South Warwickshire Literary Festival launches annual writing competition
stratfordobserver.co.uk – Wednesday January 15, 2025
THE COUNTDOWN to the South Warwickshire Literary Festival has officially begun with the launch of this year’s writing competition.
Open until Friday March 28, the competition allows writers from around the world to be part of the festival, which is taking place for the fourth time in September.
The writing competition has four categories – fiction, creative non-fiction, flash fiction and poetry.
For each category the winner will take a £75 prize, while a commended entry will win £25.
Details announced for the 2025 Bournemouth Writing Festival featuring around 100 events
news.bournemouthone.com – Monday January 13, 2025
Details have been announced for the third Bournemouth Writing Festival, to be held over the weekend of 25th to 27th April at various locations in Bournemouth town centre.
The three days will feature around 100 events and activities (some free) to inspire writers of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and experience.
There will be talks, walks, panels, workshops, informal networking breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and literary agent 1-2-1s.
Writing on the Beach will return as well as a Words for Wellbeing Chillout Zone at the Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, and special evening events from the Outsiders Project and Bourn Jammy.
Closing the festival on the Sunday night will be Making Waves, a showcase for new and emerging writers hosted by Arts University Bournemouth.
Ulysses Press, Spot Gloss Media Form Bluestone Books
publishersweekly.com – Sunday January 12, 2025
The owners of the independent publisher Ulysses Press and the book packing and publishing company Spot Gloss Media have banded together to form Bluestone Books. The new company “will specialize in popular culture, practical nonfiction, and concept-driven children’s titles," per an announcement. Its first list of nine titles is planned for this summer, and the founders hope to release 25-30 books annually.
Bluestone is the brainchild of Keith Riegert, CEO of Ulysses and one of the cofounders of Perfect Bound, an online marketplace that connects publishers and printers while also providing title management services. Spot Gloss was formed late last year through the merger of Hollan Publishing, owned by Holly Schmidt, and Castle Point Publishing, run by Bruce Lubin. The company develops books in a range of adult categories as well as titles for the children’s and Christian markets, and Schmidt and Lubin have worked on dozens of titles that have been published by Ulysses over the last 20 years.
BookTok shaped a new generation of readers, authors. What happens if TikTok is banned?
eu.usatoday.com – Sunday January 12, 2025
It doesn’t matter if you’re off social media or chronically online enough to know what “faerie smut” is – if you’re a reader, you’ve probably heard of BookTok.
Reader communities are nothing new. But BookTok isn’t your grandma’s book club or the Facebook fan page of your mom’s generation – in fact, it gave online book communities of days past a run for their money by boosting book sales and birthing an entirely new generation of readers.
But on Friday, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments to determine whether it should block a law requiring TikTok to cut ties with the Chinese government or be banned Jan. 19.
What happens for booklovers if it all goes away?
S&S Launches Audio Imprint Simon Maverick, Helmed by Jason Pinter
publishersweekly.com – Friday January 10, 2025
Simon & Schuster has thrown its weight behind Simon Maverick, a new audio-first imprint featuring content from self-published authors. Jason Pinter, former publisher of Polis Books, quietly joined S&S on November 4 to become the imprint’s VP and editorial director.
In a statement, S&S described Simon Maverick as “the first-ever audio imprint launched by a Big Five publisher dedicated to shining a light on works from talented, diverse, and emerging independent authors.” The imprint aims to publish more than 50 titles in 2025, and has so far acquired around 35 titles. Moving forward, it anticipates publishing 50–100 audiobooks annually, mostly audio originals alongside projects that originate in print.
“We are looking for existing books that have already found a readership, that are not in audio yet, and we’re also looking to establish relationships with authors,” whether published or unpublished, Pinter told PW. He estimated that the launch list is a 50/50 mix of audio-first work and titles that appeared in print, and he expects that ratio to shift toward all-new audio content as the imprint progresses.
Introducing Thousand Voices x RHPG, a New Publishing Venture from the Random House Publishing Group & Jenna Bush Hager’s Thousand Voices Media
global.penguinrandomhouse.com – Wednesday January 8, 2025
The new partnership is to publish debut and emerging authors across the Random House Publishing Group’s portfolio of imprints.
The Random House Publishing Group and Thousand Voices, the media company of Jenna Bush Hager, are launching an innovative publishing venture: THOUSAND VOICES x RHPG, it was announced today by Sanyu Dillon, President, Random House Publishing Group, and Jenna Bush Hager, the founder of Thousand Voices Media.
