WRITERS' & ARTISTS' YEARBOOK 2013
A REVIEW
So, you’ve finished writing that
book have you? It’s a hard slog. I know.
I’ve written two myself and I know how time consuming, emotionally draining
it can be, and how fabulously exciting it is to type ‘The End’.
A REVIEW

It’s like being on a big,
scary, theme park ride. You’re having a
great time, then a scary time, then a good time. If it’s one of those freaky swinging tall ones,
then you may spend the whole time wishing it was over. Then suddenly it is over. Now you’re thinking, okay I have to make my
way through the crowd to the next ride but I’m not sure where to go because
it’s a big park and I’m not getting on that whiplash scary &^#@* ride again.
No sirree.
Well, I am going to break it
to you gently. That roller coaster ride that has left you giddy whilst writing
and editing your book until it is shiny like a diamond; that, my friend, was
the easy bit. But you knew that didn’t
you? You cannot attend a writing course
or a workshop on publishing or read an article by a famous, successful author
without hearing those wearying words.
“It’s almost impossible to get published.” We know that. Yep. We do.
A few years ago, I attended
a publishing workshop at a Writer’s Festival and by lunch-time most of the
initially excited participants filed out totally transformed. They trudged
towards the coffee shop, feet dragging and shoulders hunched. In huddled,
dejected groups of despair they sat, staring at their cakes as the idea they
had wasted years of their lives sank in.
And whether you are the
“I’ve been rejected too many times” author or an excited “Just finished my book
and it’s really awesome” author, there may be something that will help with the
toughest part of the job—chasing down an agent or a publisher. This is the part
of the job where you need to remain diligent and determined and work smart.
And here’s my little secret
weapon for you. Get yourself a copy of
the latest ‘WRITERS’ & ARTISTS’ YEARBOOK. The current copy is 2013. The blurb on the cover says, ‘Everything you need to know about the business of being a
writer.’ And they weren’t
exaggerating.
Inside is a treasure trove
of up-to-date information. Terry Pratchett comments on the inside cover
that it is ‘Much, much better than luck.’ It contains not only listings of
addresses, emails, web addresses and phone numbers of literary agents and major
publishers world-wide but also, newspapers and magazines. If your leaning is
towards film and television scripting, poetry, art and illustration and even
photography there are listings for you too.
Also, there is a very helpful section of ‘Societies, prizes and festivals’ and
even though this is aimed at the UK market, many competitions are open to
overseas authors.
But the real gems are the Notes
from the authors. They are small essays from successful
authors, like ‘Notes on becoming a novelist’ by William Boyd. Or ‘Notes from a successful fantasy author’
by Terry Pratchett (quite an understatement to call him merely
successful). There are dozens of these
type of essays from romance novelists to crime authors to J.K.
Rowlings ‘Notes
from a successful children’s author’ (again, it’s like calling a peacock a
bird).
Then there are sections
about the publishing industry written by people in the publishing industry, that span ‘The state of
commissioning’ to ‘Understanding publishing agreements’ to ‘Marketing, publicising and
selling books’.
And haven’t you always
wanted to get inside the mind of a literary agent? Carol Blake, one of the U.K.’s foremost
literary agents with a career that spans forty-nine years tells us ‘How to make
a successful submission to a literary agent’. And we sure want to know that? Should you want to bypass
the publishers and do it yourself there is even information on indie publishing with
articles on ‘Print on demand’ and ‘Vanity publishing’.
WRITERS' & ARTISTS'
YEARBOOK 2013 is 788 pages of information that you need to know with nearly
4,500 entries in its up-to-date directory of media contacts. You could spend a
year full-time on the web, Googling, reading blogs and news articles in an
attempt to work out how to get your work published. Or you can be smart and learn
about the publishing industry from the publishing industry.
Just sitting it on your desk
near you is a reminder that there are many avenues to publishing your work. Somewhere in this beautiful, glossy book may
be the essay that gives you the inspiration to send that umpteenth query letter
that will bring back that answer they told you wouldn’t
come. This book could be your ticket off
those whirly, scary, rejection rides and onto a smooth train ride that will
take you down the track to arrive at Station ‘Yes, we want your work’.
My review copy of "Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2013" thanks to the loveable people at Bloomsbury Publishing Australia
To buy or learn more visit Bloomsbury's The Writers' & Artists' Year Book 2013
Published August 2013: RRP $39.99 in Australia.
Available Worldwide.
New articles for 2013 include:
Electronic publishing by Philip Jones
Notes from a successful romantic novelist by Katie Fforde
Writing for the theatre by David Eldridge
Why libraries matter by Maggie Gee
Writing for magazines by Hero Brown
Writing memoir by Irene Graham
The laws of privacy and confidentiality by Keith Schilling
'The one-and-only, indispensable guide to the world of writing' - William Boyd
'Everything you need to know about the business of being a writer' - Lawrence Norfolk
'Even established writers can feel as though they're climbing a mountain. Think of the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook as your sherpa' - Ian Rankin
'Full of useful stuff. It answered my every question' - J.K Rowling
'...much, much better than luck' Terry Pratchett
'...like a magic carpet that would carry the writer anywhere' Maeve Binchy
'... the book which magically contains all other books... an entrance ticket to the world you long for' - Fay Wheldon
Published August 2013: RRP $39.99 in Australia.
Available Worldwide.
About
Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2013 from the Publisher
This bestselling guide to
all areas of the media, now in its 106th edition, has been completely revised
and updated. With 100 articles written by successful authors and publishing
insiders, it advises, guides and inspires writers and artists on how to get
published.
The 2013 edition includes
new articles on, amongst other topics, memoir writing, apps, libraries and
contains a wealth of practical information on a huge range of topics including
copyright, finance, submitting a manuscript and marketing yourself and your
writing.
With nearly 4,500 entries in
its up-to-date directory of media contacts, the Yearbook is an in invaluable
companion.
New articles for 2013 include:
Electronic publishing by Philip Jones
Notes from a successful romantic novelist by Katie Fforde
Writing for the theatre by David Eldridge
Why libraries matter by Maggie Gee
Writing for magazines by Hero Brown
Writing memoir by Irene Graham
The laws of privacy and confidentiality by Keith Schilling
'The one-and-only, indispensable guide to the world of writing' - William Boyd
'Everything you need to know about the business of being a writer' - Lawrence Norfolk
'Even established writers can feel as though they're climbing a mountain. Think of the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook as your sherpa' - Ian Rankin
'Full of useful stuff. It answered my every question' - J.K Rowling
'...much, much better than luck' Terry Pratchett
'...like a magic carpet that would carry the writer anywhere' Maeve Binchy
'... the book which magically contains all other books... an entrance ticket to the world you long for' - Fay Wheldon
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