http://archive.aweber.com/inkwellnewsInkwell NewsletterSun, 15 Apr 2012 16:58:24 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/inkwellnews/5DSYE/h/Inkwell_New_Big_Book_of_Hope.htm Inkwell News www.inkwellwriters.ie Competitions, publishing news and submission opportunities from The Inkwell Group Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Hello All! We are delighted to announce the winners of the New Big Book of Hope eBook Competition! The editorial team at Y Books had a tough time deciding on the final three, but here they are: In Fiction Alison Wells with 'Flashes of Entropy and Hope' In Non Fiction Orla Coffey with 'Flashlight' And in Poetry Fr. David Keating with 'Now is All I Have' The judges were so impressed with the level of the fiction entries that they have decided to select a second fiction entry as High Commended that will also be produced in the finished book, Beginings by David Fairclough. The selected entrants will each receive an e-edition of the full book plus the e-edition of their own story. Launch is scheduled for the end of April 2012. The final e-edition of the New Big Book of Hope includes contributions from authors including Brian Keenan, Ivy Bannister, Kate Kerrigan, Monica McInerney, Sarah Webb, Sinead Moriarty, Noelle Harrison, Bill Cullen, Jim Power, Liz McManus, Senator Ivana Bacik, Dragon's Den's Norah Casey and many more. Huge congratulations! The New Big Book of Hope eBook is a blend of inspirational fiction and non-fiction from many of Ireland's best-known writers and personalities. Royalties from the sale of the eBook will go to support The HOPE Foundation's invaluable work breaking the cycle of poverty for street children in Kolcatta, India. Speaking about the book when it was published in print by Poolbeg in 2010, Vikas Swarup, author of Slumdog Millionaire, said, This inspiring collection is a song of hope for the street children supported by The HOPE Foundation. It deserves every success. http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/big-book-of-hope-ebook-winners-announced/ Book News It's the London Book Fair next week and I'll be there Monday to Wednesday - if any of you are nearby there are some fantastic public seminars running that you can pitch up to that will give you a real idea of the changes in the industry. There are a large number of seminars planned for self publishers too, as well as the launch of the Alliance of Independent Authors, a non-profit organisation that will represent the needs of independent publishers. Formed by Irish ex Penguin author Orna Ross who has brought in some big name advisers like Mark Coker from Smashwords, Victoria Strauss from Writer Beware and also from the US Jane Friedman (and me, representing Ireland and the Eurozone!), it will provide information, conferences and will become an international leader in independent author's rights. Check out their website or come along to The Old Press Room in Earls Court on Wednesday 18th at 10am to find out what it's all about - the advisory panel will be there to answer questions. If you join before you come, you'll get a discount on your Book Fair Ticket. For anyone Dublin based, the Alliance will be having its first Irish meet up at the Central Hotel on Tuesday 24th April. You can check it out here. I'll be there - be great to see some of you! Click the link to let Orna know you can attend. Meet ups will be occurring all over the world, from Singapore to New York, so keep in touch where ever you are. Inkwell Online Workshops: Write That Book Step By Step with Best selling author Tracy Culleton http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/write-that-book-step-by-step/ Blogging and Beyond with freelance writer Hazel Gaynorhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/blogging-and-beyond/ Writing Historical Fiction with Patricia O'Reilly http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-historical-fiction/ Writing Romance with Sally Clements http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-romance/ An Introduction to Memoir with Maggie Smith Hurt http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/introduction-to-writing-memoir/ The Art of Editing with freelance editor Sarah Franklin http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/the-art-of-editing/ How to Promote Your Book with Sarah Franklin (ideal for anyone self publishing) http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/how-to-promote-your-book/ Writing TV Treatments with Caren Kennedy. http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-tv-treatments/ Manuscript Subscription Assessment Service Don't get rejected! Or if you have been, find out why! You only get one chance to submit your book, so make sure it is the best that it can be, that you covering letter does you justice and that your synopsis does justice to your story. I assess your submission, and give you a report on where you will be best placed to submit your ms, as well as looking at the covering letter and the chapters themselves to ensure that they are ready to go and have all the essential elements that will make them commercially viable and publishable. Reports are usually delivered by telephone so we can brainstorm particular issues - calls take around an hour and give you an opportunity to ask a any of those gritty questions that have been bothering you... The ms assessment service is now Euro 65 per submission (but there is a 10% discount to newsletter subscribers - just let me know when you get in touch!) and will provide you with invaluable information on the way forward. Post a hard copy of your covering letter/synopsis and 3 chapters to me at The Old Post Office, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow with a cheque and I will email you to arrange a time to chat. Ms assessments are usually completed within two weeks of receipt and the feedback is verbal and usually takes an hour. And we have our own submission opportunity over at writing.ie - we're looking for a variety of personal stories for our Monday Miscellany, Mining Memories and Writing andMe sections. Click here for info: http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/tell-your-own-story.html Writing.ie is regularly read by editors and agents so this could be your chance to shine! Keep writing! Vanessa Can you ever forget your first love? Check out 5 Star Amazon Kindle Contemporary Romance, True Colours - only 99c ($1.22 with Irish VAT!) If you don't have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle app for your computer or iPhone or android phone by clicking these links. There are masses of free books on Kindle everyday, including many of the classics. Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:58:24 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/inkwellnews/9mAwE/h/Inkwell_News_Big_Book_of_Hope.htm Inkwell News www.inkwellwriters.ie Competitions, publishing news and submission opportunities from The Inkwell Group Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Hello All! Huge thanks to all of you who entered the Big Book of Hope eBook Competition, we have a shortlist! The shortlist is as follows, in no particular order: Fr. David Keating Now is All I Have David Fairclough Beginnings Jillian Godsil Bang in the Middle Mary Healy Braille of Brocade Orla Coffey Flashlight Alison Wells Flashes of Entrophy and Hope Eleanor Fitzsimmons Hope in the Darkest of Days Monica Walsh Joy is a Choice Nimah Moriarty A Thousand and One Bytes From this list publisher Chenile Keogh will be selecting winners in fiction, non fiction and poetry. The winners will be announced on 15th April. Good luck to everyone! http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/big-book-of-hope-ebook-shortlist/ The New Big Book of Hope eBook is a blend of inspirational fiction and non-fiction from many of Ireland's best-known writers and personalities. Royalties from the sale of the eBook will go to support The HOPE Foundation's invaluable work breaking the cycle of poverty for street children in Kolcatta, India. Speaking about the book when it was published in print by Poolbeg in 2010, Vikas Swarup, author of Slumdog Millionaire, said, This inspiring collection is a song of hope for the street children supported by The HOPE Foundation. It deserves every success. Newsflash If you think you could write for the web or are a digital journalist Joe.ie are launching a Joe.ie website for girls. Email your CV to work@JOE.ie Inkwell Online Workshops: Write That Book Step By Step with Best selling author Tracy Culleton http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/write-that-book-step-by-step/ Blogging and Beyond with freelance writer Hazel Gaynorhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/blogging-and-beyond/ Writing Historical Fiction with Patricia O'Reilly http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-historical-fiction/ Writing Romance with Sally Clements http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-romance/ An Introduction to Memoir with Maggie Smith Hurt http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/introduction-to-writing-memoir/ The Art of Editing with freelance editor Sarah Franklin http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/the-art-of-editing/ How to Promote Your Book with Sarah Franklin (ideal for anyone self publishing) http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/how-to-promote-your-book/ Writing TV Treatments with Caren Kennedy. http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-tv-treatments/ Manuscript Subscription Assessment Service Don't get rejected! Or if you have been, find out why! You only get one chance to submit your book, so make sure it is the best that it can be, that you covering letter does you justice and that your synopsis does justice to your story. I assess your submission, and give you a report on where you will be best placed to submit your ms, as well as looking at the covering letter and the chapters themselves to ensure that they are ready to go and have all the essential elements that will make them commercially viable and publishable. Reports are usually delivered by telephone so we can brainstorm particular issues - calls take around an hour and give you an opportunity to ask a any of those gritty questions that have been bothering you... The ms assessment service is now Euro 65 per submission (but there is a 10% discount to newsletter subscribers - just let me know when you get in touch!) and will provide you with invaluable information on the way forward. Post a hard copy of your covering letter/synopsis and 3 chapters to me at The Old Post Office, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow with a cheque and I will email you to arrange a time to chat. Ms assessments are usually completed within two weeks of receipt and the feedback is verbal and usually takes an hour. And we have our own submission opportunity over at writing.ie - we're looking for a variety of personal stories for our Monday Miscellany, Mining Memories and Writing andMe sections. Click here for info: http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/tell-your-own-story.html Writing.ie is regularly read by editors and agents so this could be your chance to shine! Keep writing! Vanessa Can you ever forget your first love? Check out 5 Star Amazon Kindle Contemporary Romance, True Colours - only 99c ($1.22 with Irish VAT!) If you don't have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle app for your computer or iPhone or android phone by clicking these links. There are masses of free books on Kindle everyday, including many of the classics. Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:32:22 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/inkwellnews/EYVCg/h/Inkwell_News_Waterford_Writers.htm Inkwell News www.inkwellwriters.ie Competitions, publishing news and submission opportunities from The Inkwell Group Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Hello All! The sun is shining here in Dublin and we've a double celebration weekend with St. Patrick's falling the day before Mother's Day! For those of you who are available for a few hours next weekend, Waterford Writers Weekend had a fabulous range of workshops, programmed by Inkwell, that are only €25 per head for a half day workshop. With international bestselling authors like Arlene Hunt and Monica McInerney facilitating, they are a guaranteed way to give your writing a massive boost. Mixing with other writers is always food for the soul, so come down and join us! The short story workshop will be a particularly good one with lots of tips for winning competitions and getting your work noticed. This is the list: Start Writing: Workshop with Nicole Rourke and The Big Smoke Writing Factory Have an idea for a story but don't know where to start? Nicole Rourke from The Big Smoke Writing Factory will show you exactly how to develop your idea and how to get it down on paper, giving you the tools to start your story whether it is a novel, memoir or short