BBC local radio to boost new comedy writing
chortle.co.uk – Tuesday June 16, 2020
The BBC is showcasing new comedy writing across its network of local radio stations this weekend.
Sketches, stand-up, comedy songs and more will be included in a series of Upload Festival programmes running on 39 stations across the UK.
There will also be a live video stream on the BBC website, which will also be available on iPlayer.
And as part of the event, the BBC is running free online workshops on writing both sketches and comedy in general.
Independent Publishing in a Post-Covid World
publishersweekly.com – Sunday June 14, 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic has already had a big impact on independent publishing. Some changes—working at home, employee furloughs, curbside shopping—were thrust upon the industry suddenly. And though they weren’t part of a concerted effort to change old and inefficient business practices, they may indeed have that effect. Here are several new realities that are likely to survive the disease itself and lead to evolutionary leaps in book publishing.
National Writing Day launches 24-word challenge
entertainment-focus.com – Sunday June 14, 2020
First Story, the charity behind National Writing Day, has launched a 24-word story challenge to mark the annual nationwide celebration of the pleasure and power of writing and words. This year it will take place on 24th June. Together with its National Writing Day partners, a coalition of leading literacy organisations and publishers and a host of the nation’s much loved children’s authors including Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell, Malorie Blackman and Frank Cottrell Boyce, First Story is challenging everyone – especially young people – to come together to share their experiences.
With a nation in lockdown, and the extreme experiences of the past few months keenly felt, the power of words to give voice to our stories is timely. Many pupils and students are still home-learning; and schools are closed to most of their cohorts.
National Writing Day is leading the charge with a simple writing call to action: a challenge to everyone to write just 24 words, in 7 minutes, starting with the prompt ‘One day…’ and to share their work on social media using the hashtag #247challenge. The challenge involves everyone, and participants can enjoy writing together and take a moment to express themselves.
'Crunch point' is yet to come, say indie publishers
thebookseller.com – Thursday June 4, 2020
Two indie publishers have shared their concerns about the coming autumn, and emphasised the importance of flexible plans moving forward.
Speaking at the IPG Virtual Spring Conference, Sarah Braybrooke, managing director at Scribe UK, and Atlantic Books managing director Will Atkinson aired concerns on the packed line-up of titles expected this autumn because of coronavirus delays.
"I'm concerned about the massive concertina effect that might last into next year," Atkinson said. "I am much more worried now than I was a month ago." He said that approximately 30% of Atlantic's titles due for July had been moved.
Langlee leaves Kate Nash to join North Literary Agency
thebookseller.com – Tuesday June 2, 2020
Lina Langlee has left the Kate Nash Literary Agency to join the North Literary Agency.
Langlee, whose authors include Christina Courtenay, Sandy Barker, Stephen O’Rourke and Lucy Saxon, will remain based in Edinburgh.
With a background in publishing, Langlee joined Kate Nash as a junior agent in 2018 before winning a promotion last December and being shortlisted for Agent of the Year at the Romantic Novelists’ Association's Industry Awards.
At North, she joins an agency that was set up in October 2017 by four agents based in the north of England and Scotland: Mark Stanton, Allan Guthrie, Kevin Pocklington and Julie Fergusson.
Three Agents Resign After Red Sofa Literary Owner's Tweet
publishersweekly.com – Monday June 1, 2020
The civil unrest in the Twin Cities continues to take its toll on Minnesota's literary community—sometimes in unexpected ways. Thursday evening, the night before protesters set fire to two adjoining Minneapolis indie bookstores and destroying them both, the reaction to a St. Paul–based literary agent’s tweet ended up gutting the boutique agency she owns.
Three agents affiliated with Red Sofa Literary tweeted this past weekend that they have resigned in response to owner Dawn Frederick’s tweet, leaving one subsidiary rights executive besides Frederick still employed there. Frederick's official Red Sofa account on Twitter has been removed.
Frankfurt Book Fair 2020 to go ahead
thebookseller.com – Thursday May 28, 2020
After weeks of speculation the Supervisory Board of the Frankfurt Book Fair decided yesterday (Wednesday 27th May) that the fair will take place as scheduled from 14th–18th October.
However it will be a very different Frankfurt. The plan is to run the event not only on the fair's grounds but also decentralized at locations in the city, and as a virtual event.
Strict safety and hygiene measures will be in place based on the coronavirus regulations of the state of Hesse, whose government together with Frankfurt’s mayor has been, and continues to be, deeply involved in getting the fair on the road.
Unsold book returns in coming weeks could be another blow for publishers
toronto.citynews.ca – Sunday May 24, 2020
As publishers try to deal with the massive disruption to the book industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many are bracing for another big blow that could arrive over the coming weeks as more retailers open their doors.
A massive return of books stemming from the two-month run of closed doors at bookshops and retail outlets could be a crushing financial hit for many domestic publishers, particularly the smaller independent variety.
“Publishing has always been a precarious business,” said Sarah MacLachlan, publisher of the Toronto-based House of Anansi Press.
Call For Entries: 'Haiku' Writing Competition 2.0
archdaily.com – Wednesday May 20, 2020
'Haiku' Writing Competition Series 2.0 is the sixth initiative of the Architectural Journalism & Criticism Organization, India founded by architect Pappal Suneja to spread awareness about this subject and sow the seeds of inspiration to explore and write about Architecture and allied fields. As per the curator, Journalism & Critical Appreciation in Architecture should reciprocate to the trending techniques. Our prenominal existence in the moment of time is not merely enough to amount for the utterance of spoken or written of the present. The architectural writings serve as reflections at a future day and it needs to be taken ahead at the forefront.
Red Planet writing prize goes digital
televisual.com – Wednesday May 20, 2020
Indie Red Planet Pictures and ITV will hold the next phase of their bi-annual writing competition as digital masterclasses this year.
The winner of The Red Planet Prize gets a script commission and the runner up will get development opportunities with ITV. Previous winners include Death In Paradise creator Robert Thorogood.
Leading the online sessions this year will be writer and Red Planet CEO Tony Jordan, ITV Drama Commissioner Chloe Tucker, Red Planet Joint MD Belinda Campbell, Red Planet Creative Consultant Kate Rowland and actor and writer, Rhashan Stone (Keeping Faith, Apple Tree Yard).
Get the free newsletter | Submit a news item or article | Get Writers' News for your website
