Breaking the Mould: Navigating Genre, Creativity, and Publishing in the Literary World
You heard it here first: the Northern Publishers' Fair is BACK with a performance edition!
A very happy Friday, Scribblers,
The sun is out and our 2024 submissions window is now closed - a big thank you to everyone who sent their work in and trusted us with their work. I have just under 300 manuscripts to read, so do bear with me!
JUST RELEASED!
Whether you’re lounging poolside this weekend, or you’re going to the local park with a book to lounge, allow Ricky Ray’s poetry to transport you to the vivid landscapes of New England, Manhattan and the Deep South in his vivid and scenic collection The Soul We Share.
Meditating on the pain and gratitude that comes with an awareness of our own mortality, Ricky invites you to accompany him and and his beloved dog, Addie, on a journey into rich landscapes and the depths of the human body. Get your copy here.
BOOK LAUNCH! Hello Leeds short story lovers… If you find yourself forever cheering on the underdogs of this world, this collection is for you. You can book now for the launch of Maps of Imaginary Towns. It's at @MillHillChapel on 26/9, hosted by Leeds Library Legend and author of ‘Ghost Signs’, Stu Hennigan. It would be great to see some of you there. Some free 'Pay it Forward' tickets available from @holdfastleeds
Tea and coffee included in ticket price - yum! Available here.
Fancy joining us online? Liam Bell and myself will be taking you on a deep dive into the minds of psychopathic characters. From character construction to crafting narratives that keep you hooked to the very end, this is the perfect event for psychological thriller fans and those that are looking to write their own thriller. In conversation with Louisa Wagstaff.
For a night that you truly won’t forget, join us online on Tuesday 13th August at 6:15PM. Tickets here
We have new, bigger, thicker limited edition tote bags in and they announce our first ever collaboration with Manchester Literature Festival! The Northern Publishers’ Fair will be a part of the opening weekend of the festival, on Saturday 5th of October - sign up here and grab your goodie bag!! A performance edition…
Now onto today’s topic…
I realise that as writers, we don’t necessarily think about the reader when we write. Sometimes we are writing purely for therapeutic reasons. Sometimes, even when we write with the dream of our book being published one day, we do not consider the genre, or where it would sit in a bookshop, or its commercial potential…
In short, the writer and the publishing world are often in opposition. Today’s Substack is about just that, and why you shouldn’t give up on those strange, hybrid manuscripts you have lurking around… even when they are initially rejected.
'The Dark Within Them' is my debut psychological thriller, a novel that straddles the line between literary fiction and commercial thriller. Based on the toxic marriage between a faith-healer and a psychopathic-leaning step-father within the Mormon church, it attracted praise for its writing style from agents, but ultimately didn't secure representation. This experience led me to reflect on the challenges of genre-blending in traditional publishing and the journey of a debut novelist.
The Journey of a Debut Novel
My novel's journey illustrates the complexities of navigating the publishing world with a work that doesn't fit neatly into established genres. While agents appreciated the writing, the book's hybrid nature made it difficult to place within traditional publishing categories. That didn’t mean that the book wouldn’t find its audience, or be enjoyed by readers - and indeed the experience of having the novel out in the world via Fly on the Wall Press has a been a very positive experience, selling in the quantities that I would want for FOTW authors.
This experience taught me valuable lessons about the industry's expectations and the importance of finding the right home for one's work. It also highlighted the need for flexibility in both writing and publishing approaches.
Reframing Success in Writing
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