story. Duration: 3 hours Saturday March 24th, 10am, Greyfriars. Events can be booked here, via Garter Lane. Writing Memoir: Workshop with Martina Devlin Whether you want to write your memoir with a view to publication, or purely for your family, award winning writer Martina Devlin will explain how to approach memoir writing, how to decide where to start and what makes a good read. Understanding how to structure your story and what to leave in and what to take out are all essential to success. Submit your memory stories to www.writing.ie for publication online and to be included in the National Folklore Archive. Duration: 3 hours Saturday March 24th, 10am, Granville Hotel. Events can be booked here, via Garter Lane. Writing Crime: Workshop with Arlene Hunt The author of seven best sellers, Arlene Hunt will explain essential crime writing technique - from that opening hook, to writing great character, to plotting and planning. Find out how to keep the pace up and keep your reader turning the pages. Duration: 3 hours Saturday March 24th, 2pm, Central Library. Events can be booked here, via Garter Lane. Writing Commercial Fiction: Workshop with Monica McInerney Women's fiction is one of the largest sectors of the publishing market. Find out how to hook your reader, how important character is to your story, and how what you read will shape what you write. International best seller Monica McInerney will reveal some essential techniques for getting your work to a standard that will grab a publisher's attention. Duration: 3 hours Saturday March 24th, 2pm, Greyfriars. Events can be booked here, via Garter Lane. Writing Winning Short Fiction: Workshop with Nuala Ni Chonchúir Award winning short story writer Nuala Ni Chonchúir will explain the essential elements of the short story, and how to make every word count. With tips for entering and winning competitions, find out how to develop your ideas, the importance of character, point of view and just where to start your story. Duration: 3 hours Saturday March 24th, 2pm, Granville Hotel. Events can be booked here, via Garter Lane. Writing for Young Adults: Workshop with Claire Hennessy of The Big Smoke Writing Factory With the explosion in popularity of books like Harry Potter and Twilight, Young Adult is a growing market sector in publishing. Find out what this age group is looking for in a good book, how to develop character and how important the age of your target reader is to your story. Duration: 3 hours Saturday March 24th, 2pm, Chamber of Commerce. Events can be booked here, via Garter Lane. Getting Published: Workshop with Publishing Consultant and Literary Scout Vanessa O'Loughlin Find out what publishers are looking for, how and what to submit and how to increase your chances of attracting an editor's eye. Find out what the role of an agent is, and if you need one. Vanessa will discuss author profile and how this is vital in today's market. As a literary scout Vanessa O'Loughlin is always looking for new talent and has already successfully placed one of last years workshop participants with an agent and an international publisher. Duration: 3 hours Sunday March 25th, 10am, Granville Hotel. Events can be booked here, via Garter Lane. Inkwell Writer's News There is LOTS of news from Inkwell writers - detailed in our new News blog section of the website. http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/news/ We saw the cover this week for Helen Marie Clarke's Over PJ's memoir bought by Skyhorse in New York - her story will shortly be detailed in our success stories section, so keep an eye out - we can share the cover with you there. Here's the announcement of the acquisition: http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/triple-success-for-inkwell-writers/ Penguin were delighted to announce that they have acquired Mary Grehan's Love is the Easy Bit - find out how Inkwell helped here: http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/successes/love-is-the-easy-bit-for-mary-grehan/ Hazel Gaynor has released her novel, The Girl Who Came Home on Kindle this week in anticipation of the100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Many of you will know that Hazel started her blogging and freelance journalism career after an Inkwell Workshop and she has since been on radio and TV and featured several times in The Sunday Times. You can see the fabulous cover (designed by Inkwell's resident cover designer Andrew Brown at Design For Writers) here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Girl-Came-Home-ebook/dp/B007JMIENC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8andqid=1332072092andsr=8-1 If you don't have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle app for your computer or iPhone or android phone by clicking these links - many of the classics are available free on Kindle, from Jane Austen to Mark Twain, so you've nothing to lose. And my novel True Colours is free today for Mother's Day on Kindle - scroll down to the end of the newsletter for links. For any of you listening to the RTE John Murray radio show earlier this week, you may have heard Paddy Reid discussing his father and grandfather's involvement in World War One and World War Two. He was invited to the show after we posted his fabulous short story Deserted on writing.ie's Mining Memories. You can read his story here: http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/tell-your-own-story/mining-memories-past-and-present/503-deserted-by-paddy-reid.html Competitions I'm delighted to announce that Inkwell are working with Y Books to release The New Big Book of Hope eBook edition and we have an opportunity for 3 new writers to get published with some great names! The New Big Book of Hope eBook is a blend of inspirational fiction and non-fiction from many of Ireland's best-known writers and personalities. Royalties from the sale of the eBook will go to support The HOPE Foundation's invaluable work breaking the cycle of poverty for street children in Kolcatta, India. Speaking about the book when it was published in print by Poolbeg in 2010, Vikas Swarup, author of Slumdog Millionaire, said, This inspiring collection is a song of hope for the street children supported by The HOPE Foundation. It deserves every success. We're looking for fiction, non-fiction and poetry and giving at least three new writers the chance to get published alongside some of the biggest names in Irish fiction, the media and politics. Published by Y Books the book will be available across all mobile