New Magazine Listing: Arboreal
firstwriter.com – Tuesday October 3, 2023
Online magazine that came about when two friends sought to create something of value, something for pure enjoyment, something to encourage creativity.
A New Trend Shows AI Generated Books Are Plagarising Famous Authors’ Writing
techround.co.uk – Monday October 2, 2023
Artificial intelligence- although a great development- continues to cause worries across career paths. This now includes the publishing industry. The rise of AI has introduced a new trend in the literary world – AI-generated books. This has created a mix of emotions among authors, readers, and publishing platforms alike.
Rory Cellan-Jones, a writer-journalist, was surprised to find a biography about him on Amazon. The book, which he had not authored, featured a poorly designed cover and was written by an unknown individual. Cellan-Jones stated, “I thought: ‘This is strange — who’s writing a biography of me?’”.
Building a writing life
eu.sctimes.com – Sunday October 1, 2023
For the past 45 years, I have written almost every day. I make my living as a fulltime freelance writer, which I‘ve wanted to do since seventh grade, when I wrote my first very short book titled "The Secret of the Lost Inca Mines." What could be greater than making up stories and getting paid for them, I thought. Almost everything I’ve written for the past 40 years has been published.
I’ve written features, interviews, anecdotes, poetry, short stories, even a play, for magazines as Toy Farmer, Reader’s Digest, Houseboat, Arizona Highways, Saturday Evening Post, Sr. Perspective, and 240 others.
But my most potent joy has emanated from writing essays. They require me to think, often deeply, to dig the ore of words from the rock, and tumble them in order onto the paper to make the piece work. Or sometimes dig out diamonds of exactly the right words that add beauty, and make the sentences sing.
It’s satisfying to discover that many people like what I write, or how I write it. But that was not always so. My career began inauspiciously. In 1977 I resigned from teaching English to be a writer. Though I had never sold a single piece of writing, I was sure I knew enough and was good enough now that I could make my living at writing.
Stop 'tampering with literature'! Publishers warned against cancelling classic authors after woke rewrites
gbnews.com – Saturday September 30, 2023
Woke rewrites of classic books "deprive children of valuable lessons on right and wrong", the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport has warned.
Lucy Frazer claims "tampering with literature" denies people "precious cultural heritage" as she warns publishers against cancelling authors.
Her comments come after books by authors such as Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton have recently been altered by their publishers.
In some instances, certain words and phrases which they now deem to be offensive have been removed.
However, the MP for South East Cambridgeshire says rewriting old texts is "infantilising".
Kumar joins David Godwin Associates as a literary agent
thebookseller.com – Friday September 29, 2023
Aparna Kumar is joining David Godwin Associates as a literary agent on 2nd October. She will be helping to manage David Godwin’s long list of clients as well as acquiring her own.
Kumar, who has recently completed her MSc in Media and Communications at the London School of Economics, has worked in publishing for six years. Most recently, she was an editor at Penguin Random House India, where she commissioned literary fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry.
New Publisher Listing: Cadno
firstwriter.com – Friday September 29, 2023
Imprint handling middle grade fiction. Submissions welcome using online submission system (see website).
Children's Books North launches directory for authors, illustrators and publishing professionals
thebookseller.com – Thursday September 28, 2023
The Children’s Books North (CBN) network is launching a directory listing published children’s authors, illustrators and publishing professionals based in the north-east, north-west, Yorkshire and Scotland.
Tilda Johnson, CBN co-founder, said: "The directory is a key resource in our aim to connect the children’s book professionals living in our regions, to promote our members’ work, and to champion the importance of regional diversity in children’s books and the publishing industry."
CBN members will be listed with their details, with the aim of enabling booksellers, librarians, schools, festivals, literacy organisations, agents and publishers to get in touch. The directory, which will be updated annually, is also aimed at authors and illustrators looking to connect with other creatives working in their region and to forge new networks.
The Hollywood writers’ strike is over — and they won big
vox.com – Thursday September 28, 2023
Hollywood’s longest and most costly labor strike has ended.
Late in the day on Sunday, September 24 — after 146 days of labor stoppage, the longest strike in Hollywood history by a long shot — the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents Hollywood’s writers, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), an association of Hollywood’s largest studios and production companies, announced that an agreement had been reached. On Tuesday, September 26, the union’s leadership announced that they’d voted to end the strike and recommended the membership vote in favor of ratifying the contract.
The strike officially ended in the wee hours of Wednesday, September 27, and the union’s membership will begin their vote on Monday, October 2. For many, this moment is one for celebration. President Joe Biden, who is set to join striking auto workers on their picket line on Tuesday, issued a statement applauding the writers’ tentative deal. “There simply is no substitute for employers and employees coming together to negotiate in good faith toward an agreement that makes a business stronger and secures the pay, benefits, and dignity that workers deserve,” he said.
New Literary Agent Listing: Jenny Simpson
firstwriter.com – Tuesday September 26, 2023
I am looking to build a list of commercial fiction and non-fiction books on health and wellness. As for my commercial taste, I am always looking for the next family drama, particularly stories that artfully weave in alternate perspectives from different generations. I am on the hunt for funny, contemporary romances. I am also looking for books that tackle the nuances of adult and female friendships with some humour and insight. I am an American who grew up in the United Kingdom, so any story that elaborates on the expat experience will always be up my alley. In the nonfiction space, I am similarly interested in food-adjacent, health and wellness topics.
The Art of Writing
altaonline.com – Monday September 25, 2023
Each month, noted authors join Alta Journal’s California Book Club to discuss their work during a free online gathering. Here are some insights into their craft, in eight of the authors’ own words.
JULIE OTSUKA ON SYMBOLISM
“If you let your unconscious write a story, then these symbols will emerge without you really realizing what it is that you’re doing. It’s always fun when people see things in your work that you didn’t—you weren’t even aware of doing. Just because you didn’t realize that your symbolism was working in a certain way doesn’t mean that it’s not there. But that’s what I love about the act of reading. Every reader brings something different to the work.”
STEPH CHA ON RESEARCH
“One of the ways I researched [Your House Will Pay], because I actually don’t really like research, is I just talked to people as I ran into them.… People hold on to all these stories, and they’re not even necessarily holding on to them tightly.… Sometimes they’re just waiting for people to ask. But I think something that I’ve learned by writing crime fiction is just how close all of this hurt and violence is to the surface for so many people and how it’s just a part of our lives that is waiting to be uncovered.”
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