Writer's Digest newsletter including competition deadline 25 May

Here is the latest Writer's Digest newsletter with writing tips, win a publishing deal competition, new agent details, writing workshops and more, for my followers to peruse:

Plus character writing tips, new agent alerts and more from Writer's Digest.

 

7 Tips on Writing Great Mystery and Suspense Novels   When plotting my new mystery and suspense novel Ghost Maven, I was inspired by the works of Alfred Hitchcock, whom I have written three books about. Hitchcock was dubbed the 'Master of Suspense' for very good reason. He knew how to manipulate an audience and keep them watching. In the same way, here are seven tips to remember when writing suspense to keep your reader turning pages. Read More...

Land the Top 5 Freelance Writing Projects The demand for good writers has never been higher... All you need to know is where the best projects are and how to land them. And special report Top 5 Freelance Writing Assignments for 2017 reveals the five best opportunities for writers today and the best practices for achieving success. You'll learn the #1 skill you need to land the best writing gigs... where to find quality clients... how to command higher fees... and much more! Click here to download your FREE copy of Top 5 Freelance Writing Assignments for 2017.

This is the Easiest Way to Get Paid to Write - Even if You've Never Written Before Whether you want to earn a little money on the side or get paid handsome fees on a regular basis, making a living as a well-paid writer couldn't get any easier... even if you don't have any prior experience. Not available on Amazon or anywhere else, The Little Black Book of In-Demand Writing Careers reveals the 9 most in-demand ways to write your way to success. Perfect for writers of all levels of experience. Take Pat McCord, a once struggling novelist who now has 15 titles published... all because she was able to "write away" her financial worries and focus on her passion of writing. You can find out how she did it and turn your dream of writing into a reality. Download your FREE copy of The Little Black Book of In-Demand Writing Careers here.

6 Tips for Creating Believable Characters That Win Over Readers   Persuasive characters keep a good story aloft and your readers involved. So where do you find these characters? How do you make them breathe? Here are specific tips to help you create characters that will win over readers. Read More...

Announcing WD Special Guest Artist Bob Eckstein   Starting in the July/August 2017 Writer's Digest, we're thrilled to announce the debut of a new recurring column from cartoonist Bob Eckstein, called "Worth a Thousand Words." Eckstein's illustrations regularly appear in the pages of such acclaimed publications as The New Yorker and The New York Times, and we couldn't be more excited to now share his talents with the readers of WD. So, look forward to a future filled with funny cartoons! Read More...

New Agency Alert: Root Literary   Literary agents Holly Root and Taylor Haggerty of Root Literary are open to queries! They're seeking commercial and upmarket fiction for adults, teens, and middle grade. Learn more and how to pitch them here ...

How to Conquer the Dreaded Synopsis   Shake off your fear and frustration and let us help you master the art of writing the synopsis! In this live webinar presented by literary agent Nephele Tempest on June 1, will show you how to tackle the task head on and to generate the right synopsis for your project - and your audience. Here's what you'll learn by registering for this event: How to break down your plot into manageable parts How to emphasize the most important details of your project How to build interest in your story while remaining concise How to maintain a tone consistent with your manuscript How to produce a synopsis for a project that is incomplete How to adapt the length of your synopsis depending on its intended use And more! Register by clicking here ...

Literary Agent Boot Camp: Perfecting Submission Materials   In this brand new boot camp from Fuse Literary Agency, attendees will learn how to put together a short yet effective query letter, a one- to two-page book synopsis (fiction), and a nonfiction book proposal. They'll also learn some best practices for submitting their query, pages, and synopsis and/or proposal to agents. Each attendee will have the opportunity to interact one-on-one with an agent and receive a valuable critique of ten pages of their work in any combination: query letter, manuscript pages, synopsis, or proposal. Starts June 20. Sign up here ...

Your Weekly Writing Prompt   Saving Your (Fill in the Blank) From Committing Suicide: One of the items in your house has decided to commit suicide, but you will not let it happen on your watch. Write the scene where you catch the item on the verge of taking it's life and your attempt to talk the item out of it. Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments here ....

Brian A. Klems Follow @BrianKlems Brian A. Klems is the senior online editor of Writer's Digest and author of the popular gift book Oh Boy, You're Having a Girl: A Dad's Survival Guide to Raising Daughters.

 

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	David Levithan + Jennifer De Chiara + Secrets to YA and Middle-Grade Success     Register by August 17 for your best price! Each year we survey Writer’s Digest Annual Conference attendees and ask which genres and categories they’re most interested in. Each year the young adult category is consistently near the top of the list. And for good reason—YA is white-hot on both the shelves and the screen and has tremendous crossover appeal. If you’d like to deepen your understanding of writing for this audience, don’t miss Jennifer De Chiara’s session Secrets to Writing Middle-Grade and YA Fiction. A veteran of the publishing industry, Jennifer knows what piques an agent’s interest and keeps a reader turning pages. You’ll learn the specifics of the middle-grade and young adult categories, how to come up with a great story idea, and how to craft your story from beginning to end. You’ll also explore the keys to creating memorable characters, finding the right POV for your story, using subplots, developing a distinctive voice, discovering the theme for your book, and creating the perfect setting. And don’t forget that New York Times bestselling author David Levithan (Boy Meets Boy, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist [with Rachel Cohn], and Will Grayson, Will Grayson [with John Green]) will be delivering the event’s closing keynote! David is also an executive editor at Scholastic and the founding editor of their PUSH Imprint, which is devoted to finding new voices and new authors in teen literature. Not only will you return home inspired and energized, but you’ll also be equipped with the skills you need to ensure your YA or middle-grade novel escapes the slush pile. Best rates end August 17!! GET TALKING: #WDC17             SPONSORS

 

This is a special offer for our readers from our trusted partner.

