‘An absolute delight’ 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Nicola Upson

Nothing so unusual about this spam email I received - except the level of detail & that ‘Linda’, who writes from a gmail address, gives no details beyond her surname and a job title, ‘book promoter’. No website, no client testimonials, no business address. A bot, surely? This is getting FREAKY.

This is an excellent piece. Very interesting on pricing. It often feels like there are more book writers than book readers/buyers. Small presses that ask you to buy a book from them in order then to be able to query them have cottoned on to that.

@societyofauthors.bsky.social CEO Anna Ganley cites our authors' earnings research at Parliament, as she highlights the economic disparity between authors and the tech companies benefiting from the unauthorised use of their works. You can read the research here: www.create.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

Members of the Society of Authors have newly elected four of their peers to represent authors’ views on the Management Committee (the Board). SoA members @ajwestauthor.bsky.social, @iangiles.bsky.social, @pollyrowena.bsky.social, and @lucindahawksley.bsky.social now join the committee.

Poets! Take the hard work out of submitting to poetry magazines. Subscribe to my list of over 200 (mostly) UK & Ireland publications: when they're open, what to send & more. All for free and updated quarterly. robinhoughtonpoetry.co.uk/poetry-magaz...

We could live ten lifetimes & not achieve what Bach did in one. Self-regulation, often highly restrictive. Yet, through effort, real innovation. But most importantly, no compromise. Despite professional relationships & patronage, Bach doesn’t seem to have written a note that he, or God, didn’t want

Is there an answer to this question? Please don’t say Threads…

10 Marchfield Square has been included as one of Waterstones' Best Crime & Thriller books of 2025! Absolutely over the moon, and honoured to be in such company. Thanks so much, Waterstones, you've made my year! 🥰 www.waterstones.com/blog/the-bes...

A date for your diary! I’ll be there with my poetry books and chairing a panel on ‘Challenges authors face (and the advice you wish you’d had)’

Congratulations to Vidyan Ravinthiran, who has jointly won (with Karen Solie) the Forward Prize for Best Collection with Avidyā (Bloodaxe). Its brilliant final poem, "as a child", describes how an early speech impediment led him to be "a scrutineer of sound" with a love of "the avid void of English"

This sounds AMAZING

This month’s newsletter just out. Books, poetry, publishing - freelance pay rates, Kamala Harris at the London Literary Festival, and the latest reading. Free! Read here: open.substack.com/pub/theright...

Brilliant news for US readers! The paperback of my latest novel IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE is currently for $4 only! A crazy bargain! Dive into the secretive world of Pakistan's elite for only $4 "Compelling and Lyrical" WOMAN & HOME www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1804...

*Just* in time to still be National Poetry Day we bring you our latest episode of Mostly Book Talk where we talk to Dr Julie Blake, founder and co-director of Poetry by Heart with lots of information about how schools can get involved #KidLitUK #UKkidLit @poetrybyheart.bsky.social

WoodPig Press is now open for publishing services. Alongside our traditional publishing activities, we’re offering high-quality cover design, editing and formatting from top-notch professionals to indie authors and small presses: woodpigpress.substack.com/p/publishing... #writing #books #booksky

76 Calls for Submissions in October 2025 - Paying markets publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/2025/09/75-c... #SubOp

rest in peace #JillyCooper – or revel in parties up there if you'd rather. Thanks for making reading (and life) fun 💕

Happy #NationalPoetryDay! Poetry: ‘Strength and power for healing and recovery.’

Happy #NationalPoetryDay! The power of poetry 👌 (Good Housekeeping magazine letters page.)

‘After only 5 years, long Covid has surpassed asthma as the most common chronic illness in children.’ Wake up, world, and look after our children. 🙌🏽 20-year-old Violet Affleck.

This is a great list

Today's #NationalPoetryDay poem, what could be more playful than a shape poem. This one from my 1st collection Where Zebras Go Otter-Barry Books @domconlon.bsky.social @piecorbett.bsky.social @brianbilston.bsky.social @brianmosespoet.bsky.social

In the park (Book 3a, 1964) Artist: John Berry

This month: standardising PDF markup across the publishing industry; a glimpse into the monster-god’s HQ (aka Amazon); Booker shortlist; and a trip to magnificent Hamburg. open.substack.com/pub/theright...

