Just in case you haven't heard – My Weekly are discontinuing their pocket novels. This doesn't apply to The People's Friend. You can find the guidelines for their pocket novels, and everything else, here.
Free entry competition news
Thanks to Sharon Boothroyd for passing on the link to this novel writing competition. It's for 'first time writer and as Sharon says, they're looking for something 'literary'. The prize is £10,000.
Sharon also shared this travel writing competition. There's a paid option which offers feedback, or a free option. The prize is $300.
And thanks to Sharon, Ruth and Alyson who all told me about The People's Friend poetry competition.
Do you enjoy reading the wonderful poetry we publish in the “Friend”? Do you ever find yourself thinking, “I could do that”? Well, if you do, now is your chance! Today, we are launching our first ever poetry competition! There’s a cash prize and the winning entries will be published in our "Feel-good Fiction" special edition later this year. The writer of the winning poem will receive £150 and their work will be published in the “Friend”. Three runners-up will receive £50. All you have to do is write a poem on the theme of "harmony”. Harmony can mean a number of different things, and there is no right or wrong answer. It could be friendships or something peaceful, for example. The only thing that matters is that it is your interpretation of harmony. Your poem should be three verses of four lines. Give it a title and email it to us. The competition will be open until March 1, so get your creative hats on! E-mail your poem, along with your name and address, to pfeditor@dcthomson.co.uk
If you fancy trying that but don't usually read The People's Friend, I strongly advise getting the latest issue. As with their fiction, they have a preferred tone.
My news
I'm pleased to report that I arrived with two boxes of books and by the time I left the larger one was empty.
Please note the purple pen!
9 comments:
Well done on the book sales, Patsy.
The womag market is shrinking at an alarming rate. I only had one pocket novel with My Weekly but sad to see it go.
I wish I wrote poetry but I don't!
Alyson
That was great sales Patsy, they are in for a treat. I'm quite sure the purple pen boosted sales too!
Now I've never written a pocket novel but I'm sorry to see any markets disappearing. I wish I had a 15,000-20,000 words written to enter the novel competition, that would be all the incentive I'd need to get it finished, maybe next year!
Well done on the book sales, Patsy. Well done to all with positive news. Sorry to see the MW pocket novels go. Getting one accepted used to be a way of getting on the My weekly list but I don't know what the situation is with the TPF pocket novels. I also all heard that the large print publishers have withdrawn their fee and now only offer writers royalties.
Well done on your book success, Patsy - an amazing achievement!
I see My Weekly are still selling subscriptions on the website. Where has this news been announced and when does it take effect? I'll admit, it was an area of the business I was expecting to falter, considering the cost of pocket novels and the competition on supermarket shelves. It's a shame but not a surprise.
@Laura I saw the news about My Weekly first on a press release about publishing but those of us who had a pocket novel accepted then got an email
Thank you to Ruth, Sharon and Alyson. Unfortunately, my poetry always defaults to humour and rhyme so probably not for TPF. I should give it more of a go. Had a few attempts at the writing group. That looked fantastic, Patsy! I'm glad you managed to sell a load! Like Sheelagh, perhaps I could actually START a WIP for next January!
What a shame about the pocket novels. Not my thing to read or write but it seems as if a whole market is disappearing. Well done on the book sales. That sounds brilliant!
Has anyone heard the results of the Irish country mag comp yet?
Great to hear that your book signing went so well, Patsy. Can I ask you and anyone else whether you hand over the sales end of things to the shop in question, or whether you supply your own card reader for events, particularly when they're not in an actual bookshop? (I've heard of other writers selling their books at talks etc, and have often wondered how they do this, as so few people now carry much cash.) Thank you! I share others' dismay about the pocket novels being discontinued and wish there was something we could all do, individually and/or collectively, to promote magazine-reading. I mourn the passing of the comics I read as a child, and would hate the popular women's titles to disappear. As for poetry, like Alyson, I am not a poet, but Marguerite, some of my favourite poems to read in The People's Friend feature humour and rhyme! Thanks, as always, Patsy, for keeping us all informed and supported via this blog.
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