Did you miss this year’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair? Never fear – our intrepid Bologna Correspondent Lucy Coats shares all the fun of the Fair. The rights-selling frenzy at Bologna Children’s Book Fair starts on a Monday, and as ever, … Read more →

Romantic fiction authors share their tips in issue 4 – available now in print or digital. Want to know how to blog your way to a bestseller, write sex scenes, pick your way through an agency agreement or what qualities … Read more →

Ebooks and blogs are changing not only how we read but what we read, says Brian Burton. In today’s time-poor attention economy, social media and ebooks have replaced print as the channel for radical ideas. Is print really on the … Read more →

What do agents really want? A unique voice, storytelling ability, likeable characters and believable dialogue, says Danuta Kean.

Yesterday I taught my first Guardian Masterclass of the year on how to pitch your book. A question students always ask is: what exactly do agents want? It is easier to answer than you might think. Of course everyone in publishing would say ‘voice’, by which they mean the character and personality of the writing. Agents want a voice that is unique, fresh and engaging. If you remain unclear what that means, the best way to understand is to read, read and read contemporary books. Read more →

By Leslie Kaufman at nytimes.com: Simon & Schuster is testing the water in the booming self-publishing market. The publishing company announced Tuesday that it was teaming up with Author Solutions, based in Bloomington, Ind., to create a separate house called … Read more →