Writers & Artists newsletters

 With details of upcoming masterclasses and more:

Just announced for December! Sharpen your creative writing skills before the festive season begins and join us for our final two masterclasses of 2021! How to Write a Short Story Why are short stories so powerful? How can you develop short stories that resonate with readers? Thursday 2nd December | 7-8.30pm GMT | £30 Join Camilla Grudova as she explores why fairy and folk tales are the origin of the short story. Looking at examples from writers synonymous with the short story form (including Angela Carter and Leonora Carrington), Camilla will discuss how you can use the format of the tale to create contemporary short stories of your own that stick with readers long beyond the final sentence. Through practical teaching, creative writing exercises and inspiring discussion, attendees will not only learn how to grow short story ideas, but how to curate stories as part of a collection. Finally, Camilla will also take attendees through the process of submitting short stories, offering expert advice on magazines to target as well as things to consider when looking for an agent or publisher. BOOK YOUR PLACE Camilla Grudova Camilla Grudova lives in Edinburgh. She holds a degree in Art History and German from McGill University, Montreal. Her fiction has appeared in The White Review and Granta. Her collection of short stories The Doll's Alphabet is published by Fitzcarraldo Editions. How to Write a Book That Sells What does it take to write a book that sells? Tuesday 7th December | 7-8.30pm GMT | £30 This masterclass led by bestselling author Angela Clarke will look at the craft, practical skills, and focus required to write successful, marketable fiction. Encompassing genre expectations, how to assess market trends, and how to elevate your work into the high concept, big book ideas that agents and editors want. Whether you’re just developing your latest book idea, or editing a first draft, this two-hour masterclass will help give your novel the best chance of finding a deal, incorporating: how to sculpt a winning elevator pitch or logline (and why it’s important), what to include in your submission package; and just why you need to be paying attention to the supermarkets. BOOK YOUR PLACE Angela Clarke Angela is the author of the crime thrillers On My Life (Hachette, 2019), Trust Me (HarperCollins, 2017), Watch Me (HarperCollins, 2016), and Follow Me (HarperCollins, 2015). For audio, Angela is one of ten writers commissioned for the new BBC Sounds’ Malory Towers Podcast (King Bert Productions, 2021). For screen, Angela was one of five writers commissioned for series five of BBC Three’s The Break (BBC Studios, 2021). She wrote and performed a comedy short about having an invisible disability for BBC Ouch’s Tales of The Misunderstood (BBC Edinburgh Festival Stage / BBC iPlayer, 2017). She is currently one of thirteen writers who were invited to join the BBC Writersroom Writers’ Access Group 2020/2021. Writers & Artists: Accessible To All For a full list of W&A events and courses for 2021, click here. Click here for more information about W&A's bursary scheme. Payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses, and editing services. Contact W&A Admin on writersandartists@bloomsbury.com so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you. Are You a Self-Published Author? Troubador's 8th self-publishing conference is taking place on Saturday 9th April 2022. It aims to educate, inform and inspire authors who have published their own work, or those considering self-publishing. Alysoun Owen, editor of the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook and the Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook will be a guest speaker along with a number of other industry experts. You can grab your ticket at an earlybird price until 1st December. Book now. CONTACT WRITERS & ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISTS PRIVACY POLICY Writers & Artists Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP 10% discount inside | Want to discuss your manuscript proposal with an agent? Our Beat the Rejection service offers the unique opportunity to receive objective and instructive feedback on your submission documents with a leading UK literary agent. Don't have a W&A account? Register here (it's free!) Beat the Rejection Consultation Are you seeking literary agent representation? Our Beat the Rejection Consultation gives you the opportunity to discuss your book and accompanying submission documents within a 30-minute meeting with a literary agent*. This service is perfect for writers either about to begin the search for a prospective agent, or who've queried agents to no avail (thus far!) and would like to receive pointers and guidance on what to do next. How it works: · Visit the Beat the Rejection Consultation service page · Tell us a bit about your book · Select an agent - we have eight agents working in a variety of genres available for this service, though you'll be presented with those that are a closest match to the genre you're writing in · Select a date and time for your consultation · Purchase the service · Upload your submission documents · The agent that you have selected prepares for the session and contacts you on the date arranged Recent testimonials: "Valuable feedback on both my cover letter and synopsis (which needed a lot of work) as well as some tweaks to my opening chapters. More than this, though, through our discussion I came up with a strong 'hook' for my novel, something that was missing from my original submission." "The service is awesome[...] Extremely valuable insight, both into what I'd got right and... what I could improve upon. [The agent] was supportive and very positive about my work and definitely showed me where I wasn't quite hitting the spot. The best two-hundred quid I've spent in my journey along my writing career. If the writer has done the work, then this service is amazing." * Please note: your consultation does not, in any way, guarantee an offer of