The Writers' Block – Stage Writing for Commission
bbc.co.uk – Thursday May 29, 2025
The Writers’ Block is running a 4 day training programme for Emerging Playwrights, funded and supported by The Minack Theatre. The outcome of the programme is for the Minack Youth Theatre to commission a selection of short, original plays for Autumn 2025.
They’re looking for emerging writers of all ages and backgrounds who are passionate about storytelling and interested in writing a short play for the Minack Theatre and its Acting Academy for children and young people. This is a unique opportunity to have a ten-minute play produced and performed in a one-day event in front of the Minack’s family-oriented audience.
Rockpool Publishing unveils Sweet Hearts Press gift imprint
thebookseller.com – Tuesday May 27, 2025
Rockpool Publishing has launched Sweet Hearts Press, a new imprint that is aiming to "revolutionise the gift industry".
Sweet Hearts Press will feature a range of gift products, including reading journals, mindfulness puzzles, niche books and wrapping-paper books.
The new imprint will officially launch on 1st July 2025 and its books will be available globally through Simon & Schuster’s distribution partners.
Readers Annoyed When Fantasy Novel Accidentally Leaves AI Prompt in Published Version, Showing Request to Copy Another Writer's Style
futurism.com – Sunday May 25, 2025
Readers were annoyed to discover something galling: evidence that an author used AI, right in the middle of a novel.
The novel, titled "Darkhollow Academy : Year 2," penned by author Lena McDonald, falls under a romance subgenre called "reverse harem," which conventionally follows a female protagonist with multiple male partners.
But as eagle-eyed fans of the genre were irritated to discover, the author left glaringly obvious evidence of not only using an AI chatbot to write portions of the book — but also of a naked attempt to copy the style of a real fellow writer.
"I've rewritten the passage to align more with J. Bree's style, which features more tension, gritty undertones, and raw emotional subtext beneath the supernatural elements," a since-deleted passage in chapter three of the novel reads, as seen in screenshots posted to the ReverseHarem subreddit earlier this month.
J. Bree is the human author of an internationally bestselling series of romance and fantasy novels.
The instance is yet another illustration of how Amazon is being flooded with self-published AI slop, a trend that has been going on ever since the tech went mainstream a few years ago. It's a real problem for human authors, too, with AI-generated books drowning out their work in search results pages.
Literary conference coming to North Vancouver brings authors and publishers together
nsnews.com – Thursday May 22, 2025
A major literary gathering with a focus on connecting authors with the publishing world is coming to North Vancouver in June.
The Vancouver International Publishing Conference (VIPC) will be held at the Wallace Venue at The Shipyards in North Van on June 8, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
With panellists from major publishing houses, literary agents and authors from across North America, this is an event to be on the calendars of both publishing professionals and aspiring authors.
Megan Williams, North Shore based CEO and founder of the Self Publishing Agency, Inc., is organizing the event with members of her team. She’s hoping to provide information and expertise not typically accessible in the Vancouver area.
Little Door Books: the Scottish independent publisher looks to new horizons
thebookseller.com – Friday May 9, 2025
Alan Windram was a part-time theatre nurse with a passion for musical theatre when he began working with a children’s theatre company travelling to nurseries and schools in Scotland and the north of England. “I’d never worked with kids before, so it was scary times,” he jokes. However, he “loved it” and when it wound down, he decided to turn to writing for children himself, self-publishing a series called Mac and Bob. After he reached out to children’s author and lecturer Vivian French to find an illustrator, the two became friendly and French was so impressed by the production quality of his books that she decided to publish her next title with him. So began Little Door Books.
French’s picture book, Captain Crankie and Seadog Steve, illustrated by Alison Bartlett, was published in 2016. Following advice from literary agents, Alan and his wife Susan decided to continue working with established writers. “We were really keen to bring new illustrators into the publishing world, so we went round degree shows, we found people online and at Bologna on the illustrators’ wall, and built up a database of these amazing illustrators that we wanted to bring up by putting them with known authors,” says Alan. He continues: “It’s finding the right person for the right story, and it’s worked really well.”
Emerald Publishing acquires now publishers
researchinformation.info – Wednesday May 7, 2025
Academic publisher Emerald Publishing has acquired now publishers.
Founded in 2004, now publishers is a source of academic content, publishing research monographs, journals and Foundations and Trends, with strengths in the areas of business, economics, computer science and engineering.
