New Magazine Listing: 5-7-5 Haiku Journal
firstwriter.com – Wednesday November 17, 2021
Publishes Haiku (and related forms such as senryu and scifaiku). Plus, Haiku Sequences, Haibun and Tanka.
New Literary Agent Listing: Hannah Strouth
firstwriter.com – Tuesday November 16, 2021
Helps maintain the lists of two agents, while keeping her sights set on growing her own list. She is constantly diving into historical fiction, contemporary rom-coms, and upmarket / literary fiction.
New Book Publisher Listing: GoldScriptCo
firstwriter.com – Monday November 15, 2021
Co-founded by two writers as a means to share their own works as well as to support other writers and artists in their creative journeys.
Ghostwriters Come out of the Shadows
publishersweekly.com – Sunday November 14, 2021
When Penguin Random House announced in July that it would be publishing a memoir by Prince Harry, there was one name that was, conspicuously and appropriately, left off the press release. The man channeling the Duke of Sussex’s voice for the book, J.R. Moehringer, was nowhere to be found among the details the publisher released. But those in the industry know that Moehringer, one of the highest-profile ghostwriters working, will be an essential component in the royal’s book—even if his name never appears on the final product.
Ghostwriting, or “collaborating” as it’s now called, is nothing new. For as long as celebrities have been writing books, others have quietly helped them do it. It’s highly specialized work that requires a blend of skills; industry sources say the best collaborators are equal parts editor, reporter, writer, mimic, and shrink. And in today’s industry, where publishers are more and more reliant on nonfiction projects by authors with significant platforms, good collaborators are in higher demand than ever. It’s also the kind of work, very handsomely paid at the high end, which is appealing to a growing population: writers, journalists, and editors.
Big Issue’s John Bird: Writing a novel? Don’t follow my advice, I’ve been in literary agony for 20 years
inews.co.uk – Friday November 12, 2021
On a single night 20 years ago, I gave up smoking, drinking and sex and started to write a book. I was living in a large, multi-occupational house with thin walls, and you could do nothing without everyone hearing you. The book was to be a novel about my birthdate – 30 January – which had made periodic appearances of note in history, tying them together in my screaming, screwing, crying house.
Like 30 January 1606, when the first of the Gunpowder plotters were hung, drawn and quartered; 30 January 1649, the execution of Charles I; 30 January 1661, the digging up and hanging of the dead body of Oliver Cromwell; and 30 January 1969, when The Beatles made their last public appearance together, on the roof of their office in the West End of London. Dozens of these 30th of Januarys would each have a chapter. I started one version, abandoned it, started another, then abandoned that. However hard I struggled to complete it, I found myself revising it, rewriting it or starting again. A million words piled up, to no avail. And now, 20 years on, I am about to finish another version that looks nothing at all like the original.
Self-Publishing and Marketing Your Book to Spark Sales
patch.com – Friday November 12, 2021
Authors who self-publish their books do so for many reasons; for some, it's about maintaining creative control, while others prefer to bypass literary agents and traditional publishers. When you publish independently and hope to sell copies of your book, the responsibility for marketing falls on your shoulders. While it's an added responsibility to take on, there are things you can do that can help spark sales and attract the attention of potentially interested readers. Discoverability is a crucial concept in book promotion and one you need to keep in mind. It means helping target readers find out about your book.
New Literary Agent Listing: Logan Harper
firstwriter.com – Friday November 12, 2021
Seeking a variety of character-driven fiction and is particularly drawn to women’s fiction, book club fiction, psychological thrillers, domestic suspense, horror, mystery/crime, upmarket and literary fiction. She is always eager to read and champion underrepresented voices and perspectives.
Woke Twitter is ruining literature
spectatorworld.com – Thursday November 11, 2021
When Democratic strategists look back on how woke theology cost them key races in 2021 — never mind the coming flood of the midterms — they will discover the #MSWL. Hidden away on Twitter, it’s one of the actual headwaters of all things blindly woke, the way the mighty Mississippi begins as a shallow stream. It’s part of the reason we have drag queens reading to our kids in public libraries and Virginia doesn’t have Terry McAuliffe as governor.
#MSWL is a hashtag meaning “manuscript wish list.” For anyone interested in publishing fiction, the road to a book deal is complex. Publishers aren’t interested in reading manuscripts sent directly to them because most are truly horrible. They will only consider reading those submitted by literary agents on behalf of authors. These gatekeepers are forced to root through mountains of garbage to find something they can sell to a publisher and thus claim a commission. They are scavengers of a kind.
New Magazine Listing: Spelt Magazine
firstwriter.com – Thursday November 11, 2021
Publishes poetry and creative non-fiction that has something to say about the rural experience. Send up to six poems or up to two pieces of creative nonfiction (up to 1,500 words each) in the body of an email.
Follow the journey of the story with this short story writing workshop
ygknews.ca – Wednesday November 10, 2021
Who better to learn short story writing from than Patricia Robertson, former Kingston Frontenac Public Library Writer-in-Residence?
Robertson will lead Sentence by Sentence: the Journey of the Story on Tuesday, November 23 at 7 p.m. via Zoom.
If you have no writing experience or are worried that you don’t already have a detailed outline in mind before you begin writing, that’s not a problem. Learn how the very process of writing can help you discover what you want to write about.
“It’s a misnomer to describe writing as ‘discovering what you want to say.’ The fact is that you don’t know what you want to say in advance of the journey,” explains Robertson. “You’re taking a leap into the unknown. All you know is what to take with you — your laptop, a cup of coffee, and your imagina tion. Believe it or not, whole novels have been written using this method.
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