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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Fantasy Author Scarlett St. Clair Joins Bloom Books

Dark fantasy author Scarlett St. Clair will join Bloom Books, which will publish her new novel 'King of Battle and Blood,' along with her complete backlist and forthcoming new books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-07-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Prince Harry to Write a Memoir

Penguin Random House said the book, tentatively coming in 2022, would be “an intimate and heartfelt memoir from one of the most fascinating and influential global figures of our time.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-07-19 20:26:00 UTC ]
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Prince Harry agrees publishing deal to write his memoirs

Penguin Random House announces book is expected in late 2022 with proceeds going to charityThe Duke of Sussex has agreed a publishing deal to write his memoirs and said he would do so “not as the prince I was born, but as the man I have become”.The global deal for his “literary memoir” was... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-07-19 18:37:55 UTC ]
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Lauren Child | 'It felt like a time to write about what we wish for'

Lauren Child's latest story focuses on Christmas in a Clarice Bean story that is full of empathy and hope Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-17 02:08:43 UTC ]
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Tasmanian author Amanda Lohrey wins prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award for The Labyrinth

Amanda Lohrey's novel about a woman who isolates herself yet finds connection has won the 2021 Miles Franklin Literary Award. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2021-07-15 06:31:16 UTC ]
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RCW and Knights Of launch children's publishing workshop for authors of colour

The RCW literary agency and publisher Knights Of have announced the return of a free children’s publishing workshop for aspiring authors of colour, now in partnership with development scheme Megaphone. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-08 01:37:05 UTC ]
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Write to roam: why armchair travelling is back in fashion

Reissued tales of classic journeys are being snapped up as Britons long for escape while having to stay at homeSome will go on a “great trudge” from the Hook of Holland to Istanbul. Others will explore the canyonlands of Utah or the mountains of Iran. But there is one idiosyncrasy they will all... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-07-04 07:30:15 UTC ]
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Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival apologises for absence of female writers of colour

The organisers of the 2021 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival have apologised for not including any female writers of colour in the programme . Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-02 16:32:23 UTC ]
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Elizabeth 'Betita' Martínez, prolific author and pioneering Chicana, dies

Martinez wrote '500 Años del Pueblo Chicano/500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures,' a bilingual photo book with copious captions that illustrated the history of Chicanos in the Southwest. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-06-29 18:13:49 UTC ]
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Patricia Reilly Giff, popular and prolific children’s author, dies at 86

Over nearly half a century, she wrote more than 100 books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor recipients ‘Lily’s Crossing’ and ‘Pictures of Hollis Woods.’ Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-06-29 07:37:56 UTC ]
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Avon to publish Goodwin's 'heart-stopping' debut in two-book deal

Avon Books has acquired Sarah Goodwin's debut Stranded, plus one more untitled novel.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-25 00:42:01 UTC ]
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Rise of 'hybrid authors' as writers buy back their rights

The “rise of the hybrid author” was discussed at London Book Fair, with the prediction that writers will increasingly buy back rights to their own books from publishers.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-24 22:00:58 UTC ]
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London’s ‘Author HQ’ Programming To Be Led by Bestseller Matt Haig

The digital edition of London Book Fair on June 29 features an eight-hour sequence of programming headlined by author Matt Haig. The post London’s ‘Author HQ’ Programming To Be Led by Bestseller Matt Haig appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-06-23 19:50:33 UTC ]
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Father’s Day can be lonely for some, so author Kristen Arnett is filling the void

Arnett, whose novel “With Teeth” published this month, tries to embody what a dad can be. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-06-19 14:00:00 UTC ]
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'Monster' Kody Scott, former L.A. gang member who became a bestselling author, found dead at 57

Former Eight Tray Gangster Crip member's memoir brought attention to the sobering truth of gang life in South L.A. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-06-15 23:57:16 UTC ]
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Female-centered historical novels are dogged by questions of accuracy. Hence the author’s note.

Resistance to books that cast heroines with agency and hidden talents has declined, but only after a hard-fought battle. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-06-14 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Lucinda Riley dies after four-year cancer battle

Bestselling Irish author Lucinda Riley, best known for the Seven Sisters series, has died after battling cancer for four years.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-12 03:14:18 UTC ]
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Walker launches third children's sports writing competition

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[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-10 01:41:47 UTC ]
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'Libraries saved my life', says Lowborn author Kerry Hudson

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[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-09 23:41:04 UTC ]
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Battacharya wins Spread the Word Life Writing Prize

Santanu Battacharya has won Spread the Word’s Life Writing Prize 2021, with "The Nicer One", hailed by judges as a "gut-punch of a piece". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-09 14:59:56 UTC ]
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