firstwriter.com

Writers' Newsletter

Issue #218
May 2021

News

Some of this month's news for writers from around the web.

Registration open for 2021 Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference and spring generative seminars

lakeconews.com – Friday May 14, 2021

The Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference, or MCWC, has posted the program for MCWC 2021, its 32nd Conference, which like last year’s event will be held online via Zoom from Aug. 5 to 7.

This year’s conference faculty will include keynote speaker Wendy C. Ortiz, workshop leaders Lillian Li, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Saretta Morgan, Chris Dennis, Alex Sanchez, Suzanne Rivecca, Krys Malcolm Belc and Sam Krowchenko, and literary agents Elise Capron and Tricia Skinner, along with other special guests, writers, and publishing experts.

[Read the full article]

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HarperCollins Completes Purchase of HMH Trade

HarperCollins Completes Purchase of HMH Trade

publishersweekly.com – Tuesday May 11, 2021

HarperCollins, the second largest trade publisher in the U.S., has completed its acquisition of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media. HC, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, agreed to buy the HMH trade division in March for $349 million.

In a letter to employees, HC CEO Brian Murray acknowledged that "many" decisions need to be made over the coming months surrounding the acquisition. Still, he noted that he has outlined an initial, temporary organizational plan that will be kept in place until a new, permanent structure has been conceived.

[Read the full article]

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Town & Country UK magazine to close as publisher Hearst slashes jobs

Town & Country UK magazine to close as publisher Hearst slashes jobs

cityam.com – Tuesday May 11, 2021

Town & Country UK magazine is set to fold as part of cost-cutting operation at publisher Hearst that will see up to a fifth of UK staff made redundant.

The luxury title, the British version of which was first published in 2014, is set to be scrapped as the company adapts to a decline in print media consumption.

The proposed move will also mean up to one in five UK staff face redundancy or will have their roles pooled. It is understood employees will be offered enhanced redundancy packages.

Hearst, whose UK titles include Cosmopolitan, Elle, Men’s Health and Good Housekeeping, has so far weathered the pandemic without making job cuts or using the furlough scheme.

 

[Read the full article]

Click here for the rest of this month's news >

Listings

A selection of the new listings added to firstwriter.com this month.

New Magazine Listing: Booklaunch

New Magazine Listing: Booklaunch

firstwriter.com – Friday May 14, 2021

Carries extracts from new and newish books. Its editorial balance is largely towards non-fiction but also accepts novels and poetry. (See past issues on website.) Tabloid format with space for approx 1,600 words per page. Does not run extracts at less than a page. Charges for inclusion. Has the largest print run of any books magazine in the UK. Page rate a fifth of that of rival publications. Uploads and archives every print edition. Helps its authors to record audio tracks to its YouTube channel. Contact by email for ratecard.

[See the full listing]


New Literary Agent Listing: Sulamita Garbuz

New Literary Agent Listing: Sulamita Garbuz

firstwriter.com – Thursday May 13, 2021

Gravitates primarily towards nonfiction, with an emphasis on books with a social justice bent. Her areas of specialty include narrative nonfiction, memoir, psychology, science, and journalism. She is also looking for character driven literary fiction, and is especially excited by novels that use speculative or dreamlike elements to explore current social dynamics, stories of obsession and women misbehaving, and narratives about immigration and the 2nd generation experience.

[See the full listing]


New Magazine Listing: Island Online

New Magazine Listing: Island Online

firstwriter.com – Thursday May 6, 2021

Digital publishing platform operated in conjunction with longstanding print magazine.

[See the full listing]


Click here for more of this month's new listings >

Articles

Some of this month's articles for writers from around the web.

10 tips on how to get your first book published

10 tips on how to get your first book published

harpersbazaar.com – Thursday May 13, 2021

Speaking at our inaugural literary salon, Ali Smith said, "A really good book, like a buoy in the ocean, will surface no matter how stormy the weather." Yet, for debut authors, it can seem like an impossible task to get your manuscript in front of the right person’s eyes. This is why we asked three publishing experts – Alexandra Pringle, group editor-in-chief of Bloomsbury whose portfolio of authors includes William Boyd, Esther Freud and Patti Smith; Karolina Sutton, literary agent at Curtis Brown who represents Margaret Atwood and Malala Yousafzai; and Bazaar’s former editor-in-chief, Justine Picardie – to share their wisdom on how to seal the deal and ensure your work rises above the competition.

[Read the full article]

How I write: For crime writer Kathy Reichs there are three phases to her routine

How I write: For crime writer Kathy Reichs there are three phases to her routine

stuff.co.nz – Wednesday May 12, 2021

Forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs has brought her own dramatic work experience to her thrillers. She continues the journey of Temperance Brennan in her latest novel, The Bone Code. Here she shares with The Dominion Post readers some of her thoughts on writing.

What's your writing routine?

My writing process unfolds in three phases. First comes the phase when my mind collects and stashes tidbits. Then I move to the paper phase, making lists, drawing charts, scribbling outlines. I ask myself, what if this, what if that. I consider plot twists, various endings. When all the imagining and weaving and juxtaposing are done, it’s on to the computer phase. Bum to the chair, eyes to the screen, fingers to the keyboard. I like to begin early in the morning, wrap up by mid-afternoon. Then I read or do more research.

[Read the full article]

How to write a book

cambridgenetwork.co.uk – Monday May 3, 2021

Whenever I go anywhere, meet anyone, and introduce myself, a comment authors are pretty much guaranteed to hear is:

   - I've always wanted to write a book.

If that's you, and there's a book hiding inside you, longing to come out...

This is how to go about writing it. 

One word of warning first. 

What I'm not going to talk about are the ingredients of a book, the characters, settings, plot, research, all that.

This blog specifically focuses on how to motivate yourself to write a book, and ways to deal with some of the most common concerns. 

If these help, there are plenty of resources to help you do the actual writing. I'll mention a couple later. 

[Read the full article]

Click here for the rest of this month's articles >

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