Writers' Newsletter
Issue #280
July 2026
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Writers' Handbook 2027 now available to buy
firstwriter.com – Sunday July 19, 2026
The 2027 edition of firstwriter.com’s annual directory for writers has just been released, and is now available to buy both as a paperbook and an ebook.
The directory is the perfect book for anyone searching for literary agents, book publishers, or magazines. It contains over 1,500 listings, including revised and updated listings from the 2026 edition, and over 500 brand new entries.
Finding the information you need is now quicker and easier than ever before, with multiple tables and a detailed index, and unique paragraph numbers to help you get to the listings you’re looking for.
The variety of tables helps you navigate the listings in different ways, and includes a Table of Authors, which lists over 7,000 authors and tells you who represents them, or who publishes them, or both.
The number of genres in the index has expanded to over 1,000. So, for example, while there was only one option for “Romance” in previous editions, you can now narrow this down to Historical Romance, Fantasy Romance, Supernatural / Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Romance, Diverse Romance, Erotic Romance, Feminist Romance, Christian Romance, or even Amish Romance.
The new edition includes:
- Over 600 literary agents and agencies;
- Over 350 magazines; and
- Over 500 publishers that don’t charge fees.
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 lower price.
The book also allows you to create a subscription to the firstwriter.com website for free until 2028. 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
The print and ebook versions are both available to buy now at https://www.jpandadyson.com/books/writers_handbook.php.
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News |
Some of this month's news for writers from around the web.
Springer Nature launches Nature Books imprint
researchinformation.info – Thursday July 16, 2026
Springer Nature has launched Nature Books, a new imprint designed to give authors the opportunity to publish long-form work under the famous brand for the first time.
The publisher says the new imprint combines the subject expertise of in-house Nature Portfolio editors with Springer Nature’s established academic books programme, creating a publishing model intended to help authors develop, strengthen and broaden the reach of their work.
According to the publisher, Nature Books will focus on publishing titles aimed at academics, policymakers and funders, bringing together expertise, evidence and insight on some of the most significant challenges facing research and society.
Harsh Jegadeesan, Chief Publishing Officer, Springer Nature commented: “Books are an important part of the research ecosystem because they allow authors to explore complex questions with a depth and context that other formats cannot always provide. As the world’s largest academic book publisher, we’re committed to offering publishing options that support author choice and help maximise the reach and impact of their work.
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Beware the latest author scam-impersonating legitimate literary agents!
penbaypilot.com – Thursday July 16, 2026
If you're an author these days, you're getting at least five emails a week from people who claim to be book club presidents, social media experts, Goodreads gurus, and more. The shadiest ones are "I like your book. Can you tell me more about it?"
It's only designed to hook you in with flattery, so they can sell services. But how do you tell who is legitimate? What if you overlook an opportunity because you're wary of the scams?
This week, I have seen this email going around where an email from rebeccalogan.editorial@aol.com purports to summarize your book with an easily recognizeable churned AI summary and then claims she wants to know about your current and future literary projects.
Now, it's getting insidious when scammers are impersonating real people or real book conferences in the guise of extracting money from you.
International Copyright RegistrationRegister your copyright online for instant copyright protection in more than 160 different countries worldwide. |
Take a Break fiction magazine pauses commissions and starts using AI
pressgazette.co.uk – Sunday July 12, 2026
Bauer Media’s monthly Take a Break-branded fiction magazine has told writers it is pausing commissions as it introduces the use of AI tools to help produce more content in house.
According to AI-checking service Pangram, short stories appearing in the title credited to the in-house team are 100% AI generated.
Take a Break Fiction Feast contains short stories aimed at women, written by external writers and members of an in-house editorial team, as well as puzzles.
The magazine costs £3.50 in shops or subscribers can get three issues for £5 and then pay £14.99 for six issues.
Press Gazette understands an email was sent to regular Fiction Feast writers on 12 June announcing a pause in commissions as too many had been received. AI was not mentioned.
Fiction writer Patsy Collins shared a second email sent on 1 July which indicated the magazine would rely on in-house stories using “AI tools” rather than commissioning new work.
| Click here for the rest of this month's news > |
Writers' Handbook 2027 - Out Now!
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Listings |
A selection of the new listings added to firstwriter.com this month.
New Literary Agent Listing: Grace Garrahan
firstwriter.com – Wednesday July 15, 2026
Handles popular psychology, self‑development, pop culture, and memoir, with additional interest in literary‑leaning commercial fiction and mysteries or thrillers. Seeks platform‑driven nonfiction and character‑focused fiction with strong commercial appeal.
