WRITERS’ NEWS
100 MARCH 2020 http://www.writers-online.co.ukThe 2020 Sunspot
Literary Journal’s
Single Word
competition invites
writers to choose
the single word
they think is most
important in today’s
world and write
1,000 words in any
form or style to
describe why. The
prize is $500 and the
closing date is 31
March.
Website: https://
sunspotlit.com/After a 26-year
career at the
Guardian, journalist
and author Gary
Younge wrote ‘In
these bleak times,
imagine a world
where you can
thrive’, his fi nal
column for the
paper. In April
he will take up a
position as professor
of sociology
at Manchester
University.Lee Child will be
handing over writing
duties on his Jack
Reacher thrillers to
his brother Andrew
Grant, who he
describes as ‘the best
tough guy writer I
have read in years.’
Lee’s reason for the
change is, he said,
that he’s ‘ageing
out’. The brothers
will collaborate on a
few Reacher novels
before Andrew
takes over.‘I know when I’m
writing something
poetic and the voice
feels young, it’s
going to be a picture
book. If there’s an
immediacy to it, I
know it’s probably
going to be for
middle graders. If
there’s a spareness
to it, I know it’s
probably young
adult or adult,
because there’s a
lot more that older
people can infer.’
US children’s
author Jacqueline
WoodsonFLASHES
Agora Books is a small independent
publisher interested in publishing debut
authors that readers will fall in love with.
‘We’re part of Peters, Fraser & Dunlop
and started about four or five years ago
as Ipso, which was primarily a backlist
vehicle,’ described publisher Kate Evans.
‘And then it all got our of hand because we
got excited, and reinvented as Agora. We
still provide a home for brilliant backlist,
but in a more creative way, unearthing
gems. But our focus is on developing
commercial debut fiction.’
Kate has dual roles as a publisher and
literary agent, which gives her insights
from both sides of the desk about what the
commercial market wants – and discards.
‘We come out of an agency and every
agent at PFD has that book they’re madly in
love with, and it tends to be that it doesn’t
get sold not because it’s not amazing, but it’s
not what the market is looking for,’ she said.
‘It’s those books you find at the beach or if you’re away
for a break in the country. You just can’t put them down
and they stay with you forever. Publishing is so trend-led,
but we want to give a platform to those authors.’
The success of an Agora title published last year shows
how well readers are responding to this approach. ‘Laura
Pearson’s Missing Pieces has sold and sold and people
are so in love with it. But it’s a really sad book about a
family tragedy. So it’s about, is the writing beautiful? Am I
invested in the characters?’
Agora is not dependent on PFD for the authors it
publishes. ‘We have direct submissions to Agora Books- separate from PFD,’ said Kate. ‘We do publish books
from the agency but we’re editorially independent. The
whole reason we set out as Agora is the marketplace thing - we want to get books out there and see how they work.’
Agora Books tend to be thoughtful and well-written
commercial fiction. ‘We tend to hover around group
women’s fiction – commercial and accessible but
slighted elevated,’ said Kate. ‘I don’t want to cringe at
the dialogue. Family dramas, women’s fiction, issue-led
fiction with fascinating, complex characters. We’re open
to moving more into crime and thrillers too, and other
things that are slightly more difficult to categorise.’
The emotional heart of the story is paramount.
‘Complex, beautiful emotions – everything we do is
encouraging this interesting broadening in stories. I love
the extraordinary ordinary, and we’re finding all these
women doing that and not getting the attention they
deserve, and when we get them out there readers love it.’
Agora Books traditionally publishes fifty titles a year.
‘But only ten of that is frontlist,’ said Kate. ‘We started
as digital-only and then went into POD but as of this
year we do actual print runs, and we’re in bookstores.
We’ve accidentally ended up as a real
publisher! We only take people on who we
feel we can continue to work with. Next
year we’re doing thirty titles and ten will be
original fiction.
Agora Books is open to submissions in all
adult genres. ‘We skew more towards real-
world,’ said Kate. ‘What I’d love to read? One
of the quickest ways to my heart is a closed
environment where you can zero in on human
character. Family dramas, anything that probes
a difficult situation. I’d love a really beautiful
love story that makes me cry and ignore my
friends. When you’re dealing with character-
led, human emotion, whether it’s love or
comedy, it’s got to be perfect.’
Send the first three chapters or fifty pages
and a synopsis.
Agora Books publishes in paperback and
ebook and pays royalties.
Details: email: submissions@agorabooks.
co; website: http://www.agorabooks.coFall in love at the marketplace
Explore the digital age
UK FICTION MARKET
GLOBAL SCIENCE MARKET
Tina JacksonGary DalkinAgora Books is a small independent
publisher interested in publishing debut
authors that readers will fall in love with.and started about four or five years ago
as Ipso, which was primarily a backlist
vehicle,’ described publisher Kate Evans.
‘And then it all got our of hand because we ‘And then it all got our of hand because we
got excited, and reinvented as Agora. We
still provide a home for brilliant backlist,
but in a more creative way, unearthing
gems. But our focus is on developing
commercial debut fiction.’literary agent, which gives her insightsvehicle,’ described publisher Kate Evans.
‘And then it all got our of hand because weliterary agent, which gives her insights
from both sides of the desk about what the
commercial market wants – and discards.agent at PFD has that book they’re madly in
love with, and it tends to be that it doesn’t
get sold not because it’s not amazing, but it’s
not what the market is looking for,’ she said.literary agent, which gives her insightsenvironment where you can zero in on human
character. Family dramas, anything that probesDetails: email: submissions@agorabooks.Kanstellation Magazine is a new
US quarterly webzine edited and
published by Kristen Coates, heading
a five-strong, currently all-female,
team of readers and researchers. The
aim of the publication is to present ‘a
thematic collage of what it means to
be human in the digital age’ through
a combination of short and flash
fiction, poetry and essays. Each issue
is themed.The debut, published in
November, explored ‘The Human-
Technology Interface’, while
February’s second issue addresses ‘TheShadow Side of Science’. Check the
website for themes for future issues –
the next deadline will be mid-April.
Pieces in the launch issue included
an essay about ‘Digitising the
Archives’ an interview with the
artist Vanessa Maki and Vacation, a
story about changing generations of
technology.
Coates will consider short fiction,
creative non-fiction and essays
1,000-2,500 words, flash fiction
and non-fiction, 500-1,000 words,
and poetry from traditional toexperimental. You can submit one
story or two flash pieces or two
essays or up to four poems in a
single doc or docx file. You may
also send up to five pieces of art or
photographs for consideration.
Payment is $100 per flash piece,
$120 for each story or essay, $60 per
poem, illustration or photograph
for First Electronic Rights and non-
exclusive archive rights. Email all
submissions to editor@kanstellation.
com but be sure to follow the theme
guidelines at http://www.kanstellation.com