Literary agents aren't dead (part 1)
chicagonow.com – Wednesday May 3, 2017
There is a current trend, specifically on LinkedIn, to pronounce certain careers dead. It's getting to the point where no line of work seems safe anymore. The LinkedIn morticians have declared an end to everything from working a traditional sales jobs to being a lawyer.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Wednesday May 3, 2017
Publishes: Fiction;
Areas include: Fantasy; Romance; Sci-Fi; Short Stories;
Markets: Adult
Publishes speculative romance, including Paranormal Romance, Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Hard Science Fiction, Soft Science Fiction, Space Opera, Solarpunk, Steampunk, Dieselpunk, Decopunk, Fantasy Romance, Science Fiction Romance, Paranormal Mystery, and Time Travel Romance. No horror, grimdark, or dystopia. Accepts submissions in specific submission windows only (see website for details). Also publishes anthologies of short stories. See website for current opportunities.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Tuesday May 2, 2017
Publishes: Essays; Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Short Stories;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Accepts poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, between May 1 and September 1, annually. Send 3-5 poems, essays up to 6,000 words, or fiction between 1,000 and 6,000 words, through online submission system. Each piece of work must be accompanied by an account between 150 and 500 words, giving voice to the artist's approach.
The 9 Emotional Stages Of Reading Your Childhood Writing
bustle.com – Saturday April 29, 2017
Have you ever stumbled upon an forgotten journal or notebook and read through your old stuff? If so, than you know the many emotional stages you go through when you read your childhood writing. It's a roller coaster ride, to say the least.
From the poetry of my childhood to the Harry Potter-inspired stories of my adolescence to the emotionally-charged journals of my teen years, I have been writing one thing or another for as long as I can remember. If I wasn't up late at night reading with a flashlight under my covers, I was jotting down all of my thoughts, feelings, and ideas, convinced each one was as brilliant as those of the professional writers I looked up to. Whenever I wrote, whatever I wrote, I was always so sure that anytime I put my pen to paper, I was recording a *very important* story that was pure gold. Now that I have a solid decade, not to mention a writing degree and years of experience as a professional, between the writing of my youth and now, I can see clearly now what I couldn't then: I was no Sylvia Plath.
Record year for UK publishing
printweek.com – Saturday April 29, 2017
2016 was a record-breaking year for the UK publishing industry, according to the latest figures from the Publishers Association.
Sales of books and journals reached £4.8bn last year – their highest ever level. The increase in sales of 7% on the previous year is the largest growth in a decade, when in 2007 digital was included for the first time.
Physical book sales grew by 8% to £3bn, rising to the highest level since 2012. Overall digital sales, meanwhile, grew by 6% to £1.7bn despite a continuation of the drop in e-book sales, which fell by 3% to £538m.
Famous novelist turned down by over 100 publishers dies
usatoday.com – Thursday April 27, 2017
It was a novel that made history after it was turned down by more than 100 publishers. Robert Pirsig, author of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” has died. He was 88-years-old. Aaron Dickens reports.
Giles Foden on the art of writing
irishtimes.com – Thursday April 27, 2017
The foreword to The Ogham Stone, UL’s journal of creative writing, explores what language can do and the craft of its featured writers.
New Literary Agency Listing
firstwriter.com – Tuesday April 25, 2017
Handles: Fiction; Nonfiction
Areas: Autobiography; Biography; Cookery; Crime; Health; Historical; Lifestyle; Mystery; Psychology; Science; Suspense; Technology; Thrillers; Women's Interests
Markets: Adult; Children's; Youth
Agency handling speakers and authors. Will consider all fiction and nonfiction, but particularly interested in General fiction, Mystery/suspense/thriller/crime, Women's fiction, Children's and YA (fiction); and Biography/memoir, Technology, Science, History, Personal development, Health (including popular psychology), Cookery and lifestyle (nonfiction). Send query by email only. See website for full guidelines.
Accepting imperfections will improve your writing
churchcentral.com – Sunday April 23, 2017
For me to proclaim, “You’re not perfect!” might sound a bit jarring or insulting. But it’s true. And, once you accept that, it will set you free. Free to be a better writer. Not to mention a better spouse, parent, or pastor.
Why do I say that? I’ve spent more than 40 years as a writer and editor. And I have learned that at the heart of good writing is accepting your imperfections. While good writing is a complex subject that takes a lifetime to even begin to master, there are a few secrets. All are rooted in human fallibility.
The Secrets of Writing in Multiple Genres
publishersweekly.com – Saturday April 22, 2017
Sarah Dalton writes young adult novels. She’s earned a following among fans of YA genre fiction with such speculative series as Blemished, Mary Hades, and White Hart. Dalton’s big break, however, came under her pen name, Sarah A. Denzil.
Denzil is the author of Silent Child, a psychological thriller about a kidnapped boy, which was the top-selling book in the paid digital category on amazon.co.uk. The thriller was also a top-10 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and hit #1 in such categories as kidnapping and crime. It’s the English author’s third foray into adult fiction, with her thrillers Saving April (also a top 100 Kindle bestseller in the U.K.) and The Broken Ones released in 2016.
Writing and publishing in two genres under her real name as well as a pen name has been a learning experience for Dalton. “I first and foremost read as many psychological thriller books as I could,” she says of her decision to switch genres. She also followed media coverage of high-profile crimes and kidnappings. “Crime thrillers are trickier,” she notes.
Dalton says that her YA books are relatively “research free,” which allows her to make everything up. So when it came to a setting for Silent Child, Dalton compromised: the setting is a realistic-but-fictional English village. Writing about an actual place comes with constraints, she explains.
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