Sutton-in-Ashfield, Myths and Legends

Hucknall Book Day, June 2nd

Storytelling at Hucknall Leisure Centre

Great Kimberley Book Read

Rufford Book Festival

NAWG Festival of writing

Askance Short Story Competition

Askance Publishing are running a short story competition which will raise money for charity. Here are the details:

Askance Short Story Competition

Deadline 30 June 2012

Askance social enterprise publishing house, based in Cambridge, England, welcomes entries from novice or experienced writers from anywhere in the world for their competition.

Winners will be published in an anthology and receive a small cash prize.

For rules and terms and conditions please visit http://askancepublishing.wordpress.com/competition/

Festival of Writing

Run by The Writers' Workshop, The Festival of Writing is the UK's largest writers' conference.

The WW Festival of Writing is not a 'literary festival' but a festival run entirely by writers for other writers. They have designed the festival around giving writers everything they need to break into print including the ability to pitch directly to agents and publishers.

The festival will take place from 7th to 9th September at the University of York, with comfortable on-campus accommodation. You can learn more about the festival and book tickets at http://www.writersworkshop.co.uk/events.html.

As a member of NWUK you can access a Writing Group Discount of 15% -- just quote GRP on your booking form.

Here’s an overview of their programme:

Friday 7th September

13.00 - 14.00	Registration for those attending Mini Courses
14.00 - 18.00	Mini courses (optional) • How to Write a Novel, with Harry Bingham • Self-editing your Novel, with Debi Alper • Children's Authors Do It Differently, with Nicola Morgan • Creativity masterclass, with Andrew Wille • Historical Fiction, with Emma Darwin •Be a Professional Self-Publisher and Succeed, with David Gaughran and Talli Rowland
14.00 - 18.00	Registration and collection of room keys
16.00 - 17.00	Afternoon tea - dip out, drop-in
18.00	Bar opens Come along to meet agents, editors and fellow writers.
19.30	Dinner
20.45 - 21.15	Literary Night Live Your chance for a panel of experts to hear and evaluate your text. Terrifying, but useful. More details to follow soon. Last year's winner ended up with an agent! The one before got an agent, got published - and is one of the guest speakers this year.

Saturday 8th September

08.00	Breakfast
08.30	Registration for Saturday arrivals
9.10 - 10.10	Festival Welcome & Keynote Address - JoJo Moyes Author of 9 novels, JoJo has been a full time novelist since 2002, when her first book Sheltering Rain was published. Her last novel, the critically acclaimed The Last Letter From your Lover, won the 2011 RNA Novel of the Year award and has been translated into eleven different languages. She also writes regularly for The Daily Telegraph.
10.10 - 10.40	Coffee break & JoJo Moyes booksigning
10.40 - 11.40	Workshops - Session 1 See workshops for more info. When you book your Festival ticket, you will be asked to select your workshop choice.
11.50 - 12.50	Genre Panel/ Q&As Your chance to learn from the experts and ask the questions you want answered. Choice of (no prebooking required): Literary Fiction Science Fiction/Fantasy Children's/Young Adult Women's Fiction Historical Fiction Crime/Thriller Script Writing In nearly all cases, panels will include both authors and agents/publishers.
12.40	Buffet Lunch
14.00 - 15.00	Key note address: The Agent & The Publisher Bill Massey, Deputy Publishing Director, Orion Books Gillian Green, Editorial Director (Fiction), Ebury/Random House Alan Mahar, Publishing Director, Tindal Street Press Jim Gill & Simon Trewin, United Agents
15.10 - 16.10	Workshops - Session 2 See workshops for more info.
16.10 - 16.40	Afternoon Tea - plus author book signings
16.40 - 17.40	Workshops - Session 3 See workshops for more info.
18.45 - 19.15	Gala Dinner Reception ~ Drinks ~ Come along to meet agents, editors and fellow writers.
19.15	Gala Dinner & Competition Presentations After-dinner speech:

