Struggling as an author? Stop writing only what you want to write

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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Nobel Prize-Winning Author Kenzaburo Oe Has Died at 88

Kenzaburō Ōe, the Nobel Prize-winning Japanese novelist known for his fiction addressing social and political issues, has passed away at 88. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-13 16:17:07 UTC ]
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“Everything is Riding on Your Author Photo.” Mary Childs on What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Book

I thought having a book published would turn me into the confident, self-assured person I always knew I could be. I thought everyone but my enemies would be happy for me, and I would be, too. I thought I would become a morning person. So when my publication date finally came around, I was very […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-13 08:54:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #author photo #book published


Why authors might want to pay to go on a podcast.

Gone are the days when you could write a book a chapter at a time and hook people in a slow, serial burn. Now, if the internet is to believed, one must amass 100,000 followers on social media before they can even be considered for a book deal (every writer ever: why would anyone follow […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-10 17:36:58 UTC ]
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Sheikh Zayed Shortlists: Literature, Young Author, Criticism

The first three categories’ shortlists have been released in the 17th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, based in Abu Dhabi. The post Sheikh Zayed Shortlists: Literature, Young Author, Criticism appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-03-10 16:05:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #criticism appeared #young author #17th edition #abu dhabi #zayed book


AWP23 in Seattle Showcases Presses, Journals, and Authors

The opening days of this year's Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference featured the presentation of its Small Press Publisher Award to Dzanc Books and a discussion between famed Seattle librarian and 'Book Lust' author Nancy Pearl with novelist Min Jin Lee. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dzanc books #small press


My Author Photo Brought Me Face to Face With the Body I Hated

I’m on my third round of author photos now, which is two too many. For the first, I commissioned the cheapest person I could find. My agent needed a headshot for the London Book Fair, and I didn’t have anything. The photographer came by my house when I was eight months pregnant. I hired her […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-09 09:53:57 UTC ]
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Women’s health needs advocates against misinformation, says ob-gyn and author

Ob-gyn and best-selling author Dr. Jen Gunter is advocating for women's health education. She spoke to CBC's Michelle Eliot about how women can navigate health information online. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-03-08 22:24:00 UTC ]
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Ian Falconer, Children’s Book Author of OLIVIA, Dies at 63

Ian Falconer, illustrator, theatrical set and costume designer, and children's book author of OLIVIA, has died at 63. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-08 17:49:08 UTC ]
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How to watch author Brendan Slocumb discuss 'The Violin Conspiracy'

In February the L.A. Times Book Club is reading "The Violin Conspiracy," a bestseller by musician and music teacher Brendan Slocumb. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-02-23 23:01:09 UTC ]
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Okay, so you can write books with AI. But why bother?

As was perhaps inevitable, ChatGPT—the free chatbot created by OpenAI that has been ruffling feathers ever since it was launched in November—has now spawned “a boom in AI-written e-books on Amazon,” according to Greg Bensinger at Reuters. Bensinger counted over 200 e-books in Amazon’s Kindle... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-22 17:10:52 UTC ]
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The Morning After: The Kindle Store’s hottest new author is ChatGPT

According to a report from Reuters, ChatGPT is listed as the author or co-author of at least 200 books on Amazon’s Kindle Store. However, the number of bot-written books is likely higher than that since Amazon’s policies don’t require authors to disclose their use of AI.Brett Schickler published... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-02-22 12:20:19 UTC ]
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New Publisher Sibylline Press Celebrates Women Authors Over 50

Distributed to the trade by Publishers Group West, the publisher will release six new books this fall, and plans to publish twelve books a year starting in 2024. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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To Dine For Podcast: Journalist and Author Mary Calvi

On this week's episode of To Dine For, host Kate Sullivan welcomes Mary Calvi, Emmy-winning reporter and anchor at WCBS in New York City. Calvi is also the author of two historical fiction novels, including Dear George, Dear Mary: A Novel of George Washington's First Love. She has recently been... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-02-21 21:48:39 UTC ]
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The Kindle Store has a prolific new author: ChatGPT

ChatGPT is listed as the author or co-author of at least 200 books on Amazon’s Kindle Store, according to Reuters. However, the actual number of bot-written books is likely much higher than that since Amazon’s policies don’t explicitly require authors to disclose their use of AI. It’s the latest... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-02-21 20:30:39 UTC ]
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Reykjavik International Literary Festival Names Guest Authors

The 16th edition of Iceland's biennial Reykjavik International Literary Festival has announced its 2023 lineup of authors. The post Reykjavik International Literary Festival Names Guest Authors appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-02-15 08:10:36 UTC ]
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Springer Nature Acquires TooWrite for Its Writing Researchers

The 'research solutions' division of Springer Nature acquires the TooWrite platform, still in development, for research writers. The post Springer Nature Acquires TooWrite for Its Writing Researchers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-02-14 18:04:52 UTC ]
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Catapult to Shutter Online Magazine, Writing Classes

The decision to suspend the publisher's editorial and educational arms will "consolidate our efforts around our book publishing program," the publisher said in a statement. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Jean Anderson, 93, Exacting and Encyclopedic Cookbook Author, Dies

Her 1,300-page “Doubleday Cookbook” was a rival to “The Joy of Cooking,” and her rigorously tested recipes taught generations of home cooks. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-02-09 22:37:04 UTC ]
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At times, 'Knock at the Cabin' made the book's author want to 'run out of the theater'

While Paul Tremblay is a fan of M. Night Shyamalan's take on his novel 'The Cabin at the End of the World,' he's still chewing over the film's 'way darker' ending. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-02-08 14:00:18 UTC ]
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Women’s prize to launch annual award for women’s non-fiction writing

The Women’s Prize Trust hopes to make the first award in 2024, after research showed female writers were far less likely than men to be reviewed or win prizes The Women’s prize is to launch a non-fiction award to sit alongside its long-running fiction prize, in response to research that found... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-02-08 08:00:10 UTC ]
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