Marian Keyes to fund Curtis Brown scholarship for budding author
thebookseller.com – Tuesday May 15, 2018
Bestselling author Marian Keyes is funding a £2,600 place on Curtis Brown’s online six-month writing course for one “talented writer with limited financial means”.
Keyes is providing financial support for the place on Curtis Brown Creative’s (CBC) next novel-writing course starting in September.
The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of quality of material – applicants fulfilling the eligibility criteria should send in the opening 3,000 words and one-page synopsis for the novel they would like to work on during the course.
New Literary Agency Listing
firstwriter.com – Tuesday May 15, 2018
Handles: Fiction; Nonfiction
Areas include: Autobiography; Biography; Business; Cookery; Culture; Current Affairs; Finance; Health; Historical; Lifestyle; Music; Mystery; Politics; Psychology; Romance; Self-Help; Sport; Suspense; Thrillers; Women's Interests
Markets: Adult; Children's; Youth
Preferred styles: Commercial; Mainstream
Send query by email only to one agent only. See website for individual agent interests and email addresses. No submissions by post.
Writing for the improbable bookshelf
thebookseller.com – Monday May 14, 2018
I make stories for improbable bookshelves. I once came across this term in an Italo Calvino essay and I’ve held on to it ever since, as it so closely describes the way I work.
I recently wrote a new version of the Persephone myth, but it can’t be found in a bookshop or online. Persephone’s Footsteps is an altitude-responsive story and map that has to be carried on a journey through a city. As Persephone climbs higher – first to escape the Underworld and then to escape the polluted city streets – the listener must climb higher to reveal more of her story. At the moment, there is only one version of this work in existence. Is it scalable? Perhaps, but my real hope is that it’s my approach to writing that’s scalable – that writers might be inspired to explore new ways of writing, bringing enlivened approaches to literary forms.
How to write a book: 11 tips on creating a bestseller from published authors
cosmopolitan.com – Monday May 14, 2018
While it's easy to romanticise writing a novel on the side, knowing how to actually write a book and where the F to start can be a little daunting. Here, 11 published authors, who will be at Hay Festival between 24 May - 3 June, share their tips and tricks for starting your next masterpiece. And who knows? It might end up being a bestseller.
Amazon Publishing launches non-fiction arm
thebookseller.com – Monday May 14, 2018
Amazon Publishing is breaking into non-fiction in the UK through imprint Little A.
The retailer's publishing arm has been “keen to explore quality non-fiction from UK authors for some time”, according to editorial director Laura Deacon, and is calling on agents to submit a broad range of titles ranging from history, science, lifestyle and popular culture. Agents The Bookseller spoke to have greeted the news with enthusiasm.
Amazon Publishing currently publishes fiction under four imprints in the UK: Thomas & Mercer, Lake Union Publishing, Montlake Romance and 47 North. In the US, Little A publishes literary fiction and non-fiction, but in the UK it will currently just focus on non-fiction.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Monday May 14, 2018
Publishes: Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Contemporary; Dark; Experimental; Light; Literary; Mainstream; Progressive; Traditional
An online journal. We gravitate towards work that is quirky, accessible, and unconventional. An ideal piece might cover a subject few people write about or cover familiar subjects from an unexpected angle.
New Literary Agency Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday May 11, 2018
Handles: Fiction
Areas include: Mystery; Romance; Thrillers; Women's Interests
Markets: Adult
Preferred styles: Commercial; Contemporary; Light; Mainstream; Niche; Popular; Progressive; Satirical; Serious; Traditional
A full-service boutique agency providing hands-on guidance throughout each and every part of the publishing pursuit. OTLA is single-minded and fully dedicated to getting you on the right track to launch your career or progress to the next level. From honing manuscripts to be their very best, to identifying the right market for placement, through contract advisement and negotiation, to crafting promotional campaigns to help grow your audience, the prime objective is to help you achieve your goals. Currently seeking completed works with vibrant, fresh voices in these genres: romance, women's fiction, mysteries, and young adult.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Thursday May 10, 2018
Publishes: Fiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Short Stories;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Annual student-edited literary magazine. Send 3-5 poems or short stories up to 1,500 words by post or by email. Submissions from contributors outside the university are considered between October and February each year.
New Literary Agency Listing
firstwriter.com – Wednesday May 9, 2018
Handles: Fiction; Nonfiction
Areas: Autobiography; Beauty and Fashion; Design; Entertainment; Health; Lifestyle; Psychology; Women's Interests
Markets: Adult; Children's; Youth
Specialises in nonfiction, but will also consider middle grade and young adult fiction. No history, spirituality, biography, screenplays, true crime, poetry, religion, picture books, or any other fiction besides middle grade and young adult. See website for full submission guidelines.
Daily Mail and PRH launch third £20k writers' competition
thebookseller.com – Tuesday May 8, 2018
The Daily Mail and Penguin Random House have launched the third year of their nationwide competition to search for a new writing talent.
The winner will receive a £20,000 advance and publishing contract with PRH imprint Century and the services of literary agent Luigi Bonomi.
Entrants are invited to submit the first 5,000 words of their novel, along with a 600-word synopsis. Submissions can be of any adult genre except for saga, science fiction and fantasy. Entrants must not have had a novel published before.
The competition will be judged by a panel of experts: author and TV presenter Fern Britton; Bonomi, managing director of LBA Literary Agents; crime writer Simon Kernick; the Daily Mail's literary editor Sandra Parsons; and Selina Walker, publisher for Century & Arrow.
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