30 May 2005

The Writers' And Artists' Year Book acknowledges Blogger.com

The 2005 copy of the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook is nearly out, which means that local libraries are beginning to remove the 2004 version from their reference sections and reclassify them for lending. I never realised, but it's published by A & C Black (site down at time of posting), the people who do Who's Who.

This means that in my house right now is the 2004 copy, mine for four weeks. All that has done is convince me how much I need to buy a copy and how much I don't know.

What do you think would be in that book? A long list of publishers, so you can rush off your manuscript in the wrong format and have it summarily binned without a reply? Yes and no.

The list is there (I mean lists - newspaper, magazine, book, script etc, all types separated) but half of the tome is made up of individual chapters on the whole process, hints and tips, explanations of proofing marks, law; the works. I never knew why some jokingly refer to it as a bible, but I do now.

GUESS WHAT! In their comprehensive list of websites for writers, there, under Storyware, is Blogger.com. Somehow that makes me feel as if I am on the right track, just running a blog with this provider. Okay so maybe I'm on the first paving stone of a 100 mile long 'right track' and maybe I'll never get any further; but I'm on it.

Speaking of getting further, someone who should is Cooper King ( a pen name, I think.)

He has been published, (one of his works made it into the BBC Get Writing Anthology) but doesn't have the recognition his wonderful, haunting, addictive short stories deserve. If you want to be led, trance like, through a slice of someone else's world, hooked from start to end and coming out going "Wow" like you've been on a fairground ride, his site, Cooper King's Tall Tales is it.

I don't think he advertises or belongs to any sort of clickthrough, so his site is a little gem, a secret and a real find. Go read and bookmark (and link!), so you can say you knew him before he ended up being feted on the telly.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link. Absolutely fascinating work, there. I can't wait to read more.