New edition of bestselling writers'
handbook
  This month sees the release of the
latest edition of firstwriter.com’s
bestselling directory for writers. The new
edition provides details of over 1,200 literary agents,
book publishers, and magazines, including revised and
updated listings from the last edition, and over 380 brand
new entries (that's 30% new listings).
The previous edition of the handbook was
bought by writers across the United States, Canada, and
Europe; and in the United Kingdom it became the number one
bestselling writing and publishing directory on Amazon.co.uk
within just a few weeks of its launch. The new edition
continues this international outlook, giving writers all
over the English-speaking world access to the global
publishing markets.
Readers of this edition can also benefit
from insights from Andrew Lownie, of the Andrew Lownie
Literary Agency Ltd, who offers tips and advice on how best
to approach literary agents.
Subject indexes for each area provide
easy access to the markets you need, with specific lists for
everything from romance publishers, to poetry magazines, to
literary agents interested in thrillers.
International markets become more
accessible than ever, with listings that cover both the main
publishing centres of New York and London, as well as
markets in other English speaking countries. With more and
more agents, publishers, and magazines accepting submissions
by email, this international outlook is now more important
than ever.
There are no adverts, no advertorials,
and no obscure listings padding out hundreds of pages. By
including only what’s important to writers – contact details
for literary agents, publishers, and magazines – this
directory is able to provide more listings than its
competitors, at a substantially lower price.
The book also includes free access to
the firstwriter.com website, where you can
find even more listings. You can also benefit from other
features such as advanced searches, daily email updates,
feedback from users about the markets featured, saved
searches, competitions listings, searchable personal notes,
and more.
“I know firsthand how lonely and
dispiriting trying to find an agent and publisher can be. So
it's great to find a resource like firstwriter.com
that provides contacts, advice and encouragement to aspiring
writers. I've been recommending it for years now!”
~ Robin Wade; literary agent at
the Wade & Doherty Literary Agency Ltd, and long-term
firstwriter.com subscriber
The print book
can be purchased through all good bookshops, including the
following online outlets:
Amazon.com ($13.88, including P&P)
Amazon.co.uk (£12.69, including P&P)
The digital
version is available on a variety of devices, including:
Kindle (Amazon.com) ($11.69)
Kindle (Amazon.co.uk) (£6.86)
Google Play (£5.03)
Apple devices through iTunes ($9.99)
Various other ebook platforms through Smashwords ($9.99)
How I got a publishing
deal
An interview with
author, Francis Sookraj
Francis Sookraj recently acquired a publisher using
firstwriter.com's
database of publishers,
after exhausting the contacts in the Writers' &
Artists' Yearbook. We asked him about his writing, and how he found success.
 fw:
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Francis. Tell us
a little bit about your book.
FS: It's called The
Ghosts of Flight B-17. It's about a ten year old boy called
Billy MacDonald ,who lives in Scotland with his widower dad
with a drinking problem. One day, Billy is by the Loch, he
sees an American B-17 flying by. He is befriended by the
ghosts of the crew. They tell that their plane is in the
loch and they want him to find it. Because there's something
valuable that will change him and his dad's life for the
good. fw: How did
you go about writing it? Did you plan the whole plot before
you started? FS: I
usually write in longhand on a pad and then I type it. I
occasionally make notes, but I never know what is going to
happen next. It took me three months to write.
fw: Was it your first attempt at
creative writing?
FS: No, I have
written several books that never got published.
fw: How did you
go about trying to get this book published?
FS: I'd had the Writers' & Artists'
Yearbook. I must have worn that book out because I
wrote to all the agents and publishers that I could find,
and all I got was rejection. Or "it's good but it's not for
us". All the replies you can think of, I heard it all. It
was tiring and at times very frustrating, because you will
get lots of rejection. But I persisted. After subscribing to
firstwriter.com I eventually secured a deal
with a publisher, and he's been very helpful.
fw: What did you find most effective
about the firstwriter.com service?
FS: I liked the way they would email me
agents that dealt with my kind of book.
fw: How long did it take you to place
your work?
FS: I will say two
years. I lost count how many places I approach. Roughly
100. I dealt with it calmly and kept on trying. The
rejections were polite and courteous.
fw: Which publisher accepted your work
in the end? FS:
They are called
Ex-cell-ence Publishers. fw:
And how is the publishing process going?
FS: Early days yet. I'm very excited and
happy that my book is available for people to read. To get
anything either in print or ebook is an achievement. I'm
pleased with what my editor did to my book, he has done a
good job. fw: Do you
have any tips or advice for other writers?
FS: Yes. Just keep on trying. Write a lot
and you will get published. I was on the same boat, but I
never gave up my dream. fw:
Are you planning to write another book?
FS: I'm thinking on my next project that
I'm working on. At the moment I'm concentrating on getting
enough coverage for this book. I want lots of people to read
my book and enjoy it. fw: Thank you for
your time, Francis, and best of luck with all your future
writing!
To search firstwriter.com's
database of over 1,600 publishers for your own chance of
publication,
click here
Editor's pick: New
publisher and magazine listings in July
New Magazine Listing
Publishes:
Fiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Gothic; Horror;
Short Stories; Suspense;
Markets: Adult
Publishes
horror, suspense, and/or gothic short stories and poetry.
