2022 02 01 writing magazine

G BESTSELLINZIN E HELPING YOU BECOME A BETTER WRITER WRITING MAGA FEBRUARY 2022 , s d r o w r You your y r o t s WIN £60,56 IN WRI TING PRIZES How to get started in life-writing How to wrap up your stories in style 770964 916280 HAPPY ENDINGS £4.99 02> 55 Competitions 36 to enter WM Reader 14 success stories Opportunities to get published Confused about self-publishing? YPS are the one-stop-shop for self-publishers Copy-editing & proofreading Full book design service Printing & binding Promotion & marketing Book distribution Commission-free online bookshop eBook production & distribution Free & friendly advice Cup of tea and a chat! Recommended by the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook York Publishing Services Ltd tel 01904 431213 enquiries@yps-publishing.co.uk www.yps-publishing.co.uk WELCOME CONTENTS 56 WRITERS’ NEWS 64 Your essential monthly roundup of competitions, paying markets, opportunities to get into print and publishing industry news 14 INTERVIEWS AND PROFILES 14 Star interview: Swimming against the tide comes naturally for supernatural crime bestseller Stuart Neville 22 Writing life: Is being a romance author the ultimate dream? 24 My path to publication: Writing set Saba Sams free as a teenager 32 Shelf life: Diane Chamberlain shares her top five books 39 Circles roundup: Writing groups share their news and activities 40 Subscriber news: WM subscribers’ publishing success stories 57 New author profile: Psychological thriller author Sarah Bonner 81 My writing day: Author Lori Ann Stephens writes best in her comfy chair CREATIVE WRITING 12 30 34 46 48 50 52 Creative non-fiction: How to get started on life-writing Beginners: Find out if your work-in-progress has legs Under the microscope: A reader’s first 300 words critiqued Fiction focus: How to create an effective ending in your stories Masterclass: The possibilities of the number three in fiction Fantastic realms: The journey of fantasy from its origins Writing for children: A book for every child The vital importance of celebrating difference in kids’ fiction WRITING LIFE 10 Submissions: How to write a letter and synopsis with agent appeal 20 Writing life: The rewards and challenges of writing with dyslexia 58 The business of writing: Using promotional email newsletter services to boost your writing business 82 Under the covers: Gillian Harvey gets the year off to a good start Happy new year! And welcome to the first Writing Magazine of 2022 What writing plans you have for the year ahead? Do write in and let us know how you’re getting on – we love to hear what you’re all up to, whether by email, letter, social network or pigeon – but don’t worry, I’m Jonathan Telfer not here to check you’re hitting Editor your targets or sticking to resolutions In fact, quite the opposite All you have to is let yourself write, what you want, when you want (and can) It’s advice echoed by several of this month’s authors but I was most struck by memoirist Cathy Rentzenbrink (p12), who candidly admits how hard she finds writing and how she uses a variety of psychological tricks to get into it So if you’re struggling to start – or keep – writing, go easy on yourself: nothing stifles the creative juices more than undue pressure and the weight of expectation and, more often than not, nobody is tougher on us than us Celebrate the small victories and sooner or later, they’ll turn into big ones Now – if you feel like it – get writing! ASK THE EXPERTS WRITER ME A BETTER WRIT POETRY 54 Poetry workshop: Exploring a well-sculpted poem 56 Poetry launch: Enter WM’s annual Love Poetry Competition COMPETITIONS AND EXERCISES 26 27 28 38 42 45 Free-range writing: Embrace positivity in these writing exercises WM short story competition launch Short story winner Writers’ circles: Magic-themed exercises for your writing group WM Grand Prize winner: Read our £1k Grand Prize winner Grand Prize 2022 launch: Enter this year’s £1k prize REGULARS 36 69 75 79 Miscellany Letters Editorial calendar Going to market Novel ideas Travel writing know-how Cover image ©AdobeStock/Bro Vector From the other side of the desk: What publishing has learned from lockdown 19 Ask a literary consultant: Understand different kinds of edit 60 Research tips: Youth culture 61 Behind the tape: Expert advice to get your crime details right ING YOU BECO G HELP LLIN TSEMAG BESING AZINE Your words, your story How to get WIN £60,565 IN WRITING PRIZES started in g life-writin 55 to get published Competitions 36 to enter er Read s success storie 14 WM Opportunities HAPPY ENDINGS your How to wrap up style stories in £4.99 Never miss an issue of Writing Magazine SUBSCRIBE NOW see p83 Get FREE access to our app GET THE WM DIGITAL EDITION Direct to your device ORDER A COPY DIRECT, with free postage https://writ.rs/wmissues SIGN UP FOR OUR REGULAR NEWSLETTERS at http://writ.rs/signupnow GET THE WRITER’S APP For daily prompts and opportunities http://writ.rs/writersapp FEBRUARY 2022 MISCELLANY The world of writing As the relentless grind of technology drags Miscellany Manors kicking and screaming into the 21st century, find out why we won’t be printing WM in binary any time soon SQUARING THE CIRCLE TOKEN THE MICKEY Bitcoin rules the cryptocurrency world, though it is far from the only one In fact, there are thousands of digital currencies, many of which would appear to have little chance of breaking into the mainstream One that did, briefly, and for all the wrong reasons, was called JRR Token, and was promoted with the line that it was, ‘The One Token That Rules Them All’ Except it wasn’t, because the estate of JRR Tolkien went to arbitration through the World Intellectual Property Organization and had the whole thing blocked The Tolkien estate noted that the cryptocurrency’s URL was, ‘specifically designed to mislead internet users into believing that it and the website to which it resolves have some legitimate commercial connection’ with the famous author and that it infringed on their trademark in the writer’s name The ill-fated cryptocurrency made its debut in August last year, and even had a promotional video starring Billy Boyd (Pippin in the film trilogy version of The Lord of The Rings) to read its fudgy marketing: ‘Saruman was trying to unify Middle Earth under centralised rule whereas the fellowship wanted decentralisation Cryptocurrency is literally a decentralised network.’ The WIPO wasn’t having it, and the US developer has stopped using the infringing name and paid the Tolkien estate’s costs Steven Maier, solicitor for the Tolkien estate said they were, ‘vigilant in preventing unauthorised parties from taking advantage of the JRR Tolkien name and the content of JRR Tolkien’s literary works.’ He added, ‘This was a particularly flagrant case of infringement, and the estate is pleased that it has been concluded on satisfactory terms.’ The spoof domain name has been safely locked in a vault deep in the Mines of Moria FEBRUARY 2022 In 2013, Dave Eggers’ novel The Circle provided an all-too-prescient fiction that showed the sinister reach of a massively powerful internet corporation where everything – users’ email, social media, banking and puchasing – was linked Now he’s written a follow-up, The Every, which returns to the world of The Circle to show its augmenting totalitarianism, reflected in its insistence that almost every human decision can be outsourced to the company’s algorithms With the book a not-so-subtle critique of the extending tentacles of Silcon Valley’s biggest-hitters, Dave, who doesn’t own a smartphone, is showing his support for indie bookshops by refusing to allow Amazon to sell the hardback in the US As he told The Guardian: ‘Because The Every is about an all-powerful monopoly that seeks to eliminate competition, it seemed like a good time to remind book buyers that they still have a choice.’ GRRM on track We previously noted at Miscellany Manors that George RR Martin had trumped all other writers’ feeble procrastination attempts by distracting himself not with the latest gizmos but with engineering nostalgia – he bought a railway On December the trains began running between Sante Fe and Lamy, New Mexico George said, ‘We had two big old diesel locomotives, so right off we decided we would run two trains: the Wolf and the Dragon And to paint them, and give each its own character and a look unlike any other train in the country, we hired Santa Fe’s own Jorael Numina, an amazingly gifted muralist and graffiti artist.’ The author, who might one day finish his epic A Song of Ice and Fire (aka A Game of Thrones) series, added, ‘Mostly what I have been doing is throwing out ideas and writing checks [sic].’ The trains look amazing, and you can find out more, and book your tickets at https://skyrailway.com www.writers-online.co.uk MISCELLANY AI DON’T BELIEVE IT Everyone seems desperate to train computers to the last few things that humans can still beat them at • At Oxford’s Ashmolean Library, the world’s ‘first ultra-realistic AI robot artist’ made an appearance at an event celebrating Dante Ai-Da is both a creative artist and a conceptual art piece in herself, encouraging us to ‘re-consider our self-perception through the lens of a humanoid’ Birthed by Oxford-based Aidan Meller, Ai-Da was built by Engineered Arts Her drawing arm and algorithms were developed in Egypt, augmented by AI from Leeds University, and her other creative AI capabilities came from faculties at Oxford and Birmingham universities At the Dante event, she read poetry written in response to the Italian master’s work, created ‘through her AI language model, which draws from a vast data bank of words and speech pattern analysis, to produce her own reactive works’ One piece included the lines Out of the shadowy folds of the earth, which, By degrees, became familiar With a sense that the room was full of anxious, silent beings As you might expect, we’re rather reluctant to answer the creators’ question, ‘Can a robot really write poetry?’, ambivalently,but read that description of what she does again From a technical point of view, it’s not that different to what all poets in assembling a poem Eek • Self-editing can be a chore, and so difficult It is too easy to miss things, especially plot and character glitches, so a US author attempts to utilise the latest tech to help us get the better of it with the launch of Marlowe ‘She’ is an artificial intelligence expected to help Published by Warners Group Publications plc West Street, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH Main office: 0113 200 2929 Subscriptions: 01778 392 482 Advertising: 0113 200 2925 Publisher: Collette Lloyd, email: collette.lloyd@warnersgroup.co.uk Editor: Jonathan Telfer, email: jtelfer@writersnews.co.uk Senior designer: Nathan Ward, email: nathanw@warnersgroup.co.uk Marketing: Collette Lloyd, email: collette.lloyd@warnersgroup.co.uk authors improve their novels and longform fiction Marlowe was created by Matthew Jockers, co-author of The Bestseller Code, with idea contributions from other authors who tried her out Being AI, Marlowe doesn’t judge: she reads all fictional genres and subgenres and returns equal and unbiased feedback She isn’t squeamish either She just knows what goes into a good story Marlowe is designed to critique character traits, plot arcs, narrative arcs, pacing, punctuation, sentence structure, reading level and more And she can compare the author’s novel with bestselling novels in the same genre Sceptical authors can try out free basic reports and read what Marlowe has to say about some well known books at https:// authors.ai/marlowe The biggest advantage over a genuine olde worlde human editor is speed Marlowe can read a book and deliver a 32+ page comprehensive critique within fifteen minutes, doesn’t charge as much, and won’t need coffee • In defence of the human eye at The Atlantic, multi-linguist and translator Douglas Hofstadter humorously highlighted the deficits in tech tools such as Google Translate, usually betraying the machine’s lack of experience or awareness of wider context Advertising sales manager: Mark Dean, email: mark.dean@warnersgroup.co.uk Subscriptions: writingmagazine@warnersgroup.co.uk Typeset by: Warners Group Publications plc, West Street, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH Printed by: Warners (Midlands) plc, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH Distribution: Nikki Munton, email: nikkim@warnersgroup.co.uk, tel: 01778 391171 Warners Group Publications plc,West Street, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH www.writers-online.co.uk ‘To understand such failures, one has to keep the ELIZA effect in mind [named after the 1960s early AI which manipulated language to sound plausible in the guise of a psychotherapist, tricking listeners into thinking it understood their feelings] The bai-lingual engine isn’t reading anything – not in the normal human sense of the verb “to read” It’s processing text The symbols it’s processing are disconnected from experiences in the world It has no memories on which to draw, no imagery, no understanding, no meaning residing behind the words it so rapidly flings around.’ He continued, ‘From my point of view, there is no fundamental reason that machines could not, in principle, someday think; be creative, funny, nostalgic, excited, frightened, ecstatic, resigned, hopeful, and, as a corollary, able to translate admirably between languages There’s no fundamental reason that machines might not someday succeed smashingly in translating jokes, puns, screenplays, novels, poems, and, of course, essays like this one But all that will come about only when machines are as filled with ideas, emotions, and experiences as human beings are And that’s not around the corner Indeed, I believe it is still extremely far away At least that is what this lifelong admirer of the human mind’s profundity fervently hopes.’ So in summary, our jobs are safe only until the boffins figure out how to make robots independently experience and feel, or create an algorithm to synthesize humanity and imagination Or AI machines figure out the algorithm for themselves Let’s just hope they’re not reading this All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Warners Group Publications plc © Copyright Warners Group Publications plc ISSN 0964-9166 Whilst every care is taken of material submitted to the editor for publication, no responsibility can be accepted for loss or damage Email submissions preferred Warners Group Publications plc are not able to investigate the products or services provided by the advertisers in Writing Magazine nor to make recommendations about them Warners Group Publications plc cannot act as a licensing or accreditation authority, but will investigate complaints against advertisers FEBRUARY 2022 LETTERS S TA R L E T T E R REACH FOR THE STARS rs since NASA In April 2022, it will have been 32 yea An upcoming launched the Hubble Space Telescope car Wilde anniversary that reminds me of that Os e of us are quote: ‘We are all in the gutter, but som looking at the stars.’ ne, I feel very Some days, as many others I imagi g inspires much ‘in the gutter’ But I think writin gaze outward, the inward-looking soul to turn their ow that writing towards inspiring views At least, I kn s It’s not a tends to lift me from my own doldrum hing But it miracle cure, and it doesn’t solve everyt things, if only for allows me to turn my mind to other es my mind off a while Spending time on research tak m the point of my problems Considering an issue fro n little life for view of others plucks me from my ow I find it all a while Concentrating as I edit a thing therapeutic reward me with I hope, one day, that my writing will goal But, until payment and recognition That’s the teful I have then, I can consider celestial bodies, gra found my own way of appreciating their beauty, and grateful to them for reminding us of the grandness of things PHILIP SIMONS Bedford, Bedfordshire rns a The star letter each month ea rbook copy of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yea 2022, courtesy of Bloomsbury TAKING A STAND How interesting it has been to read in recent WM letters pages that I am not the only person who stands whilst writing I started standing about five years ago and, like Judith Robinson, I made use of anything which would lift my computer higher – in my case, box files and shoe boxes Standing keeps me more alert, helps me keep my back straight and takes away the worry of writer’s bottom Last year, I was lucky enough to be able to purchase a portable standing desk, a table of coffee-table height and dimensions, with folding legs which, when stood on your desk or table, can give an extra added height of eighteen inches Actually, it makes a good coffee table, too DENISE WATSON Peterlee, Co Durham FEBRUARY 2022 BE ALL WRITE James McCreet’s article exploring whether publication is the be-all and end-all for writers (WM, Dec) really resonated with me I often ask myself the same questions he posed, such as ‘what is success?’ and ‘why we write?’ However, one line made me question a whole part of my writing practice: ‘Without a reader, writing becomes oddly futile: a conversation with the self.’ One of my most closely-guarded possessions is an A5 notebook; I check I have it with me just like I check I have my door keys when I leave the house It contains my morning pages, my mind dumps and it is where I turn when I need to get my thoughts out of my head or record snippets of conversations Am I wasting my time because this notebook is never intended to have a reader, apart from myself? If I don’t write in this notebook for a few days, my mind feels like it is swimming I procrastinate because the mundane details of my life take precedence over my creativity Perhaps the answer might be that I am my own reader – I can revisit the material in my notebook and craft it into a piece of writing for an audience But I don’t systematically this To me, the words in my notebook are not worth less than the pieces I put out for publication Far from being oddly futile, my conversations with myself are vital to my writing habit HELEN HAMPTON Crowborough, East Sussex Surprisingly, perhaps, James McCreet’s perky article The end or the beginning? (WM, Dec) put me in mind of the Folk Art collection at Compton Verney This superb array of work is apparently unworthy of ‘the Academy’ but it shines out like life itself, sometimes droll, sometimes sad, always vivid I’m sixty and since my earliest years I’ve written without ‘success’ – no prizes, no publications – but I carry on Dr Johnson said no man ever wrote but for the money, other than a blockhead Well, I disagree, because I enjoy what I do, which isn’t nothing And who knows – my work may eventually find the light of day, like those paintings in Compton Verney, and please somebody else too In the meantime I’ll keep writing, even if that makes me a happy blockhead ANTONY CROSSLEY Chobham, Surrey www.writers-online.co.uk PITCHED PERFECT I really enjoyed reading PI TC H Simon Whaley’s article PE RF EC T (The business of writing, WM Dec) on pitching an article to a magazine I have been excited over the years about sending a completed article off to a magazine, and would spend hours researching, taking photos and then writing it My big mistake was that I sent it off straight away I never thought about saving my time and that of an editor who may be receiving hundreds of articles that are not suitable for the publication They may have published something similar in the recent past or it might just be wrong timing for a particular issue By doing this for many years, I lost confidence in my writing and stopped sending ideas off This article made me slow down and test the market first With this great advice, I hope to change the way I pitch an idea and may get a few more articles accepted in the future DIANE PERRY Shropshire THE BUSINESS OF WRITING GUIDING STAR BESTSELLING HELPING YOU BECOME A BETTER WRITER As an aspiring writer the star interview with Lisa Jewell (WM, Sep) was very interesting HOW TO and helpful WIN Make side money IN £14,47! from writing IN P R Lisa writes the genre Write children’s IZ E S non-fiction of books I can see myself writing Lots REACH MORE of twists and suspense, READERS Should you record you want to keep a podcast? Publish widely or NEWS reading to find out Amazon only? YOU CAN what happens COMPS I agree with what STAR INTERVIEW OPPS IDEAS she said about THRILLER needing one idea to Jewell QUEEN Lisa get going I feel the same when I am writing Once one idea comes more soon reveal themselves afterwards As a beginner I found her advice to new writers useful about being informed about the publishing industry and to be realistic: ‘All they want is someone to turn up with a book that gives them goosebumps.’ I’ve yet to face that stage in my writing journey so I will remember to keep that in mind It’s comforting to know that Lisa started off writing romcoms then changed to darker psychological thrillers POLISHEDGems This shows that you not have to stick with one W particular genre I am still in the midst of discovering what kind of writing I want to pursue and Lisa Jewell’s interview gave me lots of tips, advice to follow and encouragement to keep going ANDREA SHARP Ipswich WRITING MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2021 24 CO 24 COM TO EN TEPS R USE £4.50 09> 770964 916273 S TA R I N T E R V I E W Don’t write your article – sell the idea first!7MQSR;LEPI] shows what makes a perfect pitch T ime is money, so submitting articles to magazines speculatively does not make business sense Instead, professional writers pitch their ideas first They approach an editor with their article idea, and if the editor likes it, they’re commission ed to write it Easy! However, pitching can be daunting for those who’ve never done it or who’ve tried with little success And it can be frustrating because editors don’t always respond to every pitch, simply because of the sheer volume they receive Sending out many pitches and getting no response is disheartening Thankfully, perfecting your pitching technique is something you can develop All it takes is a little practice editor commissions a different word count That’s the beauty of pitching It provides an opportunity for both parties to get what they want The writer gets a commission , and the editor gets the piece they really need Practicalities of pitching The perfect pitch answers three key questions: • Why will your idea appeal to the magazine’s readers? • Why now? (Or, why for the specific issue of the magazine you’re targeting?) • Why are you the best person to write this? Analysing a publication is important when pitching ideas If an editor is going to take the time and trouble to read our pitch, the least we can is pitch an idea Time saving that’s appropriate for the magazine’s readers There’s little point The problem with submitting articles speculatively in pitching an article is that about how to water your two acres of lawn there’s a high risk of rejection Yet it’s how during a heatwave, many of us begin our if the readers of your target publication writing journey, including me only have small patios capable of holding a few pots and planters I soon realised some of my rejections had nothing to with Likewise, a walking magazine whose readers the quality of my writing (which is what are mainly young we frequently assume families will not be interested in your idea when our work is rejected) Instead, it was of tackling the 268down to poor timing mile Pennine Way long distance footpath or not knowing what features the editor in two days had already scheduled So, a pitch needs to explain what the idea for the future is and, therefore, why it will interest your target publication’ One editor rejected my article because s readers Sometimes, he’d commissioned the angle of the idea is enough to explain something similar from another writer why it will appeal to the previous week the readership Pitching an article idea Another was rejected because I was targeting to Your Dog magazine an anniversary for the November issue about how to keep event the editor had already commission dogs safe and calm ed someone else to on Bonfire Night will clearly interest the write about several months earlier publication’s readers (I know, because I pitched it and was commission In both those cases, had I pitched my idea ed to write it.) first, I would have When pitching an idea, target a specific learned this information and saved myself issue and explain the time and effort I why your idea best suits that issue This wasted writing the articles is vital for anniversary pieces, but any topical hook will help Magazines are put together months in advance, so having Conversation starter articles that are relevant for the specific issue in which they will When we submit an article speculatively appear is important , there’s generally one of Finally, think about why you are the best two outcomes: acceptance or rejection person to write this piece Personal experience is one of the When we pitch, there’s an opportunity best reasons If you’ve to tweak or amend the been there, done it, and got the T-shirt idea A pitch can be the start of a conversation (or, better still, some If we pitch an photos), that’s vital experience the editor idea focusing on one aspect, but the editor can’t ignore wants us to focus on Alternatively, you might be the best person a slightly different angle, they may still to write an article commission our idea on a subject because you’re qualified in Alternatively, we might pitch a certain word it, or are known as an count, but the expert on the topic 58 DECEMBER 2021 www.writers-online.co.uk p058 Business of Writing.indd 58 © Andrew Whitton Tense and intense, 0MWE.I[IPP’s novels are a masterclass in domestic noir 8MRE.EGOWSR finds out how she writes them ant a twisty, turny binge read so gripping its pages seem to turn themselves? Knuckle-biting suspense as the tension mounts? The rug pulled from under your feet as you read? The ante upped to the point of vertigo? Look no further than The Night She Disappeared, the new thriller from global bestseller Lisa Jewell Its basic premise is every parent’s nightmare: a child who goes missing In this case teenage mother Tallulah goes for a night out with her boyfriend Zach A year later, she hasn’t come back home to her mum and her baby son ‘A lot of my books are based around the idea of people going missing,’ says Lisa A missing person creates more uncertainty than a dead one ‘I don’t want them to be dead from the outset,’ she continues ‘With a missing person you’re leaving everything open.’ Like Lisa’s other thrillers, including 2019’s The Family Upstairs and 2017’s Then She Was Gone, The Night She Disappeared feels incredibly tightly plotted But Lisa, pulling the rug again, says she doesn’t plan her novels ‘I just start with an idea and start writing.’ For someone whose books are so compellingly dark, she’s friendly and down to earth – albeit with an undercurrent of darkly sardonic humour ‘The idea for this one was a body discovered in a beautiful Surrey village and the teacher arriving and being instructed to dig here.’ The teacher in question is Shaun, who arrives as headmaster to a posh boarding school with his new girlfriend Sophie, a cosy crime writer drawn into investigating the disappearance of local teen Tallulah when she spots a sign in the school grounds that says ‘dig here’ ‘I had this rough idea of an outsider coming into this privileged, rarefied world 14 SEPTEMBER 2021 and coming a cropper,’ says Lisa ‘I wanted to touch on The Secret History, Donna Tartt, that kind of thing I wanted Malory Towers or Harry Potter But it’s different It’s a very unconventional school story.’ It is For a start, it breaks out of the enclosed world of the school to explore its impact on the wider village community ‘You’ve got a class divide – that pulled me away from the claustrophobic setting of the boarding school,’ says Lisa ‘I thought that was something I’d really like to look at.’ Her treatment of teenage relationships also sets it apart ‘I wanted to write about teenage www.writers-online.co.uk BLOCK BUSTED I refer to the letter from Sue Davina Watt (WM Jan) Despite having self-published a novel and started a followup book, I got the dreaded block – it has lasted ten months When I read Sue’s letter it clicked as to why I have hit the wall Virtually all my life I have been armed to the teeth with pencil and paper I stopped freehand writing in jotters, diaries and any random sheets of paper Don’t ask why – I just shut down This letter signals the start of writing again with pencil, pen and laptop JS McGOWAN The Black Isle, Scotland PUSH THINGS FORWARD I enjoyed Forward Thinking (Tech for writers, WM Dec) not only because it explored technology available, but also highlighted the benefits for disabled writers these technology options have In recent years I have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis As my hands become increasingly stiff gripping a pen is no longer an option I am still able to type, but occasionally switch to Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) to give my joints respite It is reassuring to know writing will not become a victim of my deteriorating health I used to complain about the growing numbers of gadgets in our lives, but now concede, somewhere out there are people relying on various technological inventions to continue pursuing the things they love THERESA SAMPSON Sinfin, Derby www.writers-online.co.uk FEBRUARY 2022 FESTIVE TIMING I really enjoyed Rebecca Raisin’s article about writing Christmas stories, with her entertaining account of Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop (WM, Dec) I thought at first this was going to be a short story suitable for a women’s magazine but it looks more like a paperback book, just right for a Christmas present The top tips were useful too One point wasn’t mentioned: a Christmas story for a weekly or monthly magazine needs to be submitted well in advance, so perhaps you should start to write your Christmas stories during the summer holidays MARY HODGES Scorton, Preston LEARNING TO FACE LOSS In her article Big issues for small people (WM, July 2021), Amy Sparkes set me thinking about picture books that help children process sadness Some years ago, following the publication of a fun picture book, I submitted a manuscript in which the young protagonist’s father dies suddenly – a key scene in an otherwise upbeat, hopeful story The commissioning editor said she was very taken and moved by it, but deemed it too old for a picture book Not realising this was encouraging (and indeed more helpful) than a dreaded form rejection, I shelved it However I’ve taken note of the beautiful loss/grief books that have appeared since then Many of these are about kindly animals, which provides a degree of separation for young listeners/ readers There are also stories that gently celebrate the passing of pets and, of course, beloved grandparents Sadly, mums and dads die too Anyone who has lost a parent when they were young will tell you it made them grow up really fast I’m sure there are many children who could relate to, and take comfort from, stories that reflect their loss I’m pleased to say the said story is still percolating, and I’m hoping the time is right to road test it again ALAN PALMER Auckland, New Zealand GET IN TOUCH Write to: Letters to the editor, Writing Magazine, Warners Group Publications plc, 5th Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds LS1 5JD; email: letters@writersnews.co.uk (Include your name and address when emailing letters Ensure all letters, a maximum of 250 words, are exclusive to Writing Magazine Letters may be edited.) 