representation Claim Your Exclusive 10% Discount From today and running throughout November, all W&A Community members can redeem an exclusive 10% off our Beat the Rejection service. All you need to do is log in, head to your Dashboard and click on the 'Exclusive offers and discounts' tile to find the discount code. BOOK HERE Select the Right Agent for Your Writing Click through to the application form to find out a bit more about the agents available for a Beat the Rejection Consultation, including the writing genres they like to work with. Juliet Pickering of Blake Friedmann Literary Agency Lydia Silver of Darley Anderson Children's Book Agency Samar Hammam of Rocking Chair Books Literary Agency Thérèse Coen of Hardman & Swainson Megan Carroll of Watson, Little Ltd. Davinia Andrew-Lynch of ANDLYN Imogen Pelham of Marjacq Laura Williams of Greene & Heaton More About Our Editing Services Our range of editing services has been designed to offer the guidance you need at crucial moments in the writing journey. View all W&A editing services Meanwhile, you can click here to view the profiles of all of the editors and agents working across W&A services. Could one be a good fit for your manuscript? And you're an editor or literary agent and interested in making yourself available for any of our services, please get in touch at writersandartists@bloomsbury.com. We encourage enquiries from all backgrounds, especially editors from underrepresented communities. Accessible to All Click here to see the bursaries made available by W&A for editing services in 2021. Please also note that payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses, and editing services. Contact W&A Admin on writersandartists@bloomsbury.com so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you. CONTACT US PRIVACY POLICY Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP Plus, we launch our new free writing competition: Find Your Voice Our latest W&A Events Bulletin features the chance to hear from leading agents in the world of children's and YA fiction; news of 'Find Your Voice', our free writing competition; ways to break free of imposter syndrome and find creative rhythm; and a final opportunity to reserve your place at our conference with the Open University. Manuscript Submission Masterclass: Children's & YA Fiction Join two leading children's and YA fiction literary agents for this two-hour online masterclass in which you'll receive advice on how to produce a covering letter, guidance on crafting an attention-grabbing pitch, tips on writing a synopsis, and general insight into the role literary agents play for their authors. We will be joined by Lydia Silver (Darley Anderson Literary Agency) and Zoë Plant (The Bent Agency). Looking for agent advice on your submission? You can submit a covering letter to Lydia or Zoë after the masterclass in order to receive direct feedback. RESERVE YOUR PLACE Lydia Silver After a childhood buried in library books and Beanos, Lydia started her career in the editorial team at Egmont, where she commissioned books such as the Carnegie Medal-winning The Poet X. She joined the Darley Anderson team in 2018, and is building an engaging and diverse list of authors and illustrators. She represents clients across all age groups, including picture book, chapter book, middle grade and YA, and has a particular focus on non-fiction. View full agent bio Zoë Plant Zoë started out as an intern at the Bent Agency in 2014 and went on to spend five years working as a literary scout, before returning to the agency as a full time agent. She is looking for middle grade and young adult fiction across all genres. She loves horror and is very open to stories with a spooky edge, and is on the hunt for a YA fantasy that can do something different with the genre in a crowded market. View full agent bio There's No Right Way to Write Only a few places remain for this special, one-off masterclass with children's author, scriptwriter, songwriter and poet Nadine Wild-Palmer on Thursday 28th October. We invite you to embrace the imperfect and throw out the idea of the imposter. Our masterclass will offer tips on how to re-find creative rhythm, recover confidence, and turn dead-ends into new beginnings. It will also give you some great tools to have in your writing kit for when you get a bit stuck. All attendees will receive a discount code to purchase the latest edition of the Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook. RESERVE YOUR PLACE COMPETITION: Find Your Voice We have partnered with the Arts Council NI to offer a fantastic opportunity to Northern Irish writers. You could win one of two places on Finding Your Voice, an evening writing course led by authors and creative tutors Natalie Young and Alex Hammond. Across six weeks crammed with practical exercises and writing examples from a diverse list of contemporary authors - as well as a live Q & A with award-winning London-based novelist, Ayisha Malik - participants will be invited on a journey in search of their identity as a writer, and encouraged to shape that identity on the page. ENTRY DETAILS How To Get Published Our 'How To Get Published' event – in partnership with the Open University – returns this November, with a line-up of acclaimed authors, commissioning editors and literary agents on hand to offer advice on the writing process as well as invaluable insight into the world of publishing. Across the evenings of Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th November we will be joined by Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black Conch (Costa Book of the Year 2020), and novelist and scriptwriter Jonathan Myerson, along with the Blake Friedmann Literary Agency and independent publishers from Fitzcarraldo Editions and Influx Press. RESERVE YOUR PLACE Accessible To All Click here to see the bursaries W&A has made available for 2021 events and courses Please also note that payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses, and editing services. Contact W&A Admin on writersandartists@bloomsbury.com