The sale comprises over 50 books, 14 peer-reviewed journals and 28 Foundations and Trends serials. The Foundations and Trends collection includes some of the top-ranked journals in their respective fields including FnT Machine Learning (the top-ranked journal in computer science in Scimago). The research journal collection complements Emerald’s existing journals collection in business and economics.
Zac Rolnik, President and CEO, now publishers, said: “We started now publishers with the intention of creating a unique publishing concept focusing on quality and author service. I believe we have lived up to that goal. But with time and changing technology, we saw the need to be part of a larger organisation to deal with the myriads of changes in the marketplace.
US fiction writing school launches US$100k prize
booksandpublishing.com.au – Monday May 5, 2025
New York-based online fiction writing school The Novelry has launched a US$100,000 (A$155,276) competition, called The Next Big Story.
Open to unrepresented adult writers residing in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, the competition is calling for submissions of the opening three pages (1500 words) of an unpublished English-language novel-length fiction project, which may be targeted at audiences of any age.
A judging panel comprised of Tayari Jones, Emma Roberts, Julia Quinn, Zosia Mamet, Zibby Owens, Kimmy Nwokorie, Jackie Oshry, Yann Martel, Brady Lockerby and Carley Fortune will review the shortlist and select a winner, guided by a public vote that will run from 28 September through to 5 October 2025. Shortlisted writers will receive a place in the organisation’s Finished Novel Course.
Richard Benson to edit new literary magazine for working-class writers
thebookseller.com – Monday May 5, 2025
Richard Benson, the former editor of the Face magazine, has been announced as the editor of a new literary magazine and platform for working-class writers, titled the Bee.
Supported by Faber and actor Michael Sheen, the Bee aims to "fight the increasing marginalisation of working-class writers, and of working-class people in publishing".
Its channels include a website, a podcast and a literary magazine publishing both fiction and non-fiction. The organisers will also run an outreach programme, seeking out new writers from working class backgrounds and supporting their professional development.
"Justice and fairness demands that people from the less well-off sections of society have the chance to tell their stories, and to get them heard," Benson said. "But it’s also about common sense. Much of the important writing being done today, and so many of the best-loved stories come from ordinary working people. So often, it’s stories from the working classes that express what’s really happening in the world."
New book prize to award aspiring writer £75,000 for first three pages of novel
theguardian.com – Thursday May 1, 2025
The Next Big Story competition, run by writing school The Novelry, is encouraging entries from would-be authors ‘historically overlooked by the publishing industry’
A new competition is offering £75,000 to an aspiring writer based on just three pages of their novel.
Actor Emma Roberts, Bridgerton author Julia Quinn and Booker-winning Life of Pi author Yann Martel are among the judges for The Next Big Story competition, run by online fiction writing school The Novelry.
Roberts, who co-founded the book club Belletrist, said: “There’s nothing more euphoric than being immersed in the world of a good book and to get lost in the words of a brilliant author. This is a groundbreaking new writing prize and I’m thrilled to be included on this panel of esteemed luminaries.”
Martel said: “We all need stories to make the world new, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s out there.”
Along with the cash prize, The Novelry will support the winner for a year to develop their idea into a full book. The competition is open to “all aspiring writers”, including “occasional readers who need encouragement to begin, individuals with limited time or financial means, and those who have been historically overlooked by the publishing industry”, said the organisers.
New independent press to focus on male writers
theguardian.com – Monday April 28, 2025
Conduit Books will not ‘seek an adversarial stance … but the emphasis at first will be on ambitious, funny, political and cerebral fiction by men that is being passed by’
A writer and critic has launched a new independent press that will focus on publishing books by male writers.
Conduit Books, founded by Jude Cook, will publish literary fiction and memoir, “focusing initially on male authors”.
Cook said the publishing landscape has changed “dramatically” over the past 15 years as a reaction to the “prevailing toxic male-dominated literary scene of the 80s, 90s and noughties”. Now, “excitement and energy around new and adventurous fiction is around female authors – and this is only right as a timely corrective”.
“This new breed of young female authors, spearheaded by Sally Rooney et al, ushered in a renaissance for literary fiction by women, giving rise to a situation where stories by new male authors are often overlooked, with a perception that the male voice is problematic,” he said.
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