Writers' Newsletter
Issue #173
August 2017
|
2018 edition of Writers' Handbook now available to buy
firstwriter.com – Tuesday August 22, 2017
The 2018 edition of firstwriter.com’s bestselling directory for writers has just been launched, and makes the perfect book for anyone searching for literary agents, book publishers, or magazines. It contains over 1,400 listings, including revised and updated listings from the 2017 edition, and nearly 400 brand new entries.
The new edition includes:
- 90 pages of literary agent listings – that’s nearly as much as the Writer’s Market (55 pages) and the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook (39 pages) combined!
- 108 pages of book publisher listings, compared to just 89 pages in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook.
- 90 pages of magazine listings – over 35% more than the 66 pages in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook.
All in a book that is 40% cheaper than the Writer’s Market ($29.99 RRP), and more than 50% cheaper than the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook (£25.00 RRP).
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 online, 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 allows you to create a subscription to the firstwriter.com website for free until 2019. This means you can get free access to the firstwriter.com website, where you can find even more listings, and 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
Buy in print
The print version of the book is available from various outlets, including:
Buy ebook
The ebook version can be bought through the following outlets:
International Copyright RegistrationRegister your copyright online for instant copyright protection in more than 160 different countries worldwide. |
Abridged 0 – 51 Wormwood: Submission Call
firstwriter.com – Wednesday August 23, 2017
What if the end does not begin somewhere above our heads, but festers in the lives of individuals. What if it will not drop down from the sky but seep out slowly from the streams that flow under our senses. What if it isn’t colossal, overwhelming and thundering, but microscopic, sneaking and silent. What if we are deafened not by a distant bang but a cancer worming deep in our cells. What if it won’t be thrown at us, in our ignorance, from far far away, but is carried around inside us in tiny electric pieces. What if it is not of some mythological or hypothetical future but of the right now. Not the threat of a coming instant but a present dragging catastrophe.
Writers' Handbook 2024 - Out Now!
|
Poetry anthology for Grenfell Tower
firstwriter.com – Wednesday August 16, 2017
An anthology of poems is being compiled which respond to the Grenfell Tower tragedy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenfell_Tower_fire
The collection will be published by Eyewear in December 2017.
News |
Some of this month's news for writers from around the web.
'Lazy and sloppy': historical novelist Philippa Gregory's bizarre take on genre writing
theguardian.com – Monday August 14, 2017
In a bizarre miscalculation, the historical novelist Philippa Gregory took a sideswipe at the authors of genre novels in an interview with the New York Times yesterday. “Choosing to write a genre novel is like fencing the universe because you are afraid of space,” said Gregory, loftily. “Why does anyone write lazy, sloppy genre novels? The typing alone is so exhausting — surely if you’re going to undertake 150,000 words, you might as well have something interesting to say?”
Magazines: How print is surviving the digital age
bbc.co.uk – Sunday August 13, 2017
Print sales have been declining for several years as readers find their content online - but now, something unusual is happening.
When was the last time you bought a magazine?
The answer is likely to depend on whether you prefer reading about Theresa May or Taylor Swift.
Magazine sales have generally been falling since the day the inventor of the internet said: "Hey, why don't I invent the internet?"
But the latest ABC figures, released this week, show that sales of certain titles are actually going up.
Guy Intoci Leaves Dzanc Books, Michelle Dotter Named Publisher
publishersweekly.com – Monday August 7, 2017
Four years after joining Dzanc Books as senior editor and one year after assuming the position of publisher and editor-in-chief, Guy Intoci is stepping aside this month. By August 15, senior editor and internship coordinator Michelle Dotter will assume the duties of publisher and editor-in-chief of the small press, which is best known for its literary fiction offerings, although it also publishes nonfiction and, occasionally, poetry.
| 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 Agency Listing
firstwriter.com – Thursday August 10, 2017
Handles: Fiction; Nonfiction
Areas: Autobiography; Culture; Historical; Humour; Military; Mystery; Nature; Science; Sport
Markets: Adult
Treatments: Commercial; Contemporary; Literary
New York agency, representing narrative nonfiction and fiction. No science fiction, romance, supernatural or young adult. Send query by email, specifically addressing an agent by name. For fiction, include the first few pages. See website for full guidelines.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Wednesday August 23, 2017
Publishes: Fiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Gothic; Literature;
Markets: Adult; Professional; Youth;
Preferred styles: Contemporary; Cynical; Dark; Experimental; In-depth; Literary; Serious
A literary magazine featuring dark, psychological fiction, poetry, and art. Started in 2017, we are a nonprofit publication. Our goal is to share literature that raises awareness of and expresses psychological issues and feelings of displacement through the literary gothic. We're open to a variety of styles, including writing that is minimalistic or that has elements of fantasy or horror, so long as it fits within our theme.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Tuesday August 22, 2017
Publishes: Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Architecture; Arts; Biography; Literature; Short Stories; Translations; Travel;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Contemporary
Prefers online approaches, but will accept paper submissions by post. Include SASE if return of material is required. Does not respond to email queries unless interested.
| Click here for more of this month's new listings > |
Articles |
Some of this month's articles for writers from around the web.
Digital isn't dead for book publishers - we're just waking up from the first hangover
thebookseller.com – Monday August 21, 2017
In 2010 Steve Jobs announced another killer product that would propel tech companies, publishers and consumers into an exciting new era. The iPad launched tablet devices into the consumer consciousness in a way which few would have believed possible at the time. Now with over 40% of the worldwide population believed to own at least one tablet and 91% a smartphone, smart devices are here to stay.
So why did so many book apps fail to work?
Can you teach someone to write a bestseller? Judging by the Faber Academy’s record, the answer is yes
standard.co.uk – Thursday August 17, 2017
With 62 publishing deals and a glittering roll call of alumni, it’s rapidly earning a reputation as the book world’s fame school. Patricia Nicol finds out its secrets.
My fellow authors are too busy chasing prizes to write about what matters
theguardian.com – Wednesday August 16, 2017
There are at least two reasons why almost every anglophone novelist feels compelled to get as near the Booker prize as they can. The first is because it looms over them and follows them around in the way Guy de Maupassant said the Eiffel Tower follows you everywhere when you’re in Paris. “To escape the Eiffel Tower,” Maupassant suggested, “you have to go inside it.” Similarly, the main reason for a novelist wanting to win the Booker prize is to no longer be under any obligation to win it, and to be able to get on with their job: writing, and thinking about writing.
| 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/contact_us.shtml
© firstwriter.com 2017