Alysoun Owen (editor) - Writers & artists yearbook 2020 : the essential guide to the media and publishing industries : the perfect companion for writers of fiction and non-fiction, poets, playwrights, journalists, and

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.

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 Childrens Fiction by Yvonne Coppard and Linda Newbery

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 July 2019

Childrens Writers & Artists Yearbook 2020

To find your way as a childrens author, CWAYB should be your first port of call. Sarah Crossan

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 WAYB20 to receive an exclusive 10% discount on our editorial services.

Writers & Artists

YEARBOOK

2020

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEENTH EDITION

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MEDIA AND PUBLISHING INDUSTRIES

The perfect companion for writers of fiction and non-fiction, poets, playwrights, journalists, and commercial artists

This edition of the Yearbook is dedicated to the memory of renowned editor and author Diana Athill.

Diana died in January 2019 aged 101; her article About editing and writing starts .

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

Welcome to this new, expanded edition of the Yearbook. Distributed throughout its pages are listings with details of who to contact across the publishing and wider media industries. These are the individuals and organisations that might just help in your quest to get your work into print, or ebook, or audiobook. We include updated information on literary agents and book publishers, as well as the plethora of prizes, festivals and courses that you can enter, attend and take to increase your chances of being noticed.

The two most effective ways to boost your luck in getting your feet on the rungs of the publishing ladder are to read and to write. And to do lots of both. Write anything and everything. Practise in order to improve your writing, find your voice and, in time, your readers. The authors and publishing practitioners who dole out advice in the more than 80 articles in this bulging red book are perfect examples of writers who have done just that. Collectively, they provide hands-on expertise across a wide range of genres, formats, and routes to market. This is perfectly exemplified in the new article by Mark Illis .

This year, we have also added new articles by novelists Tim Pears (Writing historical fiction: lessons learned; see .

If you want to keep up to date with the latest ups and downs and trends in the publishing industry, take a look at the annually updated articles by the Booksellers Tom Tivnan (New, views and trends: review of the publishing year, .

Whatever your intended market or subject or format, I hope that the advice and information in this Yearbook sets you off in the right direction and provides the inspiration you need to fulfil your writing ambitions.

Alysoun Owen

Editor

All articles, listings and other material in this yearbook are reviewed and updated every year in consultation with the bodies, organisations, companies and individuals that we select for inclusion. To the best of our knowledge the websites, emails and other contact details are correct at the time of going to press.

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.

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 competition@bloomsbury.com. For full details, terms and conditions, and to find out more about how to submit your entry, visit www.writersandartists.co.uk/competitions.

You might like to read Writing short stories of this Yearbook.

runs creative writing courses and retreats from three writing houses in the UK, each in a beautiful rural location. Published writers lead week-long or short residential courses. Covering a diverse range of genres, from poetry and fiction to screenwriting and non-fiction, 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.

Contents

Praise for the Yearbook

the book which magically contains all other books ... an entrance ticket to the world you long for.

Fay Weldon

So much the budding writer needs.

Martina Cole

Read this book very carefully. Treasure it.

Rachel Joyce

... buy a copy of the current Writers & Artists Yearbook and get yourself out there.

Donal Ryan

Full of useful stuff.

J.K. Rowling

Everything you need to know about the business of being a writer.

Lawrence Norfolk

When youre looking to get published, its your Bible.

The Association of Illustrators

Every writer can remember her first copy of the Writers & Artists Yearbook.

Rose Tremain

The wealth of information ... is staggering.

The Times

I went out and bought myself a copy of the Writers & Artists Yearbook ... and talked to editors about ideas for stories. Pretty soon I found myself hired to do interviews and articles.

Neil Gaiman

The one-and-only, indispensable guide to the world of writing.

William Boyd

Samantha Shannon

Some years ago, I wrote my first story. I believe I was seven or eight years old. From what little I remember of it, it was about a princess who inherited the moon. The reason I know nothing else about this piece of my juvenilia is that I only printed one copy, and I sent that copy to a publishing house (dont do this). I used spotless paper and double-checked that the ink had dried. I stapled the pages together, sealed them in an envelope, and penned the address in my very best handwriting. My grandmother walked me down the street to the postbox and, together, we sent my little story to the only publisher I could recall off the top of my head.