Speakeasy

Coming soon - Australia’s biggest Online Writing Festival for writers.

Hear all about the writing and publishing business direct from industry professionals, including:

• Darren Nash (Orbit Books UK)
• Rosemary Canter (PFD Agency UK)
• Miss Snark (NY Literary Agent)
• Sharyn November (Penguin Books USA)

and bestselling authors:

• John Marsden (Tomorrow When the War Began, The Ellie Chronicles)
• Kate Forsyth (The Starthorn Tree, Rhiannon’s Ride)
• Matthew Reilly (Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow)
• Kate Morton (The Shifting Fog)

…and more! Only available through The Australian Writer’s Marketplace online Forum.

Welcome, here you’ll find publishing industry news, articles and interviews, new writing markets, upcoming events and courses, and date claimers for Guests coming onto our Forum.

Thanks to BoingBoing.net 

Tor editor Theresa Neilsen Hayden has blogged a response to a story in the Wall Street Journal about the ‘winner-takes-all’ theory of publishing. The original story, about the expensive acquisition, publication and marketing of a novel that subsequently failed to live up to expectations, compares the current state of publishing to the Hollywood box office, where the blockbusters are the only thing that anyone cares about.

Neilsen Hayden, an expert on fiction publishing, points out that while bestsellers are great for their money-making ability, bookstores are also filled with what she calls ‘okaysellers’. These are the books that don’t have the massive marketing campaigns and pyramids in the front of the store, but people hear about them from friends, or liked the author’s last book. And no-one reads only bestsellers.

Read a follow-up to the original post here.

Jill Dimond, Business Manager of the Australian Society of Authors, discusses the red flag areas in a publishing contract.

In spite of what your publisher may say, there is no such thing as a standard contract. Unless you have a literary agent, you’ll need to read and understand the fine print, identify any problem clauses and try to negotiate a better deal with your publisher – before you sign.

Eight areas you should concentrate on:

1. Delivery/Publication
2. Licence
3. Territory
4. Royalties
5. Advance
6. Warranty/Author’s Indemnity
7. Termination/Reversion of Rights
8. Mediation

Login or Subscribe and go to Writing Resources to read more!

Mary Garden, freelance writer and journalist, discusses getting started, getting motivated, and one way to find the right market for your work.

“I deleted all the games from my computer and pulled the phone out of the wall. I even stuck a notice on my door, ‘Writing in progress, do NOT disturb.”

Mary’s top tips for writing and selling articles:

1. Go into a room, close the door and write
2. Write about things you know and feel passionate about
3. Write first, then try and sell your articles
4. Try and find your article multiple homes

Login or Subscribe and go to Writing Resources to read more!

The Prime Minister’s Prize for Australian History closing date has been announced - 5.00 pm on 17 November 2006.

The prize is “for an outstanding publication or body of work that contributes significantly to an understanding of Australian history”. The prize money is $100,000 and may be awarded to an individual or a group.

According to the government, applicable “works” include, but are not limited to:

• historical events;
• historical figures (including biographies); and
• work covering a particular subject.

Books, documentaries or multimedia are eligible. For more information and the guidelines visit DEST’s site.

Writers Rainforest Retreat, O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse

7-12 January 2007

Take a moment for yourself. Now imagine taking a whole week just to focus on your writing.

No cooking, no cleaning, no outside pressures or distractions, instead you’ll have a week immersed in your writing under the tutelage of one of Australia’s most exciting literary talents, Linda Jaivin.

If this sounds like your idea of the perfect holiday then head to the cool mountain heights of Lamington National Park this January for the fifth annual Writers Rainforest Retreat.

Presented by Queensland Writers Centre and O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse the retreat is designed to give you the all important time, space and quiet to focus on your writing.

You’ll enjoy an intense series of workshops created to improve your writing craft and inspire your creativity. In the afternoons you can keep on writing or take a break and refresh yourself with a walk through the rainforest, relax in the spa of a Canopy Suite or retire to the glorious sunset view from the rooftop bar.

Connect with like-minded writers in this beautiful rainforest setting and indulge in the time and space you have to write!

The Writers Rainforest Retreat is more than the holiday you’ve been postponing, it is an opportunity to both unwind and rejuvenate your writing skills and creative passion.

For program and tutor details, or membership information.

Linda Jaivin will be appearing on Speakeasy’s Forum on December 11.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a Canadian Supreme Court has ruled that Newspapers and magazines do not have the right to republish articles written by freelancers in electronic databases without the consent of the authors.

What does this mean for writers in Australia? Unless you assign digital rights when selling your work, publications can not publish digitally without your consent.