Writers' Handbook 2024 now available to buy
firstwriter.com – Tuesday August 8, 2023
The 2024 edition of firstwriter.com’s annual directory for writers has just been released, and is now available to buy both as a paperbook and an ebook.
The directory is the perfect book for anyone searching for literary agents, book publishers, or magazines. It contains over 1,500 listings, including revised and updated listings from the 2023 edition, and 400 brand new entries.
KKR in talks to buy publisher Simon & Schuster for more than $1.6bn
ft.com – Friday August 4, 2023
KKR is in advanced talks to buy US book publisher Simon & Schuster from Paramount for more than $1.6bn, said people familiar with the matter, which would settle the fate of the storied company after years of uncertainty.
US regulators last year blocked a proposed merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster that would have created a mega-publisher in the books industry.
Paramount, which owns assets including the eponymous movie studio and television channels in addition to Simon & Schuster, has been shopping the publisher again as it looks to focus on the streaming video business.
New crime writing prize launched by A M Heath, Orion and Crime Monthly
thebookseller.com – Friday August 4, 2023
A M Heath literary agency, the Orion Publishing Group and Crime Monthly have teamed up to launch Criminal Lines 2023, a new £3,500 crime writing prize open to unagented, debut authors, born or resident in the UK and Ireland.
From psychological thrillers, cosy crime to serial killer thrillers, entrants are invited to submit the opening 5,000 words of a novel with “criminal intent”, plus a synopsis of no more than 1,000 words here.
Entries open on 3rd August 2023 and close on 7th December 2023. The winner will be selected by a panel of judges including A M Heath agents Euan Thorneycroft and Oli Munson, Crime Monthly assistant editor Lisa Howells, Orion Fiction editors Leodora Darlington and Sam Eades, and authors Vaseem Khan and Mari Hannah.
Penzler Publishers is launching Crime Ink
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com – Friday August 4, 2023
Penzler Publishers is launching Crime Ink, an imprint publishing literary true crime. Tom Wickersham will head the line as editor; he was formerly the manager of The Mysterious Bookshop. Charles Perry becomes publisher, adding to his role as publisher of other Penzler imprints (The Mysterious Press, American Mystery Classics, Scarlet, and MysteriousPress.com).
Mundy launches Lansdowne Literary
thebookseller.com – Tuesday August 1, 2023
Charlie Mundy has launched a new London-based literary scouting agency, Lansdowne Literary.
With a focus on the UK and international reach, it will work across fiction and non-fiction aiming to connect international publishers and film and TV production companies with the most suitable books for their individual lists, across translation and adaptation.
The agency has already secured its first clients, working with international publishers including Arche and Atrium Verlag – both part of W1-Media GmbH – in Germany, and HarperCollins Holland.
Canadian Writers, Visual Artists and Publishers Lose the Ability to Have Their Rights and Interests Protected as Federal Government Fails to Deliver on its Promise to Fix Canada's Publishing Marketplace
newca.com – Saturday July 29, 2023
- Access Copyright's Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to initiate a significant downsizing and restructuring of the organization due to the federal government's decade-long inaction in fixing Canada's publishing marketplace -
Due to changes in fair dealing provisions in the Copyright Act, since 2012, Canadian writers, visual artists, and publishers - an indispensable part of Canada's culture - have been deprived of over $200 million in unpaid royalties under tariffs certified by the Copyright Board of Canada.
This staggering figure is among the many impacts, including job losses and several educational publishers stepping away from the K-12 or post-secondary markets, that have hit Canadian creators and publishers since amendments to Canada's Copyright Act were enacted in 2012.
The mass, systemic free copying of creators' works by Canada's education sector outside of Quebec since 2012 has led to Access Copyright's total distributions to rightsholders dropping by 79%.
It has also led to the start of the hollowing out of Access Copyright - a key piece of Canada's cultural infrastructure that Canadian creators and publishers rely on to be fairly compensated for the use of their work.
Prototype Publishing announces development programme for writers and artists
thebookseller.com – Wednesday July 26, 2023
Prototype Publishing has announced a development programme for writers and artists, in partnership with New Writing North, as part of the Northern Writers’ Awards.
The Prototype Development Programme will offer extended support and career development to eight emerging writers and artists who have not yet had a book published. According to the publisher, the scheme is being launched in response to the lack of opportunities and mentoring schemes for writers and artists whose work "sits between conventional literary forms".
Funded by Arts Council England, the six-month online programme forms part of a wider project focusing on multidisciplinary and hybrid-genre approaches to writing, including a new prize in partnership with Frieze magazine, which will be announced in the autumn.
Participants will be given learning and personal development opportunities through workshops and feedback sessions, as well as seminars led by curators, writers, publishers, editors and literary agents. There are eight places on the programme, of which three are ring-fenced for applicants from the North of England, and each participant will be paid a bursary of £500.
Wattpad to Launch its Publishing Scheduler – to Empower Authors
goodereader.com – Monday July 17, 2023
Wattpad is going to launch its Publishing Scheduler designed to redefine the publishing experience. The new tool, which will be available on July 19, will help webnovelists connect and engage with readers in a whole new way.
Here is how:
Studies show that 77% of Wattpad readers are more likely to read regularly updated ongoing stories. The Publishing Scheduler will allow authors to schedule story parts in advance, boosting readers’ engagement and excitement. Advanced scheduling will also save time so they can focus on writing rather than worrying about publishing at the right time.
Writers' Guild of Great Britain Publishes Report on AI
publishersweekly.com – Sunday July 16, 2023
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, a union that represents writers in such professions as books, film, and TV, has revealed the results of a survey about artificial intelligence. Sixty-five percent of respondents said that they believed that the increased use of AI will reduce their income from writing, while 61% were worried that AI could replace jobs in their craft areas. In response, WGGB has published "Writers and AI," a policy position statement outlining the challenges caused by AI and the risks that go with it, as well as the potential AI has to benefit the writing profession.
Current concerns about AI in the report include decreased job opportunities for writers, the suppression of writer pay, infringements of copyright and the use of writers' work without their permission, and lack of adequate regulation from the government. Eighty-one percent of respondents to the survey felt that writers should be paid a fee when their work is used by AI systems.
U.K. Writers Guild, Music Union Set Out AI Concerns
variety.com – Wednesday July 12, 2023
The U.K. Writers Guild has published its policy on artificial intelligence, setting out the challenges and potential benefits of the technology for writers.
On the back of a recent survey organized by the Guild, which found 65% of respondents believed AI would reduce their writing income, the org. has published “Writers and AI: A policy position statement.”
Among the concerns the policy document sets out are worries about fewer job opportunities, pay, copyright infringement and lack of regulation. The Guild suggests that although AI is not yet “sophisticated” enough to mimic professional writers, “this is a likely future scenario.”
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