Ruth Livingstone

Short Story Anthology: 44 Square Fiction

Anthology Launch

I have been to book launches before, but never to one which has involved my own work. So this was a big FIRST for me. Some contributors had been selected to do readings, but I was one of the lucky ones who just got to sit back and enjoy it all. Also, as a contributor, I got a free drink. The readings went well and I was awed and humbled by the talents of my fellow writers.

The 44 Square anthology is available to download from the 44 Square Fiction website and here are three good reasons for taking a look:

1. You will read some excellent pieces of work,
2. written in a variety of styles and covering diverse subjects,
3. and it is absolutely free!

Along with the 44 Square Fiction anthology, there is a 45 Square Poetry collection and a 46 Square anthology of non-fiction writing. Both of these I am looking forward to reading.

Note: 44 Square Fiction is a new anthology produced by the final year writers on Birkbeck’s BA in Creative Writing course. Work was selected and edited by the fourth year students, with submissions open to all years.

Short Story Accepted: Being Tim

Short Story Anthology

Fiction - short story published in anthology

One of my short stories is published in a literary anthology, 44 Square Fiction, published by Birkbeck. The contributors are listed on their website, including a very nice set of caricatures of all of us.

Five Year Writing Goal: May update

Thanks to a kind offer by a literary agent, I was forced to write a synopsis and finish the third draft of my novel.

Five Year Writing Goal

I’m taking part in Misha and Beth’s Five Year Project and my five-year goal is to write a novel and get it published.

It is two months since I last posted an update. Many distractions have interfered with my path to publication, but I have made some significant progress.
Continue reading “Five Year Writing Goal: May update”

Writers Conference 2014: everything you’ve ever wanted to ask an agent

Agents are the bridge between writers and publishers, and are among the most influential people in the publishing industry.

Following on from The Truth and Lies About Self-Publishing, I thought I’d better go and check out what agents really do to earn their pound of writer’s flesh.

According to the Conference Programme booklet: “Agents are the bridge between writers and publishers, and are among the most influential people in the publishing industry.”

This panel was chaired by Henderson Mullin, the chief executive of Writing East Midlands. Three agents – Carole Blake (Blake Friedmann), Sheila Crowley (Curtis Brown) and John Jarrold, who runs his own literary agency – gave us their view of the world of publishing. The three seemed remarkably likeable, and passionate about good authors and great literature. Continue reading “Writers Conference 2014: everything you’ve ever wanted to ask an agent”

Writers Conference 2014: truth and lies in self-publishing

“Writing the book is easy. The difficult part is selling it.”
What I learnt about self-publishing at the Writer’s Conference 2014.

I guess when it comes to self-publishing, the greatest proponents are going to be those who have done it successfully. The failures slink back into the shadows.

With this in mind, I went along to the panel entitled “The Truths and Lies About Self-Publishing” with some degree of cynicism.

The discussion was chaired by Alex Davis and it was interesting to hear why the panelists, all very different authors and very different people, had decided to self-publish their books. Continue reading “Writers Conference 2014: truth and lies in self-publishing”