Dartmouth students launch 'Meetinghouse' literary magazine
thedartmouth.com – Tuesday January 12, 2021
Last fall, three students came together with the idea of developing a new publication to connect Dartmouth undergraduates with the wider literary world. This December, the efforts of Frances Mize ’22, Avery Saklad ’21 and Ethan Weinstein ’21 came to fruition in the first edition of Meetinghouse, a literary magazine that has already attracted submissions from over 1,200 authors and poets from around the world.
Disappointed by the lack of opportunity to edit, read and publish professional work at Dartmouth, founders Mize, Saklad and Weinstein began working on Meetinghouse under the guidance of creative writing professors Alexander Chee and Peter Orner. The project was funded in part through a $6,830 grant from the Leslie Center for the Humanities.
Weinstein said he felt inspired to create Meetinghouse due to the absence of literary magazines in the Dartmouth community — an absence highlighted after he struggled to find opportunities to use his English major in a professional capacity during an off term.
Literary Agent Christopher Little dead at 79
the-leaky-cauldron.org – Tuesday January 12, 2021
We all remember the story of how Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was rejected by numerous publishers before finally being picked up by Bloomsbury for £2,500. What you may not remember is the literary agent who took on the job of trying to sell the manuscript. That agent, Christopher Little, deserves some of the credit for the Harry Potter series gracing your bookshelf today.
Bookstores Saw Graphic Novels Sales Increase By 29% In 2020
bleedingcool.com – Monday January 11, 2021
So how did graphic novels sell during 2020? Publisher's Weekly reports that print books as a whole saw sales numbers in North America rise 8.2% in 2020, selling 750.9 million copies, up from 693.7 million the year before. And the largest annual increase since 2010. While many bookstores were in shutdown, online sales took over to ramp up sales, especially with more and more people staying home looking for reading matter and unable to visit libraries.
Non-fiction books for the young also received a big boost as many schools closed for long periods, with a 23.1% increase sales. But graphic novels were had one of the most significant increases, which saw sales increase by 29% in 2020, based on 2019.
AAR Becomes AALA
locusmag.com – Sunday January 10, 2021
The Association of Authors’ Representatives (the professional organization for literary agents) has changed its name to the Association of American Literary Agents. They say the new name “better reflects the membership and aligns the organization with its core mission of empowering and educating literary agents.”
Marian Keyes to help budding writers unlock their talents
independent.ie – Sunday January 10, 2021
She has written 15 best-selling novels and sold 35 million books worldwide and now Marian Keyes wants to share her wisdom with aspiring writers.
The Irish author says she has been moved to teach others a way they can escape through writing now that life has been become so "brutal" under lockdown.
Authors Seek Missing Payments from Shuttered Literary Agency
publishersweekly.com – Friday January 8, 2021
When the former cofounders of Foundry Literary + Media parted ways in September to launch their own literary agencies, the partners said that thousands of existing contracts would still be handled by Foundry. It appears that payments to some authors with contracts residing at Foundry have been stalled.
According to multiple sources, a number of authors have either not been paid royalties owed, or have had checks for those royalties bounce. Sources also indicated that some former agents of the firm may also be owed money.
Museum seeks submissions for Waterston Desert Writing Prize, student essays
ktvz.com – Thursday January 7, 2021
The High Desert Museum is now accepting submissions for the 2021 Waterston Desert Writing Prize.
The Prize honors literary nonfiction that illustrates artistic excellence, sensitivity to place, and desert literacy with the desert as both subject and setting. Emerging, mid-career and established nonfiction writers are invited to apply.
To learn more about the Waterston Desert Writing Prize and how to submit an entry, visit highdesertmuseum.org/waterston-prize. Submissions will be accepted through May 1, 2021.
Inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the High Desert, a region that has been her muse for more than 30 years, the Prize launched in 2014 and annually recognizes the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and human narrative. The Prize is named in honor of actor Sam Waterston, who provided the seed money for the endowment that helps fund the award.
Publishers Association in the UK are happy with Brexit Deal
goodereader.com – Tuesday January 5, 2021
With a trade deal between the UK and EU finally, in place, the Publishers Association in the UK has heaved a sigh of relief as this will ensure uninterrupted trade with the European Union. The UK government and the European Union had time till December 31, 2020, to finalize the terms of the new relationship between them as the transition period comes to an end.
Announcing the Winner of the 2020 QueryLetter.com Writing Contest
queryletter.com – Sunday January 3, 2021
We at QueryLetter.com love a good blurb that compels us to read the book. Capturing people’s attention in as few words as possible is the name of the game.
A few months ago, we launched a writing contest that is all about book blurbs. The basis of the competition is simple: Write a blurb about a completely made-up, nonexistent book that would make people want to read the story. The person with the best blurb would win $500.
A Mysterious Phishing Scam Is Roiling the Publishing Industry
theattic.jezebel.com – Tuesday December 22, 2020
The publishing industry has become the target of an international phishing scam, according to the New York Times. What usually happens is this: The author of a book will receive an email that appears to have been sent by their agent or editor, requesting the most recent draft of their manuscript. Not suspecting anything out of the ordinary, the authors attach the document, and then...nothing. They later realize that the person to whom they replied was not their agent or editor, but never do they learn what has happened to their manuscript. The manuscripts don’t seem to end up anywhere on the internet, and no one ever gets in touch with the writer or publishing house to demand a ransom or anything of the sort.
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