and digital platforms. All the info is here: http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/the-new-big-book-of-hope-ebook-competition/ Inkwell Online Workshops: Write That Book Step By Step with Best selling author Tracy Culleton http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/write-that-book-step-by-step/ Blogging and Beyond with freelance writer Hazel Gaynorlhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/blogging-and-beyond/ Writing Historical Fiction with Patricia O'Reilly http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-historical-fiction/ Writing Romance with Sally Clements http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-romance/ An Introduction to Memoir with Maggie Smith Hurt http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/introduction-to-writing-memoir/ The Art of Editing with freelance editor Sarah Franklin http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/the-art-of-editing/ How to Promote Your Book with Sarah Franklin (ideal for anyone self publishing) http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/how-to-promote-your-book/ Writing TV Treatments with Caren Kennedy. http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-tv-treatments/ Manuscript Subscription Assessment Service Don't get rejected! Or if you have been, find out why! You only get one chance to submit your book, so make sure it is the best that it can be, that you covering letter does you justice and that your synopsis does justice to your story. I assess your submission, and give you a report on where you will be best placed to submit your ms, as well as looking at the covering letter and the chapters themselves to ensure that they are ready to go and have all the essential elements that will make them commercially viable and publishable. Reports are usually delivered by telephone so we can brainstorm particular issues - calls take around an hour and give you an opportunity to ask a any of those gritty questions that have been bothering you... The ms assessment service is now Euro 65 per submission (but there is a 10% discount to newsletter subscribers - just let me know when you get in touch!) and will provide you with invaluable information on the way forward. Post a hard copy of your covering letter/synopsis and 3 chapters to me at The Old Post Office, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow with a cheque and I will email you to arrange a time to chat. Ms assessments are usually completed within two weeks of receipt and the feedback is verbal and usually takes an hour. And we have our own submission opportunity over at writing.ie - we're looking for a variety of personal stories for our Monday Miscellany, Mining Memories and Writing andMe sections. Click here for info: http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/tell-your-own-story.html Writing.ie is regularly read by editors and agents so this could be your chance to shine! And Finally: my contemporary romance True Colours is FREE on Kindle for Mothers Day If you don't have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle app for your computer or iPhone or android phone by clicking these links. Can you ever forget your first love? Keep Writing! Vanessa Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Sun, 18 Mar 2012 08:29:24 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/inkwellnews/C1Gbw/h/Inkwell_News_True_Colours.htm Inkwell News www.inkwellwriters.ie Competitions, publishing news and submission opportunities from The Inkwell Group Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Hello All! This is a very quick newsletter to let you know that my contemporary romance True Colours has been launched today as a free read to celebrate World Book Day! If you don't have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle app for your computer or iPhone or android phone by clicking these links - the classics are all available free on Kindle, from Jane Austen to Mark Twain, so you've nothing to lose. So what's True Colours all about? Can you ever forget your first love? Alex Ryan knows going back to Dublin will be difficult, but she has no idea of the hidden dangers that await her. With her father in hospital after a mysterious accident and a new design client demanding her attention, when Alex finds herself in the offices of Venture Capital Ireland the last person she expects to meet is Sebastian Wingfield, heir to Lord Kilfenora and the Wingfield fortune - the one man in Ireland she is desperate to avoid. Equally shocked at her unexpected appearance, Sebastian is torn between hating Alex for vanishing so inexplicably from his life sixteen years ago, breaking his heart completely, and admitting he still loves her. But Sebastian is to marry his best friend's sister, Caroline Audiguet-O'Reilly, in eight weeks time. As the wedding plans unfold, unknown to any of them, a vengeful shadow has infiltrated Sebastian's inner circle and is set on ruining him - whatever it takes. There is no escaping the past, and the night Alex meets Sebastian at Kilfenora House, more than just their true colours are finally revealed.Only free for a limited period, pop over to Amazon now and download yours! For more World Book Day free reads, drop over to writing.ie and see what's new from best selling author Orna Ross and from Inkwell's own Sally Clements Workshop News Self Printed with Catherine Ryan Howard Sat 3rd March 2012 Royal St. George Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin 9am-4.30pm (as mentioned on RTE1 Joe Duffy Show) BOOKED OUT BUT CALL TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITING LIST! This workshop is for writers who consider self-publishing to be a good Plan B, or even a sideline to traditional publication. Who want to do it the cheapest and easiest way possible while still producing a quality product. Who understand that much like Starbucks outlets and Nespresso coffee machines, traditional and self-publishing can peacefully co-exist. Who know that they don't have to sell a million copies of their book to start earning a living from their writing, but that they do have to work hard and treat it like a business. Who are blessed with common sense and live in the real world at least most of the time. Who find my jokes funny. If this sounds like you, then SELF-PRINTED: HOW TO SELF-PUBLISH WITH CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD may be just the self-publishing workshop you were looking for. It will tell you everything you need to know in order