Win & Get Published Enter your novel now! Hi Writer's Digest Subscriber, Did you know that there is an easy way to promote your novel for free and maybe win a publishing deal at the same time? How, you ask? Let's start from the top. Can you imagine a world without Hogwarts? If J.K. Rowling's manuscript had been left in the publisher's hands, we might have never gotten to experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Harry Potter was rejected 12 times before J.K. Rowling landed a publishing deal. Here was the biggest bestseller of our time being passed over and over again. If it hadn't been for the eight-year-old daughter of an editor finding the manuscript on her father's desk and falling in love with it, Harry Potter might not have made it out of the slush pile. The editor accepted her, but told her told her to keep her day job - Now she's a billionaire. This proves that publishing movements are made by readers, not by editors.       Inspired by the obstacles literary legends had to overcome, a new publishing company called Inkitt was created. Their mission is to make sure that the next J.K. Rowling doesn't get turned down, by making the publishing industry more fair and objective.  How do they do it? At Inkitt, every book goes through an initial readership analysis in order to collect reading data to find out how hooked people were while reading, and uncover who the book's ideal audience is. This way, Inkitt is able to identify novels that do have bestseller potential, and gain crucial information about its readership, even before publication, allowing the publishing team to elaborate a very targeted marketing strategy.  "Why leave it up to a subjective person, when you can collect real data to make real book deal decisions?" So you see, Inkitt puts the power in the readers' hands and knows through real customer data whether a book is good and whether the market will like it. Once a novel is identified as a bestseller, the author is presented with a contract that includes the following terms: Inkitt spends a minimum of $6000 into your launch campaign, commissions professional editing and cover design , a dedicated marketing team with a proven record of achieving enough sales on launch day to make your book #1 in its genre categories and rank within the top 50 on Amazon (out of all 4-5 million titles), and you get 25% royalties. Want your book to be seen by hundreds of thousands of readers? All you need to do is take a couple of minutes, click this link and upload your book. Inkitt is currently running a contest and there is still time to enter! Submission deadline is May 31st. There are no entry fees. The only requirement: your novel must be 20k words or more. If you've written a book that didn't quite get the spotlight it deserves, submit it to Inkitt and they'll get it to their readers.  If readers love it, they'll offer you real publishing deal and their professional marketing team will get to work making you both money.  P.S.: In case you're worried, you can even tell them to limit the number of free copies they allow their readers to read.         Submit Now

Advanced Novel Writing, Fitting Writing Into Your Life, Blogging 101, and many more!

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Submit your finest writing by June 1. Win $5,000 and a trip to the Writer's Digest Conference.

 

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Submit your finest writing by June 1. Win $5,000 and a trip to the Writer's Digest Conference. Deadline: June 1, 2017 Pull your best piece of writing off of the shelf, and put it in front of the industry's top agents, editors, authors and your peers! The Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition has been shining a spotlight on fresh talent for more than 80 years, and if your work comes out on top, you'll be on your way to the Writer's Digest Annual Conference with $5,000 to boot, in addition to seeing your name on the cover of Writer's Digest! There are tons of other prizes up for grabs. See for yourself! Whether you're a script writer, poet, short story author or fall into another chapter of writing, there's a category perfect for you. If you're done being an aspirational writer and are ready to make big things happen in your career, you need to enter the Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition!

The 4th Annual Book Pipeline Competition

 

This is a special offer for our readers from our trusted partner.

Writers, The 4th Annual Book Pipeline Competition is searching for authors with material appropriate for film or television adaptation. The winning writer receives $10,000 and circulation to Lakeshore Entertainment (Million Dollar Baby, American Pastoral), QC Entertainment (Get Out, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), Good Fear Film + Management (Rings, Polaroid), and other top production companies, managers, and agencies best-suited for developing the selected projects. Continuing to build upon the success of the Script Pipeline writing competitions, which have discovered hundreds of new writers over the past 17 years, Book Pipeline aims to deliver unique, compelling stories to the industry–with the specific intent of getting them on the fast-track to film and television production. The contest is open to all genres, and both new and established writers may enter. Learn More and Submit Your Material Acceptable entries include: Novels Non-fiction Plays Graphic Novels and comics Book proposals or pitches (fiction or non-fiction) Short stories Details: – Material may be published or unpublished; if published, the film AND television rights must be available. – Book Pipeline does not take a percentage of any future option or sale of your work, and all rights remain with the author, regardless of their final placement in the competition. – Any genre accepted, including children’s books and projects intended for animation. Submit to the Book Pipeline Competition Special Entry Deadline: May 25th – $40 Early: August 15th  – $55 Regular: November 1st – $65 Semifinalists Announced: Mid-February  2018 Winner Announced: Early March 2018 For additional details, including criteria, awards, and other FAQs, visit Book Pipeline. Submit to the Book Pipeline Competition About Book Pipeline | About Script Pipeline