multicultural lesbian literary and art journal. Material may be in any style or form, or combination of forms. Submit five poems, two short stories or essays, OR one longer piece of up to 5,000 words, via online submission system.
How to Write a Query Letter That Grabs an Agent’s Attention
authorlink.com – Tuesday July 10, 2018
In today’s chaotic marketplace how can you capture a literary agent’s attention and get him or her to request your manuscript?
Surprisingly, getting an agent to represent your work is not about you.
It’s about what motivates the agent to take you on, and in turn, what motivates the publisher to buy from that specific agent.
Carnival scheme to foster writing talent
c21media.net – Monday July 9, 2018
Collective is a sequence of comprehensive training sessions that will provide guidance for emerging writers tailored to specific broadcaster-led briefs. Much like the writers’ room concept, it will also help scribes work on ideas in a collaborative environment.
It is easier to win major literary awards by writing a lead character who is a man, Booker Prize-winning authors warn
telegraph.co.uk – Sunday July 8, 2018
It is easier to win major literary awards by writing a lead character who is a man, Booker Prize-winning authors have suggested, as they warn the tendency to laud with male protagonists is “concerning”.
Dame Hilary Mantel, the only woman to have won the Man Booker Prize twice for the first two novels of her Thomas Cromwell trilogy, said it “might be observed” that her award success came easier for having a male protagonist than if she had been writing about a woman.
My top 10 tips for writing a thriller by Nicholas Leigh
femalefirst.co.uk – Friday July 6, 2018
As an author, there’s no better time to pen a thriller. Last year alone, the genre shifted 18.7million copies, outselling other types of fiction for the first time in history. But while our thirst for thrillers goes unabated, tapping into the £117million market isn’t easy. Here, British novelist Nicholas Leigh reveals his top 10 tips for writing an edge-of-your seat thriller that really thrills.
Stormzy Launches New Publishing Imprint Called #Merky Books
mixmag.net – Friday July 6, 2018
Grime favorite Stormzy teamed with publishing leader Penguin Random House to create his own publishing house called #Merky Books.
Revealed first on his Instagram, Stormzy also confirmed the first book to be published under #Merky Books will be called Rise Up: The #Merky Journey So Far, which is due out November 1. He's also revealed that he plans to open submissions as well as offer paid internships for students for his publishing channel, all with the shared goal to encourage the next generation of writers.
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