to publish a Print On Demand paperback and e-book, and - crucially - sell them, without sounding like anti-Big Publishing propaganda produced by the Ministry of Truth. Be warned: you are now entering a No Saying Gatekeepers Zone... Catherine Ryan Howard is one of Ireland's most successful self publishers and has sold over 10,000 books. She has spoken at The One Stop Self Publishing Conference, Irish PEN and facilitated for the Faber Academy. This workshop is €125 including lunch and all refreshments. There are only two places left on this workshop so sign up now! For more information visit http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/self-printing/ or for booking www.inkwellselfprinted.eventbrite.com Waterford Writers Weekend Festival Workshops I'm organising a whole series of half day workshops at Waterford Writers festival, from Starting to Write with the Big Smoke Writing Factory, to Writing Crime with Arlene Hunt to my own Getting Published Workshop. Places are limited and the workshops are supported by the Library service, so very reasonable - if you can get to Waterford 23rd-25th March book now! All details are here: http://www.waterfordwritersweekend.ie/programme/workshops.htm Independent Colleges Diploma in ePublishing For anyone really serious about digital publishing, Independent Colleges are running a 12 week ePublishing Diploma course in Dublin starting March 5th. The course will introduce participant to the essentials of how to publish online and make your work available for digital download for iPad, Kindle and other readers. All of the elements are covered: from finding and refining an idea, to managing the creative process, to editing, subbing and signing off on the final draft. The next stage is focused on getting the finished product distributed on all the major Ebook platforms around the world such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble and then creating a marketing campaign on social media. The programme is designed for people who want to publish a book. It might be a novel, a family history, a biography, a collection of recipes for a cookbook, a children's story, young-adult fiction; this course is designed to show you how to take your idea through the writing, editing and digital publishing stages. Whether you have a first idea or a finished draft, we show you how to manage your work and guide you through the path to digital publication. For more info, visit: http://www.independentcolleges.ie/faculty-of-journalism/e-book-publishing The spring is all about new starts (and isn't the weather lovely?!), and an ideal time to get your writing on track. If you can't get to a workshop, an online workshop might be the answer! Working one to one with a published author or industry professional, online workshops are ideal for anyone trying to fit writing in around their life. Do them at your own pace in the comfort of your armchair! Inkwell Online Workshops include: Write That Book Step By Step with Best selling author Tracy Culleton http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/write-that-book-step-by-step/ Blogging and Beyond with freelance writer Hazel Gaynorlhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/blogging-and-beyond/ Writing Historical Fiction with Patricia O'Reilly http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-historical-fiction/ Writing Romance with Sally Clements http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-romance/ An Introduction to Memoir with Maggie Smith Hurt http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/introduction-to-writing-memoir/ The Art of Editing with freelance editor Sarah Franklin http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/the-art-of-editing/ How to Promote Your Book with Sarah Franklin (ideal for anyone self publishing) http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/how-to-promote-your-book/ Writing TV Treatments with Caren Kennedy. http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-tv-treatments/ Manuscript Subscription Assessment Service Don't get rejected! Or if you have been, find out why! You only get one chance to submit your book, so make sure it is the best that it can be, that you covering letter does you justice and that your synopsis does justice to your story. I assess your submission, and give you a report on where you will be best placed to submit your ms, as well as looking at the covering letter and the chapters themselves to ensure that they are ready to go and have all the essential elements that will make them commercially viable and publishable. Reports are usually delivered by telephone so we can brainstorm particular issues - calls take around an hour and give you an opportunity to ask a any of those gritty questions that have been bothering you... The ms assessment service is now Euro 65 per submission (but there is a 10% discount to newsletter subscribers - just let me know when you get in touch!) and will provide you with invaluable information on the way forward. Post a hard copy of your covering letter/synopsis and 3 chapters to me at The Old Post Office, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow with a cheque and I will email you to arrange a time to chat. Ms assessments are usually completed within two weeks of receipt and the feedback is verbal and usually takes an hour. And we have our own submission opportunity over at writing.ie - we're looking for a variety of personal stories for our Monday Miscellany, Mining Memories and Writing andMe sections. Click here for info: http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/tell-your-own-story.html Writing.ie is regularly read by editors and agents so this could be your chance to shine! Keep Writing! Vanessa Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:29:25 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/inkwellnews/OdxAA/h/Inkwell_News_February_2012.htm Inkwell News www.inkwellwriters.ie Competitions, publishing news and submission opportunities from The Inkwell Group Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Welcome! A very warm welcome to anyone who is receiving this for the first time - from early 2012 this is going to become a quarterly newsletter with regular (daily this week!) updates on the new NEWS BLOG section of the Inkwell website - make a point of dropping by to see competitions, industry news and Inkwell writer's successes detailed.Having said that, we will have some exciting news early in March that will be going out exclusively to Inkwell