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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‘Babar’ Heir And Author Laurent De Brunhoff Dies At Age 98

Laurent de Brunhoff, who revived his father's popular picture book series about an elephant king, has died. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2024-03-23 20:35:30 UTC ]
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Mat Osman: ‘I wanted to write about a dirty, dangerous, working-class London’

The Suede bassist and author on writing without a safety net, terrifying himself for his next novel and which of the Thursday Murder Club books – by his brother Richard – he likes bestMat Osman is, along with Brett Anderson, a founding and current member of the band Suede, and the author of two... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-03-23 18:00:26 UTC ]
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Frans de Waal, Primatologist and Bestselling Author, Dies at 75

Bestselling author and Emory University primatologist Frans de Waal—credited by many with changing our understanding of both animals and humans through a number popular, groundbreaking books—died on March 14. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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How This Author Recorded His Audiobook—in a Mine Shaft 900 Feet Underground

When it came time for debut author Brent Underwood to record the audiobook for his book 'Ghost Town Living,' about the California mining town he calls home, he decided to build a makeshift studio in the long-abandoned silver mine at the heart of his story. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Libraries struggle to afford the demand for e-books, seek new state laws in fight with publishers

Libraries across the U.S. are struggling to cover the cost of e-books, which have grown in popularity Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2024-03-12 14:54:40 UTC ]
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'American Prometheus' Author Kai Bird Named 2024 BIO Award Winner

Bird is the award-winning author of seven books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning book that served as the basis for Christopher Nolan’s film 'Oppenheimer,' which won seven Academy Awards last night, including best picture. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Leslie Jamison Writes A Different Kind of Love Story In “Splinters”

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[ Electric Literature | 2024-03-08 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Entangled Adds 12 Authors to Its Amara Imprint

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Unruly Writing: On the Problem with the Fragmented Art History Book

There is a disturbing trend that has emerged in the literary world as of late. Let’s call it the “Fragmented Non-Fiction Art History” book. These titles look good on bookshelves, with their aesthetically-inclined covers and trendy lineup of female artists they purport to be about. The covers are... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-05 09:53:47 UTC ]
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Three Publishing Veterans Form a New House, Authors Equity

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Hundreds of KidLit authors are calling out the SCBWI for its Gaza silence.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-04 19:00:45 UTC ]
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7 Books By Black Authors That Might Not Be On Your Reading List, But Should Be

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[ HuffPost | 2024-03-04 10:45:07 UTC ]
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RuPaul Launches Author-Owned Online Book Marketplace

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Charli XCX prankster is latest in a long line of authors to fool the public

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[ The Guardian | 2024-03-01 18:33:32 UTC ]
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Cambodia's pioneering post-Khmer Rouge era Phnom Penh Post newspaper will stop print publication

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[ ABC News | 2024-03-01 11:58:31 UTC ]
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[ Wired | 2024-02-28 20:42:17 UTC ]
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UK’s Society of Authors: More Clarity in Spotify’s Terms

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-02-22 15:16:42 UTC ]
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Erica Berry on the Polyamorous Intimacy of Reader, Author, and Audiobook Narrator

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[ Literrary Hub | 2024-02-22 09:54:39 UTC ]
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Some Authors Were Left Out of Awards Held in China. Leaked Emails Show Why.

When some books, including best sellers, were conspicuously absent from the science fiction Hugo Awards last year, writers and fans became suspicious. Continue reading at The New York Times

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'Experiencing God' Co-author Henry Blackaby Has Died

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