Tag Archives: writing

Write From The Start: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Professional Non-Fiction

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Write From The Start: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Professional Non-Fiction by Caroline Foster

Becoming a writer is hard. To go from beginner to professional means you will need all of the help you can get. This book has a wealth of advice on becoming successful in non-fiction writing. Practical and thorough, it has plenty of advice to help you become a non-fiction writer. Recommended for anyone who wants to write professional non-fiction from a woman who knows her stuff.

 

Do you want to become a writer? Would you like to earn money from writing? Do you know where to begin?

Help is at hand with Write From The Start – a practical must-read resource for newcomers to the world of non-fiction writing. It is a vast genre that encompasses books, newspaper and magazine articles, press releases, business copy, the web, blogging, and much more besides.

Jam-packed with great advice, the book is aimed at novice writers, hobbyist writers, or those considering a full-time writing career, and offers a comprehensive guide to help you plan, prepare, and professionally submit your non-fiction work. It is designed to get you up-and-running fast.

Write From The Start will teach you how to explore topic areas methodically, tailor content for different audiences, and create compelling copy. It will teach you which writing styles work best for specific publications, how to improve your chances of securing both commissioned and uncommissioned work, how to build a portfolio that gets results, and how to take that book idea all the way to publication.

Comprised of 16 chapters, there is information on conducting effective research, book submissions, writing for business, copyright and plagiarism pitfalls, formatting, professional support networks, contracts and agreements, the value of humour, ghostwriting, and much more…

By the end of this book – full of practical advice and proven results – you will be well on your path to writing success!

> Discover how to write not just good copy but great copy
> Learn the submission techniques that will increase your chances of publication
> Develop ways to earn money by writing about your skills, experiences, and hobbies
> Understand how to write for magazines, the web, businesses, and books
> Master freelance content writing for sites such as Textbroker
> Explore traditional publishing, self-publishing, and eBook options for books you write
> With additional contributions and guidance from other writing industry experts


Publisher Insists Author Writes Her Own Press Release

When author Caroline Foster’s first book, Write From The Start: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Professional Non-fiction was published by Bennion Kearny, she was somewhat surprised when they asked her to write her own press release.

Bennion Kearny, a publisher of specialist non-fiction titles, explained their logic, ‘Caroline’s book is a comprehensive guide to writing non-fiction; its content contains everything novice and improving writers want to know about writing in this genre, including how to write your press releases and market your book. It seemed an obvious notion – given Caroline’s knowledge and experience in this field – that she would want to write her PR.’

In response, Caroline said, ‘To be fair, I know Bennion Kearny have a team of first class marketing professionals who will do their best to market not just my book but those of my fellow authors on their lists. I understand their reasons for asking to me write my own press release and given the content of my book is about writing, I probably would have been slightly miffed if they hadn’t!’

Write From The Start: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Professional Non-fiction is a practical must-read guide for newcomers and aspiring writers to the world of non-fiction. Not only does it cover writing, marketing, and publishing books including memoirs, autobiographies, and titles on specialist topics, its chapter list includes writing for magazines, for online markets, and for businesses. Readers will also learn ‘how’ to write and submit great copy that will attract editors and publishers.

 

About Caroline Foster. Caroline Foster is a writer with more than 20 years of experience writing for national and regional publications on a variety of topics. She is also one of the founding partners of a successful Copywriting, PR and Digital Marketing company based in East Anglia.

 

Write From The Start: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Professional Non-Fiction is available here.  

 

Dulwich Literary Festival 2017 programme announced

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Ali Smith, Alan Hollinghurst, Sam Leith, Henry Blofeld, Mihaela Noroc and many others to appear on the main weekend, 10-12 November. Additional events to take place throughout November, including a spooky All Saints Day special with Andrew Michael Hurley, a pop-up at West Norwood Feast and an evening in conversation with Robert Peston.

