Last week, Radio 4’s Moneybox looked at the economics of being an author. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0002ml5) At a little over 28 minutes long it clearly doesn’t go into too much detail, but it certainly highlights some of the extremes in the publishing world. The two main guests are Karolina Sutton, from the Curtis Brown Literary Agency, and independent author Mark Dawson.
Twice last week, I came across posts in two different private social media groups where people in the writing business had experienced rudeness from novice writers submitting work. Now, I’m not going to share any specific details, because they are private groups. But there’s no excuse for rudeness at any time, and it made me realise how some novice writers still don’t understand that writing is a business. It’s all about professional, business relationships, and for those relationships to function successfully there needs…
I know I’m getting old when I see an advert on television for a popular confectionary treat that’s got a new added twist (Peanut butter flavoured Kit Kat Chunky, anyone?) and I think to myself, ”Why can’t they leave products alone? Why do they have to keep messing about with stuff?” However, there are times when an update is needed, and I’ve been working on two over the Christmas period (one is still under wraps at the moment).
Do you fancy some free money? All it costs is some time. I’m currently working a couple of days a week in an employed capacity, offering grant advice to churches. Many church buildings in my area date back six, seven, eight or more centuries, which means they’re important enough to warrant being registered as a listed building: acknowledged by the State as being of architectural importance to the country. Which means, when they need repairing (because when you’re 700 years…
Last week, the British Library uploaded the PLR statements for authors to download. While it’s always nice to be paid for those times when your books are borrowed from a library, it’s also fascinating to see which books are being borrowed.
Just a quick post to remind you that the DACS Payback scheme for 2019 is scheduled to open today. (It hasn’t yet when I check at 11am.) Check out their website here: https://www.dacs.org.uk/for-artists/payback What is Payback? If a photograph that you have taken has been published in a magazine, or in a book, or even on television, then you are eligible to submit a claim via the DACS Payback scheme.
Happy New Year to you all! I hope you had a fabulous festive period, and are all fired up with some life-changing writing goals for the year ahead. (How are you doing with your New Year resolutions? The first week is almost over.) I found myself getting quite angry on New Year’s Eve. Let me explain why.
Many people say that they wish they had more time to write, and often what they mean is they wish they had longer periods of time in which to write. While ten minutes here, and fifteen minutes there is useful, it’s not long enough to become absorbed in what you’re writing and make a big impact upon what you’re trying to achieve.
Many of you may know that in addition to my writing, I’m also a bit of a photographer. I’ve used my photos to illustrate many of my articles and some of my books. So, just like my writing, I like to exploit my photos for maximum earning potential. This is why I sell my images through the Alamy agency. But many of the Agency’s photographers (suppliers) are up in arms, because the agency has issued a notice intending to cut…
If you read my Business of Writing column in Writing Magazine you may recall that I’m currently working a Short-term temporary employed contract for a couple of days a week. Last week, I had to reacquaint myself with the joys of the Staff Away Day, when everyone in the organisation gathered together in a village hall (in the middle of nowhere) to make complete fools of ourselves. There were the usual team-building exercises: people being blindfolded and others describing pictures…
As Christmas draws closer, I thought I’d look back a couple of years to when I chatted to three writers about how they manage their writing businesses during the festive period. In the world of paid employment December is one long month of office parties, Christmas lunches, and arguing with Health and Safety about the fire risk of the red tinsel framing your computer monitor. It’s an entirely different matter for writers. Working in our isolated garrets means the office…
As part of the Shrewsbury Literary Festival, one of the The Guardian’s regular contributors to the Country Diary series, Paul Evans, spoke about his new book: . He explained how the publishers, Batsford Books, were keen to re-vist some of their earlier published works with a view to updating them for a new, modern readership.
Last weekend I retreated. It’s an annual thing with the writers’ group I go to. Three or four nights, somewhere cheap (well, we are writers!), which is usually in Wales, and an opportunity to immerse ourselves in one or two of our current writing projects. It’s always interesting watching how other writers work. Whenever we go anywhere new, the sense of exploration overwhelms us. Then there are the midnight walks to beaches, and the evening social gatherings. But at some…
When it comes to the business of writing, one of the most important tools is the software we use to collect our words and thoughts and put them into some sort of order. For years, this has been Microsoft Word, and its .doc and .docx file types are the industry standard when it comes to submitting to publishers. So I was interested to read this post on the Guardian’s website, about how Word is losing its shine, even in large…
Have you ever written naked? No, I’m not talking about those times when you can’t being bothered to get dressed in the morning (although, perhaps that might influence what you write). Instead, I’m talking about being free to write what you want to write. SJ (Sarah) Banham has just published a book of writing prompts, which she’s called Writing Naked, that are designed to undress writers from the fashionable constraints we sometimes put ourselves under, if not the constraints of…