Self-Publishing in 2017: The Year in Preview
publishersweekly.com – Saturday January 21, 2017
As 2017 begins, indie authors and publishers are having to navigate a fast-growing industry filled with new opportunities, but one that also presents challenges related to that expansion. To find continued success in self-publishing, it has become more important to expand the definition of “self-published author” to encompass new roles and new formats.
Next Steps in Digitization for Book Publishers
publishersweekly.com – Saturday January 21, 2017
In this inaugural column, I’ve been asked to offer up some predictions for digitization in publishing in 2017. The problems—and solutions—of digitization are more complex than the question of e-books vs. print books. By and large, that divide has stabilized; print books are clearly still a strong part of the market, and e-books have their attributes (instantaneous purchase, no bundles to lug around, changeable font size).
Jacob Polley: ‘If I’m writing a poem, I should be kept busy doing anything other than writing’
theguardian.com – Saturday January 21, 2017
When my days were all nearly all my own, I used to keep to a routine. Turn up at the page. Achieve something, a little something, before the afternoon crept in with interesting stuff on the radio, a walk in the air, that first glass of wine … I’ve written prose and poetry, and I found that a routine was essential for the prose writing. Then the writing day was, in the early stages of a novel and for a long time after the early stages, about amassing the words. The words had to be there, or there wouldn’t be anything there. That sounds like an odd thing to say now I’ve said it, but I suspect that writing a poem can be as much about the storing up of the energy before the poem’s written down as about the casting of it on to paper. One can have a strong sense of a poem being there, even when there isn’t anything there. Spooky. But this difference between prose and poetry might only be a difference in my own faiths in the two ways in which I can reliably both waste and escape time.
Acquisitions Editor - Brilliance Publishing
publishersweekly.com – Friday January 20, 2017
Do you want to play a pivotal role in a growing business? Do you have a passion for developing, owning and driving content strategies forward? Brilliance Publishing (a division of Amazon Publishing), is looking to hire an experienced and market-savvy Acquisitions Editor who will acquire exceptional titles for our audiobook publishing division, Brilliance Audio.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Tuesday January 17, 2017
Publishes: Essays; Features; Fiction; Interviews; Nonfiction; Poetry; Reviews
Areas include: Adventure; Fantasy; Gothic; Horror; Humour; Literature; Sci-Fi; Short Stories; Suspense; Thrillers
Markets: Family; Professional
Preferred styles: Commercial; Contemporary; Cynical; Dark; Experimental; In-depth; Light; Literary; Mainstream; Niche; Popular; Positive; Progressive; Satirical; Serious; Traditional
Published since 1997. Free Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Webzine which offers original fiction by new and established writers published on the first Sunday of every month except January. There is a double issue in December. The magazine includes poetry, short stories, serials and novellas, flash fiction, and reviews of interest to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fans. New writers are encouraged to submit their work to the webzine, and feedback to the authors is encouraged through the forum.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Tuesday January 17, 2017
Publishes: Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Translations;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Contemporary; Literary
Focuses on fiction, but will consider nonfiction (especially creative nonfiction) and poetry. Welcomes unsolicited submissions from authors and keen to consider debut writers writing in English. Also accepts translations of published writers from other languages. Accepts paper submissions only, and asks submissions to include a receipt showing that you have purchased one of their books or are a subscriber.
San Francisco Writers Conference: Offers Nine Free Events in 2017
expertclick.com – Tuesday January 17, 2017
The San Francisco Writers Conference is an annual gathering that draws 110+ bestselling authors, literary agents, publishers, editors, and publishing industry professionals to the Bay Area. These presenters, from the West Coast, New York City, and beyond, come to the event looking for new talent, to share their expertise with the attendees, and do some quality networking themselves. At the SFWC attendees rub shoulders with the very people who help build writing careers.
The five-step manufacturing process that could make you a better writer
theconversation.com – Monday January 16, 2017
If you want to be a better, faster writer, you should treat your writing as a lean manufacturing process. “Lean” is an engineering technique for making manufacturing less wasteful and has been used in industrial production for decades. Today it has spread to sectors from software development to customer services. But I’ve found the principles of lean can even help improve the practice of writing, whether you’re producing a report or a novel.
Lean was developed from Japanese manufacturing ideas in the 1980s and 1990s. It involves applying five principles to minimise waste and increase productivity: flow, value, waste, pull and perfection. The key goals in lean manufacturing are to learn and continually improve. For writing, we have to first start with a finished piece of work in order to get feedback. Then we can start to apply the circular lean process and principles.
Aphelion celebrates its 20th birthday
firstwriter.com – Saturday January 14, 2017
Aphelion: The Webzine of Science Fiction and Fantasy began it's run as a non-profit, free webzine promoting new and upcoming writers in February, 1997. On February 5th, 2017, Aphelion will celebrate the publication's 20th birthday. The magazine is still provided for free, and without ads or subscriptions. To mark this anniversary, the magazine will feature "Best Of" selections from throughout it's long history in each issue during the year, in addition to its usual fiction offerings.
How to Not Waste Your Words: The Secret to Writing a Crappy but Usable First Draft
observer.com – Saturday January 14, 2017
Okay. Let’s get this out there: your first draft of anything is going to be bad — I mean, really bad. Because that’s the job of a first draft. To be bad. And your job is to write it.
Once you write the terrible first draft, you can write a better second one, and an elegant third one, and so one. But you must start somewhere. As writer Anne Lamott says, “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts.”
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