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ẻ An eight-part course on the most effective story template ever developed Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey® gives unparallelled insight into story structure, a notoriously challenging issue All About Writing have built a practical course designed to help you shape your story and deepen your characters Two seasoned story-tellers will run you through each of the key phases of the Journey, and give instant feedback to the assignments that complete each Zoom session 07453719465 trish@allaboutwritingcourses.com www.allaboutwritingcourses.com/heros_journey-course FEBRUARY 2022 # TRA N SAT L AN TI C LI T E RA RY C O NS ULTA N C Y Are you thinking about submitting to the trade? Do you want to learn the art of self-editing? “Thank you [ ] for developing such a challenging and rewarding course I have been searching for four years for this level of excellence!” - EYN course alumna Based on the #1 bestselling book On Editing our Edit Your Novel online course is designed to help you perfect your submissions package whilst equipping you with all the tools you need to become a FRQÀGHQWVHOIHGLWRU Next course begins: 21 February 2022 Structural editing, copy-editing and proofreading, scouts for leading agents www.cornerstones.co.uk/edit-your-novel-the-professional-way A S K A L I T E R A R Y C O N S U LTA N T All about the edits Helen Corner-Bryant explains the different levels of editing a manuscript needs before it’s published I’ve finished my novel and I’m ready to polish it for (self) publication I thought it was ready for a copy-edit, but I’ve been told that it needs a story check first Can you explain the different editorial layers, please? A You’re not alone! Authors often get confused about the order of the editorial chain and what each process is supposed to achieve For simplicity, I’ve outlined below the various stages This is what Cornerstones specialises in so it’s close to our heart Ideally, these editorial layers should be carried out by a professional editor as they’re trade skills that require experience You’ll need people you trust, who are experienced in editing your genre, so check their biography and list of published novels that they’ve worked on Developmental editing (this is your ‘story check’) This is a holistic form of editing that often takes the form of a report, providing high-level feedback that focuses on the mechanics of the plot, characters, pacing, and so forth The dev editor helps you create a narrative that functions in the way it should You may receive some specific line edits (more on that in a moment) in terms of writing examples, but a content editor will focus on: whether the story works; if the characters are engaging enough; if the plot holds up against the structure; whether there are narrative inconsistencies; if the pacing suits the story; helping the novel stand out in the market, etc When looking for a dev editor to help with your work, make sure they really connect with your novel and your vision This is considered the longest and most intensive phase of editing; it should feel directional and collaborative in its approach Hopefully the editor’s suggestions will resonate and if you can, you should edit above and beyond what has been suggested This will ensure you own the revisions and that they are effective and characterisation The line edit is usually done at the very end of a long editorial process, and you will receive a marked-up manuscript, with changes for you to accept or reject Then, both author and editor will a final read-through of the clean and corrected manuscript to ensure that everything is sound This is not to be confused with a copy-edit or proofread Copy-editing A copy-editor will check material for grammar, spelling, style, and punctuation issues before it’s prepared for proofreading They will correct errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, style and usage, overlong sentences and overuse of italic, bold, capitals, exclamation marks and the passive voice They correct or query doubtful facts, weak arguments, plot holes and gaps in numbering In fiction, they also check inconsistencies and continuity errors They will highlight any changes that need to be made/addressed and will generally clean up the manuscript so that it can move to its ready-formarket draft When looking for a dev editor to help with your work, make sure they really connect with your novel and your vision Once the developmental phase is complete, you’ll be ready to move on to copy-editing and proofreading We specialise in this but it’s also worth looking at the CIEP for a fuller directory These latter editorial layers are more hands-off, and you’ll only be required to accept or reject their changes It’s a lovely space to be in as your book transforms from a draft manuscript into a publishable text Proofreading Line editing The next step on the editorial journey is the line edit Line edits are carried out when you are finished with your most polished draft The process involves a close read of the MS, where the editor will red-line and mark-up your pages Every sentence will be scrutinised and the editor will, among other things, mark-up any language that doesn’t work, run-on sentences, inconsistencies, weak passages, suggested cuts to unnecessary scenes or dialogue, etc They will closely edit every line of the book (if needed) They will also make editorial comments on anything that they feel doesn’t work in a larger sense, and highlight any content, pacing, or narrative problems that the book might still have, including plotting A professional proofreader will work with the nearly finished text They look for any typographical errors or remaining grammatical errors They not suggest major changes to the text but look for any errors in spelling, or grammar or style, and make those corrections The presumption is that once the proofer has done this, and any changes are then approved and made by the writer, the text is ready for the marketplace Copy-editing and proofreading are sometimes a combined service carried out by the same editor, particularly for fiction For non-fiction, the task is usually split between the copyeditor and proofreader The copy-editor does a deep dive in the accuracy of the text, footnotes, citations, and arguments I hope this helps! Have fun editing… www.writers-online.co.uk i FEBRUARY 2022 SUBMISSIONS HOW TO get discovered Anna Davis of Curtis Brown Creative tells you how to write the introductory letter and synopsis that will give you real agent appeal J anuary is a great time to pitch your novel to literary agents You’ll find them re-energised and keen to discover something fresh and exciting to start the new year To maximise your chances of getting an agent’s attention amid the deluge of submissions, it’s worth making the effort to perfect your pitch package I’ve read thousands of pitches in my time as an agent and as managing director of the Curtis Brown Creative writing school – so here are my tips to help you nail the tricky documents that go alongside the opening of your novel as the essential ingredients of the pitch package: the agent letter and synopsis THE LETTER Target the right agents Take time over your research when deciding who to write to There are lots of directories and databases you can consult – but always cross-check them with the agencies’ own websites as they may not be up-to-date Read interviews, social media profiles, and look in the acknowledgements of books you like, as agents are often thanked Pick agents who are interested in the kind of book you’re writing and are eager to find new writers Address the agent by their first name Only the most old-fashioned agents are uncomfortable about being addressed by their first names – and those are not the people you want to represent you Keep the letter short – just three brief paragraphs You pitch your novel, say why you’ve targeted this particular agent, and then tell them a little about yourself People will tell you the letter should be no more than a page – actually I’d say it should be much shorter than a page Whenever we run agent-letter workshops with our students, 10 FEBRUARY 2022 we end up telling at least 80% of the students that their letter is too long… Kick off with the pitch Give your title and genre (if your novel is in a clear genre) – then say what’s at its heart If there’s a central question which drives your novel and hooks in the reader, that’s definitely to be included – and make sure you tell us whose story it is This should all be brief and to the point – just a couple of sentences, or three as the absolute maximum That might sound hard but remember that you also have your synopsis to say more about your novel You’re just looking to whet the agent’s appetite People often mention their word-count in the pitch letter but there’s no need for this – it can just go at the bottom of your title page Comparison novels It can strengthen your pitch if you’re able to liken your novel to a couple of similar works which are current and commercially successful But don’t pick novels which are really major works or you may come across as hubristic If you can’t come up with good comparison novels, perhaps mention one or two of the relevant agent’s clients whose work you particularly admire Don’t worry too much about the issue of ‘comparison novels’ though, if you can’t come up with any It’s far from the most important aspect of the letter And don’t include lots of them Two is enough Talk about why you’re addressing this particular agent When it comes to pitch letters, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all Tailor your letter to each agent by telling them why you are addressing them specifically If you’ve read or heard something they’ve said about writing or the kind of novels they’d like to represent – or perhaps if you’ve met them – you could mention this If there’s www.writers-online.co.uk a reason you think you’d fit well on their list, say what it is Tell the agent a little about yourself The agent wants to know who you are – but be selective about what you include Leave out details which are not strictly relevant or engaging If you have an interesting job, say so – particularly if it’s relevant to the book you’re writing Include any known writing awards you’ve won or been shortlisted for, plus writing courses you’ve taken (though only if they’re selective and prestigious) State any relevant publishing history – though it’s not worth mentioning self-published books unless they’ve sold well (ie, in the thousands) If you have a massive social media following, include that But this should only be a short paragraph, so be sparing And conversely, if you feel you have very little to say, don’t be intimidated – you don’t need to say much because ultimately your work will speak for you Check everything through First impressions are important – check your grammar and spelling You need to be professional in order to be taken seriously by a professional Some things NOT to Finally, here are some big no-no’s for the pitch letter… • Avoid bragging Let the agent be the one to decide if your novel is gripping, compulsive, beautifully rendered or if it will be an international bestseller • Don’t say that your wife/husband/best friend/children etc love your novel The agent doesn’t care about any of that • Don’t pitch more than one novel in your letter Be focused If the agent calls you in for a meeting, that’s the time to talk about other projects, future work, etc • Don’t ask for a meeting with the agent or make a point of saying WRITERS’ NEWS GLOBAL FICTION MARKET Let Live Novel bring your story to life FLASHES The quarterly Bath Flash Fiction Award is inviting entries for the next contest, which closes on February Submit original, unpublished flash fiction up to 300 words to win prizes of £1,000, £300, £100 and 2x£30 The entry fees are £7.50 for one, £12 for two and £18 for three Website: https:// bathflashfiction award.com/ The Romantic Novelists’ Association has sent an open letter, signed by 496 signatories, to literary editor Andrew Holgate, protesting the Sunday Times’ exclusion of romantic fiction from its Best Books of 2021 roundup Romantic novelists Milly Johnson and Philippa Ashley were both in the Sunday Times top ten when it was published ‘Romantic fiction is the financial backbone of the publishing industry and brings countless joy to millions of readers,’ said chair Jean Fullerton ‘We’ve earned our place in the literary world and refuse to be ignored.’ Chicago-based Arne Weingart won the Moth Nature Writing Prize for the ‘quietly devastating’ Cicadas He receives €1,000 and a week’s retreat at the Loire Valley writing retreat Circle of Misse Cicadas is published in The Moth’s winter issue 66 FEBRUARY 2022 PDR Lindsay-Salmon Live Novel calls itself ‘an audiobook for your fingers’ The novels are: ‘Real authors Real novels Brought to life.’ It’s not ‘interactive fiction, interactive novels, or choose-your-own adventure stories’ A Live Novel is a mobile application that brings traditional novels to life Designed for swift reading in little chunks on a mobile phone it’s unique ‘because it adds interactivity, openworld elements, and real-time activity to a traditional novel.’ This, the editor-creators claim, ‘allows the reader to feel like they are a part of the story.’ A reader may read a Live Novel story in bite-size pages, each ‘bite’ always a complete thought This allows the reader to quickly put down and pick up where they left off A simple swipe left to proceed, swipe right to go back, and swipe down for the table of contents is all a reader needs to know What Live Novel does is add ‘Explore view’ which makes reading for pleasure on a smart device as much fun as any other game or application A reader can investigate the story surroundings by tapping highlighted words to reveal additional details They can move from place to place to explore the environment or engage with or observe characters as they progress through the story ‘Descriptive text can generate at any time, further bringing the environment to life.’ Characters might wander around and if the reader and a character are in the same place, the reader has the option to interact with that character Different words and phrases can also be highlighted Readers can tap those highlighted phrases to reveal more details Indie authors are especially welcomed to submit their novels and will be allocated an editor who will help them handle the code needed to translate plain text into a Live Novel All a writer has to do, says the team, ‘is think logically, and copy and paste the story in the correct input boxes’ Think of a Live Novel like an audiobook and the format allows a writer to reach a new and wider audience, especially the slow and reluctant readers It works offline, takes up very little storage space, and loads in a second Spend time at the website and read the guidelines carefully To begin with all Live Novels are free to download and try The author can choose where to add a paywall in their novel After reaching the paywall, the reader can purchase the rest of the novel via an in-app purchase Submit online and mark the submissions as an individual application or for publication in the Live Novel Digest which takes short stories An independent submission should be at least 25,000 words For the ‘Live Novel Digest’, stories should be 2,000 to 6,000 words Response time is ‘an automated confirmation email within 24 hours’ then the review takes ‘up to three weeks’ Payment is $100 for a short story and ‘a contract with a royalty pay out structure’ for novels The Live Novel of the story remains the property of Live Novel Publishing but authors ‘retain full rights to any story published in the Live Novel Digest Live Novel Publishing LLC does not retain the rights to publish or distribute your work.’ Website: www.livenovel.com Enigma variations Enter writing on the theme of ‘Enigma’ for the Elmbridge Literary Competition, which has categories for poem and short story In the adult categories, there are prizes of £250, £150 and £100 for the winners, and there is an Elmbridge Award of a £50 book token for the best story or poem by an Elmbridge resident In the children’s categories, the winners will receive book tokens The winning entries will be published as a chapbook by Sampson Low publishers To enter, send original, unpublished short stories up to 1,000 words (8-13 years) or 1,500 words (14+) and poems up to thirty lines, all on the ‘Enigma’ theme The entry fee for adults is £5 per story or poem Entry for young writers is free Each writer may enter one story and one poem The closing date is 28 February Website: www.rcsherrifftrust.org.uk/ elmbridge-literary-competition A sustainable prize Cheshire Prize for Literature 2021 is inviting entries on this year’s theme, which is ‘Sustainability’ Entries may be in the form of short stories, children’s literature, scriptwriting and poetry, all on the ‘sustainability’ theme This year’s contest has various age categories for children and adults A winner from each category will be awarded a prize and their work will be published in an anthology by University of Chester Press Winners in the children’s categories will receive book tokens, and winners in the 17-25 and over categories will be awarded a cash prize The competition is open to anyone who has lived, worked or studied in Cheshire, including the Wirral and Halton Enter short stories up to 1,500 words, poems up to 100 lines, children’s literature up to 1,500 words and scripts no longer than fifteen minutes in length All entries must be original and unpublished Entry is free The closing date is 31 January Website: https://writ.rs/cheshireprize21 www.writers-online.co.uk WRITERS’ NEWS ONLINE NON-FICTION MARKET Understanding today’s work issues Jenny Roche With a focus on reported narrative features Worklife is a BBC.com site about ‘the way we work, live and think in a rapidly shifting world, where the boundaries between the professional and the personal are increasingly blurrier’ Aiming to inspire and guide readers through the issues of today’s world and help them to empower their lives, the site is not news orientated With a global outlook articles feature experts and research to give objective narratives in human-centric stories for a worldwide readership of ‘ambitious, curious professionals with a wealth of experiences’ Not wanted are ‘how-to’, opinion or advice articles, listicles or personal essays See website for full details of article wants and not wants Articles are generally 1,200-2,000 words long, are timely and should be ‘brisk, authoritative and smart’ The site has three sections – How We Work, How We Live and How We Think with occasional overlaps There are example article which can be read on the website In the first instance submit a pitch of a maximum three paragraphs rather than a completed article Pitches should sell your story in no more than 68 characters, say what the story is about, its immediacy and what it will accomplish Say how you will report the story, eg expert sources or case studies, and mention what the reader will learn Include also a note of your previous writing experience and why you’re the best person to write this story Email pitches to Editor Meredith Turits: Meredith.Turits@bbc.com Website: www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200417-bbc-worklifeauthor-brief Win and develop your theatre piece The 2022 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Awards for full-length plays and theatre works is underway and you have until February to submit your work No entry should have received a full production and carrying on from the idea that ‘The arts have always had strong creative connections to the sciences, including computational science’ the theme for this year’s award is ‘What does it mean to be human in a computerised world?’ Submit using the form on the website As judging will be blind not include your name on your work Do, however, include a bio and a note on the production history of your piece Also include a onepage statement saying how your piece addresses the theme and what your goals are for your submission in its current form In addition to a $5,000 honorarium for the winner their play will receive readings at the Dartmouth College VoxFest and the Northern Stage at White River Junction, Vermont, USA You should say when entering how you would use this two part development process to achieve your goals Website: https://sites.dartmouth.edu/neukominstitutelitawards/ Branch out Published in print and digital formats three times a year, West Branch is a literary magazine from the US Bucknell University and welcomes submissions of poetry, fiction and creative non fiction All submissions should be original, previously unpublished work Simultaneous submissions will be considered with the usual proviso Send, using the online submissions manager, a maximum of six poems, thirty pages of prose or three pieces of short-form fiction that is under fifteen pages long Submit poems and short-form pieces as a single file and make no more than two submissions in a given reading period Submissions are read from August to April You should gain a response within ten weeks or less although if your work is considered to be interesting this may take longer Payment rates are $50 for poetry, 5¢ per word for prose to a maximum payment of $100 for printed First North American Serial Rights or First World Serial Rights for digital publication If published you will also receive two copies of the issue containing your work and a one year subscription to the magazine Website: https://westbranchsubmissions.bucknell.edu/ More Weird Tales Submission details aren’t available yet, but the classic American pulp magazine Weird Tales has announced it is joining forces with Blackstone Publishing to launch a new print, ebook and audiobook imprint called Weird Tales Presents The new line will initially publish fifty books over the next five years, which will include ‘original novels and anthologies, compilations, and more, penned by some of the biggest names in horror and dark fiction, while also introducing new voices’ The first titles will appear in the autumn, while in 2023 a special 100 Year Weird Tales Commemorative Anthology will mark the centenary of the magazine, which – now a digital and audio title only – will also be distributed by Blackstone Jonathan Maberry, who took over as editor in 2019 will continue in his position The original Weird Tales magazine was instrumental in the careers of such leading genre writers as Ray Bradbury, Robert E Howard and HP Lovecraft Blackstone is a well-established 35-year-old independent publisher with a back catalogue of approximately 13,000 books www.writers-online.co.uk FEBRUARY 2022 67 WRITERS’ NEWS FLASHES The annual Flash 500 Short Stories Competition has a £500 first prize, for original, unpublished short fiction, 1,000-3,000 words All themes and genres are welcome, including stories for children Prizes are £500, £200 and £100 The entry fee is £7 for one story, £12 for two, £16 for three, £20 for four The closing date is 28 February 2022 Website: https:// flash500.com/ short-stories/ In an annual letter to authors, Hachette UK CEO David Shelley warned that supply chain problems are causing the ‘most extreme’ challenges he has seen in his career The Bookseller reported his annual letter to authors explained how factors including the pandemic and Brexit have led to increased costs on paper, printing and shipping costs, along with delays The problems will at least persist throughout 2022, he expected Dettie Gould won the Harvill Secker Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Award for The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin, a ‘deliciously dark thriller’ The prize, for exciting new crime fiction by writers of colour, is worth £5,000, plus a publishing deal with Harvill Secker Two runnersup were highly commended: Black Heart, Dominic Nelson-Ashley, and Grudge, Emma Allotey 68 FEBRUARY 2022 GLOBAL SPECFIC MARKET Cat talk Jenny Roche Fun speculative fiction stories about cats are invited by CatsCast, which is published in text and audio formats in the Escape Artists series As stories are speculative cats can be different from the ones we usually see and hear but should have a ‘happy, or at least hopeful ending for all featured cats’ Humour is much appreciated but not a requirement What is not wanted are graphic descriptions of cruelty to animals, depictions of sex and offensive stereotypes There are example stories you can listen to and read on the website Stories should be a maximum 6,000 words and up to three stories may be submitted during the current submission window which closes on February Submit an rtf, doc(x) or odt file using the form on the website and include a short cover letter with your name, story title and word count and mention whether it is original or a reprint You can list up to three previous publication credits you may have and any relevant experience Submissions from writers around the world are welcome as are submissions from writers who have been historically underrepresented or excluded from traditional publishing Payment rates are 8¢ per word for original fiction, flat rates of $100 for reprints over 1,500 words and $20 for flash fiction reprints of less than 1,500 words for one-time and archival rights Website: https://escapeartists net/catscast/catscast-submissionguidelines/ GLOBAL BOOK MARKET Make an impact PDR Lindsay-Salmon Puncher & Wattmann is an Australian publisher of what the editorial team call ‘sh*t-hot writing.’ Publishing since 2005, the team have ‘published over 200 titles: poetry, fiction, life writing, poetry anthologies and critical non-fiction’ They like work with ‘eclecticism, wit and iconoclasm’ and are proud to have won or be shortlisted for a variety of literary prizes As well as the main publications, Chris Brown curates the Slow Loris chapbook imprint Poetry is important to this team who offer a Puncher and Wattmann First Poetry Book Prize and co-publish World Poetry, an international, bilingual journal in English and Mandarin Submissions are open from 15 November until 30 January each year Submit to the correct email account a package with a synopsis, manuscript and short biography plus the query letter Response time is ‘around six months’ Rights and royalties are discussed with the contract Details: Puncher & Wattmann, email subs: fiction@ puncherandwattmann.com or poetry@puncherandwattmann com; website: https:// puncherandwattmann.com Rewarding indies The international Rubery Book Award 2022 is for books by indie and selfpublished writers and independent presses The winner of the book of the year category will receive £2,000, with £200 for each category winner All entries must be books that were either independently or self published Authors and publishers may enter Printed books and ebooks are both accepted, and there are no publication date restrictions The categories are fiction, young adult, children’s, biographies, non-fiction, self-help, cookery, poetry, photography The entry fee for one book is £39/$60/€50/Can$75 up to 31 January, when higher fees will apply The closing date is 31 March Website: www.ruberybookaward.com www.writers-online.co.uk G O I N G TO M A R K E T GLOBAL NON-FICTION MARKET Times for news solutions Gary Dalkin The New York Times publishes an ongoing series of personal essays called ‘Solver Stories’ devoted to various aspects of puzzles, games and our relationship to them Editor Deb Amlen says these might range from an issue you have faced and how solving puzzles helped resolve it, to a feel-good news story from the world of games and puzzles, a piece about how solving puzzles has affected a relationship, or how games and puzzles or the use of language have served as agents of cultural change The most important thing is that the writing be emotionally honest and for the story to be freshly and compellingly told As an example of the sort of story required Amlen recommends reading, The Language of Letting Go at https://writ.rs/nytsample You should send your completed essay (no pitches) to solverstories@nytimes.com It must be previously unpublished and preferably be between 800-1,300 words Do not use pseudonyms (including for yourself ), composite characters or invented situations In other words, everything must be completely true Amlen recommends including dialogue if appropriate, as this pulls the reader in and makes them feel part of the conversation Attach your submission to your email as a Word-compatible file and also paste the text of your essay into the body of the email Payment is $200 per published story Response time is around four weeks Watch out for this poetry prize The Sentinel Literary Quarterly Poetry Competition, from the magazine of world literature, is inviting entries of original, unpublished poems up to fifty lines The winner will receive £250 and there are second and third prizes of £125 and £75 There are further high commendations (3x£30), commendations (£20x3) and special mentions (£10x3) The judge is Mark Totterdell All placed poems will receive print and online publication The entry fees are £5 for one poem, £8 for two, £10 for three, £12 for four, £14 for five, £16 for seven and £22 for ten The closing date is 31 January Website: https://sentinelquarterly.com/ Searchlight on children’s stories The Searchlight Writing for Children Awards are inviting international entries for their newest contest, for Best Short Story for Children or Young Adults The competition is for original, unpublished short stories suitable for a child or young adult, up to 1,000 words The winner will receive £500 The winner and nine other shortlisted entries will be published in the Winners’ Collection, which is sent to agents and publishers, in the Winners’ Gallery on the Searchlight Awards website and in the Annual Searchlight Awards Anthology This year’s judge is literary agent Chloe Seager of the Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV and Film Agency The entry fee is £10 per story The closing date is March Website: www.searchlightawards.co.uk www.writers-online.co.uk Which way forward? Be clear about what you want publication to achieve, urges Patrick Forsyth E ssentially my theme here always relates in some way to making money from your writing But… here’s a thought Getting a book published is a goal for many Yet, unless you are very lucky, realistically achieving that goal can take some time With that in mind it may be useful to consider exactly why you want to be published To make money surely, but there are other reasons, not least just to have people (including friends and family) read what you write If you put money first and equate maximising that with getting an agent and a deal with a significant publisher, this may take time Other routes may be faster but may well make less money Here are two possibilities for books First, a small press, an outfit which does a full publishing job and ensures a good result, but which is light on publicity and is unlikely to get you into every bookshop in the land Second, there is the self-publishing option Both can be good, may make some money (and occasionally a great deal) but get your work out there Dare I add a further thought? Age If you are younger you may be prepared to take more time in an attempt to get published If you’re got less time ahead of you then a quicker route may allow you achieve your other objectives and get your work out there faster The principle here is worth considering As a final thought, I recently wrote a magazine article (about a hospice I wanted to help) and, much against my usual practice, got no fee – but I did ask for and got a free subscription and a promise to consider other ideas I might put forward FEBRUARY 2022 69 WRITERS’ NEWS FLASHES Win £1,000 for 1,000-word short fiction in the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize 2022 The international biannual prize is for original, unpublished short stories no longer than 1,000 words The winner will receive £1,000 and their entry will be published online The entry fee is £6, £10 for two and £14 for three The closing date is 31 January Website: https://oxfordflash fictionprize.com/ Independent publisher Inspired Quill, which began in a student house in Leicester, is celebrating its tenth anniversary – after weathering the Covid storm that saw many publishers suffering – by giving back to the community A free paperback will be donated to charity for every ten books sold through the IQ website: www inspired-quill.com HarperCollins has acquired Pavilion Books along with all of its imprints, except Batsford and Pitkin, which have been retained by owner and publisher Polly Powell Merlin Sheldrake won the £25,000 Royal Society Science Book Prize for Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures, which was praised by judges for its scientific rigour and for ‘illuminating an important but little understood topic’ 70 FEBRUARY 2022 ONLINE NON-FICTION MARKET Dame on Gary Dalkin Dame Magazine is an independent US news, politics and culture website for ‘women who know better’ It aims to offer both smart, fast-paced news and opinions on what matters most in women’s lives, as well as having a ‘commitment to analysis over hot takes’ It looks to provide ‘critical context around the political, cultural, and societal issues of our time’ Content ranges from breaking news to moving essays, expert advice and commentary on ‘politics, policy, gender, race, pop culture, the arts, business, economy, climate, internet culture, health and everything in-between’ Dame is ‘women-owned and women edited’, which implies that articles may be written by men, though the majority of content does have a female byline The editorial team, led by editor-in-chief Kera Bolonik, are ‘always on the lookout for great writers with great ideas’ They want ‘works that introduce new, thoughtful takes on stories that haven’t gotten a lot of attention or analysis, and fresh perspectives on those that have’ Pitches can fall into one of several categories: Essays pegged to the news are quick, semi-reported pieces that offer context or a unique perspective on something in the current news cycle Features are longform reporting, which must have a strong element of analysis Think and trend pieces explore issues that aren’t necessarily in the news but indicate wider cultural shifts First person are memoiristic or sometimes semireported personal essays Interviews can be with any interesting political figure, celebrity or personality, but should have an underlying theme Take a good look around the DAME website before pitching, then email editorial@damemagazine.com Begin with a sentence outlining your pitch Include links to clips, your website, and social media presence Don’t send attachments or pitch art, poetry or fiction Pay is between $150-$500 If you don’t have prior professional publishing credits you can still pitch to the ‘Newcomer Corner’, the goal of which is to introduce new writers to the Dame audience You can pitch to this January-15 February, then again April-15 May Newcomer guidelines are at: https://writ.rs/dameguide while regular guidelines can be found at: www damemagazine.com/about/#submission-guidelines Payment for Newcomer Corner is $150-$300 per published piece You can also send pitches via the form at https:// writ.rs/damepitch Costa shortlists The shortlists for the 50th Costa Book Awards (Whitbread from 1971-2005) was announced in November The nominated books were: 2021 Costa First Novel Award: The Manningtree Witches, AK Blakemore; Fault Lines, Emily Itami; Open Water, Caleb Azumah Nelson; The Stranding, Kate Sawyer; Unsettled Ground, Claire Fuller 2021 Costa Novel Award: Unsettled Ground, Claire Fuller; The High House, Jessie Greengrass; The Fortune Men, Nadifa Mohamed; The Island of Missing Trees, Elif Shafak 2021 Costa Biography Award: Consumed: A Sister’s Story, Arifa Akbar; The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War and Everest, Ed Caesar; Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell, John Preston; Free: Coming of Age at the End of History, Lea Ypi 2021 Costa Poetry Award: All The Names Given, Raymond Antrobus; A Blood Condition, Kayo Chingonyi; Eat Or We Both Starve, Victoria Kennefick; The Kids, Hannah Lowe 2021 Costa Children’s Book Award: Maggie Blue and the Dark World, Anna Goodall; The Crossing, Manjeet Mann; The Midnight Guardians, Ross Montgomery; The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh, Helen Rutter The category winners should be available online by the time you read this, while the overall winner will be announced on February The total prize fund is £60,000 Each of the category winners receives £5,000 and the overall winner receives a further £30,000 www.writers-online.co.uk History to the Pugmill The Pugmill Press Hidden Gem Prizes is a new contest for local history writing, with categories for essay writing and synopsis The Pugmill Press Hidden Gems Prizes from the independent Pugmill Press celebrate new local history writing and research Pugmill Press is committed to local history that tells the tales of lessknown heritage • The essay writing contest is for the best essay between 1,500 and 2,000 words related to any aspect of local history The winner will receive £75 and their essay will be published in a forthcoming compendium • The synopsis prize is for the best 300-word synopsis in relation to a book proposal on a local history topic The winner will receive £25 and a publication agreement with Pugmill Press Entry is free The closing date is 22 March For more details about Pugmill Press and how to submit to them, see p80 Website: https://pugmillpress.com/ WRITERS’ NEWS GLOBAL MAGAZINE MARKET Making History Jenny Roche Published quarterly, History Magazine is published by Moorshead Magazines and is available in North America and elsewhere by subscription It features articles that are ‘interesting rather than academic’ and relate to a phenomenon, achievement or occasion rather then a profile of a person associated with the subject For example, an article on early telephones would be preferred to an article on Alexander Graham Bell Articles are wanted, however, on unrecognised people such as engineers or inventors who have shaped the world The magazine’s articles are generally set between the fall of the Roman Empire and the end of the 1950s Examples of recently published pieces are Medieval Pilgrimages and Alice and Victoria: The Two Women Who Shaped Prince Philip’s Childhood See website for more A query is preferred to a completed article and this should contain a brief descriptive proposal of your idea with suggested section headings and the proposed word length, which should be a preferred 2,000 words A list of research sources is not a requirement at the query stage but keep hold of them if later requested by editor Edward Zapletal At the end of your query include a 20-30 word bio, suggested captions and copyright credit/permissions for any photographs Payment for published articles is 8¢ per word, and $7 for a photograph or image supplied, for First World Serial and Electronic Rights Writers from countries other than America or Canada are usually paid in US dollars although this is negotiable It is suggested that if you are new to the magazine you try writing a trivia piece of 450-550 words The origins and evolution of various customs and the historical etymologies of particular words or phrases are ideas given as suitable for trivia items Email queries as a doc/docx document or similar word processing format to: edward@moorshead.com Website: www.history-magazine.com/anotes.html UK BOOK MARKET A rare beast in the book world Tina Jackson Unicorn Publishing Group is a leading independent publisher with four distinct imprints ‘Our imprints are Unicorn, Uniform, Universe and Unify,’ explains chairman Ian Strathcarron ‘Unicorn encompasses visual art and cultural history – from beautiful artists’ monographs to creative, cultural and political biographies, to quirky, fun gift books Uniform covers military history from ancient battles to contemporary warfare; Universe is our historical fiction imprint and we have also recently launched a fourth imprint, Unify, focusing on health and wellbeing.’ Unicorn Publishing Group is an independent publishing company that was established in 2013 when four likeminded, talented individuals got together to publish artists’ monographs and exhibition catalogues ‘We soon established ourselves at the heart of art publishing and from there our list expanded and our subjects broadened to include cultural history, biography, military history, gift and historical fiction,’ said Ian ‘We have been steadily growing our company and list so hopefully we can continue to more of the same, with lots of happy authors and artists making beautiful books with us.’ UPG also includes Unicorn Sales & Distribution, which is its client publishers’ division, with worldwide sales and distribution operations ‘Our partnership clients include Imperial War Museums, Royal Museums Greenwich, Royal Armouries, Notting Hill Editions, Lee Miller Archive and most recently Exbury Gardens.’ UGP uses quality designers, editors, researchers, photographers and indexers and project managers ‘We want to create beautiful high-end books worthy of anyone’s bookshelf or coffee table,’ said Ian ‘We are a small team and enjoy celebrating the achievements of authors and artists from an array of cultural fields, introducing them to a wider audience and inspiring curiosity.’ UPG currently publishes about sixty titles a year across all four imprints and this is steadily increasing ‘We very much welcome submissions from authors and artists with an exciting body of work or a tale to tell.’ said Ian ‘Our choices depend partly on the timescale and viability of the project It is also favourable if a topic has not been written about previously or brings a new angle to a well-known subject Interesting and thoroughly researched stories are key to any submission.’ Authors who can really connect with readers are what UGP are looking for ‘Engaging authors and stories always make wonderful books as it gets readers excited and attracts publicity too For us it is about a partnership to create a book everyone is pleased with – readers, authors and publishers alike! UPG is delighted to hear from prospective authors with proposals for extensively researched and well-written books ‘If you have a project which you think might be of interest to us please www.writers-online.co.uk contact me at ian@ unicornpublishing org with as much information as you feel will be fruitful We also accept postal submissions Unicorn Publishing Group publishes primarily in hardback and paperback, with some ebook and audio editions Each book is treated individually, but normally authors are paid a yearly royalty Website: www.unicornpublishing.org FEBRUARY 2022 71 WRITERS’ NEWS FLASHES A one-woman press specialising in ‘intimate, visceral and powerful’ female narratives is to launch in 2022, reports The Bookseller, with authors including Nina Bouraoui, Caroline Lamarche, Laura Vogt, and Gemma Ruiz Palà already signed Héloïse Press will focus on books that depict ‘the global experience of women’ Website: www heloisepress.com Commentator and former cricketer Michael Holding won the £30,000 William Hill Sports Book of the Year prize for Why We Kneel, How We Rise, described by the judges as ‘one of the most important sports books you will ever read’ for its examination of the roots of racism in sport Also shortlisted, each receiving £3,000, were: Rob Burrow, Too Many Reasons to Live; Tris Dixon, Damage; Sasha Abramsky, Little Wonder, and Ed Caesar, The Moth and the Mountain The shortlist for the Portico Prize for Literature, for outstanding books by Northern writers, is: Jenn Ashworth, Ghosted; James Corbett, The Outsiders; Sairish Hussain, The Family Tree; Tabitha Lasley, Sea State; Sally J Morgan, Toto Among the Murderers; Andrew O’Hagan, Mayflies The winner, receiving £10,000, is announced on 20 January 72 FEBRUARY 2022 UK SCRIPT MARKET Have your play published Jenny Roche Original Works Publishing is a publishing and licensing house for stage plays and brands itself as a home for ‘bold, innovative, original new plays’ It publishes trade acting editions and ebooks of all stage plays in its catalogue with the exception of eTens plays which are only published in ebook form Playwrights receive standard contract fees for both print and ebook sales and a standard 80%/90% on amateur and professional production licensing Submissions are considered year round for full-length plays which have received at least eight performances in a production run and have been reviewed One-act plays of 25-45 minutes, monologue shows and fringe festival hits will also be considered and only need to have been fully produced Adaptations, translations, musicals and works for younger audiences are not wanted At the time of writing the publisher was not accepting ten-minute eTens plays but check the website for any changes Format your play as a pdf or doc file and include a cover page, short synopsis, character breakdown and your bio Include also your play’s production history with theatre company name and dates and review highlights together with quotes and award or nominations received and any available posters or logos from the productions Submit as an email attachment one complete play package per email with the play title and length in the subject line Email to: subdept@originalworksonline.com Website: www.originalworksonline.com/submit GLOBAL BOOK MARKET Make for Steerforth PDR Lindsay-Salmon US publisher Steerforth Press was launched in 1993, and the first catalogue featured a ‘Manifesto for a New Press’ which declared that ‘Our interests fall into no category, no field, no niche; our tests of a book’s worth are whether it has been written well, is intended to engage the full attention of the reader, and has something new or important to say.’ The editorial team still follow that manifesto Steerforth Press currently ‘is exclusively considering works of narrative non-fiction, such as investigative or literary journalism, true crime and history for a general audience.’ Send a query or proposal by email In 2020 the team launched a new non-fiction imprint, T2P Books (Truth to Power) The team want ‘a radical devotion to the truth, Truth to Power Books publishes personal accounts, investigative journalism and iconoclastic histories that are thoughtful and reliable, qualities at a premium in the Internet age, and that inform through storytelling, not argument.’ Submissions follow the same guidelines as for the Steerforth Press core imprint Response time is ‘slow’ Right and royalties are discussed with the contract Details: Steerforth Press, email to submissions@steerforth.com; website: http://steerforth.com Way out West Country for poets The Teignmouth Poetry Festival Poetry Competition is inviting entries of original, unpublished poems no longer than 36 lines In the open category, which will be judged by Katrina Naomi, the prizes are £600, £300 and £200 The local category for poems by Devon residents has been renamed the Graham Burchell Award for Devon Poets in tribute to the great friend of Teignmouth Poetry Festival who passed away in May The judge is Rosie Jackson and the prizes are £200, £100 and £50 The closing date is 31 January Website: www.poetryteignmouth.com www.writers-online.co.uk WRITERS’ NEWS INTRODUCTIONS Writing Magazine presents a selection of current submission calls We strongly recommend that you read back issues, familiarise yourself with their guidelines before submitting and check websites for submission details You’ll have to get your skates on but there’s still time to submit to BBC Writersroom’s open call for drama and comedy drama scripts Up to 100 shortlisted writers will be offered various opportunities including script development with the BBC’s Drama Room and Voices groups Submit scripts suitable for television, with distinctive voices and compelling characters that represent the UK in all its diversity, bearing in mind that the BBC is looking to develop writers with promising voices rather than projects The closing date is 13 January Website: www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/ opportunities/send-a-script/ Drip Action Theatre Company is inviting submissions for the Arundel Theatre Trail in 2022 Submit scripts for plays of 30-40 minutes’ duration, easily staged, with a cast of no more than four performers Seven plays will be selected and performed, alongside one specially commissioned piece, with each writer whose work is selected receiving a £200 writers’ fee The best submitted script will receive the Joy Guan Award of £250 The closing date is 31 January Website: www.dripaction.co.uk The Fiction Desk has added a call for short story submissions about books, looking at them as physical objects and exploring the role they play in people’s lives Submit original, unpublished short stories between 1,000 and 10,000 words Both realist and speculative, imaginative stories are welcomed Accepted stories are paid at a rate of £25 per 1,000 words The closing date is 31 January Website: www.thefictiondesk.com Bell Press, a Canadian smallpress publisher of literary anthologies which was founded in 2020 by Angela Caravan, is on the lookout for anthology editors, and is accepting pitches for new anthologies To date Bell Press has published anthologies of fiction, poetry, essays and creative nonfiction about imagined timelines and memory, history and inheritance Editors whose anthology pitches are accepted are paid royalties at the same rate as writers Website: https://bellpressbooks.com/ Prestigious Irish litmag The Stinging Fly will be publishing an All New Writers issue in November 2022, featuring stories, poems and essays by writers new to the magazine Submissions for this will be accepted during the early months of 2022 Accepted fiction and non-fiction is paid at a rate of €35 per magazine page, and poetry at €25 per page (with a minimum payment of €60 per poem) Website: https://stingingfly.org/ submissions/ Ghost Orchid Press will be opening submissions early in 2022 for Rewired: An Anthology of Neurodiverse Horror Short horror fiction is invited on themes of perception, communication and the idea of being ‘differently wired’ Submit original, unpublished short fiction between 1,000 and 6,000 words The closing date is 30 April Website: https://ghostorchidpress.com/ submission-calls/ UK LITERARY MARKET Dream on PDR Lindsay-Salmon Lucent Dreaming is a British biannual print and online magazine with an editorial team intent on publishing ‘beautiful, strange and surreal short stories, poetry and artwork from contributors worldwide’ Submissions are open until February Writers must have read a recent issue or be a subscriber in order to submit work Writers who cannot afford it or access the magazine at their library, should email dreaminglucent@gmail.com to receive a free copy Stories, 1,500 to 3,999 words, should be ‘beautifully written fiction,’ and the team like ‘writing which embraces and explores inner-lives’ They want characters they ‘can root for and care about’, and prefer ‘longer fiction where they can see character development’ Fantastic fantasy yes, but not ‘Zombies, vampires, werewolves, especially sexy ones,’ or ‘Elves, dwarves, and other fantasy scenarios that come across as LOTR fan fiction’ Submit online using their submissions system Stories should be unpublished, saved in a doc/docx file and be formatted in standard manuscript format The team also run an international writing competition for unpublished poetry and short stories The competition opens this month on the theme of ‘hope’ with a first prize of £1,000 Response time is ‘up to eight weeks’ For payment, the fixed rate is £100 and a free contributor copy, per word approximately 2.5p-6p per word, for exclusive first rights Website: https://lucentdreaming.com A tight screw The Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition, The Ghost Story’s Winter 2022 contest, has a $1,000 first prize, for original, unpublished fiction on supernatural or uncanny themes between 250 and 1,000 words Stories may be any kind of fiction that engages with the uncanny or paranormal, from ghost stories to magic realism The winner will receive $1,000 and two runners-up will each get $200 All three winners will be published online, and in TGS’s print anthology, 21st Century Ghost Stories – Volume III This year’s judge is Tara Lynn Masih The entry fee is $15 The closing date is 31 January Website: www.theghoststory com FEBRUARY 2022 73 WRITERS’ NEWS FLASHES UK LITERARY MARKET London literary agency Lovetovisit.com is a new travel website launched in December 2021 and editor Jack D Wynn is looking for pitches from London-based journalists on fun and exciting things to in the capital in 2022 If you’d like to write about some great but little known place in London that few have ever come across before then pitch Jack on Twitter @mrjackdwynn The ‘sobering’ This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The cyber weapons arms race, by Nicole Perlroth, has won the 2021 Financial Times and McKinsey Book of the Year Award Awarded for ‘the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues’, the prize is worth £30,000 to the winner, with £10,000 for each of six shortlisted authors The White Review has launched a £10,000 crowdfunding appeal to safeguard its future after struggling to weather the combined impact of Covid and Brexit The literature and culture quarterly, which recently celebrated its tenth birthday, has faced tougher competition for public funding, rising production and distribution costs and new VAT regulations Rewards for donors include back issues, books and a manuscript consultation Website: www thewhitereview.org 74 FEBRUARY 2022 Jenny Roche the time of writing the agency was not accepting poetry, short stories, screenplays, radio plays or theatre scripts See website for any changes Submissions should be made to the relevant agent See website for each agent’s submissions policy and if they would like to receive submissions by post or email For all submissions send, as a doc or pdf file, a cover letter with a brief biography, a one page synopsis and the first three consecutive chapters, or first fifty pages of your book Email submissions as an attachment Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film agency has been around for over thirty years and considers itself to be ‘the most commercially minded agency in London’ It has many bestselling authors on its list and has a reputation for ‘talent spotting authors and launching careers’ The Agency’s list includes thrillers, mysteries, psychological suspense, crime, horror, fantasy, chick-lit, accessible literary, comedy, women in jeopardy, sagas, historical works, children’s and YA fiction At Postal submissions should not be sent in bound book form and should include a SAE if you would like your work to be returned There is a blog you can consult for further guidance on the submission process in addition to information, tips and guidance on getting your work ready for submission Details: Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency, Estelle House, 11 Eustace Road, London SW6 1JB; website: www darleyanderson.com/submissions GLOBAL FICTION MARKET Into the Knight PDR Lindsay-Salmon Small indie Knight Writing Press has a founder editor, Sam Knight, who loves short stories He prefers the kind that makes a reader forget where they are and what they were doing Knight Writing Press publishes only anthologies using a shared royalty system through Draft2Digital Read the sample contract and the details about this at the website and make sure to read each anthology’s guidelines • Magic Portals needs ‘stories about magic portals that open up to other places, other worlds, other times, or just other Where to, and what happens there is up to the writer.’ Stories should be no more than 7,000 words Anything under 2,000 words is classed as flash fiction The deadline is February • The Wishing Well anthology needs stories about wishes granted ‘Whether they played out the way the wisher wanted is up to you.’ Max length is 7,000 words Deadline is February • The Mermaidens anthology is a little different The team want writers to think about the mermaid’s tail problem Either they want to get rid of their tail to walk or they want to their tail back to swim again or they love a tail-less person Writers should come up with a story, 100 to 7,000 words, any genre, dealing with the tail problem The deadline is March • The Modern Magic anthology looks for stories which apply a little magic in today’s world A little something special that gives someone an advantage No stories about ‘witches and warlocks surrounded by vampires and werewolves that hide in the shadows,’ the team want stories ‘of real, everyday people, in our real, everyday world, and that one little magic charm they found, or that one spell they learned that actually works, or that one gift they were born with, and how they can make it work for them in today’s world And maybe how it works against them, too…’ Deadline is April For each anthology, reprints, poetry, flash fiction, and B&W art are welcome Multiple and simultaneous submissions are acceptable Submit by email: enrapturing.tales@gmail.com Response time is ‘reasonable’ Payment is a royalty share for ‘worldwide, nonexclusive, English Language publication rights, for both print and electronic, for as long as the anthology remains in print.’ Website: https://knightwritingpress.com Quick, Rescue Open for submissions until 15 January, Rescue Press call themselves ‘an independent publisher of chaotic and investigative work’ They publish work by ‘activists, artists, craftsmen, list-makers, philosophers, poets, scientists, writers, and creative thinkers of all kinds’ and like ‘collections of artwork, comics, essays, experiments, how-tos, interrogations, manifestos, notes, poetry, stories, and anything else that transforms us’ They will read manuscripts in any genre which fits their brief Query by email with a cover letter ‘introducing yourself, your previous work, and your www.writers-online.co.uk manuscript’ Attach the full-length manuscript, of 55-350 pages in a pdf or doc file, by email: rescuesubmissions@gmail.com Response time is ‘by early summer 2022’ Rights and Royalties are discussed with the contract Website: www.rescuepress.co.uk ONLINE NON-FICTION MARKET Buzzy book coverage Gary Dalkin Farrah Penn, editor of Buzzfeed Books, a section of the hugely popular Buzzfeed news and entertainment website, is accepting pitches She is looking for roundups, quizzes, book content related to film and TV adaptations, and ‘Anything out of the box,’ for which she gives an example of a feature titled ‘25 Thoughts I Had While Watching 10 Things I Hate About You For The First Time As A Big Shakespeare Nerd’: https://writ.rs/buzzybits That should give you the idea that Buzzfeed Books isn’t looking for anything highbrow, and a quick visit confirms that any successful pitch will be aimed squarely at the popular end of the market There is a particularly strong emphasis on list-style articles, including ‘A Former Librarian Shared 15 Secrets And Stories About Working At A Library, And Some Of These Are Very Juicy’, ‘22 Famous Sayings With Weird Origins You Might Not Know’ and numerous pieces about every possible aspect of the Harry Potter franchise Pitch your idea to buzzfeedpitches@buzzfeed.com and cc Penn at farrah.penn@ buzzfeed.com She strongly recommends reading some of the content posted at www buzzfeed.com/books so that you don’t pitch something similar to post they just ran Payment is $100-$300 depending on the length and format of each piece Your story could blow up Word Balloon Books is a modern hybrid press with a podcast and unusual books, many of which are graphic They sell print editions at comic cons, Renaissance fairs and book festivals and are very popular with the balloon books and anthologies appropriate for readers aged ten and up Currently there are three anthologies needing stories, all with a deadline of 11 February Keep the word count around or under 3,000 and reprints are welcome Submit by email: submissions@inorbit.com Rockets and Robots needs science fiction adventure stories set on alien worlds, space ships, or the post-21st century future Beware the Bugs needs stories about giant bugs (or, perhaps, normal sized bugs and tiny humans?) Paradoxical Pets seeks stories about ‘wondrous pets, be they alien, magical, artificial, or common pets with some special power.’ Fantasy or science fiction stories are welcome Response time is ‘reasonable’ Payment for all anthologies is 1¢ per word advanced against royalties, with a possible bonus based on crowdfunding plus copies Website: www.jamesmaxey.net/word-balloon-book-anthologies.html Writers help writers The Writers’ Co-op grew from ‘a small group of writers, published and unpublished, who met on the Book Country website’ They established a website marketing platform, for which articles about writing from writers anywhere are welcome Each year they publish an anthology, The Rabbit Hole, and are now open to submissions of stories and poems for the 2022 anthology, Just Plain Weird, the fifth in the series They want writers ‘to explore how “weird” fits into numerous genres or themes a wide range of stories, with the protagonist(s) transiting from the land of the normal to some other place a journey into the strange and different’ Their definition of weird does not always mean outlandish and could be ‘subtle, discreet, even furtive’ Stories, no more than 5,000 words, and flash fiction is accepted Poems and experimental work are also accepted Submit by email with ‘Co-op submission’ in the subject line, to: rabbitholecoopiv@gmail.com The deadline is 30 April Response time is ‘reasonable Payment is a share in the anthology royalties Website: https://writercoop.wordpress.com www.writers-online.co.uk Novel Ideas What a wonderful week It’s important to remember when things go right, says Lynne Hackles B ack in September I was having a slow time The ideas weren’t coming and it was ages since I’d written a new short story then, out of the blue, came a request from a magazine The editor was asking if I could write a Christmas story for him That was on Monday It was the start of a Wonderful Week A request like that, I discovered, was the equivalent to a good kick up the backside because I wrote the first draft on Tuesday I played about with it on Wednesday, sent it off on Thursday and on Friday found the editor’s reply ‘I love it,’ he said ‘You should really make a postcard or something of all the good things that’ve happened to you this week – something you can have handy for next time things aren’t going well,’ wrote my cyber-sister, Glynis Scrivens, in her daily email ‘It will help keep alive the memory of the positive stuff We all need reminding.’ And that’s what I did ‘It’s always lovely when an editor emails to say how much they like your work I keep those ones in a separate file,’ emailed Simon Whaley I did that too I’d told Simon all about it when he came to visit on the Wednesday and updated him on Friday He was staying nearby and his visit helped make my Wonderful Week as we hadn’t seen each other for a long time These times don’t happen often A good day is more usual A whole week is a real gift I urge you to keep a file or a book of all the good things that happen in your writing life When you get rejections or think you have writer’s block or your Muse has gone awol, you will have proof that there have been good times and, I promise, they’ll be back FEBRUARY 2022 75 WRITERS’ NEWS FLASHES Win a £500 prize for 21st century fables written in the style of the great Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson for the international competition from The RLS Club Prizes are £500 for the winner, and £100 for the runnerup Enter original, unpublished fables, no longer than 350 words Entry is free The closing date is April Website: www mrrls.com/fable Waterstones named Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present its Book of the Year for 2021 Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s Julia and the Shark won the Children’s Gift of the Year award Blackwell’s Book of the Year was Amia Srinivasan’s ‘conversationchanging’ title The Right to Sex, and Non-Fiction Book of the Year Meanwhile, the fiction winner was Francis Spufford’s Light Perpetual and Alastair Chisholm’s Adam-2 took the children’s award Christie J Newport won the inaugural Joffe Books Prize for Crime Writers of Colour for Branded, the first instalment of her police procedural series Her prize includes a deal; the book will be published in the autumn The new competition celebrates underrepresented writers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, for debut, previously published or selfpublished books It reopens for submissions in May 76 FEBRUARY 2022 GLOBAL NON-FICTION MARKET Neverending Chicken Soup PDR Lindsay-Salmon The editors of the Chicken Soup anthologies want to cheer us all up in the covid pandemic and seek stories about ‘Crazy, eccentric, wacky, lovable, fun family members’ The stories must be true and names may be changed to protect the author and the family member The editorial team want true stories and poems about those family members written with ‘love and appreciation, please No mean-spirited stories wanted.’ Think of their faux pas, gaffes of all kinds, eccentricity, at family events like weddings and funerals, birthdays and gift-giving The deadline is 30 April Closing on 28 February is Counting Your Blessings/Attitude of Gratitude, an anthology for stories to help people tough it out during the pandemic, ‘finding the silver linings, and counting your blessings, whether the challenges you are facing are Covid-19 related or other kinds’ Limit stories to 1,200 words or fewer, in first-person POV Stories in the books are from as diverse a group of writers as possible, ‘including the LGBTQ community and people of all ethnicities, nationalities, and religions’ Response time is slow Payment is $200 and ten free copies For submission detail, and other future titles needing stories, see the website: https://writ.rs/chicken GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET Right up your street Jenny Roche A US annual literary anthology, Upstreet is open to submissions of fiction and creative non-fiction until March Founding editor and publisher Vivian Dorsel likes unusual topics or familiar topics told in an unusual way and likes to hear an ‘interesting, distinctive, narrative voice, one that will keep the reader engaged from beginning to end’ Selections from previous anthologies can be read on the website All submissions must be a maximum 5,000 words and not wanted are previously published work and pieces which have a political theme/topic or contain ‘partisan political references’ Mention when submitting if your piece is submitted elsewhere and let editors know immediately if it becomes accepted elsewhere Payment, made upon publication, is $50-$250 per fiction or non-fiction piece plus a complimentary copy of the anthology Submit, using the online submissions manager, no more than two fiction or non-fiction pieces, each submitted separately Poetry submissions are only considered by invitation Queries can be emailed to: poetry1@upstreet-mag.org Website: https://upstreet-mag.org/guidelines/ UK TRUE LIFE MARKET Read this, please Tina Jackson The Borough Press is inviting submissions for bestselling novelist Joanna Cannon’s non-fiction project, Will You Read This, Please? Joanna is a former doctor of psychiatry, and this project is a book of real-life stories, written by professional authors, based on the lived experience of people in the UK who have faced mental illness Stories are welcomed across the spectrum of mental illnesses and experiences, and the project’s perspective is that everyone’s story is unique and valuable People whose story is chosen will work with a writer to tell their story on their own terms The pieces will be assembled into a collection that will be published by www.writers-online.co.uk The Borough Press and everyone whose story is selected will receive £1,000 and a share of royalties In the first instance, people interested in sharing their story are invited to fill in a form, downloadable from the website, that includes completing a 500-word account of the mental health condition, how it was treated, and what the experience felt like Submissions are open until February Website: www.boroughpress.co.uk/submissions/ WRITERS’ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ZINE SCENE McCoy’s Monthly is a zine with a team who despise literary conventions They like to publish ‘original, unique writing unrestricted’ by conventions of what is literary They also like writers of all backgrounds and styles Submit long or short stories, no word limit, ‘Genre stories are welcome, but they must more than check genre boxes They must stand out.’ Read back issues, guidelines, and what the editors think about writing on the website: www.mccoysmonthly.com Submit a doc or pdf file by email: editorinchief@mccoysmonthly.com Response time is usually ‘within a month.’ Payment is $20 per story Space Squid is a ‘hybrid publication of hand-scrubbed SF, fantasy, and humour’ They ‘accept and publish any media within our technical abilities, including but not limited to fiction, art, comics, music, spoken word, features, humor, lists, DVD commentaries, and xeroxable found objects’ The team hate being bored so the zine is ‘oriented to people who are bored easily It doesn’t have to be S.F It doesn’t have to be funny.’ They even accept fantasy, bizarro, and experimental, just don’t be boring Submit stories, 750 to 2,000 words Response time is less than 45 days Payment is $5 Website: www.spacesquid.com Synthetic Reality Magazine is a brand new digital and limited printrun magazine of new SF, fantasy, SHTF, slipstream, horror, sword and sorcery and surreal fiction Submit stories up to 5,000 words They are open to poetry other genres, especially humour, and articles, up to 2,000 words, on the writing process Submit through the website: http://syntheticrealitymagazine.com Response time is ‘about three weeks.’ Payment is 1¢ per word plus three copies Typeslash Review is a new fiction journal showcasing all types of writing ‘from emerging and established writers alike, regardless of age or background’ Their tastes ‘skew more lyrical and literary’, but they like ‘fiction that takes you on a ride of sensory indulgence’ Submissions for short stories and flash are always open unless stated on the guidelines page on the website: https:// typeslashreview.wordpress.com Cover letters are optional, but the team ‘love seeing a friendly email’: typeslashreview@gmail.com Response time is ‘within a week.’ There is no payment yet Short Story Stack wants to create a library of short stories of all genres for their subscribers Writers with a collection of already published short stories might like to consider submitting as reprints are welcomed The team has chosen a novel way to encourage writers to submit: a large pay out in a special kind of competition One chosen winner each month receives a base payment of $100 ‘plus 50% of the subscription revenue Submit stories, 6,000-10,000 words, by the end of each month, as a doc or Google doc file, to: shortstorystack@gmail.com Website: https://shortstory.substack.com Not Another Lit Mag is a new online literary magazine, publishing ‘literary works inspired and informed by pop culture’ They are open to ‘nostalgia, current obsessions, or criticisms of badly aged content, and so forth’ They love film parodies and pastiche which ‘cement the idea that old tropes and references can be recreated into something new and fresh’ Submit creative fiction and non-fiction up to 2,000 words, for flash up to three pieces each under 750 words, or up to five poems, by email: notanotherlitmagazine@gmail.com Response time is ‘reasonable.’ Payment is $15 for first-time electronic publishing rights Website: www.notanotherlitmag.com The Blood Pudding is a boutique online publisher of microfiction, flash fiction, short stories, nonfiction, poetry and art Editors Liam Kim and Heather Feather, like ‘raw voices, stories about the human condition and untold perspectives’ They www.writers-online.co.uk by PDR Lindsay-Salmon enjoy work set around ‘Imperfection(s) Vulnerability Mistakes Being alone Empathy And The Big The Bad The MadBad Weirds.’ Submit flash fiction, 1-1,000 words, stories and non-fiction, 1,000-4,000 words, and poems of any length, through the website: http://thebloodpudding.com Response time is ‘within 12 weeks’ Payment is $40 per piece Breath & Shadow is the online literary zine of Ability Maine, ‘a space for gathering and sharing information about living with disabilities’ The journal is ‘exclusively written and edited by people living with disabilities’ of all ages The editorial team accepts writing on any topic for poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and drama, which not have to be about disability, but non-fiction, academic, and similar articles (profiles, interviews, opinion pieces) They’re particularly seeking work ‘that speaks to living, beingness, inspiration, imagination, spirit, expiration, endings, movement of time, shadow sides, hiddenness, mystery, darkness,’ and especially want writers to be casting new light on the subject For poetry, submit up to three poems, written or as audio/video links For prose, the limit is 3,000 words Any subject matter or style of creative nonfiction is accepted Query if you have an idea for a non-fiction article, such as interviews with people involved with the disability movement (artists, writers, leaders, activists), reviews of books, performances, movies, etc, as they relate to disability, and insightful commentary on trends or issues facing the disability community Be aware that ‘inspirational stories of people overcoming their disability, or simply coming to terms with it, morality tales, ‘singsongy rhyming “Hallmark card” type poems’, medical articles, stories about cures or miracle treatments, or religious agendas are not wanted or accepted This magazine is about living well and enjoying life Submit with full details and an indication of your disabilities by email: breathandshadow@gmail.com Response time is reasonable Payment is $20 for poetry, $30 for fiction and non-fiction Website: www.abilitymaine.org FEBRUARY 2022 77 WRITERS’ NEWS FLASHES Wildfire Words New Voices First Pamphlet Competition 2022 is for first collections by poets aged 25 and under The winning entry will be published as a 32 pamphlet, plus fifty copies and publication in wildfire words Enter ten original and unpublished poems The entry fee is £10 until 31 January, then £12 The closing date is 28 February Website: https:// wildfire-words com/newvoices-2022 Marjoleine Kars won the $75,000 Cundill History Prize for Blood on the River: A chronicle of mutiny and freedom on the wild coast, a researchled account of a little-known slave rebellion in 1763 in a Dutch colony in present-day Guyana Website: www cundillprize.com Sarah Harkness won the Biographer’s Club’s £2,000 Tony Lothian Prize for uncommissioned biographies for her proposal, Alexander Macmillan, Advocate for the Ignorant – The Life and Times of a Victorian Publisher Mathelinda Nabugodi won the £10,000 Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award for first-time writers who need support to finish their books, for The Trembling Hand: Reflections of a Black Woman in the Romantic Archive Runnersup were novelists Yasmine Awwad, for The Shrills, and Sophie Meadows, for The Frog, each receiving £1,000 78 FEBRUARY 2022 GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET Subs open all year at Black Lawrence PDR Lindsay-Salmon Black Lawrence Press is a US indie publishing contemporary poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction The editorial team find their authors through annual contests and open reading periods They seek ‘innovative, electrifying, and thoroughly intoxicating manuscripts that ensnare themselves in our hearts and minds and won’t let go.’ The Big Moose Prize, the open competition for novels, is open until 31 January, followed by the Hudson Prize for poetry and short story collections, open Feb-31 March, the Spring Black River Chapbook Competition for poetry and prose chapbooks, April31 May, the St Lawrence Book Award, July-31 August and the Fall Black River Chapbook Competition, Sept-31 Oct There are also general open reading periods during June and November Submit only the correct form for the period, after checking specific guidelines for each one on the website: https:// blacklawrencepress.com Response time is reasonable Rights and royalties are discussed with the contract A new way to tell a story Writers interested in AI technology and what it can for their writing might like to start with a look at Chatables, a friendly place to find out how to work with and turn writing into sound The creator, Amy Stapleton, offers good support for beginners and a simple way to get used to writing for audio Chatables uses ‘the voice technology powering Amazon Alexa to create virtual characters who invite you to join them in fun interactive stories’ – effectively turning an audiobook into a two-way conversation between the narrator and listener, available through its app, Storyteller Cafe Chatables is geared towards being company for the lonely Writers will be guided through the Expresso scripting editor, which Amy says makes it easy to write interactive dialogue or ‘script flowing conversations for your chatbot or virtual human’ Writing must be for an adult audience and written with the four cafe characters in mind (they are Maddison, Alex, Lilly and Collin) ‘so that one or more of these adult voices may realistically “voice” the www.writers-online.co.uk character(s) in the story’ The piece must contain ‘an interaction with the listener at least once every 2½ minutes,’ but more frequently is preferred Keep it clean and decent, PC and kind Think of friendly chat between old friends The hardest part about writing for listeners is giving them ‘an active and understandable role in the story’ Episodes are short, usually 2-6 minutes, and should be part of a series Stories must absorb the listener in action happening in the present, rather than relating past events Use questions that make the listener feel like they are part of and having an influence over the events in the story, and draw them into conflicts or sticky situations Website: www.chatables.com A ONLINE NON-FICTION MARKET Political pulse G TR IN L W RI E T V Queer and here! The new PFD Queer Fiction Prize 2022 has categories for LGBTQIA+ adult, young adult and children’s fiction Launched by literary agency PFD, the prize for new writers is intended to discover emerging talent The competition is for unagented writers working on fiction who have not previously published a full-length novel or picture book Manuscripts don’t need to be completed at the time of entry Works don’t need to address the LGBTQIA+ experience (although the judges are particularly interested in entries with LGBTQIA+ characters and themes) but must be written by writers who identify as LGBTQIA+ Winners will be signed to the agency and supported to complete their novels • The adult category is for upmarket and literary fiction in all categories It will be judged by author Okechukwu Nzelu and agent Cara Lee Simpson Submit three chapters and a synopsis • The young adult category is for YA fiction across all genres, and will be judged by author E Latimer and agents Silvia Molteni and Lucy Irvine Submit three chapters and a synopsis • The children’s category is for middle grade and chapter books across all genres, and will be judged by E Latimer, Silvia Molteni and Lucy Irvine Submit three chapters and a synopsis Entry is free The closing date is March Website: https://writ.rs/pfdqueerfictionprize N K Novara Media is a UK multimedia outlet founded in 2011 which specialises in ‘political commentary that addresses the defining issues of the 21st century’ They publish opinion, news and features Opinion pieces are usually short-form commentary and analysis on unfolding political developments News and features focus on original reporting about issues that matter to Novara Media’s audience, which is heavily left-leaning with a strong concern for social justice, anti-racism and environmental issues Many articles are commissioned from writers already known to the editorial team, led by head of articles Charlotte England, but they ‘also welcome pitches from prospective writers’ Before pitching, read the website at https://novaramedia.com to get an idea of the house style and preferred approach What they are definitely not interested in includes academic essays, gossip, ‘hit’ pieces, poems, fiction, conspiracy theory-based pieces or news that is likely to have been covered extensively elsewhere Recent articles have included a series examining why disability is a political issue, a look at the role of the media in climate breakdown and how Islamophobia is ‘fed to us from the top’ Editors will try to respond within five days, but if your pitch is especially time-sensitive state this in your email’s subject line For opinion pieces send your pitch to opinion@novaramedia.com For news and features pitch to news@novaramedia.com For all other enquiries relating to articles, email Charlotte England at charlotte@novaramedia.com Payment is £100-£175 per published piece W Gary Dalkin O W-H O Short and sweet Succinct descriptions can work wonders, says Patrick Forsyth t may all change again, but as I write the UK government’s red countries list has shrunk to a handful Dare I think a holiday I’ve rescheduled three times might actually happen? The amount of travel being undertaken seems to be increasing and there are now predictions of capacity problems as people (some of whom have saved a good deal of money in lockdown) now rush to book That said, wherever one goes (or just recalls or researches) one thing that often needs to feature in travel writing is description of the culture or character of a country or place For example, Songkran, the Thai New Year, is in April (the hottest month in that country) and is celebrated with gusto and much water It started reflecting the Buddhist custom of a light sprinkling of water being a symbol of purification Now it is an excuse for music, dance, eating and drinking and soaking everyone you meet with as big a quantity of water as can be managed If someone approaches you in the street with a bucket: beware Much can be written about such things and doing so can illustrate more than just the event, but provide an insight into peoples’ attitudes and more Equally it’s possible to conjure an image in a few well-chosen words that say a great deal more than their number suggests is possible Another characteristic of the Thais is their attitude to time Ask what word in Thai is equivalent to manana and you are likely to be told that there is no word with the same degree of urgency Such quips are useful, adding feeling and description, and maybe producing a smile too Pure description can also be brief and yet a powerful job I believe it was Peter Mayle in A Year in Provence who described a typical Italian square as being like the result of a parking competition for the blind I love that and I love things like that: by picking something that might seem mundane so much is said about Italian character Let me end with another favourite Paul Theroux, whose travel has involved many a train journey, wrote: A train is not a vehicle A train is part of the country A train is a place It’s not always easy to be so succinct, but if you can, a few words can a great deal of describing for you I FEBRUARY 2022 79 WRITERS’ NEWS FLASHES The Baen Memorial Short Story Award for short stories up to 8,000 words on the near future of manned space exploration offers publication online at industry pro rates Entry is free The closing date is February Website: www baen.com/contestjbmssa Journalist Philip Clark and novelist and essayist Javier Montes won the British Library Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer’s Award, each earning £20,000 and a year’s writing residency at the British Library to develop their forthcoming books using the Library’s Americas collections Website: www bl.uk/writers-award Sarah Maycock won the £2,000 2021 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award for Sometimes I Feel: A Menagerie of Feelings Big and Small Runner-up was I Am Not a Label by Cerrie Burnell The Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers of Colour (formerly The Gollancz and Rivers of London BAME SFF Award), shortlist is as: A Shadow in Chains, MH Ayinde; The Sawling, Jordan Collins; Frankincense, Salma Ibrahim; In the City of Villages, Franchesca Liauw; Margot, Who Is Beautiful Now, Bea Pantoja; The Warden, Madeehah Reza; Contracts Made in Gold, Aqeelah Seedat; A Box Full of Stories, Fatima Taqvi 80 FEBRUARY 2022 UK NON-FICTION MARKET Stories, previously untold Tina Jackson Pugmill Press is a new independent non-fiction publisher that wants to tell stories that are, or have been, overlooked ‘We are looking for lesser-known and untold stories,’ said editor Ada Jenkins ‘We not publish academic or instructional nonfiction, but rather seek the creative and untold subjects which more commercial publishers may overlook or neglect What we would love most of all would be to publish something previously unknown or unappreciated, but which is powerful and engaging ’ Pugmill is just starting out on its publishing journey ‘We are a new publisher, having published our first book in October 2021,’ said Ada ‘The story behind Pugmill Press originates from a frustration with some existing publishers who overlook material that is both fascinating and important, but which may have less commercial appeal Pugmill Press also seeks to pay authors a fair amount for their creative work, something which mainstream publishers not always prioritise We want Pugmill Press to produce high-quality material and are committed to rewarding our authors for the considerable time, effort, and passion it takes to complete their book.’    Pugmill Press aims to publish four titles in the coming year ‘However, if things go well, we may release more publications, and we would certainly aim to increase this number year-onyear Our emphasis, however, is on quality rather than quantity ‘ A good book for Pugmill Press is one which has a compelling story to tell ‘We are firmly a nonfiction publisher, but our books must have something interesting and captivating about their subject and content,’ said Ada ‘Our first book, Scotland’s Tall Chimneys, for example, takes an aspect of industrial heritage and celebrates it, even though tall chimneys are often overlooked in favour of structures such as lighthouses and bridges This is the type of book that we aspire to publish, telling the stories untold.’ Ada encourages prospective writers to believe in the stories they want to tell, or retell ‘Our advice to prospective authors would be simple: have confidence in your own work; if you have a compelling nonfiction story to tell, not be afraid to put it forward for publication Not everything in publishing must be about mass market appeal and enormous commercial success To us, the best non-fiction work is that which is underappreciated Consider your knowledge and area of expertise and try to weave that into something compelling Once you have done that, send your idea to us for consideration On a more practical level, we would also encourage prospective authors to think carefully about illustrations and how easily these could be obtained and at what cost, as this is something which authors sometimes forget to take into consideration.’ Well-thought-out submissions are welcomed ‘We would invite prospective authors to send in a synopsis of 350 words detailing the core idea behind the book,’ said Ada ‘We will then, if we feel the idea is viable, seek further information An idea about potential stockists of the book and opportunities for review is also good We’re excited to hear from you!’ Pugmill Press pays royalties and primarily publishes in print ‘Our first books are heavily illustrated and, therefore, not work well as ebooks, although this is something we may look at in the future We believe that physical books, if designed well and printed using good quality materials, are beautiful objects, and this is will always be our primary format We have aspirations to publish some hardback titles going forward ‘ Details: email: pugmill-press@ gmail.com; website: https:// pugmillpress.com/ Write for Rosemary The Rosemary Goodacre Memorial Short Story Competition is a new award in memory of the saga writer, for fiction on the theme of ‘friendship’ Rosemary died in October 2020, five days before the publication of her trilogy The Derwent Chronicles by Hera Books The new contest has been organised by Rosemary’s friends to commemorate her life, with the proceeds going to her favourite charity, Spadework The winner will receive £150, and there are second and third prizes of £100 and £50 Enter original, unpublished short stories on the ‘friendship’ theme, up to 1,500 words The entry fee is £7.50 per story The closing date is 31 March Website: https://writ.rs/rosemarygoodacre www.writers-online.co.uk