 

Dulwich Literary Festival returns this November with a striking line-up of speakers, including celebrated writer Alan Hollinghurst, Man Booker shortlisted Ali Smith, ITV Political Editor Robert Peston, renowned sports journalist Henry Blofeld, The Spectator’s Literary Editor Sam Leith and photographer and social media sensationMihaela Noroc. Presented by award-winning independent bookshop Dulwich Books, events will be hosted at various local venues including Dulwich College, Dulwich Picture Gallery and the bookshop itself. The 2017 programme includes something for everyone, with talks for children, walks for adults, ‘how-to’ workshops and thought-provoking discussions covering everything from sport and literature, to faith and global affairs.

 

Commenting on the festival programme, Susie Nicklin, owner of Dulwich Books said: “We are delighted once again to bring together some of today’s most celebrated authors, leading thinkers and local writers in Dulwich, to celebrate the best that words have to offer. In times of uncertainty we need to join together in celebrating the things that matter in our communities, whether feasting, worship, education or culture, and books and writers are the perfect way to link them. From Man Booker Prize-winning writers to a creative writing competition for all the young writers of Southwark, there are opportunities for all to participate and engage.”

 

Stand out events taking place across the main weekend include a unique evening with Ali Smith, who will celebrate the work of author and illustrator Tove Jansson at Dulwich Picture Gallery, a free exhibition of photos by Mihaela Noroc, who became a social media sensation with her images of women taken around the world, and a talk with Alan Hollinghurst, who will discuss his much anticipated new novel, The Sparsholt Affair, with the BBC’s Razia Iqbal.

 

Inspiring debate at the festival will be Political Editor Robert Peston, who will draw insights from his career in journalism to address the problems of our time and how we might put them right. Catherine Nixey will discuss the controversial findings of her new book The Darkening Age, which suggests early Christianity might be more violent, ruthless and intolerant than first thought. And, as new protest movements rock the political mainstream, Alexei Sayle, Courttia Newland and Francesca Rhydderch willlook back at dissidents who made history, discussing their contributions to a new anthology of stories re-imagining key moments of British protest.

 

As well as engaging ideas and debate, the festival will offer a number of sessions and workshops for visitors to celebrate pleasurable pastimes and new skills.  Veteran broadcaster Henry Blofeld will discuss a career in cricket with Nicholas Lezard, former National Trust chairman Simon Jenkins will lead a session on Britain’s best railway stations, Peter Fiennes will offer a guided tour of the remnants of the Great North Wood, and Anjula Devi will hold a tasting and book signing at the festival’s West Norwood Feast pop-up to explore the secrets of Indian cuisine.

 

Helping people to write clearly, correctly and persuasively, The Spectator’s Literary Editor Sam Leith will offer top tips from his latest book Write to the Point, award-winning illustration agency Scriberia will hold an interactive drawing session to encourage people to use images to think and communicate more effectively, and designerSusan Wightman will discuss the art and science of typography.

 

The festival will also cater for families, with two exciting children’s events and a short story competition for schools across Southwark. Picture book author and illustratorKate Pankhurst, a descendant of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, will lead an interactive session on fantastic women who changed the world, including fun role-play and craft activities. Local mums Lucy Reynolds and Jenna Herman will also run a free story-time session at the festival’s West Norwood Feast pop-up, reading from their book Parrots Don’t Live in the City. Expect plenty of squawking.

 

Tickets will go on sale on the festival’s website from this weekend. For tickets and more information, visit: http://dulwichliteraryfestival.co.uk/

 

Being a Writer: Advice, Musings, Essays and Experiences From the World’s Greatest Authors

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Being a Writer: Advice, Musings, Essays and Experiences From the World's Greatest Authors

‘From a very early age…I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer….Between the ages of about 17 and 24 I tried to abandon this idea, but I did so with the consciousness that I was outraging my true nature and that sooner or later I should have to settle down and write books.’ George Orwell.
The above is a quote from this brilliant book. As a writer I could not put it down. I loved it. It is full of inspiration to keep you going when things are rough, and also when you are procrastinating. Divided into sections of introduction, becoming a writer, methods and means, failing, the art of writing, and a sense of an ending. This book can get you out of a jam and has great advice. It now has pride of place on my bookshelf and I will be dipping in whenever I need a dose of inspiration. An essential book for writers.

