September 2009

Edinburgh Fringe comedy - no laughing matter?

'Beyond the named performers who dominate the large venues such as the Pleasance, its formulaic nature has rather degraded the genre of fringe comedy. Much of the club comedy has degenerated into little more than crowd manipulation with the compere, bursting with enthusiasm, telling them just how brilliant the next person is going to be...'

The Edinburgh Fringe

At the Edinburgh Book Festival

Edinburgh snippets

John Jenkins

Our first column from the former editor of Writers' Forum is entitled 'Move over Harry Potter' and  is about Joe Delaney, who followed his agent's advice to switch to writing for children - and is having a remarkable success.

Latest changes in the book trade: publishing

In the second part of this series, Chris Holifield gives an update on recent changes in the publishing world, including conglomeratisation, the effects of recession and an even greater focus on bestsellers.

First article: Bookselling

My Say by Jae Watson

'Before publication I wondered what the key was, the magic formula. I attended conferences and literary festivals, nurturing a fading hope of finding the answer. Here are the things I gleaned, helping me cross that fine, elusive line dividing unpublished and published writers...'

Self-publish your way through the recession

First published in the spring issue of The Self-Publishing Magazine, this article by Chris Holifield looks at what's going on in the publishing world and why it might make sense to consider self-publishing.

Review of The Weekend Novelist Redrafts the Novel

by Robert J Ray

'For the first-time redrafter, Ray’s methods provide a good foundation, and most importantly, they use a clear timetable. Over eighteen weekends (that is, four and a half months), a writer can carry out the work necessary for an effective rewrite of a novel, and have the manuscript ready to go.'

Choosing a Service

Are you having difficulty deciding which service might be right for you?  This useful new article by Chris Holifield offers advice on what to go for, depending on what stage you are at with your writing.

We Watch the web for writers

Our huge section on technology and the web, and how writers can make use of them, takes you from beginner-level articles to advanced technology.

Tips for Writers Our new series for writers:

Improving your writing, Learning on the job, New technology and the Internet, Self-publishing - is it for you?,  Promoting your writing (and yourself), Other kinds of writing, Keep up to date and Submission to publishers and agents

Help for Writers

Check out this page to find links to the huge number of useful articles on this site, including Finding an Agent and Making Submissions.

Our Editorial Services for writers

The Ins and Outs of Indexing

'Very few works of non-fiction can do without an index of some description... If the reader is lucky, the index will allow them to find the term they seek and take them immediately to a relevant and useful mention of that term or concept... So why can’t a computer programme achieve this?

Joanne Phillips' article on Indexing looks at why non-fiction books need them, why it's a specialist job and why computers can't achieve the same result as a skilled indexer.

Our new Indexing service

A professional index is essential for any work of non-fiction. Readers expect to find a useful, well-presented index at the back of a book, and can get very frustrated if the index doesn’t quickly lead them to the information they seek.
 

• Are you an author planning to compile your own index?
• Have you been asked by your publisher to provide an index for your book?
• Are you self-publishing your work? If so, don’t let your readers down by offering them a sub-standard index.

 A professional index will set your work apart from other self-published books. Indexing need not be expensive – and an effective index is the key to a good non-fiction book.

Don't give up the day job

It’s a common enough fantasy for writers: maybe now I can leave that dreary job and devote myself whole-heartedly to writing... Perhaps you’ve even been indulging in it as you lay on the beach this summer, or more likely spent your precious holiday working on your latest novel.

Morpurgo on writing for children

A report from the Winchester Writers' Conference

'The road which led to Michael Morpurgo’s appointment as Children’s Laureate did not get off to a good start. His primary schools in the 60s taught him to fear words. But then, like many boys of that time, he discovered that there were comic books that told all the classic stories with skilful imagery and a minimal use of words which might be challenging to their young readers.'

The business of writing

by Joanne Phillips

'Writing is undoubtedly a creative art...  But writing is also a business, with invoices to raise, accounts to be submitted and records to be kept. Writers, like artists, can find themselves floundering when it comes to the ‘business end’ of the job. Read on for our easy-to-follow guide to the business of writing...'

Review of Writers’ Market UK and Ireland 2010

New Categories series

Writing Romance

This is the third article in a new series by Chris Holifield which will cover the major writing genres. It looks at romance, which is dominated in the UK and the US by Mills and Boon Harlequin, which brings out 120 books a month.  Study their guidelines before you get started or at least before you submit to them.

Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy  

Writing Crime Fiction

WritersPrintShop

If you're thinking about self-publishing, this is the place to find out what's involved. If you're ready to go ahead, our high quality service is second to none and there's an economy version for those who want to tackle some of the work themselves. You can estimate the cost for yourself.