Independent presses unite! Your £3 directory listing helps fund our #BrokenSpineAward—33% of every fee goes toward our £5000 goal for a poetry award in 2026:

This Thursday. All welcome. Masterminded by @revkevwrites.bsky.social

Just read a super book, Glitterballs, by @michelehowarth.com . Beautifully written, funny, yet at times dark story of a debauched pop star. Definitely a tale for our times.

Anthropic has agreed to pay affected authors a record $1.5 billion in a settlement, following its use of pirated books to train its AI. We'll share more details with members in the coming days.

Hey, I left substack and moved to ghost. Find me here! www.agentsandbooks.com/oh-hello/

Copyediting is my least favourite type of editing. (My favourite is line editing! Then structural/developmental editing. Then proofreading.) So I’m going to go to this webinar today to find out if there are ways to get it done faster…

Every sale helps us! Grab your new favourite read today. #Booksky #BooksMatter #IndiePublisher

www.gov.uk/alerts For anyone who has a hidden phone for safety - make SURE you've turned your Government Alerts OFF for 7th September @ 15:00

If I’m being honest, I’m feeling pretty crap about my small business. It’s so bloody difficult at the moment with rising costs, US tariffs, Brexit nonsense and the threat of AI. Please have a look at what I do and repost to spread the word gailmyerscough.co.uk

Join the Southbank Centre on 25 October for an afternoon of readings and conversation with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage as he presents his major new poetry collection, New Cemetery. southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/an-afternoon-with-simon-armitage/

Forgotten Pudding is #RecipeOfTheDay! It’s like a marshmallowy sheet-pan pavlova, which you make by putting the meringue base in the oven, then you switch it off and just forget about it, leaving it to cook in the residual heat of the oven overnight. www.nigella.com/recipes/forg...

So true. We’re a decade too late thinking about the impact of smartphones on kids. Can we not make the same mistake with AI.

Can confirm. #librarians #booksky

We are now up to 2,850 locations on the www.tripfiction.com database Thank you to @helgajensen.bsky.social for our latest addition: #Fanø (Denmark) featured in her novel A Scandinavian Summer Choose your next book by where it's set and see a location through an author's eyes

All I have left of the 1000s of books I bought from my ex-publisher's warehouse are about 200 copies of Ring The Hill. I'd *love* to get them to good homes this week. If you're in the UK & you'd like one, for the price of your choice (any price!), pls email me your address at [email protected].

HOLIDAY READING. Dip in and out or read cover to cover. Download to your phone or tablet, no space in suitcase required. Feel uplifted. Available here amzn.eu/d/aY94VzA and from all ebook retailers worldwide.

I love being a mentor for this. If you are a #disabled or #ChronicallyIll writer then please do apply. #adci #publishing #writing

We are now recruiting a new Commissioning Editor for fiction. Like all Faber editors, they will publish with dynamism and creativity, sensitivity and bravery – apply by 7 September. faber.co.uk/careers/fiction-commissioning-editor/

OPPORTUNITY!! @royalholloway.bsky.social is recruiting a poet to join our Creative Writing team - the role is part-time (0.5), permanent, and encompasses teaching and research! More than happy to chat about department culture and all things RHUL poetry🧡 jobs.royalholloway.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...

My cartoons for this week’s @theguardian.com books #holiday #vacation #reading

‘The vast majority of the patient population essentially has been abandoned in one way or another, by families, the government, the medical system…This will be huge for the patient population.’ www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

We're heartbroken to share the news of the death of our author, Dame Stella Rimington. Leading an extraordinary life, Dame Stella was the first female Head of MI5, a Booker Prize Chair, and the author of thirteen books. She passed away surrounded by her loving family and dogs.

From copywriting to proofreading, editorial professionals bring clarity and creativity to every kind of content. The CIEP supports word specialists with training, resources, community and a trusted online Directory. 🌐 Find out more or connect with a professional: www.ciep.uk/directory.html

Healthcare professionals bring unique perspectives to discovery research. That’s why we’re funding doctoral programmes for UK-registered healthcare professionals. Applications open in October. Find out how you can prepare ⤵️ wellcome.org/research-fun...