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New Publisher Listing: Vulpine Press
firstwriter.com – Thursday July 9, 2026
Publishes fiction and personal nonfiction distinguished by innovation or exceptional execution, including work that crosses or blends genres.
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New Magazine Listing: MQR Online
firstwriter.com – Wednesday July 8, 2026
Online-only companion to a longstanding print journal, publishing book reviews, essays, arts and culture features, and author interviews. Accepts pitches year-round.
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| Click here for more of this month's new listings > |
Articles |
Some of this month's articles for writers from around the web.
Travel, photography and music didn’t stop for these creative writing students
news.northeastern.edu – Thursday July 16, 2026
After Petrina Danardatu graduated from Northeastern University’s Boston campus in 2025, she found herself being pulled in two opposite directions.
The dual journalism and English major already had dreams of writing a novel, but was torn between investing time pursuing a career in creative writing or going back to Indonesia, where her family is from, and traveling with friends.
Danardatu found a third option – the Northeastern London virtual graduate degree in creative writing.
“I was like: ‘I can do both of these things at once,’” said Danardatu. “I can be traveling and having these new cultural experiences while also getting my master’s degree and developing my creative practice.”
Danardatu is not alone. In recent decades, postgraduate creative writing degrees have established themselves as a key route into a fiercely competitive industry, allowing would-be authors, poets and nonfiction writers to experiment in varied forms of self-expression with expert guidance.
How I Write: Laura Evans
thegloss.ie – Thursday July 9, 2026
Getting into the writing process …
Laura Evans was born in Burnley and grew up in the Midlands in the UK. She completed Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic studies at university before a career as a magazine editor, with a particular interest in travel and nature. A graduate of Curtis Brown Creative’s novel-writing course, she lives with her family in Norwich. Her debut novel, Little Wild (Mantle Debut), a story of class tensions, secrets and first love set in Suffolk in the 1930s, is out now.
My daily writing routine is not as routine as I’d like it to be. When I’m mid-story I could happily do nothing else for days, but like most parents who write I’ve had to adjust, and largely I think that’s a good thing. I write (around other work) when the children are at school; if I’m not too tired, in the evening; sometimes a little on a weekend. There’s a lot to be said for the advice to produce something daily, however small – but if hours are limited I’d prioritise reading every time. Writing isn’t just the act of putting words on the page; reading fuels the thinking, and thinking fuels the work.
My writing spot is currently a box room overlooking our street. Because it’s so small, the furniture has to be slightly miniature: a chaise longue in front of the window even I, at 5’3”, can’t fully lie on; a compact desk. (Facing the wall, because given any distraction I will daydream for hours.) Over the years I’ve written in coffee shops, libraries, on the kitchen table surrounded by children’s art – and sometimes I still do, but it’s such a gift to have the choice.
My favourite part of the writing process isn’t a stage per se, but the almost physical sensation of things clicking into place. Sometimes it’s a detail uncovered in research that perfectly connects two plot points; sometimes it’s just the sense of capturing something human and universal. If I had to boil down why I write to a single reason, that’s what it would be: those tiny moments of ‘yes’.
How AI is changing language
theguardian.com – Sunday July 5, 2026
As allegations of LLM use rock the literary and media worlds, linguists explain what really distinguishes human and machine writing, while novelists including Jennifer Egan and Jeanette Winterson reflect on the future of fiction in an age of ChatGPT
Three paragraphs, from three different hotel reviews. Can you tell which, if any, were AI‑generated?
“The hotel is in a great location for everything. Lots of places to eat and drink. The hotel itself is always abuzz. The tavern located on the ground floor is definitely a must. Food, service, prices and atmosphere were great.”
“A good hotel, though the room had the proportions of a well-appointed lift. Slept well, shower was excellent, staff were friendly. Breakfast was busy but competent. Would return, though probably not with a very large suitcase.”
“Excellent base for a London trip. The room was quiet, the bed comfortable, and everything worked exactly as it should. Staff were helpful without hovering. A smooth, unfussy stay from start to finish.”
How do you reckon you did? Most people, says Claire Hardaker, a professor of forensic linguistics at the University of Lancaster, get this kind of judgment right only about 60% of the time. Her online test, Bot or Not, asks users to identify the fakes in a series of 15 reviews. The middling success rate might come as a surprise to those convinced they can spot AI writing at 50 paces. When doubts were raised in May about the authenticity of a prizewinning short story by Jamir Nazir, social media users were lightning-quick in their condemnation. “If you know, you know,” commented one. Nazir later told The Atlantic that he didn’t use AI.
| Click here for the rest of this month's articles > |
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