Sunday, September 29, 2013

Self-published writers get online resource


Writers & Artists has launched a new service aimed at self-published writers.
The Bloomsbury brand runs a website alongside the annual Writers' & Artists' Yearbook, offering multiple resources for aspiring writers. Now the website has opened a self-publishing section, with a comparison service which sizes up different self-publishing providers alongside articles from experts.

Eela Devani, digital development director at Bloomsbury (pictured), said: "There is a big need out there for a service like this—a lot of writers thinking about self-publishing don't know what kind of service will suit them, or even what terms that we take for granted mean, like 'ISBN'. We wanted to have somewhere they could come to that would help guide them through it."

Writers & Artists is also holding a conference on 2nd November called "Self-Publishing in the Digital Age", aimed at writers who want to know more about self-publishing. In addition it is partnering with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), a project that encourages people to write a 50,000-word novel during November. Writers & Artists will follow five aspiring writers, asking them to blog on their experiences and interact with the website community, and rewarding them with free access to the "How Strong is Your Book Idea?" service, where agents and editors appraise the work and provide feedback for improvement.
Devani said: "We are really seeing the brand grow. The Yearbook is well known in the UK, but now the website is drawing people from the US, Australia and elsewhere."

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