Writers before the rest of the world gets to hear it, so look out for the next newsletter! To give you a sample of the info on the News Blog, we have: Win £10,000 in the Dundee International Book Prize - enter your first 3 chs to win a publishing deal http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/win-10000-in-dundee-international-book-prize/ Blackhall publishing opens Orpen Press, see what to submit http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/blackhall-open-orpen-press/ Eblana Writers Group Looking for New Members http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/eblana-writers-looking-for-new-members/ Enter the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year competition and win Euro 15,000 http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/enter-kerry-group-irish-novel-of-the-year-2012/ Paragram Press Call for Submissions for new anthology http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/paragram-call-for-submissions/ That's just a taster - we've also got great news over in our Success Stories section - this month I launched The History Press Ireland's new Fiction Line with The Scarlet Ribbon, a fabulous historical romance set in Dublin, Galway and Paris in the 1740's by Katy and Michael O'Dowd. Have a look here for more: http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/successes/cutting-the-ribbon-for-derry-odowd/ And Penguin Ireland announced acquiring Mary Grehan's book Love is the Easy Bit - I met Mary at the Getting Published workshop at Waterford Writers Weekend last year, and helped her find an agent and ultimately a deal. It's all here: http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/successes/love-is-the-easy-bit-for-mary-grehan/ For any of you who missed the news over at writing.ie (Inkwell's sister website), we sponsored the Irish PEN Award this year. Joseph O'Connor received the trophy from President of Ireland Michael D Higgins at a gala dinner at the Royal St George Yacht Club. You can read all about it here: http://writing.ie/for-readers/bord-gais-energy-irish-book-awards/501-joseph-oconnor-recieves-the-irish-pen-award-2012.html Workshop News Only 2 places left at Self Printed with Catherine Ryan Howard Sat 3rd March 2012 Royal St. George Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin 9am-4.30pm (as mentioned on RTE1 Joe Duffy Show) This workshop is for writers who consider self-publishing to be a good Plan B, or even a sideline to traditional publication. Who want to do it the cheapest and easiest way possible while still producing a quality product. Who understand that much like Starbucks outlets and Nespresso coffee machines, traditional and self-publishing can peacefully co-exist. Who know that they don't have to sell a million copies of their book to start earning a living from their writing, but that they do have to work hard and treat it like a business. Who are blessed with common sense and live in the real world at least most of the time. Who find my jokes funny. If this sounds like you, then SELF-PRINTED: HOW TO SELF-PUBLISH WITH CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD may be just the self-publishing workshop you were looking for. It will tell you everything you need to know in order to publish a Print On Demand paperback and e-book, and - crucially - sell them, without sounding like anti-Big Publishing propaganda produced by the Ministry of Truth. Be warned: you are now entering a No Saying Gatekeepers Zone... Catherine Ryan Howard is one of Ireland's most successful self publishers and has sold over 10,000 books. She has spoken at The One Stop Self Publishing Conference, Irish PEN and facilitated for the Faber Academy. This workshop is €125 including lunch and all refreshments. There are only two places left on this workshop so sign up now! For more information visit http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/self-printing/ or for booking www.inkwellselfprinted.eventbrite.com Waterford Writers Weekend Festival Workshops I'm organising a whole series of half day workshops at Waterford Writers festival, from Starting to Write with the Big Smoke Writing Factory, to Writing Crime with Arlene Hunt to my own Getting Published Workshop. Places are limited and the workshops are supported by the Library service, so very reasonable - if you can get to Waterford 23rd-25th March book now! All details are here: http://www.waterfordwritersweekend.ie/programme/workshops.htm Independent Colleges Diploma in ePublishing For anyone really serious about digital publishing, Independent Colleges are running a 12 week ePublishing Diploma course in Dublin starting March 5th. The course will introduce participant to the essentials of how to publish online and make your work available for digital download for iPad, Kindle and other readers. All of the elements are covered: from finding and refining an idea, to managing the creative process, to editing, subbing and signing off on the final draft. The next stage is focused on getting the finished product distributed on all the major Ebook platforms around the world such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble and then creating a marketing campaign on social media. The programme is designed for people who want to publish a book. It might be a novel, a family history, a biography, a collection of recipes for a cookbook, a children's story, young-adult fiction; this course is designed to show you how to take your idea through the writing, editing and digital publishing stages. Whether you have a first idea or a finished draft, we show you how to manage your work and guide you through the path to digital publication. For more info, visit: http://www.independentcolleges.ie/faculty-of-journalism/e-book-publishing The spring is all about new starts (and isn't the weather lovely?!), and an ideal time to get your writing on track. If you can't get to a workshop, an online workshop might be the answer! Working one to one with a published author or industry professional, online workshops are ideal for anyone trying to fit writing in around their life. Do them at your own pace in the comfort of your armchair! Inkwell Online Workshops include: Write That Book Step By Step with Best selling author Tracy Culleton http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/write-that-book-step-by-step/ Blogging and Beyond with freelance writer Hazel Gaynorlhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/blogging-and-beyond/ Writing Historical Fiction with Patricia