Hi
It was suggested a while ago that we have tabs on the blog for better searching capabilities. Well, we can't do that as blogger only allows tabbed pages to be static pages (you can't put posts up on these pages) BUT we can label our posts and then search by label name to find specific posts quickly and easily.
So, I have labelled any posts I think people might want to try and find and there is now a list of labels on the right hand side of the blog - click on one of these and it will take you to all the posts pertaining to that particular category.
Could everyone please label their posts in future so that they are categorised according to the labels list - I've used 'critique' for anyone posting up bits of work for feedback and 'online resources' for useful websites, articles, etc. Of course, you may need to use a different label name for anything that isn't already covered and you can label a post with more than one label name.
Hope that all makes sense to you - if not, let me know and I will try to explain it more coherently!!
Gabby
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Taking the piss?
Hey, all you Children's-and-YA authors (and parents of smallish ones) - do you read 'An Awfully Big Blog Adventure'? Over there today Meg Harper is bewailing the focus on getting boys to read at any price, and citing the increasing poo-and-fart books taking over the shelves. One of her commenters says that all the rest seem to be 'social issues' books. When she asked what had happened to losing yourself in a good story, she was told 'it's a waste of time'.
Have a look and tell us what you think....
Have a look and tell us what you think....
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Competitions!
As well as this one http://harpercollinsnews.co.uk/go.asp?/bCOL002/mI0FP67F/uLNJV2ZC/x6XYQ67F I think there is also a MSlexia one - both for women but seeing as there aren't any of our men writers on here at the moment, it hardly matters that we aren't catering for them too...
Anybody else got any good comps they've come across?
Anybody else got any good comps they've come across?
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Self publishing and e-books
From Mary Cavanagh
Hi Group
As some of you know I was in touch a few months back with Dennis Hamley from Writers in Oxford who was keen to start up a self-publishing and e-book consortium within Writers in Oxford. It seems that the project is going ahead but not as a wing of WIO, but as a separate business. It will be a professional thought-through outfit for which I will give out all details in the autumn when the group have finalised their roles and business plans.
As part of their need to only print excellence and to disassociate themselves with some of the unedited trash that is being slung up on the Kindle lists they intend to have a strict filtering system which will have a name of '.......Publishing'.
In the meantime Dennis emailed me yesterday with some news of a blog site that some of you might be interested in. I am in a very difficult position as I have an agent as as such are rather contracted in to her, unless we part company. Anyway, here are the details.
Will see you next time - back injury greatly improving thans to Chiroprator and good old Ibuprofen. Love from Mary (see below)
.... (From Dennis Hamley to me)
I've joined a blog called Kindleauthors, devoted to bringing authors for all ages, children and adults. together and providing a sort of guarantee of quality against the frankly rubbish which is appearing in it every day, It was started by Katherine Roberts, a mainly young adult writer, and Susan Price, another Y/A novelist who's won the Carnegie medal and has an awards list as long as your arm! . Katherine 's at Kathyanne.roberts@tiscali.co.uk If you contact her, tell her I suggested you should and give her an idea of what you write, a publishing history and what you would intend to put on Kindle. You'd have to do an occasional, though fairly regular, blog. It's separate from our enterpise but it's a way of getting started because I want /needto get on there quickly.
Hi Group
As some of you know I was in touch a few months back with Dennis Hamley from Writers in Oxford who was keen to start up a self-publishing and e-book consortium within Writers in Oxford. It seems that the project is going ahead but not as a wing of WIO, but as a separate business. It will be a professional thought-through outfit for which I will give out all details in the autumn when the group have finalised their roles and business plans.
As part of their need to only print excellence and to disassociate themselves with some of the unedited trash that is being slung up on the Kindle lists they intend to have a strict filtering system which will have a name of '.......Publishing'.
In the meantime Dennis emailed me yesterday with some news of a blog site that some of you might be interested in. I am in a very difficult position as I have an agent as as such are rather contracted in to her, unless we part company. Anyway, here are the details.
Will see you next time - back injury greatly improving thans to Chiroprator and good old Ibuprofen. Love from Mary (see below)
.... (From Dennis Hamley to me)
I've joined a blog called Kindleauthors, devoted to bringing authors for all ages, children and adults. together and providing a sort of guarantee of quality against the frankly rubbish which is appearing in it every day, It was started by Katherine Roberts, a mainly young adult writer, and Susan Price, another Y/A novelist who's won the Carnegie medal and has an awards list as long as your arm! . Katherine 's at Kathyanne.roberts@tiscali.co.uk If you contact her, tell her I suggested you should and give her an idea of what you write, a publishing history and what you would intend to put on Kindle. You'd have to do an occasional, though fairly regular, blog. It's separate from our enterpise but it's a way of getting started because I want /needto get on there quickly.
Friday, 8 July 2011
Fight, fight, fight!
For anyone not writing for young adults (apparently YA fiction officially ranges from 13-35 now by the way!), there's an interesting arguement that's been brewing for some time now online and in various other guises. It's interesting to have a read through some stuff, even if you're writing for adults or younger children. Or even just for the entertainment factor - some people are very hot under the collar about it!
It's all about the degree of violence represented in YA fiction at the moment. Basically, one well known book reviewer wrote an article damning YA fiction for it's use of violence - we're mainly talking rape, drugs, alcohol, self-harm. Since then there has been a huge backlash, with the vast majority defending the benefits of the way in which, and the degree to which, violence is being portrayed.
If you fancy a read, there's a link to a blog about it below, which contains links to some of the arguements.
A good read if you fancy it!
Jo
Pretty good website for aspiring authors...
Thought this might be of some interest:
Looks like she covers a pretty wide spread of genres and she is, I think we can all agree, an experienced published writer!!
See you on Tuesday!
Gabby
Sunday, 3 July 2011
There is hope after all!
My friend (and Liah's), Teri Terry, has just signed a 3 book deal with Orchard. She's been writing for God only knows how long, completing 9 books in all (and that only includes the first of the trilogy she's been signed up for).
About 3 months ago she got an agent - now she's got a 3 book deal! See - it can happen!
I've put the link to the Notes from the Slushpile blog announcement below if anyone's interested.
Keep hoping!
Jo
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