28 December 2015 - What's new
28 December 2015
- ‘Growing up in Zimbabwe was a great adventure, but I didn't see it as such. I spent my entire childhood in Africa. I couldn't have written The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books, which are set in Botswana, without the affection that gave me. If I'm working at full tilt, I'll write 3,000 to 4,000 words in a day. It just comes to me. I break the rules: you're only supposed to write one book a year or every two years. (this year he has published six.)' Alexander McCall Smith in the Sunday Telegraph's Stella provides this week's Comment.
- 'This year the charity Book Aid InternationalSupplies much-needed books to developing countries, raising funds from publishers and general public; 'Reverse Book Club' is masterly idea-for just £5 ($10) month you can provide 48 books to go to where they're most needed, which goes from strength to strength, has sent over 1.1 million books to partners in Africa, beating their previous donation levels. Books and libraries are a crucial resource in sub-Saharan Africa. They are vital for quality education; they raise literacy levels, provide information and underpin development. The books help children learn, students increase their knowledge and adults improve their skills. Books really do have the power to help people change their own lives for the better. The books go to libraries, so they are accessible to all.' This week's News Review looks at the work of an amazing book charity.
- Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? This is the question our page Which service? answers and it then goes on to give a quick rundown on our 20 editorial services for writers, which we think is the biggest range you can find on the internet.
- Our links this week: One of our most successful crime writers talks crime - and poetry - Sophie Hannah: ‘There are people who think a crime novel can't be proper literature... that's a shame for them' | Books | The Guardian; in a report back: 'a predictable and deep sense among many writers at the Author Day conference that a commercial motive has vastly outweighed aesthetics and literary meaning in much of publishing', A message to FutureBook from Author Day | The Bookseller; and authors and publishers give their own views on How do we stop UK publishing being so posh and white? | Books | The Guardian.
- A recent entry to our endorsement page: ‘The site covers EVERYTHING a new writer, established writer, or a wannabe writer could possibly want or need to know.' Hester Mundis, author of many books, including My Chimp Friday, Heart Songs For Animal Lovers and The Vitamin Bible.
- More links: Author-centric publishing is a mindset, an attitude for all future-facing members of the publishing community, 'Our main responsibility is to our authors' | The Bookseller; the 5th biennial Kwani? Litfest took place Nairobi from December 1 through 6th, Kwani Literary Festival in Nairobi Showcases African Authors; and when Rebecca Thornton got the debut novel jitters, a community of Bonnier authors came to her help, BookBrunch - Support from a procrastination of writers.
- 'No poet, no artist of any art has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists.' T S Eliot in our Writers' Quotes.
