June 2024: beyond the paywall - news for emerging authors
OK, who has a Bookseller account so that I can get behind the paywall? And now that I’m in, how is this relevant to me again?
In this new series, I’ll be picking a handful of news stories from the last month that I think are worth your attention as an emerging writer trying to navigate the complexities of the publishing industry, and develop your career at the same time. Paywall free! So, let’s get into it, shall we?
First up: acquisitions! There are always new acquisitions happening all over the shop. But if it’s not your book being acquired, why should you care? Well, let’s turn our attention to our first headline from early June:
Boldwood announces 16 more authors as Victoria Britton is appointed editorial director
Boldwood is an independent global publisher that regularly contracts multi-book deals in an effort to build an author’s career beyond just their first book. Plus, they have a new editorial director (with a background at Mills & Boon for the budding romance writers among you), which means that they’re likely looking to grow their list and acquire more books, and that’s where you come in.
Whether you’re writing romance or something else, peruse Boldwood’s website and other indie publishers with acquisition announcements and you’ll find that there’s probably a place for your work. Because the thing is, independent publishers tend to do things a little differently, so they might make a cosy, curated home for your debut that is less "big splash" and more "staying power". And yes, we all love the idea of a six-figure book deal with one of the Big Five, but you also need to think about what success really looks like in reality. Maybe it’s longevity? Maybe it’s variety? Maybe it’s simply being able to take risks and do things your own way?
And speaking of, that takes me to our next headline.
Storymix celebrates five years of ’making a real, impactful change’
Storymix is an inclusive fiction studio that comes up with an idea for a children’s book, supports an emerging author and illustrator from the global majority to create said book, and then sells it to publishers to become equal creative partners in the process. Since 2019, Storymix has sold 17 series to publishers, with 48 more to be published by the end of 2025.
We’ve all heard the adage "you’re only as good as your next idea", but what if you can still get good once the idea’s been handed to you? A big part of making it in this industry is being comfortable with collaboration, and working with places like Storymix will give you just that kind of opportunity. Multiple debut authors and illustrators have had their first successes taking this route, so perhaps consider an alternative to grumpily tapping away alone in a corner as a sort of Gollum-like figure over your "precious" story that’s currently causing you writer’s block? Maybe working with someone else is exactly what your creativity needs?
And that’s not to say that we can’t strive for our own work to find its place, which brings me nicely to our final headline:
Sanjana Thakur wins £5k Commonwealth Short Story Prize for her "adoption story in reverse"
If you’re a writer of short stories in the UK, the Commonwealth Short Story Prize should be on your radar, and if it’s not, erm, why not? As per its name, anyone living in a "Commonwealth" country can submit a story to it. There is an overall winner and regional ones too, and though the £5K is indeed enticing, let’s look beyond that. This year, the winner also received two-years membership to the London Library and publication in Granta magazine and Paper + Ink. These are career-growing prizes; the London library is a writer’s dream of a place to find yourself, with its rare and extensive book collection, wooden awnings and those little green lamps on the tables that you see in rom-coms. And of course, we can all imagine what a story in Granta (with a circulation of 23,000,according to Google) could do for our writing.
But how does this relate to you right now? Well, this is about consideration of any writing prize you enter. How will this competition develop you as a writer? Perhaps just the act of entering makes you up your game and work even harder to get that story right? Maybe the prize comes with a writing residency or your story in a publication that you love, or even a conversation with a professional who could take your writing to the next level? Whatever it is, decide what that prize could really do for you and your career as a writer, beyond just the cash.
That’s what all this is about really, getting beyond what’s in front of us, and finding our own way through it. Preferably without a paywall… but that’s what I’m here for.
