published on 2010-02-23
I had to link to this article that I saw on the Guardian website a few days ago incase anyone hasn’t seen it yet – it really is a great read. Entitled ‘Ten rules for writing fiction’ and inspired by Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing, well known authors were asked for their personal dos and don’ts. As with any rules set for you by other people, it’s always entertaining to look at the ones you have broken already. Many of the rules are pretty tongue-in-cheek, but there are others where you really get the feeling that the author has had to learn the hard way when it comes to figuring out how to get the job done. It’s also reassuring that nearly everyone understands the appeal of procrastination! A particularly striking one (I thought) from Anne Enright: 7. Imagine that you are dying. If you had a terminal disease would you finish this book? Why not? The thing that annoys this 10-weeks-to-live self is the thing that is wrong with the book. So change it. Stop arguing with yourself. Change it. See? Easy. And no one had to die. Also, Roddy Doyle’s ten rules are very funny.
published on 2010-02-18
It seems from many of the political commentry around that the upcoming election is going to be as much about fighting voter apathy, as it is about fighting between the political parties. After attending a fascinating lecture on our democratic instuitutions from Baroness Helena Kennedy this week, and then looking forward to the debate on free content at the Publishing Innovation conference in March it seemed fitting to write about the latest title from Icon Books X Marks the Box. The eBook is being given away for free until 4 March!
published on 2010-02-17
Writers who are interested to find out more about the digital debate may be interested in the Publishing Innovation conference 2010. This year’s theme is Free or Fee: Valuing content in the digital era. As the publishing industry enters the digital age, publishers and readers alike are struggling to put a price on content. LCC’s Publishing Innovation Conference will explore how publishers are adapting to the digital marketplace, and question if free access can ever function as a successful business model. It’s free to attend so if you’re anywhere near London on Thursday 18 March you might want to pay a visit. There are two sessions focusing on magasines and books respectively. The conference is run by the London College of Communication.
published on 2010-02-15
There are a few apps that the CompletelyNovel Team really couldn’t be without. They are free, easy to use and guaranteed to make your life easier. And they are not just publishing related… if you are a writer, reader or just general human,you should definitely take a look. Dropbox – recently featured on BBC Click,, this has been a CN favourite for a long time. It’s an online folder that syncs with your computers and means no more emailing yourself docs, or constantly carrying a USB drive. LastPass – how many websites are you a member of now? How do you remember all your passwords (or not as the case may be)? Now you only need to remember one! Word Reference – described by Vince at CompletelyNovel as “The most amazing website if you want to translate anything.” A very handy tool for those switching between English and European languages and wanting to get the translation just right.
published on 2010-02-14
I dragged my self away from a tasty Saturday brunch to get teeth stuck into the debate at Tapping the Trend – an event held by Spread the Word and The Literary Consultancy at the Free Word Centre in Farringdon. I arrived a little late but felt like it was ok as it was due to being engrossed in The Picture of Dorian Gray which I was reading on my phone (I was doing research… or something like that). Platforms and players, author royalties,the role of publishers and an author’s online presence were just some of the things that were discussed…here’s my review of the event.
published on 2010-02-12
Another week gone! Here’s a little round up of what the CN team has been up to. As some of you may know, but others may be completely unaware, there are some fairly large changes coming to CompletelyNovel. We’ve been doing lots of assessment over the past months (and year in fact, since we launched CompletelyNovel to the public)in terms of how people use the site, what we can do to make the publishing process as easy as possible, and how we can help everyone get the most out of the community. We’ve also had lots of feedback from users on the site which has been very helpful in reminding us what the piorities are. We’ll be giving you more details on the changes as a whole soon, but here are details on what we’ve been working on today, some exciting potato-related news and also a reminder of books published on CompletelyNovel recently that you should check out!
published on 2010-02-11
I’ve been out to quite a lot of networking events or meetups as they are generally called by the techie crowd, over the last couple of years. Last night, however was my first ‘Tweetup’ (i.e. a meeting organised by and including people from Twitter) with the publishing crowd. Definitely worth braving those icy North London pavements to get there! This Saturday I will be heading down to the Free Word Centre in Clerkenwell (which you should definitely check out if you haven’t heard of it yet). Spread the Word, who we worked with for our 24 Hour Book Project and The Literary Consultancy (a manuscript appraisal and editorial service) are hosting Tapping the Trend. Here’s some more info on both events…
published on 2010-02-08
We are giving you the opportunity to win one of 10 copies of Robin Bayley’s The Mango Orchard and discuss the book live online with the author on 15th April, 7pm, on www.readersplace.co.uk! The Mango Orchard is an extraordinary travel book which ranks up there with Sandra Cisneros’s Caramelo, Tim Butcher’s Blood River and even the great Bruce Chatwin. It is the story of parallel journeys, a hundred years apart, into the heart of Latin America. Find out more about the book and the author by reading on. For a chance to win a copy please visit our competition page and submit your entry!
published on 2010-01-18
Some good news came in over the weekend that I can’t quite keep to myself…one of CompletelyNovel’s own has been shortlisted for the UK Young Publishing Entrepreneur Awards. Well, to be specific, it’s me …although obviously when you are in a small start-up everything is a team effort, it’s just somethimes you have to put an individual forward for something rather than the company. Unfortunately for the others however, there is only one place on the trip to South Africa for those on the shortlist…sorry guys! The UKYPE award is run by the British Council, who run a series of other awards for entrepreneurs across the creative industries as part of their Creative Economy programme. They have a market focus each year, and this year it is South Africa; last year it was India. Also shortlisted are Daniel Crewe, Profile Books, Julia Kingsford, Foyles, Rachael Ogden , Inpress Ltd, Mark Searle, Elliot & Thompson Ltd and Gavin Weale of Live Futures Ltd
published on 2009-12-03
It seems as though even post Colin Firth (we all remember that lake scene!), the obsession with Mr Darcy continues. The most popular book so far to be customised on CompletelyNovel’s Personalised Books service has been ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen. Despite personalised books being typically aimed at children, it seems there is a real demand amongst the ladies out there to put themselves, or their best friends in the role of Elizabeth Bennet… so they can have a fictional romance with Mr Darcy!
Discuss article: A portrait of digital publishing:
Yes – there are lots of different formats to navigate and we will be implementing the ones that w…
Discuss article: A portrait of digital publishing:
Hi Anna,
Probably a bit of a difficult question but can you give some sort of schedule for upd…
Discuss article: A portrait of digital publishing:
No problem Harry – I am preparing an article to explain more about the updates schedule and guida…
Discuss article: A portrait of digital publishing:
I have just been looking at the website for the London Book Fair as my agent will be there and ho…
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