O'Reilly http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-historical-fiction/ Writing Romance with Sally Clements http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-romance/ An Introduction to Memoir with Maggie Smith Hurt http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/introduction-to-writing-memoir/ The Art of Editing with freelance editor Sarah Franklin http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/the-art-of-editing/ How to Promote Your Book with Sarah Franklin (ideal for anyone self publishing) http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/how-to-promote-your-book/ Writing TV Treatments with Caren Kennedy. http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-tv-treatments/ Manuscript Subscription Assessment Service Don't get rejected! Or if you have been, find out why! You only get one chance to submit your book, so make sure it is the best that it can be, that you covering letter does you justice and that your synopsis does justice to your story. I assess your submission, and give you a report on where you will be best placed to submit your ms, as well as looking at the covering letter and the chapters themselves to ensure that they are ready to go and have all the essential elements that will make them commercially viable and publishable. Reports are usually delivered by telephone so we can brainstorm particular issues - calls take around an hour and give you an opportunity to ask a any of those gritty questions that have been bothering you... The ms assessment service is now Euro 65 per submission (but there is a 10% discount to newsletter subscribers - just let me know when you get in touch!) and will provide you with invaluable information on the way forward. Post a hard copy of your covering letter/synopsis and 3 chapters to me at The Old Post Office, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow with a cheque and I will email you to arrange a time to chat. Ms assessments are usually completed within two weeks of receipt and the feedback is verbal and usually takes an hour. And we have our own submission opportunity over at writing.ie - we're looking for a variety of personal stories for our Monday Miscellany, Mining Memories and Writing andMe sections. Click here for info: http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/tell-your-own-story.html Writing.ie is regularly read by editors and agents so this could be your chance to shine! Keep Writing! Vanessa Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:55:15 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/inkwellnews/KFVdM/h/Inkwell_Happy_New_Year_Good.htm Inkwell News www.inkwellwriters.ie Competitions, publishing news and submission opportunities from The Inkwell Group Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Welcome! A very warm welcome to anyone who is receiving this for the first time - from early 2012 this is going to become a quarterly newsletter with regular (daily this week!) updates on the new NEWS BLOG section of the Inkwell website - there's a sign up box at the bottom of the site that will enable updates to be delivered directly to your in-box. This week we've had great news from Patricia Byrne and Lisa Burkitt whose books will be coming out in April and May 2012, from Helen Marie Clarke who has just signed with Paul Feldstein at The Feldstein Agency and whose book is on submission, AND from Jaki McCarrick whose play 'Belfast Girls'is on attachment to the National Theatre in London. To read this news in detail and find out about a stack of competitions, pop over to http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/news/ Inkwell is all about getting you published and creating a community of writers and we hope the new website will allow us to communicate better with you. The www.writing.ie site is growing fast with over 63,000 visitors in December and is packed full of interviews and tips for aspiring writers. Self Printed with Catherine Ryan Howard 3rd March 2012 Royal St. George Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin 9am-4.30pm (as mentioned on RTE1 Joe Duffy Show) This workshop is for writers who consider self-publishing to be a good Plan B, or even a sideline to traditional publication. Who want to do it the cheapest and easiest way possible while still producing a quality product. Who understand that much like Starbucks outlets and Nespresso coffee machines, traditional and self-publishing can peacefully co-exist. Who know that they don't have to sell a million copies of their book to start earning a living from their writing, but that they do have to work hard and treat it like a business. Who are blessed with common sense and live in the real world at least most of the time. Who find my jokes funny. If this sounds like you, then SELF-PRINTED: HOW TO SELF-PUBLISH WITH CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD may be just the self-publishing workshop you were looking for. It will tell you everything you need to know in order to publish a Print On Demand paperback and e-book, and - crucially - sell them, without sounding like anti-Big Publishing propaganda produced by the Ministry of Truth. Be warned: you are now entering a No Saying Gatekeepers Zone... Catherine Ryan Howard is one of Ireland's most successful self publishers and has sold over 10,000 books. She has spoken at The One Stop Self Publishing Conference, Irish PEN and facilitated for the Faber Academy. This workshop is €125 including lunch and all refreshments. This workshop will book out very quickly so if you are interested, sign up now! For more information visit http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/self-printing/ or for booking www.inkwellselfprinted.eventbrite.com The New Year is all about resolutions and making a new start, and an ideal time to get your writing on track. If you can't get to a workshop, an online workshop might be the answer! Working one to one with a published author or industry professional, online workshops are ideal for anyone trying to fit writing in around their life. Do them at yourown pace in the comfort of your armchair! Inkwell Online Workshops include: Write That Book Step By Step with Best selling author Tracy Culleton http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/write-that-book-step-by-step/ Blogging and Beyond with freelance writer Hazel Gaynorlhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/blogging-and-beyond/ Writing Historical Fiction with Patricia O'Reilly