The Guardian view on literary fiction: in need of support
theguardian.com – Wednesday December 27, 2017
Literary fiction, you might think, is in wonderful health. Book festivals, from Edinburgh and Wigtown in Scotland, to Hay-on-Wye in Wales, to Cheltenham and Bath in England, are flourishing. There is certainly no shortage of people eager to become authors of literary fiction: creative writing courses have proliferated. The British, you could argue, are more at home tucked up with a decent novel than with any other artform. Britain is, after all, the country of Austen, the Brontës and Eliot; of Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith and Hilary Mantel.
Ann Bagnall, publisher of historic cookbooks – obituary
telegraph.co.uk – Wednesday December 27, 2017
Ann Bagnall, who has died aged 90, made a lasting contribution to the world of food literature and social history when, aged 60, she set up a publishing company specialising in historic cookbooks and guides to household management.
The fantastic fiction app Great Jones Street is shutting down
theverge.com – Sunday December 24, 2017
2017 has been notoriously difficult for digital publishers, and the year has claimed a new victim: Great Jones Street, an app-based fiction magazine that curated a ton of great stories that spanned genres. In a post on Facebook, the app’s publisher, Kelly Abbott says that he will shut the publication down at the end of the year, saying that he ultimately “failed to convince enough readers to support it.”
Children’s book publishers turn to ‘sensitivity readers’
seattletimes.com – Sunday December 24, 2017
Late last year, novelist Keira Drake said her publisher was giving away copies of her upcoming young-adult novel, “The Continent,” a fantasy set in a world where two nations have been at war for centuries. “It’s raining books!” she wrote.
Her enthusiasm was quickly punctured. Online reviews poured in, and they were brutal. Readers pounced on what they saw as racially charged language in the descriptions of the warring tribes and blasted it as “racist trash,” “retrograde” and “offensive.” Drake and her publisher, Harlequin Teen, apologized and delayed the book’s publication.
Philip Pullman: I use coloured pencils to show which key I’m writing in – D minor, at the moment
theguardian.com – Saturday December 23, 2017
The author on the importance of desk height, watching birds and Myriorama cards
I get to my desk (in a very small room at the top of the house) at about 10, and fiddle about with the height of the desk and the chair until I’m comfortable. I have a desk that I can raise or lower according to the state of my aching back. Sometimes I stand at it, and sometimes I have it high up to write at, and sometimes a bit lower to type.
US trade publisher sales flat in first half of 2017, reports AAP
thebookseller.com – Friday December 22, 2017
US publishers' trade book sales were flat for the first seven months of 2017, holding steady at $4,440.2m versus $4,442m for the same period (January - August) in 2016, according to statistics released by the Association of the American Publishers (AAP).
Talking audiobooks
thebookseller.com – Wednesday December 20, 2017
Audio is the "heatseeker" within publishing, and the recent FutureBook Conference was a watershed moment in championing the category. But many issues also surfaced. Expensive recordings, different marketing from print and a new supply chain are just a few; the consequence is that there are as many publishers losing money from audio as there are profitably growing.
Literary fiction under threat, ACE report concludes
thebookseller.com – Sunday December 17, 2017
Arts Council England has pledged to engage with more bookshops, fund more writers and lobby the government to provide tax relief to independent publishers following a report finding that “the general trend for literary fiction is a negative one”.
Literary fiction writers can no longer live off their books as sales slump
inews.co.uk – Friday December 15, 2017
The idea of the penniless artist shivering and starving in gloomy cellar for years as they pen another great tome has become a reality for the writers of literary fiction, according to research by Arts Council England. The average author now earns less than minimum wage with an annual salary of just £11,000.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday December 15, 2017
Publishes: Articles; Essays; Features; Fiction; Interviews; Nonfiction; Poetry; Reference; Reviews;
Areas include: Entertainment; Fantasy; Historical; How-to; New Age; Religious; Sci-Fi; Short Stories; Spiritual;
Markets: Adult; Family; Professional;
Preferred styles: Contemporary; Experimental; Positive; Traditional
A new Online New Age magazine to become a resource for people wanting to research a variety of topics. I'm looking for articles and artwork geared towards those looking for information on all types of new age and spiritual topics.
First edition March 20, 2018
Seeking articles, interviews, inspiration, reviews, fiction, poetry, artwork and photography centred around many New Age topics: Spiritual practices, Tarot, gods and goddesses, How-to, chakras, kabbalah, reiki, healing, mindset work, guides, paganism, wicca, mysticism, plants as medicine, paranormal and psychic phenomenon, etc. See our complete guidelines.
Get the free newsletter | Submit a news item or article | Get Writers' News for your website
