Shelf-made men: why publishing still favours the well-connected
nationalworld.com – Wednesday December 3, 2025
In May of this year, it was reported that writing and publishing in the UK is in crisis. There was said to be a “growing marginalisation of working-class people whose stories and experiences are not being heard”, according to the backers of a new literary magazine and platform.
The Bee, edited by Richard Benson, told The Guardian that it was well known the creative industries were “massively skewed” in terms of representation, but that writing and publishing were “even more skewed”.
Their own data describes an industry shaped by the old-school-tie crowd, where opportunity tends to land with the silver-spoon set, and routes into print favour people who already move comfortably inside publishing circles. In simple terms, those born already-inside progress faster than those arriving from estates, factories and night shifts.
In 2014, for example, 43 per cent of publishing staff came from middle-class backgrounds and just 12 per cent from working-class families; by 2019, the middle-class figure had risen to 60 per cent. Sutton Trust research, meanwhile, places only one-in-10 published authors as working class. That is what happens when an entire sector drifts into the hands of the trust-fund brigade and the private-club types who can afford to wait for opportunity.
This matters to me because I know what it feels like to come into writing without wealth, contacts, or the introductions that seem to fall into the laps of toffs and well-connected insiders. I never went to university. I didn’t have family in publishing, teachers who knew agents, or friends who could guide me through the process. Like most working-class people, I had to learn the hard way how publishing works and where someone like me is supposed to stand within it. My success came from long hours of graft and stubborn persistence — the sort of work the Mayfair set rarely has to do.
New Publisher Listing: The Stable Book Group
firstwriter.com – Wednesday December 3, 2025
Collective of independent publishers with offices in California and New York. Publishes fiction, nonfiction, business, self-help, memoirs, and children’s books. Accepts unsolicited manuscripts with synopsis, sample chapters, and author biography. Provides global distribution through major partners and supports titles with shared resources in design, production, marketing, and publicity.
New Magazine Listing: West Coast Review
firstwriter.com – Wednesday December 3, 2025
We accept all types of fiction and art, including the experimental. We aim to publish diverse stories from writers all over the world, to reflect the diversity of the West Coast. Our issues are published once per year, and we accept submissions on a rolling basis. We publish flash fiction, short stories, and any creative prose that falls in-between (this includes creative nonfiction, craft essays, and experimental work).
Andrea Brown Alums Launch Boutique Agency
publishersweekly.com – Tuesday December 2, 2025
Jemiscoe Chambers-Black (bottom), Paige Terlip (top), and Jennifer March Soloway have launched Starling Literary + Media, a boutique literary agency. The trio previously worked at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
“It has been a joy to watch Jem, Paige, and Jennifer grow as agents these many years,” said Kelly Sonnack, president and owner of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, “and we are all cheering them on as they move into this next chapter.”
Starling will represent a broad roster of children’s authors and illustrators, as well as authors of adult fiction and nonfiction.
P.S. Literary Agency launches emerging writers scholarship
quillandquire.com – Tuesday December 2, 2025
P.S. Literary Agency is capping off a month-long celebration of its 20-year anniversary with the announcement of a new scholarship for emerging writers.
The agency turned 20 in November, and announced the creation of the PSLA Emerging Writers Scholarship on Dec. 1. The scholarship includes $1,000 to help cover writing-related expenses and a one-on-one mentorship with a literary agent. Applications for the inaugural scholarship are set to open on Jan. 5, with the first recipient to be announced in summer 2026.
“While our 20th anniversary created a natural moment for reflection, the decision to launch the PSLA Emerging Writers Scholarship was driven by something deeper than the milestone itself,” agency founder B. David Gyulai said in an email. “Over the past several years, we’ve seen a growing need for meaningful support for unpublished and underrepresented writers—especially those who may not yet have access to mentorship, industry knowledge, or financial resources that can help them take the next step in their writing journey.”
2 fiction writers offer different approaches in how-to guides to writing
eu.clarionledger.com – Tuesday December 2, 2025
- Two new books by fiction writers Elizabeth McCracken and Sue Monk Kidd offer different approaches to the craft of writing.
- McCracken's "A Long Game" is skeptical of cosmic inspiration, focusing instead on practical advice and personal experience.
- Kidd's "Writing Creativity and Soul" encourages writers to connect with the supernatural and spiritual for authenticity.
Elizabeth McCracken ends her new book on the craft of writing with what she describes as the mantra of all writers: “I am a genius with much to learn.”
Indeed, this claim describes both her stance toward writing as well as what she expects from those who wish to learn about writing from her.
“A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction”consists of 280 entries, some a sentence or two, some several paragraphs or even pages long, in which McCracken draws on her careers as both a successfully published writer and teacher of writing to write a book that “dispenses advice, composed by a writer of fiction.”