Sunday 9th September                                                                                                

08.00	Breakfast
09.00	Registration for Sunday arrivals
09.20 - 10.00	TBC
10.10 - 11.10	Workshops - Session 4 See workshops for more info.
11.10 - 11.40	Coffee break & author booksignings
11.40 - 12.40	Workshops - Session 5 See workshops for more info.
12.40	Buffet Lunch
14.00 - 15.00	Workshops - Session 6 See workshops for more info.
15.10 - 15.50	Keynote Address with Stuart MacBride Stuart MacBride is the bestselling crime fiction author of The Logan McRae series, including Shatter the Bones, which reached No. 1 in the Sunday Times bestseller list. The McRae novels have won him the CWA's Dagger in the Library, the Barry Award for Best Debut Novel, and Best Breakthrough Author at the ITV3 crime thriller awards. Stuart's other works include Halfhead, a near-future thriller, Sawbones, a novella aimed at adult emergent readers, and several short stories.
15.50 - 16.00	Wrap-up & farewells

Writing Reviews for Publication

Writing Reviews for Publication with Ian Douglas

9 May–6 June 2012 (5 weeks), Wednesday evenings 7–9pm

at Nottingham Writers' Studio, 32a Stoney Street, Nottingham Lace Market

Whether you want to write about books, theatre, movies, travel, or products, this course will help you write reviews to a professional standard. You'll be looking at markets for your work, like magazines and online, and advice will be given on submitting to editors. There'll also be opportunities to study published reviews and to produce your own compositions, with peer critiquing, editing and re-writing. The emphasis will be on a relaxed and creative atmosphere. Be ready to write!

The course fee is £40, or £30 for members of the Nottingham Writers' Studio. Find out more on their website, or contact Robin on 0115 959 7947 or admin@nottinghamwritersstudio.co.uk to book.

From Political Agent to Epic Adventure Novelist

Nottinghamshire Author Unleashes a Stunning Tale

Author Jim Costello’s life has been filled with diversity. Working in an array of occupations throughout his life, Jim’s knowledge is vast, something that is certainly evident in his new novel Adongiva.

OUT NOW

One of the most crucial aspects of his past, and something his writing has benefitted from hugely, is his extensive political background. Working in the Civil Service in Edinburgh before becoming involved with the Young Conservatives, he rose to Conservative Party Agent in 1979 – just in time for the historic election of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister.

Jim worked in a number of constituencies, was Norman Tebbit’s agent when he was Party Chairman, and became Deputy Central Office Area Agent for the Greater London Area and for the West and South of Scotland. He worked closely and on a first name basis with many Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and Members of the House of Lords, including the successful authors Edwina Currie, Jeffery Archer and Michael Dobbs. However, after the disastrous election defeat of the Conservatives in 1997, many Central Office Agents were made redundant, including Jim.

That led Jim to pursue a number of alternative jobs, including door-to-door salesman and a driving instructor. Although he originally hails from Scotland, Jim Costello now proudly calls Nottinghamshire home, where he currently works for the Royal Bank of Scotland. Now sixty-four years old.

Jim has recently found his prowess as a writer and his first novel,  Adongiva, is a testament to his own unusual and unpredictable life.

Adongiva is the story of an ordinary man’s brush with fate as protagonist Hiram Montgomery suddenly finds himself in an extraordinary situation. Suddenly widowed, Hiram discovers the winning lottery ticket bought by his wife before her death. He has also recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Deciding to spend all his money on a unique and groundbreaking boat where he can spend his remaining days, Hiram is soon overwhelmed by political interest and the world’s leading companies fighting to be a part of this project.

Jim’s bureaucratic awareness and understanding of human nature shines through in

Adongiva. His eclectic experience has provided him with the ability to communicate clearly, and tell a good story!

Adongiva (£10.99 ISBN 9781906236762) is a SilverWood Books title, available in paperback directly from the publisher at www.silverwoodbooks.com, from Amazon, and of course from your local bookshop.

