New Literary Agency Listing: Meridian Artists
firstwriter.com – Thursday August 26, 2021
Offers premier full-service entertainment industry representation with principal offices in Toronto and Los Angeles. An established leader in the representation and management of Talent, Screenwriters, Directors, Authors, and Key Creatives.
'The goal is to be as big as Penguin': Ilford writer on her publishing company for teen authors
ilfordrecorder.co.uk – Tuesday August 24, 2021
An Ilford woman who launched a publishing company for young authors is celebrating the publication of its seventh book.
Eleni Sophia, 22, founded Perspective Press after being frustrated by publishers’ lack of interest in teenage writers.
“When I was 13 I had written a novella but I was constantly getting rejected from publishers because I was too young,” she claimed.
3 Tips for Writing Female Friendships in Fiction
writersdigest.com – Tuesday August 24, 2021
“I’d be lost without you.” These words from Nancy Mitford’s Pursuit of Love speak to the primacy of friendships between women—a theme that’s poignantly evoked in the wonderful new television adaptation of the novel. The story follows two young women from their days as little girls to melodramatic teenagers and, finally, into womanhood. In losing each other, they lose themselves.
In the history of the novel, it’s a radical sentiment. Novels that center women’s friendships are a relatively recent invention. A mirror of society and culture, the English novel, which became the precursor for the American novel, privileged the marriage plot. Stretching back at least into the 18th century, courtship and marriage provided both the subject and story arc for fiction.
The Books Briefing: How Fan Fiction Reimagines the Writing Process
theatlantic.com – Monday August 23, 2021
When The Last Jedi came out, some viewers had déjà vu: Certain aspects of the movie’s plot were strikingly similar to the events in several popular stories on the fan-fiction site Archive of Our Own. The coincidence may seem strange, but in many ways it’s unsurprising that the people who were thinking most deeply about a franchise—its creators and devotees alike—would come to the same conclusions about each character’s fate. That alignment might be seen as a testament to both the series’ deep world-building and its fans’ insight.
Writing the Magical Realism Novel
By Lakshmi Raj Sharma
Novelist and Professor of English
firstwriter.com – Monday August 23, 2021
Why are Salman Rushdie and Gabriel García Márquez such extra ordinary novelists? The answer is complex. But a reason for their unique achievement is that apart from what virtually every great novelist does – telling the story in a new way in a new vocabulary – they also write in a mode which is hellishly difficult. This mode of narration is called Magical Realism, which Rushdie oversimplifies by defining as the improbable presented as the mundane. That, however, is just the tail of magical realism. The reality of magical realism is intricately connected with the tale on which it is harnessed. It relates more to feeling than to thought though there is a perpetual undercurrent of thought in it. The magical part relates to the feeling because one can have any kind of feeling. But the thought which is often related to some form of oppression is wrapped in the true voice of feeling.
Line-up revealed for Bloody Scotland crime-writing festival
thenational.scot – Thursday August 19, 2021
AUTHORS Stephen King, Karin Slaughter and Ian Rankin are among those who will be taking part in a hybrid crime-writing book festival next month.
The Bloody Scotland festival will feature in-person events while some authors will join digitally from elsewhere, with audiences able to watch live in Stirling or online.
King, Kathy Reichs, Slaughter, Lee Child and Linwood Barclay are among those who will be beamed into the city’s Albert Halls where interviewers will be present to question them in front of a live and digital audience.
The most VITAL Writing Trick You Can Know!
signalscv.com – Tuesday August 17, 2021
I love reading. I am the kind of person that devours books, like an undulating blob of paper, ink, and Harry Potter references. Part of the reason that I’m doing the job that I’m doing now is because I love reading- and because I love reading, I love writing.
I’ve always loved creating my own stories, even when I was a little kid. When I used to play-wrestle with my little brothers, we would all become Superheros and Villains of our own creation. We had a plethora of lore, powers, and abilities that we would make up at random, which at the time was as thrilling as getting a Jackpot Capital bonus.
When I got older, I put that energy into Dungeons and Dragons. Now that I’m even older (and, coincidentally, with a lot more responsibilities and a lot less time on my hands), I put that creative energy into writing. However, there is a huge difference between writing what you love and writing something that other people are going to love. One of the easiest mistakes to make as a writer is forgetting the single most vital aspect of writing a good story: Character arcs.
Hachette Book Group in deal to acquire Workman Publishing
apnews.com – Monday August 16, 2021
NEW YORK (AP) — The publisher of such bestsellers as the “What to Expect” books for parents and the “Brain Quest” educational series has reached an agreement to be acquired by Hachette Book Group.
Workman Publishing has been an independent company for decades, and also includes the literary imprint Algonquin and the nature publisher Timber Press. Hachette is one of the world’s largest book publishers, with authors ranging from Donna Tartt and James Patterson to J.K. Rowling and David Sedaris.
The acquisition will be subject to approval from the Department of Justice.
Country Life owner buys Dennis Publishing in £300m deal
theguardian.com – Monday August 16, 2021
Future, the owner of titles including Country Life and Metal Hammer, has acquired the publisher of magazines including The Week and Minecraft World in a £300m deal.
The deal is the latest in a buying spree by Britain’s biggest magazine publisher, which spent almost £600m buying the comparison site GoCompare in November, and will hand a significant profit to Dennis Publishing’s private equity owners Exponent.
Future is buying a portfolio of 12 titles including the adult and junior versions of current affairs title The Week in the US and UK, MoneyWeek, Coach, Computer Active, PC Pro and IT Pro.
Take risks and tell the truth: how to write a great short story
theguardian.com – Sunday August 15, 2021
Drawing on writers from Anton Chekhov to Kit de Waal, Donal Ryan explores the art of writing short fiction. Plus Chris Power on the best books for budding short story writers
The first story I wrote outside of school was about Irish boxer Barry McGuigan. I was 10 and I loved Barry. He’d just lost his world featherweight title to the American Steve Cruz under the hellish Nevada sun and the only thing that could mend my broken heart was a restoration of my hero’s belt. Months passed and there was no talk of a rematch, so I wrote a story about it.
My imagined fight was in Ireland, and I was ringside. In my story I’d arranged the whole thing. I’d even given Barry some tips on countering Steve’s vicious hook. It went the distance but Barry won easily on points. He hugged Steve. His dad sang “Danny Boy”. I felt as I finished my story an intense relief. The world in that moment was restful and calm. I’d created a new reality for myself, and I was able to occupy it for a while, to feel a joy I’d created by moving a biro across paper. I think of that story now every single time I sit down to write. I strive for the feeling of rightness it gave me, that feeling of peace.
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