Who wants to be liked? The joy of writing outrageous, amoral women
inews.co.uk – Tuesday July 19, 2016
I’ve always been drawn to dark, unpredictable, unknowable characters. I love performing baddies as much as watching them and I had a macabre sense of play as a child. I was a committed tomboy always playing “man on the run”, or “boy being kidnapped”, rather than making daisy-chains or throwing tea parties. I have never been interested in playing Juliet, though I can appreciate the brilliance and beauty of the role from the stalls, my instinct as an actress is always to undercut and be irreverent. Something a role like that really does not require.
Mallory Ortberg on Texts from Jane Eyre: 'Writing was the simplest part of the process'
theguardian.com – Tuesday July 19, 2016
Texts from Jane Eyre was the first book I ever wrote, or even tried to write, and when I found my agent, I rather assumed my part in the process was done. She had approached me about the project, so I assumed an editor would approach her in turn, and I would continue to attract publishing attention like a sea anemone attracts shrimp. This turned out not to be the case: it took over a year, and quite active shopping, to sell the book proposal, rather than seeing it snapped up straight away.
Why theatre is set for greater diversity as publishing lags behind
theguardian.com – Saturday July 16, 2016
British publishing and the stage have a problem with diversity. But when it comes to action rather than words, the theatre leaves book publishing standing. I have been commissioned by Andrew Lloyd Webber to lead research into why few black and Asian actors make it to the stage as he is “deeply concerned” about the lack of diversity, as he said last week.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday July 15, 2016
Publishes: Fiction;
Areas include: Autobiography; Biography; Fantasy; Historical; Horror; Humour; Mystery; Sci-Fi; Self-Help; Suspense; Thrillers;
Markets: Adult; Children's; Youth;
Preferred styles: Commercial; Literary
Accepts submissions by email only. For fiction, send one-page query, one-page synopsis, and first three chapters, in the body of your email. For nonfiction, send one-page query and book proposal. No attachments. No children's picture books, novellas, gift books, poetry, or religious books. See website for full details.
Stop pushing the same 'classic' books on children and trust modern writing
theguardian.com – Wednesday July 13, 2016
I will start by saying: the BBC’s #LoveToRead campaign looks fantastic and I love that it “celebrates reading for pleasure”, and aims to start “a unique national conversation about books”. Nonetheless, among all the planned dramatisations, documentaries and live events, one aspect of the campaign is strangely unadventurous – its list of top 10 books recommended for children.
The list isn’t a bad one. It’s just not a new one. Created by the public, it sets out 10 books that children should read, and includes the usual suspects: The Lord of the Rings, To Kill a Mockingbird and the Bible, with Harry Potter coming out on top. Yes, it’s right that we acknowledge that they are all important contributions to the history of literature; yes, it is also understandable that we want the next generation to experience the books that we have loved.
8 things I wish I'd known before writing my first novel
marieclaire.co.uk – Tuesday July 12, 2016
Award-winning author Kate Mosse reveals her top tips for making a career out of writing books
'As a former editor in publishing, I had a bit of a head start,' says Kate Mosse author of best sellers from Labyrinth to The Taxidermist's Daughter.
'I'd seen all the pitfalls and traps for a first-time novelist, so had a notebook full of "avoid this at all costs" and "always remember to..." tips, before I ever became a writer myself. But, for the record, here I learned a few hard truths along the way.'
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Tuesday July 12, 2016
Publishes: Articles; News; Poetry;
Areas include: Arts;
Markets: Adult; Professional; Youth
Publishes the finest literary achievements in modern poetry. We are searching for outstanding talent, a beautiful play of words, emotionally stirring poems that have deep meaning and will withstand the test of time.
We strive to highlight talent and bring to light gifted poets of all ages and nationalities.
Publishes both poetry as well as striking visual art.
Our bimonthly magazine is available both as a free digital edition and in print.
Here's Why E-Book Sales From Major Publishers Are Plummeting
fortune.com – Monday July 11, 2016
But growing sales of self-published e-books may offset the drop.
Book publishers are winning in their quixotic war against their own electronic books as sales dropped 11% last year, according to a new report from the industry’s leading trade group.
Russell Smith: Why publishers think pink for book covers
theglobeandmail.com – Thursday July 7, 2016
It has just occurred to me that my last four books, all works of fiction, have had an image of a woman on the cover. The books, however, largely represent masculine points of view. One of the books is even called Young Men. It still has a beautiful girl on the cover.
The reason for this repeated imagery is simple and economic: Most readers of fiction in North America are, by a wide margin, women. The books are being marketed to them.
Comedy writing programme announced
theknowledgeonline.com – Wednesday July 6, 2016
A comedy writing programme has been launched by the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF) to find emerging UK comedy writers.
The Betty Box and Peter Rogers Comedy Writing Programme - named after the producers of the Doctor and Carry On series - is being run in partnership with Big Talk Productions and LOCO London Comedy Film Festival.
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