so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you. Exclusive Discount on Latest Reads Always remember to keep an eye on your W&A dashboard for exclusive discount on books, services or events. (Log in or create your free W&A account) This month we've made a selection of latest fiction and non-fiction titles available to W&A account holders at a 20% discount, including Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah (the most recent recipient of the Nobel Literature Prize) and Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, which won the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021. *Valid until midnight 3rd November 2021 LOG IN / CREATE ACCOUNT CONTACT WRITERS & ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISTS PRIVACY POLICY Writers & Artists Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP ...free writing advice and exclusive discount code inside. This month's W&A on Writing features guidance (and a writing exercise) from our very own Clare Povey, an extract from Elise Valmorbida's The Happy Writing Book, three ways Kirsty Logan believes writing weird can work for you, and yet another exclusive discount on select fiction and non-fiction titles! The Feel of Fiction "So what exactly is tone? And how do we know, as writers, whether we're getting it right? And as for mood, what do we want our readers to feel when reading a certain chapter or scene?" Clare Povey, debut author of the bestselling The Unexpected Tale of Bastien Bonlivre, offers guidance on how to create a mood that makes your readers care about your characters. Expect examples from other brilliant children's fiction, and to be able to clickthrough to an exercise that enables you to put Clare's wise words into practice. READ MORE Wake Up and Hear the Coffee "If you listen more effectively, you’ll write more effectively. You’ll hear the rhythms of sentences, you’ll hear the tones and cadences of spoken words, and you’ll be better able to fine-tune it all." In this extract from The Happy Writing Book, an inspiring guide for seasoned writers and aspiring writers, Elise Valmorbida encourages you to infuse your writing with sound. READ MORE Making Weirdness Work For You "Many successful books mix genres because it gives the ideal mix of the familiar (genre elements that readers know) and the new (a combination)." Kirsty Logan encourages you to embrace writing weird fiction. With a keen eye on the wider market, you really can make it work in your favour. READ MORE Exclusive Discount on Selected Titles Always remember to keep an eye on your W&A dashboard for exclusive discounts on books, services and events. (Log in or create your free W&A account) This month we've made a selection of latest fiction and non-fiction titles available to W&A account holders at a 20% discount, including After Lives by Abdulrazak Gurnah (the most recent recipient of the Nobel Literature Prize) and Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, which won the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021. Happy reading! SHOP HERE Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2022 The bestselling guide to all you need to know about how to get published. Shop now Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2022 The indispensable guide to writing for children and young adults. Shop now W&A Guide to How to Write Novelist William Ryan introduces the techniques needed to construct, craft and draft a novel. Shop now Writers on Writing A book of quotes bringing together of phrases, memorable lines, and quips from writers across the ages. Shop now CONTACT US PRIVACY POLICY Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP Make the beginning of your book the very best it can be... We shine a light on our Opening Chapters editing service, which is now available to all W&A community members at an exclusive discount. Don't have a W&A account? Register here (it's free!) Opening Chapters The opening pages of your book are so important to get right. Can you hook your reader and make them want to read on? Are you able to introduce characters that compel? Have you started telling your story at the moment that's going to have the biggest impact? Our Opening Chapters editing service is designed to offer invaluable feedback on this crucial section of writing, and is ideal for writers either looking for guidance on an idea they're getting serious about, or those preparing to submit to literary agents and/or editors. You'll receive detailed feedback from a professional editor in the form of a short report, which you can expect to receive guidance on narrative devices such as creating characters, pacing, dialogue and writing style. After receiving your report, you will also have the opportunity to speak your editor in a 30-minute follow-up call. BOOK YOUR SERVICE Claim Your Exclusive 10% Discount For the month of October, all W&A Community members can redeem an exclusive 10% off our Opening Chapters editing service. All you need to do is log in, head to your Dashboard and click on the 'Exclusive offers and discounts tile' to find the discount code. Editors & Agents Working with W&A Our range of editing services has been designed to offer the guidance you need at crucial moments in the writing journey. The editors and agents that we work with, though, are obviously crucial to what we do. Click here to view their profiles and see whether one might be a good fit for your manuscript. If you're an editor or literary agent and would be interested in making yourself available for any of our services, please get in touch at writersandartists@bloomsbury.com. We encourage enquiries from all backgrounds, especially editors from underrepresented communities. Accessible to All Click here to see the bursaries made available by W&A for editing services in 2021. Please also note that payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses, and editing services. Contact W&A Admin on writersandartists@bloomsbury.com so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you. CONTACT US PRIVACY POLICY Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP