Catapult to Shutter Online Magazine, Writing Classes
publishersweekly.com – Wednesday February 15, 2023
Catapult has announced that it will shutter its eponymous online magazine and writing classes program. The decision comes as part of an effort to "focus all resources on its core business of book publishing and its three imprints: Catapult, Counterpoint, and Soft Skull Press."
Catapult publisher Alyson Forbes said in a statement: “This decision to center our efforts on our foundational business will ensure a successful future for our imprints and incredibly gifted authors as we continue to publish with the passion and care that defines the Catapult Book Group.”
Tony Lee Launches £2500 Caliburn Prize To Aspiring Graphic Novelists
bleedingcool.com – Friday February 10, 2023
The Caliburn Prize is Tony Lee's new UK comic-based literary grant, recognising fresh and unpublished voices in the world of comic and graphic novel creation.
During lockdown, comic book writer Tony Lee of Hooded Man Media became bestselling novelist Tony Lee under a couple of pseudonyms. Now he is looking to share the love. The Hooded Man Caliburn Prize for Comic Creation, or The Caliburn Prize for short is a new UK comic-based literary grant, recognising fresh and unpublished voices in the world of comic and graphic novel creation. The Caliburn Prize is a £2,500 grant aimed at helping unpublished UK-based creators get a foot on the comics ladder.
"When I started in comics, it was a different world," Tony Lee explained. "I was able to walk into a publisher with experience in other media under my belt, but many of today's creators don't have the same advantages I did, as the industry has massively changed over the last twenty years, and the doors I entered through are now boarded up. The prize fund is a way to help the next generation of comic creators find their own route into the room where it happens."
Women’s prize to launch annual award for women’s non-fiction writing
theguardian.com – Thursday February 9, 2023
The Women’s Prize Trust hopes to make the first award in 2024, after research showed female writers were far less likely than men to be reviewed or win prizes
The Women’s prize is to launch a non-fiction award to sit alongside its long-running fiction prize, in response to research that found that female non-fiction writers are less likely to be reviewed or win prizes than their male counterparts.
The new book prize, the Women’s prize for non-fiction, will be awarded annually and will be open to all female writers from across the globe who are published in the UK and writing in English. The winner will receive £30,000 and a statuette named “the Charlotte”, which have been given by the Charlotte Aitken Trust, a charity set up by the former literary agent Gillon Aitken on behalf of his late daughter.
UK publishers’ ebook sales fall
booksandpublishing.com.au – Thursday February 9, 2023
In the UK, sales of ebooks from the ‘Big Six’ publishers fell 8.3% in 2022, reports the Bookseller.
The publishers’ ebook volume to 43.6 million units in 2022, the lowest return since 2017 and the second-lowest total since the Bookseller began collecting annual ebook data from publishers.
Hachette Children’s Group to host Mo Siewcharran Prize 2023 with focus on picture books
thebookseller.com – Thursday February 9, 2023
This year’s iteration of the Mo Siewcharran Prize will be hosted by Hachette Children’s Group (HCG) and focus exclusively on writers and writer-illustrators in the picture book genre.
The Mo Siewcharran Prize, named in memory of Nielsen BookData’s former director of marketing and communications, was co-founded and sponsored by her husband John Seaton and aims to nurture talent from underrepresented backgrounds writing in English.
Sponsored by Nielsen BookData it is run as part of Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf scheme and is hosted by different divisions of the publisher each year. Last year it was hosted by Quercus and focused on the crime and thriller genre. Foday Mannah won for The Search for Othella Savage.
Bournemouth Writing Festival
dorsetview.co.uk – Wednesday February 1, 2023
Bournemouth is gearing up for its first Writing Festival in April with over 60 events and activities.
A mix of free and paid-for events and activities at Bournemouth Writing Festival will involve over 70 experienced writers and professionals from TV and film screenwriters to poets and writing coaches.
From creating credible characters to publishing contracts, writing compelling dialogue to landing an agent, there is something for every budding and seasoned writer to learn.
TV and film screenwriters, best-selling authors, poets, journalists, publicists, writing coaches, editors and publishers will be imparting their advice through talks and practical workshops to improve and progress delegates’ writing.
Free activities include “Writing on the Beach” with Richard & Judy winner Christine Aziz to a Poetry Hunt organised by Bournemouth Poet Laureate Myriam San Marco. There will be literary walks plus “genre breakfasts”.
Cork book publisher Oak Tree acquired by international firm
irishexaminer.com – Thursday January 26, 2023
Cork-based business book publisher, Oak Tree Press has been acquired by international publisher.
Active in both Belgium and Switzerland, Oak Tree's parent company, Cork Publishing Ltd has joined the Corporate Group, which now operates across three countries and five languages. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed.
The international publisher's catalogue extends to over 500 titles, the majority of which cover entrepreneurial domains including economics tax, law, contracts and business, while also offering accountancy and investment management software.
Pan Macmillans’s Cole to join Northbank Talent Management as literary agent
thebookseller.com – Thursday January 26, 2023
Matthew Cole, senior commissioning editor at Pan Macmillan, will join Northbank Talent Management on 20th March as literary agent.
In his new role Cole will assume responsibility for the agency’s non-fiction representation across current affairs, popular science, popular history, memoir and lifestyle books, working in close collaboration with the agency’s broadcast, corporate and brand partnerships agents.
Northbank c.e.o. Diane Banks said: “Matt has an impeccable track record commissioning titles which align perfectly with Northbank’s areas of expertise. He is a natural deal-maker and we are impressed with his entrepreneurial attitude, which makes him the ideal person to take our non-fiction business forward as the agency continues to grow.”
Bournemouth Writing Festival dates and what's on revealed
bournemouthecho.co.uk – Wednesday January 25, 2023
TICKETS are on sale for more than 60 events and activities which will make up Bournemouth’s first Writing Festival.
The mix of free and paid-for sessions will involve more than 70 experienced writers and professionals.
The events have been designed to foster inspiration, networking and creativity, with topics ranging from creating credible characters to publishing contracts, and from writing compelling dialogue to landing an agent.
TV and film screenwriters, best-selling authors, poets, journalists, publicists, writing coaches, editors and publishers will be giving their advice in talks and workshops.
New Writing North launches online writing courses led by Benson, Riches and more
thebookseller.com – Friday January 20, 2023
New Writing North has launched a series of online courses for writers in partnership with the Professional Writing Academy.
New Writing North Academy courses start in March 2023 and enrolment is now open for courses including life writing with Richard Benson, crime fiction with Marnie Riches and short stories with Susmita Bhattacharya, as well as CPD-accredited courses in screenwriting with John Yorke and writing for work with Piers Alder. More details can be found here.
The courses will be taught in small tutor-led groups over four to 16 weeks. Through a mixture of independent work and workshop learning, New Writing North said students would explore the techniques used by leading contemporary writers, learn to feed back on work in progress, develop their own voice and hone their writing craft.
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