Writers' Newsletter
Issue #223
October 2021
|
News |
Some of this month's news for writers from around the web.
PFD to launch Queer Fiction Prize
thebookseller.com – Thursday October 7, 2021
Literary agency Peters Fraser + Dunlop is launching the PFD Queer Fiction Prize, with author Okechukwu Nzelu among the judges for the inaugural award.
The prize will have three separate categories for Adult, YA and Children’s Fiction.Three winners will receive representation at PFD and guidance for completing their novel. The recipients of the prize will be announced in June 2022.
International Copyright RegistrationRegister your copyright online for instant copyright protection in more than 160 different countries worldwide. |
Azumah Nelson to open National Creative Writing Day
thebookseller.com – Monday October 4, 2021
Novelist Caleb Azumah Nelson is to open the seventh iteration of the National Creative Writing Industry Day, as the event returns to a live physical event this year.
The author of Open Water (Viking) will deliver a keynote speech to aspiring writers at Manchester Metropolitan University at a conference hosted in partnership with Comma Press. The event will also include a panel discussion on "The Paths of Northern Writers" with editor of award-nominated Aurelia Magazine Kya Buller, Desiree Reynolds and 2021 BBC National Short Story Award shortlistee Richard Smyth.
Writers' Handbook 2025 - Out Now!
|
An Erotica Pioneer Goes From Hero to Villain for Dozens of Authors
nytimes.com – Sunday October 3, 2021
Anne Wills was a mother of four who doted on her children, was an active volunteer with a youth swim team, loved animals and was known to those around her as a generous, nurturing, motherly figure in her small town in rural Virginia.
When that life felt too tame for her, she became Bethany Burke, a bawdy, kink-loving erotica author who also made low-budget spanking films. She wrote them and occasionally even directed them.
She was an early online erotica entrepreneur with her subscription spanking site, Bethany’s Woodshed, and a hero and mentor to dozens of authors, most of them women, whom she published for the first time through Blushing Books, the company that grew out of her original site. Some of those authors started earning tens of thousands of dollars a year from what they had thought of as a secret hobby, not a profession.
| Click here for the rest of this month's news > |
Listings |
A selection of the new listings added to firstwriter.com this month.
New Literary Agent Listing: Dani Segelbaum
firstwriter.com – Thursday September 30, 2021
Interested in both fiction and non-fiction. Is seeking non-fiction titles with an emphasis on politics, women’s issues, popular culture, and current events. Also loves memoir, narrative non-fiction, lifestyle, and cookbooks. In fiction, she is looking for literary and upmarket adult fiction including debut, historical, rom-coms, mysteries, and women’s fiction. In both fiction and non-fiction, she hopes to work with authors from diverse backgrounds to tell stories that are important to them. She loves compelling narrators and is drawn to writing that is voice-driven, highly transporting, and features unique perspectives and marginalized voices.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Magazine Listing: Wine & Country Weddings
firstwriter.com – Friday October 15, 2021
A uniquely curated magazine for creating the elegant country wedding in Jefferson’s Virginia, one that will inspire couples as well as top event planners across the nation from New York City to Beverly Hills.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Publisher Imprint: Simon Element
firstwriter.com – Wednesday October 13, 2021
Publishes books addressing topics that are foundational to how we live—from the meals we eat to the relationships we nurture, the households we manage, and the personal and professional goals we set and strive to achieve.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Click here for more of this month's new listings > |
Articles |
Some of this month's articles for writers from around the web.
JK Rowling: I kept writing a 'very bad novel' while I created Harry Potter
scotsman.com – Monday October 11, 2021
Rowling has disclosed that the manuscript for The Private Joke was in the luggage rack of her train from Manchester to London when she dreamt up the character.
Writing in a Sunday newspaper essay, she has admitted she kept writing the first novel while working on the first Potter novel, The Philosopher’s Stone.
Seven Benefits of a Writing Partner
publishersweekly.com – Sunday October 10, 2021
I used to think I could go it alone as a writer.
As a matter of fact, I preferred it that way. I wanted to rely on myself alone, not bother anyone, not need anyone to get involved. I was doing fine with this philosophy for years. I wrote and edited and rewrote all on my own, bumping along in a quiet, solitary manner, sending stories and poems to literary magazines, receiving rejections, jumping up and down with my beloved cat whenever an editor wrote me a note or I won a contest.
“What does this mean? Are you famous yet?” my husband would sometimes tease.
He isn’t a writer, so I forgave him. But the fact remained: I wasn’t taking any sizable steps forward in my writing career.
What It Would Take to Disrupt the Publishing Industry
publishersweekly.com – Sunday October 10, 2021
Anyone who follows publishing knows that it loves to celebrate a disruptor. Disruptor is a label thrown at anything new, and publishing is unusually easy to disrupt because it is particularly slow to change.
Back when I started She Writes Press in 2012, I was called a disruptor. I confess, I liked it. But it wasn’t exactly accurate, and whenever I spoke at conferences about what we were doing—which was growing a reputable hybrid model based on the systems of traditional publishing—I let audiences know that legacy publishers had been cutting hybrid deals for years, which was an open secret. If I was doing anything disruptive, it was encouraging the authors we published to be proud of publishing nontraditionally. As I mentioned, it doesn’t take much to be considered a disruptor in this space.
| Click here for the rest of this month's articles > |
About |
Information about this newsletter and the firstwriter.com site.
Resources for writers
Go to firstwriter.com for the following invaluable resources for writers:
Advertise
To advertise on this newsletter for as little as $30 / £20 click here
Submit
To submit articles, news items, press releases, or any other items of interest to writers, click here
This newsletter has been compiled by firstwriter.com and is protected by copyright. It may not be copied, forwarded, or otherwise distributed in whole or in part without firstwriter.com's written consent.
While every effort is made to ensure that all information contained within this newsletter is accurate, readers are reminded that this information is provided only as a list of potential leads that the reader should follow up with his or her own investigations. Unless otherwise stated, firstwriter.com is not associated with and does not endorse, recommend, or provide any assurances relating to any of the organisations, events, persons or promotions contained within this newsletter, and cannot be held responsible for any loss incurred due to actions taken in relation to information provided. Inclusion does not constitute recommendation.
Please do not reply to this email. The address from which this has been sent is not capable of receiving emails and sending an email to it may cause your subscription to stop. If you have any queries or require any assistance please contact us by going to https://www.firstwriter.com/contactus/
© firstwriter.com 2021