They named a festival after me

I'm famous in Australia.
But what a great idea. A festival of emerging writers. I wonder who the audience was (were?) They even had a speed dating between emerging writers and publishers. (My cousin went speed dating once...)
Actually they mixed emerging and emerged writers so there were presumably people in the audience who weren't related to at least one of the readers.
There is a festival I've never been to in Winchester in the UK where there is the opportunity for emergin authors to meet agents and publishers. I wish they would do the same in Ireland, perhaps in Listowel.

CLÉ Author Editor Tour

There are lots of authors coming to libraries up and down the country. Support you local author/press and show up. Maybe then they'll do some more.

Thursday 30th August 7pm
Balbriggan Library
featuring from Wolfhound Press
Author Tom McCaughren with Editor Aoife Barrett

Friday 7th September 8pm
Glanmire Library
featuring from O'Brien Press
Authors Aubrey Flegg and Judi Curtin with Editor Íde Ní Laoghaire

Tuesday 11th September 7pm
Thurles Library
featuring from Mercier Press
Author Joe Ambrose and Gabriel Fitzmaurice with Editor Eoin Purcell

Tuesday 11th September 8pm
Enniskillen Library
featuring from Kid's Own Publishing
Author Mary Branley with Editor Orla Kenny

Tuesday 18th September 8pm
New Ross Library
featuring from Liberties Press
Author John Montague with Editor Seán O'Keefe

Thursday 20th September 8pm
Tuam Library
featuring from The Lilliput Press
Authors Lorcan Roche and Julia Kelly with Editor Antony Farrell

Friday 21st September 8pm
Clifden Library
featuring from New Island Books
Author Karen Ardiff with Editor Deirdre Nolan

Dé Mháirt 25 Meán Fómhair 8in
Leabharlann Baile Mhúirne
ó Cló Iar Chonnachta
Údar Alan Titley agus Eagarthóir Micheál Ó Conghaile

Thursday 27th September 7pm
Balbriggan Library
featuring from Dedalus
Authors Michael Augustin and Enda Coyle-Greene with Editor Pat Boran

Thursday 4th October 8pm
Killarney Library
featuring from Brandon Books
Author Emer Martin with Editor Steve MacDonogh

Tuesday 9th October 7pm
Thurles Library
featuring from Liberties Press
Authors Chris Ward and Ciaran Buckley with Editor Seán O'Keefe

Thursday 11th October 8pm
Cahersiveen Library
featuring from Arlen House
Authors Geraldine Mills and Nuala Ní Chonchúir with Editor Alan Hayes

Dé hAoine 19 Deireadh Fómhair 8in
Leabharlann An Spidéal
ó An Gúm
Údar Laoise Ní Chomhraí agus Eagarthóir Gabriel Rosenstock

Tuesday 23rd October 8pm
Enniskillen Library
featuring from Wordsonthestreet
Author Patricia Burke Brogan with Editor Tony O'Dwyer

Tuesday 23rd October 8pm
Letterkenny Library
featuring from The Stinging Fly Press
Authors Neil Hegarty and Aiden O'Reilly with Editor Declan Meade

Thursday 25th October 8pm
Tralee Library
featuring from Brandon Books
Author Paul Charles with Editor Terry Fitzgerald

Friday 26th October 8pm
Portrush Library
featuring from Arlen House
Authors Nell Regan and Collette Nic Aodha with Editor Alan Hayes

Thursday 1st November 8pm
Killarney Library
featuring from New Island
Author Karen Ardiff with Editor Deirdre Nolan

Thursday 8th November 8pm
Cahersiveen Library
featuring from Liberties Press
Authors Phil Young and Patrick Skene Catling with Editor Seán O'Keefe

Dé Luain 5 Samhain 8in
Leabharlann Ráth Cairn
ó Cló Iar Chonnachta
Údair Joe Steve Ó Neachtain & Jackie Mac Donncha agus Eagarthóir Micheál Ó
Conghaile

Friday 9th November 8pm
Glanmire Library
featuring from Summer Palace Press
Authors Denise Blake and Kate Newmann with Editor Joan Newmann

Thursday 15th November 8pm
Tralee Library
featuring from The Stinging Fly Press
Authors Ronan Doyle and Kathleen Murray with Editor Declan Meade

Dé hAoine 16 Samhain 8in
Leabharlann Baile Mhúirne
ó Coiscéim
Eagarthóir Padraig Ó Snodaigh

Wednesday 21st November 7pm
Balbriggan Library
featuring from Wolfhound Press
Author & Illustrator Marie Louise Fitzpatrick with Editor Aoife Barrett

Thursday 22nd November 8pm
Tuam Library
featuring from Salmon Poetry
Authors Joan McBreen and Frank Golden with Editor Jessie Lendennie

Friday 23rd November 8pm
Clifden Library
featuring from Summer Palace Press
Authors Denise Blake and Kate Newmann with Editor Joan Newmann

