Sceptre will encourage readers to try David Benioff’s novel City of Thieves by offering them the chance to swap it for two other Sceptre books completely free if they don’t enjoy it.
The paperback of City of Thieves, to be published in June, will feature the special offer.
John Williams is a creative business consultant and founder of the successful Scanners night.
Kirsty and Jacq worked with John to brainstorm book ideas and to advise on pitching to publishers. His book, Screw Work; Let’s Play has just been sold to a leading publisher for a healthy advance.
Could you write a bestseller?
What experience or [...]
Could you shorten your book into a 140-character Tweet for Twitter? Great classics are being reduced to haiku-like synopses.
Some examples:
The Catcher in the Rye -jdsalinger: Rich kid thinks everyone is fake except for his little sister. Has breakdown. @markchapman is now following @johnlennon
Pride and Prejudice - janeaustin: Woman meets man called Darcy who seems horrible. He [...]
Mark Twain and Truman had to write lying down.
Ernest Hemingway sharpened fifty or so pencils before he started.
Willa Cather had to read the Bible before writing.
Poet John Donne felt he should lie in a coffin before putting pen to paper, that’s a story in itself.
What’s your ritual? Personally, I have to have a cup of tea [...]
Macmillan New Writing is the Pan Macmillan imprint dedicated to discovering new novelists in all genres. They are one of the few publishers who actively welcome unsolicited manuscripts. So if you don’t have an agent but you feel your book is ready to be seen by a publisher, submit it to Macmillan New Writing.
Some of their [...]
Wouldn’t it be great to know the secrets of writing bestselling books?
Our May speaker, bestselling fiction writer, Matt Whyman has also written five non-fiction books for teenagers, including the three Wise Guides and his book, Unzipped: A Toolkit for Life.
Mariella Frostrup, said of his book, Unzipped, it’s an ‘indispensable guide to love and sex. It [...]
New writers can get their work published - even without an agent.
An independent publisher called ‘To Hell with Publishing’ is launching a new £5,000 prize for unpublished novels, and is also developing a new list for debut authors. The good news is you can submit your first novel without an agent.
Get on to it [...]