Jim Costello will be officially launching Adongiva on  Friday 27^th April in the WI hut, Station Road, Bingham, NG13 8AQ, from 7pm to 9pm.

With readings, book signings, bubbly and nibbles, come along to help him celebrate.

Visit Jim's NWUK page

She's The One

Competition Details

Run in support of International Women's Day on March 8th, She's The One is a competition that celebrates the achievements of women throughout history by inviting writers across the UK to share their thoughts and stories.
Whether it's Florence Nightingale or Mrs Smith from down the road, an international icon or an everyday heroine, one woman or all women, we want to hear about the women who inspire you and how they have changed your world.
The deadline for the competition is June 30th. Entries can be poetry, prose or any style you like, though not longer than 350 words. The winning entries from the She's The One Competition will be published in an anthology to be released in September 2012.
Email us at
shestheone@myworldpublishing.co.uk
or follow us on Twitter
@MyWorldBooks
for news and updates about She's The One

How To Enter

The She's The One competition is open to anyone who lives in the UK. The work that you enter must be unpublished and not under contract to any other publisher. Work that has been self-published or published on the web is not eligible. If you have previous writing experience please include a brief biography of your writing career.
There is no limit to the number of entries that you can submit to the competition. Please include full contact details on each page, including name, email address and telephone number.
Entries may be poetry, prose, letters or in the style of your choice, but should not exceed the 350 word limit.

Work submitted, or arriving after the closing date will not be accepted. Entries must be submitted by post to the following address:

She's The One Competition
My World Publishing
Rainton Bridge Business Park
Chase House
Mandarin Way
Houghton-le-Spring
Tyne and Wear
DH4 5RA

Or by email to...

shestheone@myworldpublishing.co.uk

Wigtown Poetry Competition 2012

The 2012 Wigtown Poetry Competition is NOW OPEN. Entries can be made securely online or by post. To enter by post, please download the entry form here.

Click here to submit entries online.

Poetry Competition Judges 2012

Main Prize Judge: George Szirtes

George Szirtes has written some 14 books of poetry. He has been awarded the Faber Prize, the Cholmondeley Award and the T S Eliot Prize. His most recent books are New and Collected Poems (2008) and The Burning of the Books (2009). His next, Bad Machine, will be published by Bloodaxe in 2013. George has written widely on other subjects. His background is in painting and fine art and he is also an acclaimed translator of Hungarian literature.

Gaelic Prize Judge: Màrtainn Mac an t-Saoir ~ Martin MacIntyre

Màrtainn Mac an t-Saoir – Martin MacIntyre grew up in Lenzie, near Glasgow, and studied medicine at Aberdeen University. He later attained qualifications in broadcasting and Gàidhealtachd studies from Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Skye. Martin’s many accolades include winning the William Ross Prize for Gaelic Writing and the Saltire Society First Book of the Year Award, and he was crowned Bàrd at the National Mòd in 2007. He has written three novels and a book of poems, Dannsam Led Fhaileas / Let Me Dance with Your Shadow published by Luath Press in 2006. Martin is working on a second poetry volume and a collection of short stories. He has previously appeared at StAnza poetry festival, the Edinburgh International Book Festival and Toronto’s International Festival of Authors.

Scots Prize Judge: Sheena Blackhall

Sheena Blackhall is a writer, illustrator, traditional ballad singer and storyteller in north-east Scotland. From 1998-2003 she was Creative Writing Fellow in Scots at Aberdeen University’s Elphinstone Institute. She has published four Scots novellas, 12 short story collections and more than 80 poetry collections. In 2009 she became Makar for Aberdeen and the North East. Sheena was the inaugural Scots Prize winner in the 2011 Wigtown Poetry Competition.

