William Sutcliffe - Childrens Writers & Artists Yearbook 2020

Childrens Writers & Artists

Yearbook

2020

Other Writers & Artists titles include

Writers & Artists Companions

Series Editors: Carole Angier and Sally Cline

Each title is full of expert advice and tips from bestselling authors.

Writing Childrens Fiction by Yvonne Coppard and Linda Newbery... a book for anyone interested in childrens books: the authors manage with a very light touch to pass on masses of information and ideas. Wendy Cooling

Crime and Thriller Writing by Michelle Spring and Laurie R. King

Life Writing by Sally Cline and Carole Angier

Literary Non-fiction by Sally Cline and Midge Gillies

Writing Historical Fiction by Celia Brayfield and Duncan Sprott

Writing Short Stories by Courttia Newland and Tania Hershman

Novel Writing by Romesh Gunesekera and A.L. Kennedy

Playwriting by Fraser Grace and Clare Bayley

Writing for TV and Radio by Sue Teddern and Nick Warburton

NEW in October 2019

Writers & Artists Guide to Writing for Children and YA by Linda Strachan

Writers & Artists Guide to Getting Published by Alysoun Owen

You can buy copies from your local bookseller or online at www.writersandartists.co.uk/shop

Special offer

Visit www.writersandartists.co.uk before 30 June 2020 and enter the promotional code CWAYB20 to receive an exclusive 10% discount on our editorial services.

Childrens Writers & Artists

Yearbook

2020

SIXTEENTH EDITION

The essential guide for childrens writers and artists on how to get published and who to contact

The Editor welcomes readers to this edition of the Childrens Writers & Artists Yearbook .

Im delighted to introduce you to this years edition of the Childrens Writers & Artists Yearbook and to the inspiring set of articles and practical details you will find inside. Every year we review, update and add to the information in the hundreds of listings we include. New to every edition are articles that complement those from previous editions and which, collectively, provide expert and considered advice on how to develop your writing and get your work published.

Caroline Horn gives her annual update on the market in News and trends in childrens publishing 2018-19 on ), describes how she breathes new creative life into traditional tales.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave shares her experience of Writing magic into fiction on .

Whatever your chosen media or the age of your target market, I hope there is something here to entice and support you. Whether you are writing picture books, for middle grade or YA, fiction or non-fiction, if you are wanting to break into comics or magazines, or if you are a fledging poet or dramatist you are all welcome.

Alysoun Owen, Editor

Contents

Praise for the Yearbook

How to get published? 1. Write a good book. 2. Read a good book this one.

Charlie Higson

Riffle these pages and turn your dream into an ambition.

Frank Cottrell Boyce

Take the great advice thats in this Yearbook.

David Almond

Contains a wealth of essays, articles and advice.

Frances Hardinge

Every writer has to take a first step. Make the Childrens Writers & Artists Yearbook yours.

Meg Cabot

Between the covers of this book is everything you need to know to get published.

Julia Donaldson

... absolutely essential. If it were a person, it would be your most knowledgeable and trusted confidant.

Andy Stanton

The Childrens Writers & Artists Yearbook has two great virtues: one is the wealth of information it contains and the other is the impressive raft of advice and notes on every aspect of the business.

Quentin Blake

Stuffed full of useful facts to help you get writing (and drawing).

Liz Pichon

The Writers & Artists website (www.writersandartists.co.uk) provides up-to-the-minute writing advice, blogs, competitions and the chance to share work with other writers. You can sign up to our regular newsletter; browse our Writing Calendar; and learn about the editorial services we offer. We also run courses, workshops and other events, including How to Hook an Agent lunches and one-day How to Get Published conferences around the country, including some specifically related to writing and publishing for children.

Our listings service can be accessed at www.writersandartists.co.uk/listings. In addition to all the contacts in this edition of the Yearbook, subscribers are able to search hundreds of additional organisations and companies.

Whatever your needs, we hope that Writers & Artists resources, whether delivered in print, online or at our events, will provide you with the information, advice and inspiration you are looking for.

Short story competition

The annual Writers & Artists Yearbook Short Story Competition offers published and aspiring writers the chance to win a place on an Arvon residential writing course (worth 1,000). In addition, the winners story will be published on the Writers & Artists website.

To enter the competition, submit a short story (for adults) of no more than 2,000 words, on any theme by 13 February 2020 to .

You can find details of competitions for childrens writing under Childrens book and illustration prizes and awards on .

runs three historic writing houses in the UK, where published writers lead week-long residential courses. Covering a diverse range of genres, from poetry and fiction to screenwriting and comedy, Arvon courses have provided inspiration to thousands of people at all stages of their writing lives. You can find out more and book a course online at www.arvon.org.

William Sutcliffe

In the 23 years that I have been writing and publishing books I have been to scores of literary events, both as a speaker and an audience member. If I had to agglomerate all the questions Ive heard put to authors into one overarching meta-question, it would be this: How do you do it?. Sadly, my agglomerated meta-answer to that question would have to be I dont know. Every published writer frequently gets asked for advice, and most of them have only one truly essential tip to offer: buy the Writers & Artists Yearbook . The key turning point in every professional writers life is when writing shifts from being a hobby or a dream into a source of income. For making that transition, this book is the Bible.

To get published, you dont have to know someone; you dont have to know someone who knows someone; you dont have to live in Hampstead; and you dont need a degree in English literature. You do, however, need to understand that publishing is a business and that, like every other business, it operates in a way that seems obvious and transparent to insiders, but is opaque and confusing to outsiders. This is what makes the Writers & Artists Yearbook an essential reference book for everyone who hopes to make a living as a writer. Trying to get published without it is like setting off on a hike without a map.

When put to a writer, the question How do you do it? can mean two things. If it means How do you get published?, you are holding the answer in your hands right now. Not everyone who hopes to find a publisher will achieve that, not by a long shot, but if you want to give your work in progress the best possible chance of finding an agent and ultimately a publisher, all the answers you need are right here. Of course, the other thing that question often means is How do you write a good book?; and for that one, there are no clear-cut answers. Moreover, when it comes to key questions such as getting started, editing, plotting, characterisation, getting unstuck when you are stuck, for every writer there is a different solution. There is a right and a wrong way to make a submission to an agent; there isnt a right and a wrong way to write a novel. Everyone finds their own method.