Thursday 29th November 8pm
Portrush Library
featuring from Summer Palace Press
Authors Kate Newmann and Ruth Carr with Editor Joan Newmann

Dé Déardaoin 29 Samhain 8in
Leabharlann an Chlocháin Liath
ó Coiscéim
Eagarthóir Padraig Ó Snodaigh

Friday 30th November 8pm
Bundoran Library
featuring from Arlen House
Authors Nuala Ní Chomchúir and Geraldine Mills with Editor Alan Hayes

Dé Luain 3 Nollaig 8in
Leabharlann Ráth Cairn
Údar Catherine Foley agus Eagarthóir Seán Ó Cearnaigh

Tuesday 11 December
New Ross Library
featuring from Salmon Poetry
Authors Patrick Chapman and Jo Slade with Editor Jessie Lendennie

Gizmo Flushes

If you put this in a story, they would think you made it up.

More Writing (and Reading) Blogs

Here are some more reading and writing websites worth browsing. I know I should spend more time writing and less time reading about writing!

Grumpy Old Bookman is always worth a browse.

The Penguin Blog is refreshingly personal.

Writing Neuroses is another great read from Brighton.

Fifth Estate another UK publishers is worth a dip.

The Bookseller has a number of interesting blogs.

Me and My Big Mouth blogs about books in general.

Louise Doughty's column in the Telegraph. A Writer's Year.

What Sarah said next aka I will write my book (and not spend all the time blogging!)

Cally Taylor's writing spot

Any more?

Bookshop Towns

Did you know Ireland has its own second bookshop town? Graiguenamanagh in Co Kilkenny. The annual event is slowly expanding. This year the weekend is Friday September 15th and Saturday 16th.

I've also been to Hay-on-Wye which is amazing. Directions in this town go something like this. It's in the bookshop that's round the corner from the bookshop, across the street from the bookshop that's opposite the castle. I'd love to go to the book festival there on every May. They have a great selection of Author events.

There are lots of bookshop towns internationally.

Scotland's is in Wigtown.
I also visited Fjaerland in Norway. A beautiful place on the Sognefjord.

The Slush Pile - and how to avoid it

Positive thoughts.

Every author, every single one had to start in some kind of slush pile. An editor, an agent, whatever. Personal recommendations help.
There are 200,000 books published in the UK each year. It only takes one publisher to say 'Yes.'

Less Positive.
Very, very, very few books are picked from publishers' or editors' slush piles.

Things that don't help:
- Not following the submission guidelines
- Including little gimmicky gifts.
- Including a photo, naked or otherwise.
- Sending in a handwritten manuscript, especially in green ink
- Calling the next day to see what the reader thought of it
- Including an endorsement from your mother/father/aunty/child doesn't help )unless he/she is Alan Bennett/Margaret Atwood.)
- Spelling/grammatical errors
- Not addressing a named editor or agent
- Not sending an SAE

Literary Agents Numbers
In 14 years of reading 25-30 manuscripts a month, one agent said they had found 5 good ones.
A Curtis Brown agent received 1,200 manuscripts in a year and took on 2 authors.
Other agents reckon on about 1 in 3,000.
One UK agent said he received 50 manuscripts a month and took on one author a year.
My agent gets 3,000 manuscripts a year.
Another UK agent says he gets 500 submissions a week and takes on and get deals for
maybe 18 a year, mainly non-fiction.
UK agent Carole Blake gets 50 novels a day and takes on 6 new clients a year.

Publishers Numbers
Hutchinsons receive about 1,000 manuscripts a year and only published 1 every 1 or 2 years.
Mills & Boon received 6,000 manuscripts a year and take on about 10 new writers.
Anthony Blond, the publishers writing in The Spectator reckons a number of about 1 in 2,000.
A UK publisher said he gets 20 manuscripts a week from agents alone and reckons he takes on 7 or 8 of them a year. He had never published from the slush pile.

Check out the article from the fabulously wonderful Philip Hensher as well as the Guardian one on the title link.

Do the Write Thing

I have a copy now of the fabulous collection of short stories from the competition on the Seioge and O'Shea show on RTE. It's well worth a dip and all royalties are in aid of the National Breast Cancer Research Institute. All we need now is for everyone with breasts to buy a copy! (It's on Amazon but without a picture at the moment.)

Here's the press release.

Poolbeg Press presents the cream of the newest crop, the very best from hundreds of first-time writers who responded to the call to “Do The ‘Write’ Thing”. Coached through Seoige & O’Shea’s RTÉ ONE talk show by bestselling author Patricia Scanlan, these up-and-coming writers have mined the full range of human experience and given us a fresh and unforgettable view of the diverse and lively society we live in today. All royalties from this publication go to the National Breast Cancer Research Institute.
Do the right thing and treat yourself to this hugely enjoyable collection!