Fee structure

The first poem submitted costs £7.00

Multiple entries: the first three poems cost a total of £19.00. Each subsequent entry after the first three costs £5 or a total of £14 for every additional block of 3, ie:

1 poem £7; 2 poems £14; 3 poems £19; 4 poems £24; 5 poems £29; 6 poems £33; 7 poems £38; 8 poems £43; 9 poems £47; 10 poems £52; 11 poems £57; 12 poems £61 etc.

Rules

• All poems are judged anonymously and the name of the poet must not appear on the manuscript.
• Each poem must be typed on a separate sheet of paper and clearly state which part(s) of the competition it is entered for (main prize, Gaelic or Scots).
• The same poem can be entered for more than one part of the competition but it must be typed up separately for each part and counted as a separate entry.
• For postal entries please include two copies of each poem submitted.
• Poems must not exceed 40 lines (not including title).
• All entrants must be 16 years of age or over.
• Entries may be in English, Scots, Scots/Irish Gaelic.
• The competition is open to anyone throughout and outside the United Kingdom.
• Poems must not be previously published, accepted for publication or currently entered into another competition.
• There is no restriction on the number of poems submitted by each applicant to each category of the competition, provided the appropriate entry fee is included.
• Competition entries cannot be returned.
• Alterations cannot be made to poems once they have been submitted.
• All poems will be read initially by a team at the Scottish Poetry Library prior to the final judging.
• Winners will be notified by Friday 5th August 2011. Winning poem and runner up entries will appear in the Scotsman or its sister paper Scotland on Sunday and winners will be listed on the Wigtown Book Festival website from Saturday 29th September 2012. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• No employee or board member of Wigtown Festival Company, the Gaelic Books Council or the Scottish Poetry Library may enter the competition.
• 
  
• The copyright of each poem remains with the author. The authors of the winning poems grant the Wigtown Festival Company the right to use the poems in publicity material for one year from 23rd September 2011.

Discovering the Diamond

Discovering the Diamond by Helen Hollick & Jo Field

As a published author of historical novels and adventure fantasy, I am often asked for advice by people who are new to writing or who have been writing for years, but not yet succeeded in getting their work published. I found I was giving the same advice so often that it seemed sensible to put it all together into a set of ‘guidelines’. These are intended for novice writers of ‘popular fiction’ and do not discuss non-fiction, for while the principles of good writing may apply equally to both, how they are produced is different.

HELEN HOLLICK

'This ebook is packed with handy hints, tips & guidelines for new & indie writers.'

NEW WRITERS UK

£1.54  UK edition link

 $2.44 US edition link

Reviews, Reviews, Reviews...

Reviews of your book can either put the va-va-voom into your day or make you want to close your lap top lid for good, but, they’re essential for informing potential buyers whether or not to purchase.  Indeed, Mark Coker of Smashwords indicates in one of his pie charts that most readers buy based on a recommendation or review.

While you can garner a few reviews from friends or fellow writers, you need opinions from real readers or members of the blogosphere to assist you in getting your book ‘out there’. 

I work with quite a number of bloggers, some with 100 followers and some with 1500 devotees. They range from students to workers, all love reading books and sharing their views on them. However, they do get inundated so expect to wait a few months. They’re often busy people too so don’t hassle them. Most have a fair and honest review policy and give a balanced opinion, which may help your sales or may not. The main thing you’re gaining is publicity by exposing your book to readers.

Some focus on specific genres while some are more broad based. I’ve also found many that accept indies but not all do, so please check. For extra pulling power, you may wish to combine your review with an interview and giveaway.

However, where do we find these bloggers?

I recommend joining bookblogs.ning, which is a community of bloggers with a discussion board and a variety of groups you can join. You can post a review request on a new discussion thread or into a group. By searching posts and members, you can often locate these bloggers quite easily. A member, Kate Evangelista, posted a review request on her blog and I obtained my first few through her. You may also spot some bloggers on Goodreads or even Twitter.

There are also some great sites that support indie authors and reviews are part of the services they offer.

World Literary Café has a vetted read and review team, although you need to book in advance. They are currently scheduling for June onwards. The site offers a range of other services too.