The joys and challenges of being a writer are explored in this inspiring assemblage of wit, wisdom and hard-won practical advice from some of the world’s greatest authors musing on the art of writing and how they came to define themselves as writers. From Samuel Johnson in eighteenth-century London to Lorrie Moore in twenty-first-century Wisconsin, the contributors range from the canon to contemporary, covering more than 250 years, and come from all over the world. Beautifully illustrated throughout, this stunning anthology explores and illuminates the pleasures and pitfalls of the compulsion to write, with advice about the whole messy business of writing literature and what it takes to be a writer. The perfect gift for aspiring writers, curious readers, and anyone interested in what the world’s greatest authors have to say about the art of writing.

 

by Travis Elborough (Author), Helen Gordon (Author), Joey Guidone (Illustrator)

Being a Writer: Advice, Musings, Essays and Experiences From the World’s Greatest Authors is available here. 

 

Highlights of National Poetry Day 28 September 2017

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Wakefield: Poetry on the no 59 Bus

Departing from Wakefield Bus station at 11.21 and travelling along the route to Barnsley
Take your seat for a ride of poetic musing, revolutionary songs and live music from The Merrie City to Tarn and back. Jump on board Bus 59 with The Ukulele Lady and her Boy, musician Jacqui Wicks and poet Ralph Dartford, and experience a journey like no other. All you will need is your fare. This event is part of the Hear My Voice Barnsley Project in collaboration with Wakefield Lit Festival, funded by the Barnsley TUC Training Ltd and supported by Stagecoach.

https://www.wakefieldlitfest.org.uk/events/332-national-poetry-day-on-the-no59-bus

 

 

Jill Abram presents Stablemates: A Poetry Salon with Roger McGough, Malika Booker and Kathryn Maris from Penguin Modern Poets

Foyles, 107 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DT

 

 

To celebrate National Poetry Day, we’ll be joined by presenter of BBC Radio 4s Poetry Please Roger McGough, Douglas Caster fellow Malika Booker and Pushcart prize winning Kathryn Maris. The evening will comprise of the poets in conversation with Jill Abram, Director of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen, and reading from their work.

 

http://www.foyles.co.uk/Public/Events/Detail.aspx?eventId=3431

 

 

Poetry Breakfast at L’Escargot

L’Escargot  Restaurant, 48 Greek St, Soho, London W1D 4EF

 

Poet in the City’s legendary Poetry Breakfast is back, with a twist. This year we’re transforming Soho’s iconic L’Escargot into a trove of poetic treasures.  Behind door number 1, you might find yourself sitting down for coffee with 2016 Forward Prize-winner Vahni Capildeo, maybe you’ll be meeting Jo Shapcott, 2011 recipient of the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry; or perhaps you’ll be sharing a croissant with Sabrina Mahfouz, the award-winning poet and playwright behind With a Little Bit of Luck (2016) and literary anthology The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write.

 

http://www.poetinthecity.co.uk/show-event/?pc_event_id=337

 

 

Pop Up Poet Session in Glasgow

Mitchell Library, North St, Glasgow G3 7DN

In celebration of National Poetry Day, live poetry sessions will be held by one of the Pop up Poets from the St Mungo’s Mirrorball. Come along and have a coffee or some lunch and hear some poetry from 11.00am – 1.30pm at the Mitchell Library.

 

Betjeman Poetry Prize

John Betjeman statue,  St. Pancras International Station, London

 

The Betjeman Poetry Prize celebrates the fantastic achievement of this year’s six young finalists at St Pancras International, on the Upper Councourse, by the statue of Sir John Betjeman. Awards presented by the poet Rachel Rooney and the illustrator Chris Riddell, with readings from the young poets. Event starts at 2pm.