McCracken notes how much she has previously distrusted the entire concept of books on the craft of writing, or even the notion of rules for writing at all. She explains, “Everything that I have ever believed was true and immutable about my work has changed. Only the obsessions remain.” What follows are thoughtful, encouraging insights from her own experiences writing as well as her experiences reading and responding to years of student writing.
As an aspiring fiction writer myself, there is much that I appreciated in this book. At times, it fit the generic conventions that McCracken set out early on a bit snarkily: “chipper, cheerleaderish, generally with an encouraging second-person narrator meant to make the whole exhausting process of writing a book seem possible. 'You can do it!'”
Looking to Write for a Fathers Magazine? Here’s Why The Good Men Project Is the Modern Home for Fatherhood Stories
goodmenproject.com – Tuesday December 2, 2025
When someone Googles write for fathers magazine, they’re looking for a place where stories about fatherhood — real, vulnerable, meaningful stories — will be embraced.
Traditional magazines have shrunk. Many no longer publish fatherhood content. But fathers haven’t stopped needing representation. Their challenges have simply evolved.
That’s why The Good Men Project continues to be one of the strongest platforms for fatherhood writing anywhere online — with hundreds of fatherhood articles read every month.
Why GMP Is a Natural Fit for Fatherhood Writers
1. We’ve Published Over 10,000 Authors Since 2010
Fathers writing about parenting, co-parenting, blended families, mental health and masculinity have long found a home here.
2. Our Reader Base Is Hungry for Real Fatherhood Insights
Articles on discipline, emotional intelligence, divorce, raising boys, raising girls and family dynamics consistently perform well.
3. Your Writing Helps Other Men Feel Seen
This is a mission. Not just content.
New Literary Agent Listing: Roma Panganiban
firstwriter.com – Tuesday December 2, 2025
Handles literary and upmarket fiction and nonfiction across both adult and children’s markets, with a particular interest in fresh, inventive novels that blend literary quality with genre elements such as speculative or fantasy, rich historical settings, and mystery. Seeks narrative nonfiction including journalism and cultural history that uncovers new ground or reframes familiar subjects, as well as creative nonfiction that is intimate, idiosyncratic, or wryly humorous. Welcomes food writing with personal narrative, and nonfiction involving original research or contemporary analysis. On the children’s side, primarily interested in young adult projects that are realistic and emotional, whether contemporary or historical, and select middle grade projects that are high-concept and fun. Values character-driven work, unconventional storytelling, ensemble casts, and books that reflect diverse perspectives and experiences.
Jupiter Phaeton, the self-publishing powerhouse rewriting the rules of fantasy fiction
euractiv.com – Friday November 28, 2025
When Jupiter Phaeton quit her job in France with just six months’ savings, she faced a stark choice: make a living from writing or return to the nine-to-five grind. “Going back to traditional jobs was Plan B. But the most horrible Plan B for me. It was out of the question,” she says.
Today, that gamble looks prescient. Phaeton has published more than 60 fantasy novels on Amazon, selling over 190,000 eBooks and 55,000 print copies, with 645,000 reads via Kindle Select and 135,000 audiobook listeners. Her success is not just literary; it is entrepreneurial.
“It’s entrepreneurship,” she insists. “You’re not just selling your product or building your products; you have to learn about accounting, marketing, and how the publishing industry works.”
Building a loyal readership at speed
Phaeton’s books brim with magic, dragons and werewolves, but her real magic trick was speed. “Kindle readers are heavy readers,” she explains. “They read books like you’ve just published it, and five hours later, like, where is the next one?” To meet that demand, she published a book a month for a time. “That’s why we built such a great community first,” she says. “Now I can stop being chained to my keyboard.”
Her characters are often strong women – a deliberate choice. “I wanted to inspire women, to say to them, ‘Hey, it’s okay. You can have a strong character, and you can lead and do whatever you want in life.’”
Call for Applications – Publishing Scotland 2026 International Fellowship
publishingperspectives.com – Wednesday November 26, 2025
Through the fellowship program and translation fund, Publishing Scotland seeks to bring Scottish literature to readers around the world.
Last month at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Publishing Scotland made an open call to international publishers with an interest in Scottish writers and literature to participate in the program next summer. There are eight slots available.
The fellowship program, which was founded in 2015, seeks to foster relationships between the Scottish market and publishers from around the world with the goal of expanding the network, facilitating the buying and selling of rights, and broadening the reach of Scottish literature. Over the last decade, the program has welcomed 71 publishers from 19 countries for meetings, publisher and agent visits, and insight into the Scottish publishing market.
Taking place in August, the week-long fellowship coincides with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the expanded Global Ink conference at the Book Festival, and the world-famous Edinburgh Festival and Fringe.
Scotland-based literary agent Jenny Brown of Jenny Brown Associates has been involved with the fellowship since its inception and credits it for bringing Scottish literature to new markets. “The Fellowship has become a highlight in the publishing calendar: it has boosted Scotland’s international profile, enabling us to meet publishers and giving us a deeper understanding of their markets.”
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