Earning a living as a writer is as likely as winning the lottery. Instead of writing books and persuading others to buy them, find out what people want to write, then do it for themPhilip Pullman: professional writers set to become ‘an endangered species’ due to low wagesI left school with a burning urge to lead the life of a writer: travelling like Byron, feted like Wilde before his fall, creating laughter like Wodehouse and crafting sentences like Nabokov. I had no professional contacts, so I wrote my masterpieces speculatively, and every path I went down ended with a rejection slip or total silence. The perceived wisdom then, as now, was that earning a living as a writer was about as likely as winning a lottery.Then I discovered the secret of marketing: instead of writing things and trying to persuade people to buy them, I would find out what writing services people needed and offer to provide them. So, at the same time as begging publishers and editors for commissions, I made myself available to anyone who might want to write an article or a book but did not feel able to do it for themselves. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A list of the most recent books by writers attending the author reception, the Scholastic Meet & Treat party, and/or the opening reception with members of #WeNeedDiverseBooks, cosponsored by PW. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the third major deal for an indie author in the run-up to next week's London Book Fair, Grand Central's Forever imprint has inked Meredith Wild to a five-book, seven-figure deal. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dan Buettner, author of 'The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People' (National Geographic, 9781426211928), will appear on NBC's 'Nightly News' on Tuesday, April 7. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Local book industry argue changes proposed in Harper Review will impact their bottom line and may see less long-term investment in Australian writersAustralian publishers would be less likely to support, nurture and develop talented writers like Tasmania’s Richard Flanagan if the Australian... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gene Baur, author of 'Living the Farm Sanctuary Life' (Rodale, 9781623364892) will appear on 'The Daily Show' on Monday, April 6. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette UK is working with Twitter to launch a series of videos featuring its authors talking about what they are writing live from their location using Twitter’s new Periscope app. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Craig Davidson, writing under the pseudonym Nick Cutter, has been named the winner of the inaugural James Herbert Award for Horror Writing for his book The Troop (Headline). The award was set up in honour of the late horror writer James Herbert, and aims to discover and publicise a new... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Writer Abiola Bello and publicist Helen Lewis will launch The Author School, a “creative and innovative new community for aspiring, self-published and published authors”, during London Book Fair. The school will involve classes, workshops, one-to-one tutorials and online courses, with the first... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors including Philip Pullman, Michael Rosen, John Dougherty, and Alan Gibbons have signed a letter saying baseline assessment tests should not be brought in to primary schools. The tests, to be introduced in September 2015, will take place in the first few weeks after a child starts in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Meg Cabot, Sophie Kinsella, Malorie Blackman, and Dav Pilkey were among the authors celebrating new books and meeting international publishers in Bologna. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller reports that the median advance for traditionally published UK authors is less than 6,600 pounds, based on the early results of a new survey The post Survey Says Median Author Advance in UK under £6,600 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Annie Cohen-Solal, author of 'Mark Rothko: Toward the Light in the Chapel' (Yale University Press, 9780300182040) will appear on PBS's 'Charlie Rose' on Friday. March 27. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Copyright, fair contracts for authors, and libraries were among the points addressed by politicians at a hustings hosted by the Society of Authors (SoA) and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) last night (24th March). The event saw writers given the opportunity to question... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The median advance for traditionally published authors is “well under £6,600”, according to early findings of a survey into authors’ attitudes towards their publisher. The survey also found that bigger publishers pay more. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At the Salon du Livre in Paris, a new program introduced indie publishers to agents and scouts, while authors continued protesting poor contracts. The post Salon du Livre Paris: Indie Intros a Success, Authors Continue Protests appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The cherished French children’s book author and editor of hundreds of books Grégoire Solotareff offers his tips for creating books fore very young readers. The post Keys to Writing Books for Very Young Readers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Family Christian Stores bankruptcy drama continues to reverberate across the Christian publishing world. Some publishers owed money by FCS are holding back royalty payments, to try to forestall their own financial hiccups. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The eighth annual NYC Teen Author Festival featured events throughout the week of March 15-23. Several authors participated, and shared photos from the event across social media. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With meager advances, often just 500 euros, and royalty rates of 3-8%, French children's book authors have much to complain about. The post French Children’s Book Authors Suffer Pint-sized Payments appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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