 

https://www.betjemanpoetryprize.co.uk/

 

 

Contains Strong Language

Various locations, Hull

 

A major new national spoken word and poetry festival in Hull

 

Starting on National Poetry Day, Thursday 28 September, Contains Strong Language will welcome local, national and international poets, in a celebration of new and existing word craft inspired by our literary city.

 

https://www.hull2017.co.uk/whatson/events/contains-strong-language/

 

 

Business of Books: So Much to Give – Part 2: Jane Cable on how individual authors help charities

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Business of Books: So Much to Give – Part 2

Jane Cable on how individual authors help charities

Two weeks ago I wrote about how groups of authors help charities so now I’m going to turn my attention to the valuable input that individual writers can have, both in terms of time and money.

 

Although many authors band together to organise events others go it alone, using all their creativity to make it work. Historical novelist Victoria Cornwall helped her husband to raise funds for the local Cornish branch of Mind by running a slot car racing competition at a vintage vehicle show. To help attract families to the stand she gave away chocolates and bookmarks promoting her debut novel with Choclit. Did it help with book sales? “In truth, I have no idea,” she admits. “But we were raising money for a charity which supports adults with mental health problems so promoting my novel took a back seat.”

 

There are writers who donate all or part of their royalties to causes related to their books or close to their hearts. With the author only receiving a small slice of the price paid by the reader anyway, even amounts which sound quite small – like 10% or £1 a copy – are actually pretty generous gifts. Examples where the book fits the charity are Cassandra Grafton supporting the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation through her latest Austen inspired novel, and TV producer turned satirist Gloria Grayson donating to Mutts With Friends Dog Rescue because a dog is the star of her newly released book.

 

Indie author Emily Williams is so passionate about helping horse charities she is actually writing a young adult novel specifically to raise money. It’s an ambitious project and very much a work in progress, but she’s determined to succeed, even perfecting the art of making origami horses to feature on the cover.

 

Other writers give their time to mentor (psychological drama writer Amanda Reynolds volunteers for The WoMentoring Project) or give motivational talks; former soldier, police officer and crime writer Matt Johnson helps other veterans in this way and is a great example that with the right treatment PTSD can be controlled and overcome. Author and media doctor Carol Cooper will blog to support charities and waive her fees for articles to support good causes. For writers – and for many charities, time is as precious as cold, hard cash.

 

I would wager that most writers do something, however modest. Val Portelli (who writes as Voinks), typically plays down her own contributions: “The only things I’ve done are donate copies of my books as a prize for a fund raising campaign to keep a library open, send copies to a book shop struggling for stock after a devastating area flood, and donate some copies to an old people’s home where a friend worked as a carer.” That really doesn’t sound too much like ‘only’ to me.

 

But for some, the urge to help takes over their lives. Claire Louise Brown’s latest book has Inspired her to set up a charity to build a recuperation centre for veterans. “It’s early stages but hopefully one day what is in the book will be real and helping people every day,” she explains. Freelance writer and teacher Anne Hamilton made that dream real after she visited Bangladesh working for an NGO and wrote a travel memoir about it. This was the starting point for her involvement with Bhola’s Children, a charity which provides a home and school for orphaned and disabled children. She is a trustee and visits Bangladesh regularly. Find out more about the charity here: http://www.bholaschildren.org/.

 

 

 

Selina Siak Chin Yoke On Becoming a Writer

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I began writing out of desperation and a cherished dream. While recovering from breast cancer, I went into a chemo-induced depression without realising it. I had no idea what was wrong, only that the ground beneath me seemed to have collapsed. Months passed. When I still found no equilibrium, I went to see a counsellor at the cancer charity, MacMillan, who suggested a bout of creative writing.