Kindle Book Review is run by thriller author, Jeff Bennington. There is a list of reviewers on his site that you can contact directly. If they don’t like your book, they don’t post the review and if they do, they’ll post to Amazon for you. It’s also well worth subscribing to his newsletter, ‘The Writing Bomb’ and there are a range of promotions available too.

Night Owl Reviews offer a range of promotions as well as reviews. You can request one, although you are not guaranteed one. However, the site receives a lot of monthly traffic.

The Bookbag.co.uk have a great review policy and read indie books without discrimination. There are promotional packages on offer too, and the site receives high traffic.

BookStackReviews also have a fair and honest review policy. I really liked the review they posted for my book but the site doesn’t receive a high volume of traffic.

BookRooster.com will send out your book for a modest fee to reviewers on their database. They guarantee at least 10 reviews but I found they didn’t follow through with this promise. You don’t know who’s on their database, and what genres they favour plus, personal contact with the administrators isn’t too hot either. Personally, I believe you’ll get better service by paying a virtual book tour organiser.

Virtual Book Tour Organisers

Contacting and communicating with bloggers does take time, so you may want someone to organise this for you. Usually, they blog themselves and have an extensive network, providing a good service often at a modest cost. As previously stated, think ahead and book in advance.

Bewitching Book Tours are very reasonably priced, with release day promos to month long tours. They focus mainly on paranormal and fantasy genres.

Le Grande Codex works with a range of genres and is based in India.

Fierce Reading is another modestly priced service.

CLNB is quite broad based in genre and is reasonably priced.

More expensive tour operators include Pump Up Your Book, Orangeberry Book Tours and Novel Publicity.

If you have cash to spare and desire a more professional review, Kirkus Reviews carry a lot of clout. Darcie Chan, author of ‘The River Mill Recluse’ attributes much of her bestseller status to Kirkus. They read indies too.

Midwest Book Review favours small publishers and indies while Foreword Reviews offers a paid service for indie authors.

You can also garner reviews by doing a giveaway on Goodreads, LibraryThing or through a KDP Select free promotion, but results can be random. When your book is free, many people will try something out of their usual genre or just simply because it’s free. It’s quite risky so be prepared for a wide mix of views.

Marie Harbon is the author of ‘Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle’, the first book in an ambitious science fiction/paranormal series.

'an enthralling read from start to finish… this book has real originality and portrays an intricate journey... an intriguing and mind bending journey...’

BookStackReviews.com

'If you like your novels Dan Brown style with lots of geeky science underpinning a thrilling and clever plot, you'll love this. It is highly readable and intriguing, moving swiftly from one scenario to the next, covering a wide range of decades and building a storyline of modern and ultimately human interest’.

Alison Chester-Lambert, author of ‘The Future In The Stars - The Planets' Message for 2012 And Beyond'.

'every page is chock-a-block full of quantum theory, wildly idiosyncratic characters, out-of-body experiences, weird occurrences, and loose ends, all of which are tied together with a fanciful yet plausible conception of the grand unifying theory underlying the world around us. Oh yeah, and there's some sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll thrown in for kicks'.
Jill-Elizabeth.com

"Seven Point Eight has to be one of the most fascinating reads I've come by in quite a while... It's always risky to mix several genres and sub-genres but for this book, the execution was flawless... Captivating and intelligently written - definitely could appeal to fans of Star Trek, Star Wars, Dan Brown books, fans of the Jodie Foster film 'Contact' and anyone who loves X-Men"
Dream Reads

'a clever and intriguing story that blends science and spirituality and calls us to question what we believe in - what is reality... a thought provoking read that those who enjoy fantasy and science fiction are sure to enjoy. It will be a series to keep looking at and I will certainly look out for the second chronicle'
Paradigm Shift Magazine Issue 55

‘Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle’ is currently available in the UK Kindle store and will be running its KDP Select free promotion from the 16^th – 19^th April, inclusive.

Amazon link to Buy Seven Point Eight.