Brisbane author John Birmingham takes leap from trade publishing to go indie
abc.net.au – Saturday December 17, 2016
Brisbane author John Birmingham likens the break with his trade publishers to jumping out a window, but insists the leap was not suicidal and that he has landed firmly on his feet.
The successful author, renowned for his iconic 1994 autobiographical novel He Died With A Felafel In His Hand, has garnered worldwide acclaim in more recent years for mystery thrillers and alternate history novels including The Disappearance trilogy and the Axis of Time series.
All were released with big-name publishers. But in 2015 Birmingham found to his chagrin how quickly those ties could unwind.
Jill Corcoran Expands into Adult Market
publishersweekly.com – Wednesday December 14, 2016
Jill Corcoran Literary Agency, in an effort to both extend its reach in the children's book market and expand into the adult market, has announced the addition of four new agents.
WME Names 18 New Partners
variety.com – Saturday December 10, 2016
WME has promoted 18 people to partner, across film, television, music, non-scripted television, endorsements, and books.
In New York, Claudia Ballard from the books department, Josh Bider in non-scripted television, and Strand Conover in endorsements were named partners. Shari Lewin, an agent who focuses on endorsement deals for the agency’s country music artists, was also part of the group.
Northern Writers' Awards 2017 open for entries with £40,000 to reward promising work
chroniclelive.co.uk – Tuesday December 6, 2016
Need a bit of financial support as you work on a novel or a poetry or short story collection? The £40,000 Northern Writers’ Awards could be just the job.
Writers from across the north of England are invited to submit their work in progress to organisers New Writing North.
Andrew Wylie Makes First Appearance at Guadalajara
publishersweekly.com – Saturday December 3, 2016
The professional program at FIL opened with a keynote address from Andrew Wylie, one of the world’s most renowned literary agents. Wylie spoke about the role literary agents play today, especially as regards international markets. He observed, “The trouble with most literary agencies is that they are local and not global.”
E-books can be sold with reduced VAT, says EC
thebookseller.com – Friday December 2, 2016
European publishers and booksellers have welcomed the decision of the European Commission (EC) to allow VAT to be reduced on e-books, with sales now bound to go up, according to booksellers.
Brussels yesterday (1st December) released proposals for new tax rules, including delivering on its pledge "to enable Member States to apply the same VAT rate to e-publications such as e-books and online newspapers as for their printed equivalents, removing provisions that excluded e-publications from the favourable tax treatment allowed for traditional printed publications".
Spread the Word launches new Life Writing Prize
thebookseller.com – Tuesday November 29, 2016
Writer development organisation Spread the Word is launching a new nationwide Life Writing Prize, thanks to a donation from writer Joanna Munro and partnership support from Goldsmiths Writers’ Centre, the Royal Society of Literature and Arvon.
The year 2017 will mark the first of this five-year scheme designed to boost opportunities for life writers within the literary prize circuit. The prize is worth £1,500 to the winner, who will also receive a week’s Arvon residential retreat, two-years’ membership to the Royal Society of Literature and a meeting with an agent or editor (as appropriate). Two highly commended writers will receive £500 and a session with a mentor.
Agent Jonathan Clowes dies
thebookseller.com – Tuesday November 29, 2016
Doris Lessing’s literary agent Jonathan Clowes has died aged 86.
He died at his home in France this morning (Friday 18th November).
His agency, Jonathan Clowes Limited, issued a statement saying: “It's with great sadness that we announce the death of Jonathan Clowes. Jonathan was a unique man who led a varied life - first as conscientious objector, then active communist and thereafter as a trailblazing and extraordinarily successful agent to writers such as Len Deighton and Doris Lessing. We will continue to embrace his renegade, and quietly commanding, spirit in all we do.”
He leaves a widow Ann Evans, director of the agency, who he had been married to since 1981.
Want to Succeed at Self-Publishing? Don’t Be Discouraged: Tips from an Indie Author
publishersweekly.com – Tuesday November 22, 2016
Indie author Ben Batchelder – who describes writing as his fourth (and final) career – says that he didn’t write his second book. Rather, To Belém & Back “first wrote me.”
His self-published tale of traveling the backroads of Brazil with his black lab, Atlas, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, with our reviewer describing the book as “insightful and poignant” and praising Batchedler for “seamlessly combin[ing] the personal, the political, and the cultural.”
National Novel Writing Month: Writing 50,000 words with 10 other writers -- in a castle
edition.cnn.com – Monday November 21, 2016
A picturesque castle in southwest France is the setting. The mission: To write 50,000 words in November.
The challenge is part of National Novel Writing Month, known online as Nanowrimo, which this year had social media buzzing because 10 participants brought their novels to life at the imposing Château de Cadrès.
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