Not long afterward, I recalled a dream I’d once had – of writing a novel loosely inspired by my great-grandmother who I had never met. Stories were re-hashed endlessly in my family about this formidable woman who, despite being uneducated, started a business at a time when few women in Malaya did so. She always seemed larger than life – a true role model in a profoundly patriarchal culture.

I began my writing project by doing research. I knew that what I wanted to write was a novel based on real historical events, possibly even on events which my own family had experienced.

Armed with the detailed outline of a story, I planned a trip to Malaysia. I pored through newspapers in the National Archives and interviewed anyone who would talk to me about the old days. Some who gave their time were family members: aunts, uncles and cousins, but a few were people I barely knew. Amazingly, I came across people who had actually met my great-grandmother. Their anecdotes provided a wonderful tapestry which fuelled my imagination further.

Spurred on by Malaysia’s heat and its panoply of aromas, sounds and colour, I began writing the first draft of The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds, my first novel. The story follows the life of a mixed-race woman during a time of rapid change in Malaya. It is a complex and rich story about cultural identity, set in my hometown, Ipoh. As I described the modernisation of the town and how the protagonist tries to retain her cultural traditions in her rapidly Westernising world, I realised I was telling not only her story but the story of her country, Malaya.

In this way, the Malayan Series was born. My new novel, When the Future Comes Too Soon, follows on from the first book, but the two can be read independently and are very different. In this second novel Malaya is at war. There is a new protagonist, Mei Foong (the daughter-in-law of the heroine in the first book), who is thrown into a world gone mad. Somehow, she must find ways to keep her family alive. How she goes about this and what happens to her and her family lie at the emotional heart of the novel.

Their story is as much about betrayal, in its many forms, as it is about survival and love and what courage means. Sometimes, it takes extreme circumstances for people to discover what they’re made of. This is the case for Mei Foong, who finds her inner steel through war and suffering.

Selina Siak Chin Yoke’s When the Future Comes Too Soon is published byhen the Future Comes Too Soon and out now

 

 

The Business of Books: Jane Cable talks to Choclit author and Romaniac Laura E James

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THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: Connect, engage – and write!

Jane Cable talks to Choclit author and Romaniac Laura E James

1: How much of your working life does the business of books take up?

I like to start the day by clearing my emails and writing my guest posts, updating the accounts, attending to social media – connecting with readers and writers, sharing book-related news, creating adverts – before settling into working on the manuscript, be that research, writing or editing. Quite often time will run away from me, so I’m attempting to stick to a plan of sorting out on what I loosely term admin, until 11:00, leaving the rest of the day for writing, which is anything from one to seven hours. It’s not an exact answer to the question because my working day depends on my health. I have autoimmune conditions, which can dictate my hours.

2: What’s your business model to earn a living from writing?

It’s only recently I’ve converted my way of thinking to writing as a business, so I’m learning and in the process of developing the business model. I write character and issue driven relationship novels, I engage on social media, run workshops and present talks to groups interested in writing and/or my books, take part in interviews, and network when possible. In its simplest form: keep writing, keep engaging, and keep building my readership.

3: What do you write and what do you consider to be your major successes?

I write commercial fiction, often centred on family relationships, with issues and moral dilemmas sending my characters down dark paths. There are strong elements of romance, so I will always guide my characters and my readers towards a happy or hopeful ending. I’m a Jodi Picoult fan and reading her books has had a major influence on what and possibly, how I write.

My first major success was being shortlisted for a short story competition run by Choc Lit (publisher), which resulted in my entry achieving the runner-up position. I repeated this with their second short story competition, and went on to have my debut, TRUTH OR DARE?, published with them.

FOLLOW ME FOLLOW YOU, my second book, was my first to go into paperback, large print, and audio, and the moment I received my author copies is one I cherish. In January 2017, the book was chosen by Apple to be the free iBook of the Week, and it hit the number one spot – my first number one. I was on a writing retreat with friends at the time. Celebrations were had.

My latest novel, WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU, spearheaded a new imprint – Dark Choc Lit. I feel privileged to have had that opportunity and love that an imprint is in place for darker, harder hitting novels. This is the first of my novels to be sold through WH Smith, in the Travel shops, which is a dream come true.

The Romaniacs, an online blogging group of eight writers, formed in 2011, has to be one of my favourite successes, but it’s not my success, it’s our success. The support and friendship is phenomenal, as is the output – seven out of eight are published/to be published, and/or with agents. In 2015, we won the inaugural RNA Industry Media Stars Award for our work in promoting the romance writing industry. But the real success is how eight people, who met through the Festival of Romance and the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, have formed solid friendships for life.

4: Tell me about your latest project.

I’m working on two projects – a mother-daughter relationship story, which has been planned, researched and mapped out on one of my white boards, but is hovering in the background, maturing, and a novel about rebuilding one’s life from the ground floor up, following an emotionally abusive relationship.

Laura E James writes romance without the soft edges.
For further information, go to: www.lauraejames.co.uk or www.theromaniacs.co.uk

 

 

Business of Books: So Much to Give – Part 1

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Jane Cable on how authors get together to support charities

It’s that time of year again. The time when Chindi Authors stand outside the Cancer Research UK shop in Arundel for ten whole days during the town’s festival trying to sell books. Not an easy task when the second hand offerings inside are so much cheaper, but we stick at it because we can add to the coffers of this excellent cause, promote our own books and meet readers.

We know we’ll be well supported by our members and local people, but organiser romantic novelist and kidlit writer Carol Thomas was asked by author contacts up and down the country if they could donate too. While she did the charitable thing and set up a donation page – http://www.carol-thomas.co.uk/Chindi-cruk/ – her generosity simply got me thinking about how much writers achieve when they band together for good causes.

The most high profile recent example of this was the Authors for Grenfell online auction which attracted pledges of more than £150,000, over £30,000 of which was for Philip Pullman to name a character after one of the young victims of the fire. Quirky lots did well too, with conductor and writer Lev Parikian putting together a package which bridged both his worlds: “I offered signed books and (more importantly on this occasion, I think) conducting lessons. A bidding war between three people meant we raised £1,700.”

 

CLIC Sargent runs an annual ‘Get in Character’ eBay auction where authors such as crime writer E V Seymour and novelist and poet Claire Dyer have offered bidders a range of lots including – you guessed it – having a character in a book named after them. Critiques prove equally popular and previous Business of Books guest Karen King (https://www.frostmagazine.com/2017/04/how-to-have-more-than-100-titles-published/) offered one in the Authors for Refugees auction last year, an initiative which raised £22,000.

 

Another way of writers getting together to raise money is by giving their time to contribute to and to edit anthologies for causes as diverse as cancer and heart charities, earthquake appeals, women’s rescues and hospices. Some have very personal links to the cause, including saga writer Elaine Everest (also a previous Business of Books guest): “I organised and edited the anthology ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ (Accent Press) to celebrate my 30th anniversary of surviving breast cancer (7 years ago) with funds going to Against Breast Cancer.”

 

Crime & thriller writer Jane Risdon is a serial contributor to anthologies, supporting amongst others Women for Women, Breakthrough, Women’s Aid, The Norfolk Hospice, The Princess Alice Hospice and Save The Children. She was slightly upset when there was no thanks from certain charities, but would still do it again. Other authors say that smaller charities are more responsive than the larger ones so they prefer to work with these.

 

Some writers go the whole nine yards and get together to form charities of their own. A prime example of this is saga writer and Frost contributing editor, Margaret Graham, who together with Jan Speedie and Penny Deacon set up Words for the Wounded which exists to raise funds for injured service personnel through writing prizes and events. It’s a wonderful organisation and every penny goes directly to the people who need it. Authors can help in a variety of ways – Chindi raised almost a thousand pounds by organising a litfest, others give their time to speak at events or in my case I donate £1 for every Amazon review of my book Another You. Find out more about W4W here: http://www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk/.