The brand new Writers' & Artists' Yearbook is published today, 30 June!
I'm always excited but slightly anxious at the prospect. I love the look of the uncreased cover, the perfect un-thumbed pages and the unbroken spine (I've never been one to treat books very well - does that make me a bad book person?). I can't wait to give it a quick smooth, a quick fan and a quick sniff before I get out the post-its and spoil another perfect copy with my scribbles and coffee stains.
But what about you - the reader? Do you need a new copy?
It's a question I'm often asked because I know some people are loathed to buy a new edition every year - and I get that - the Yearbook is designed to help writers make money, not take it from them. But sometimes you have to spend to save, and I can promise that the Yearbook will save you time - lots of it.
So much happens in the publishing industry in the space of a year - companies move, merge or go broke, new trends sweep the market then drop off the radar, new technologies make an impact, submission policies change, editors move jobs and so on.
I spend my year gathering up-to-date industry information and putting it all in one convenient, red-jacketed place, so that you, the writer, can go direct to the right place and the right person at (hopefully) the right time.
What else? Well the Yearbook is second to none when it comes to editorial content. This year I've made space for lots of new articles.
We have a brilliant foreword by John Boyne, author of bestseller The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about her experiences of writing short stories and her book The Thing Around Your Neck. Kathy Lette reveals the serious business of being a comic writer and Simon Trewin, literary agent at United Agents, offers invaluable advice to the unpublished author.
You can also read how Alexandra Pringle, editor-in-chief for Bloomsbury, spots a bestseller; journalist and author Nicholas Clee discusses the state of book commissioning in today's publishing climate and expert coach and trainer Alison Straw gives her pointers for coping with the rejection - handy for manuscripts and life in general.
So buy cheap, buy twice? Not so with the Yearbook. It's worth every penny.
Warm wishes, Jo
Click here to buy the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook »
Hello Jo
Thanks for the info.
At present I'm really just starting out.
Lots of stuff in my head, a self help book, a children's book that I will illustrate, few novel ideas and a load of short stories.
I'm also at the moment completing a writing course that I started many years ago but through other commitments (Univerity study) I'm just getting around to it now.
Its all very daunting.
JL
Hi Jonathan, the decision is yours. Ask yourself what you need the Yearbook for. Are you at the stage where you're looking for an agent? Do you need advice with putting together a submission? Are you looking for general writing advice and inspiration?
The Yearbook is produced every year for a reason - so it contains the most up-to-date info possible. This comes in the form of contacts (note companies move, merge and so on) as well as lots of new advice on the state of the industry such as publishing trends, new technologies, new writers and so on. The Yearbook is a writer's best friend when starting out; it's there to be consulted when you you don't know where to begin or you get a bit lost on the way. You'll know when you need it.
Best wishes, Jo
Hello
It is a must to get an upto W&A Yearbook every year?
I have the 2009 edition though at present I have not really had a good look through it as I am concentrating on my writing.
JL