New Magazine Listing: Africa Poetry Magazine
firstwriter.com – Thursday November 18, 2021
Accepts poetry submissions from poets living in Africa. Read the Submissions page and follow the guidelines to submit.
New Literary Agent Listing: Claire Gillespie
firstwriter.com – Thursday November 18, 2021
Focuses on literary fiction, memoir, cultural criticism, upmarket fiction, and audio.
24th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition Is Seeking Screenplays From Around the Globe
digitaljournal.com – Wednesday November 17, 2021
Screenplays from writers around the globe are invited for the 24th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition. The first deadline is December 13, 2021.
While launching the event the organizers of the 24th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition famously said ”Is your script ready? Are you ready? Is it time to finally let your writing be shown to others?”
Everyone has a story to tell, and your screenplay can win $10,000 and be promoted for a year! The 24th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition is accepting screenplays and shorts.
New Magazine Listing: 5-7-5 Haiku Journal
firstwriter.com – Wednesday November 17, 2021
Publishes Haiku (and related forms such as senryu and scifaiku). Plus, Haiku Sequences, Haibun and Tanka.
New Literary Agent Listing: Hannah Strouth
firstwriter.com – Tuesday November 16, 2021
Helps maintain the lists of two agents, while keeping her sights set on growing her own list. She is constantly diving into historical fiction, contemporary rom-coms, and upmarket / literary fiction.
New Book Publisher Listing: GoldScriptCo
firstwriter.com – Monday November 15, 2021
Co-founded by two writers as a means to share their own works as well as to support other writers and artists in their creative journeys.
Self-Publishing or Traditional Publishing: Which Is Best for You?
entrepreneur.com – Sunday November 14, 2021
For many people, publishing a book is a lifelong dream or career aspiration. Regardless of any inspiration or intention, it’s key for an author to treat publishing a book like a business venture. Like any business venture, one can start it by raising external capital or one can use their own funds. We will dive into the pros and cons of the two main avenues of publishing a book.
There are two primary avenues: self-publishing and traditional publishing. Although they may lead to the same outcome of having a book for sale, self-publishing and traditional publishing are vastly different. The former is when an author assumes complete control over the publishing process and how the book is released to the market. In the latter scenario, a publishing house buys the rights to an author’s work and oversees its release.
Ghostwriters Come out of the Shadows
publishersweekly.com – Sunday November 14, 2021
When Penguin Random House announced in July that it would be publishing a memoir by Prince Harry, there was one name that was, conspicuously and appropriately, left off the press release. The man channeling the Duke of Sussex’s voice for the book, J.R. Moehringer, was nowhere to be found among the details the publisher released. But those in the industry know that Moehringer, one of the highest-profile ghostwriters working, will be an essential component in the royal’s book—even if his name never appears on the final product.
Ghostwriting, or “collaborating” as it’s now called, is nothing new. For as long as celebrities have been writing books, others have quietly helped them do it. It’s highly specialized work that requires a blend of skills; industry sources say the best collaborators are equal parts editor, reporter, writer, mimic, and shrink. And in today’s industry, where publishers are more and more reliant on nonfiction projects by authors with significant platforms, good collaborators are in higher demand than ever. It’s also the kind of work, very handsomely paid at the high end, which is appealing to a growing population: writers, journalists, and editors.
Big Issue’s John Bird: Writing a novel? Don’t follow my advice, I’ve been in literary agony for 20 years
inews.co.uk – Friday November 12, 2021
On a single night 20 years ago, I gave up smoking, drinking and sex and started to write a book. I was living in a large, multi-occupational house with thin walls, and you could do nothing without everyone hearing you. The book was to be a novel about my birthdate – 30 January – which had made periodic appearances of note in history, tying them together in my screaming, screwing, crying house.
Like 30 January 1606, when the first of the Gunpowder plotters were hung, drawn and quartered; 30 January 1649, the execution of Charles I; 30 January 1661, the digging up and hanging of the dead body of Oliver Cromwell; and 30 January 1969, when The Beatles made their last public appearance together, on the roof of their office in the West End of London. Dozens of these 30th of Januarys would each have a chapter. I started one version, abandoned it, started another, then abandoned that. However hard I struggled to complete it, I found myself revising it, rewriting it or starting again. A million words piled up, to no avail. And now, 20 years on, I am about to finish another version that looks nothing at all like the original.
Self-Publishing and Marketing Your Book to Spark Sales
patch.com – Friday November 12, 2021
Authors who self-publish their books do so for many reasons; for some, it's about maintaining creative control, while others prefer to bypass literary agents and traditional publishers. When you publish independently and hope to sell copies of your book, the responsibility for marketing falls on your shoulders. While it's an added responsibility to take on, there are things you can do that can help spark sales and attract the attention of potentially interested readers. Discoverability is a crucial concept in book promotion and one you need to keep in mind. It means helping target readers find out about your book.
Get the free newsletter | Submit a news item or article | Get Writers' News for your website