THOUSAND VOICES x RHPG will work with storytellers writing in a wide range of genres, including romance, suspense, romantasy, literary fiction, historical fiction, and memoir. Collaborating with editors from across RHPG’s portfolio of imprints, Bush Hager will identify and guide debut writers and emerging voices, working closely with all publishing teams at each stage – from cover design to marketing, publicity, and sales – to publish each book with maximum impact. Thousand Voices and Jenna Bush Hager are represented by UTA who brokered the deal with RHPG on her behalf and will offer strategic support for the venture.
The program will release books published in partnership with one of the imprints of the Random House Publishing Group, depending on the genre and audience. Bush Hager will collaborate on a distinct marketing and publicity campaign for each title, which will include her own participation, with ongoing support for the program, through joint appearances, partnerships, and publicity. Thousand Voices will be separate from the highly successful Read with Jenna book club, which Bush Hager created at NBC’s Today in 2019, and which has launched 47 New York Times bestsellers.
Applications open for 2025 Cameron Mackintosh Musical Theatre Writing Placement
westendbestfriend.co.uk – Tuesday January 7, 2025
Mercury Musical Developments (MMD) and Musical Theatre Network (MTN) have been awarded funding from the Mackintosh Foundation to support five placements as part of the Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer Scheme over 2023-2025, with the next placement being hosted by British Youth Music Theatre.
Through this scheme, professional musical theatre writers are paired with a company and given the opportunity to be involved in a range of work which could include writing/composing assignments on the host company’s projects, shadowing development/rehearsal processes, and working on development of their own musical theatre material. Recent hosts have included the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre of Scotland, MAST Mayflower, Theatr Clwyd, Octagon Theatre, Hope Mill Theatre, and The Lowry.
This placement is for a musical theatre writing team of two. The opportunity will provide paid writing time and support for the team to develop a new musical over the course of the placement. This will commence from March 2025 and comprise six months of full-time work, to take place over a period of six to nine months. Alongside this, the composer of the team will collaborate with the wider BYMT team on their 2025 season of new musicals as a music coordinator, while the bookwriter will be involved in each show in a dramaturgical capacity. Following on from the placement, the team will have a guaranteed production or developmental workshop week in 2026 with a cast of approximately 36 young people.
New magazine for alternative comedy writing launched
chortle.co.uk – Sunday January 5, 2025
Comedian Will BF has launched a magazine for alternative comedy writing.
Co-created with comedy producer Amber Ash, the first 36-page edition features contributions from Rosalie Minnit, Alex Franklin, Rosie Nicholls and more.
Will BF said: ‘There didn’t seem to be any spaces for creating surreal, spontaneous, and – most of all – creative written comedy with a little heart and just for the sake of it. I craved a space where I could write
something with a bit more joy than Will BF’s Guide To A Perfect Fringe, sandwiched between ad-crammed pages.
‘I hope the freedom of format and content is something that contributors and readers alike will find refreshing. With only one edition down - I hope Chaff will continue to grow, spread and mutate - like a lovely virus
The magazine has been funded by Croydon Council – despite the authority having a £1.6billion debt – and is available for £5 on Etsy.
Winston-Salem Writers presents Three-in-a-Row Writers Workshops
wschronicle.com – Friday January 3, 2025
Registration is now open for Winston-Salem Writers’ annual Three-In-A-Row workshops. The following workshops will be on Zoom on three Saturdays in January: Critiquing and Revision on Jan. 11, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Agents on Jan.18, and Writing Short Plays on Jan. 25.
All three workshops are from 10 a.m. to noon. The cost is free for Winston-Salem Writers members and $25/workshop for non-members. Registration ends three days before each workshop. For more information, to read speakers’ full bios, and to register, visit www.wswriters.org/workshops-and-seminars. To join or renew your WSW membership for $40, visit wswriters.org/membership. Dues are for January – December 2025.
Writing competition marks 20th anniversary in 2025
bbc.co.uk – Sunday December 29, 2024
A writing competition in Surrey will mark its 20th anniversary in 2025.
The Elmbridge Literary Competition was conceived as a one-off event in 2005, but has developed into a contest that attracts entrants from around the world.
The theme for the 2025 event is the river.
This has been chosen to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of local writer R C Sherriff, author of the play Journey's End and a keen rower.
The author's link to the area is marked by the Rowing Eight, a sculpture close to Molesey Boat Club.
Entry to the competition costs £8 for adults, but is free to under-18s, and the closing date is 24 February.
Simon Waugh, portfolio holder for leisure, culture and commercial strategy at Elmbridge Borough Council, said: "Over the last two decades, it has grown significantly, attracting an increasing number of participants.
Get the free newsletter | Submit a news item or article | Get Writers' News for your website