Send submissions as Word documents by email.
https://www.firstwriter.com/magazines/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1993
New Publisher Listing
Publishes
horror, suspense, and/or gothc short stories and poetry.
Send submissions as Word documents by email.
Publishes:
Fiction;
Areas include: Historical;
Markets: Adult
Publishes historical fiction
only. Send query up to one and a half pages in the body of
an email, plus one-page synopsis and/or first ten pages
and/or bibliography of sources consulted. No attachments.
See website for full submission guidelines. Response in
30-60 days if interested. Mss must be professionally edited
prior to submission.
https://www.firstwriter.com/publishers/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1987
New Magazine Listing
Publishes:
Articles; Features; Nonfiction; Poetry;
Areas
include: Current Affairs; Lifestyle; Religious;
Sociology;
Markets: Adult
Christian magazine publishing
articles on Bible doctrine, current social and religious
issues, Christian living, Bible topics, textual/biblical
book studies, prophecy, personal experience, and poetry
(traditional, free, and blank verse). Prefers email
submissions. See website for full guidelines.
https://www.firstwriter.com/magazines/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1994
New Publisher Listing
Publishes:
Fiction;
Areas include: Adventure; Fantasy;
Horror; Mystery; Sci-Fi; Suspense; Thrillers;
Markets: Adult
Small press publisher publishing
at least three new titles a year in the Action / Adventure,
Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction, Suspense, and
Thriller genres. See website for full submission guidelines.
Currently only considering books for digital release. As an
alternative to traditional publishing, also offers book
publishing services at author's expense.
https://www.firstwriter.com/publishers/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1989
New Magazine Listing
Publishes:
Essays; Fiction; Interviews; Nonfiction; Poetry; Reviews;
Areas include: Culture; Short Stories;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Magazine publishing material
from and about Africa and the Diaspora. Publishes short
stories, novel extracts, poetry, creative nonfiction,
essays, reviews, and interviews. See website for full
submission guidelines and online submission system.
https://www.firstwriter.com/magazines/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1996
New Publisher Listing
Publishes:
Poetry;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles:
Literary
Non-profit independent literary
press, publishing poetry and sponsoring an annual poetry
competition.
https://www.firstwriter.com/publishers/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1991
Articles from around the
web this month
Writing
yourself a pen name
The realisation that if I ever
managed to write a novel it would have to be under another
name came 12 years ago when I was sitting in the Guardian's
newsroom writing a story as Sarah Hall. An email appeared
from a friend: "Have you written a novel?"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/01/writing-pen-name-alternative-literary-identities-sarah-hall-sarah-vaughan
Centre for New Writing launches #micropoem14 competition
Following the success of last year's micropoetry
competition, the Centre for New Writing at the School of
Arts, Languages and Cultures, University of Manchester has
just launched a #micropoem14 competition.
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/article/?id=12446
Are Too Many People Writing Poetry?
We are in the midst of a poetry renaissance. There are
many signs of the poetry revival in our midst. Hundreds of
small poetry presses. Reading series in local communities.
Def Poetry Jam and Brave New Voices on HBO. The
proliferation of MFA programs at universities. Robin
Becker reports that when she began attending AWP (the
annual conference of writers sponsored by the professional
writers' association), about a thousand people attended
each year; in 2014, over 11,000 people attended.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-r-enszer/are-too-many-people-writi_b_5560772.html
When writing with authenticity, curiosity will not kill
the cat
First, let’s be clear about this: Bruce Joshua Miller
doesn’t hate the Internet. “I’m not a Luddite. I’m online
a lot and I think it’s a great tool,” he says, and notes
that in a recent campaign to save the University of
Missouri Press, he created a Facebook page that was a
critical help. “But we need to be aware that we are facing
an enormous amount of pro-digital propaganda that is
fueled by an industry that makes huge amounts of money by
having us sit in front of a screen.”
http://www.minnpost.com/books/2014/07/when-writing-authenticity-curiosity-will-not-kill-cat?utm_source=MinnPost-RSS&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+minnpost-arts+%28MinnPost+-+MinnPost.com:+Arts
Writing a Novel: Even Making It Up Requires Research
You don’t research a novel, you research a world, and you
better get it right, because today’s readers demand that
even fiction writers be reliable witnesses.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/16/writing-a-novel-even-making-it-up-requires-research.html
Author talks writing your first book
It only took Sandi Kahn Shelton 17 years to write her
first book, but once she sold that there was no turning
back.
http://wtnh.com/2014/07/16/author-talks-writing-your-first-book/
Helpful advice on writing for young adults
Author Regina Brooks has over 20 years of experience as a
literary agent. She begins the book with a set of rules
for engaging young adult readers. These rules are: to
convince the reader the protagonist is one of them; not to
condescend to your readers; to read current young adult
fiction; to forget about commercial considerations; and to
forge new paths.
http://www.tricities.com/news/local/article_832f0530-0b7c-11e4-a6ed-0017a43b2370.html
Resources for
writers at firstwriter.com
Go to firstwriter.com
for the following invaluable resources for writers:
To advertise
on this newsletter for as little as $30 / £20 click
here
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