http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-historical-fiction/ Writing Romance with Sally Clements http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-romance/ An Introduction to Memoir with Maggie Smith Hurt http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/introduction-to-writing-memoir/ The Art of Editing with freelance editor Sarah Franklin http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/the-art-of-editing/ How to Promote Your Book with Sarah Franklin (ideal for anyone self publishing) http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/how-to-promote-your-book/ Writing TV Treatments with Caren Kennedy. http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-tv-treatments/ Manuscript Subscription Assessment Service Don't get rejected! Or if you have been, find out why! You only get one chance to submit your book, so make sure it is the best that it can be, that you covering letter does you justice and that your synopsis does justice to your story. I assess your submission, and give you a report on where you will be best placed to submit your ms, as well as looking at the covering letter and the chapters themselves to ensure that they are ready to go and have all the essential elements that will make them commercially viable and publishable. Reports are usually delivered by telephone so we can brainstorm particular issues - calls take around an hour and give you an opportunity to ask a any of those gritty questions that have been bothering you... The ms assessment service is now Euro 65 per submission (but there is a 10% discount to newsletter subscribers - just let me know when you get in touch!) and will provide you with invaluable information on the way forward. Post a hard copy of your covering letter/synopsis and 3 chapters to me at The Old Post Office, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow with a cheque and I will email you to arrange a time to chat. Ms assessments are usually completed within two weeks of receipt and the feedback is verbal and usually takes an hour. And we have our own submission opportunity over at writing.ie - we're looking for a variety of personal stories for our Monday Miscellany, Mining Memories and Writing andMe sections. Click here for info: http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/tell-your-own-story.html Writing.ie is regularly read by editors and agents so this could be your chance to shine! Happy New Year! Keep Writing Vanessa Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:08:30 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/inkwellnews/I1wos/h/Inkwell_News_December_2011.htm Inkwell News www.inkwellwriters.ie Competitions, publishing news and submission opportunities from The Inkwell Group Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Welcome! A very warm welcome to anyone who is receiving this for the first time - I know regulars have been wondering what has happened to the newsletter recently as there hasn't been one for ages - but here we are at last with festive wishes for everyone! One of the reasons that there have been fewer newsletters this year is that it has been a very very busy year for Inkwell. Building the publishing consultancy side of Inkwell we've place four authors with agents and nine directly with publishers - with several more success stories in the pipeline. We've built the number and range of authors available to critique your work, as well as expanded the number of editors available. In order to keep you all up to date more efficiently we've developed a brand new website that shows much more clearly what we do at Inkwell, in addition to workshops. It's just gone live be the first to drop over and have a look! www.inkwellwriters.ie Our success stories section has lots more on the way and we've got a special blog style section that will be constantly updated with all sorts of useful links to news items and online resources. If you subscribe to the blog each update will arrive in your in-box like the Inkwell Newsletter, and it means I can keep in touch with up to the minute news rather than wait until I have enough news for a full newsletter. I still plan to send this newsletter out quarterly, but to keep on top of writing news, visit the site regularly or sign up for the feed. I do hope you like the new site, it's been designed by the fabulous Andrew Brown who specialises in websites for writers and has the patience of a saint! More about him on the new site.We've still got some tweaking to do, but it's Christmas! Inkwell is all about getting you published and creating a community of writers and we hope the new website will allow us to communicate better with you. The www.writing.ie site is growing fast with over 55,000 visitors in November and is packed full of interviews and tips for aspiring writers. Writing.ie is a huge site, updated weekly with new content, and we have several sections in the Forum where you can get links to the type of great articles that normally feature here, as well as competitions and publishing opportunities, links are below. You can also chat to other writers there and get their news. If you have done a book review, send it on to us, and we are now taking submissions for the Tell Your Own Story section. We are regularly visited by agents and publishers, so this could be your opportunity to shine! For anyone wanting to promote their book or work, do come along to the forum and post about it - it's an opportunity for others to see the quality of your work. The Irish PEN Lifetime Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Literature In exciting News, Irish PEN are delighted to announce that President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, will present Irish PEN's Award to Joseph O'Connor on February 10th 2012, to mark his outstanding contribution to Irish Literature. This year www.writing.ie is delighted to be sponsoring the Irish PEN Trophy. Irish PEN's Award dinner will be held at the Royal St George Yacht Club, Dún Laoghaire. The Committee of Irish PEN welcomes members and associates of Irish PEN, along with members of the public to come and celebrate this award to mark a terrific achievement. The 2012 Irish PEN Dinner is open to both members and non members but there are very limited tickets available! If you would like to attend the dinner this is the booking link www.irishpendinner.eventbrite.com. I am sponsoring the dinner with my www.writing.ie hat on, so it would be fabulous to see you all! National Emerging Writer Programme . In other exciting news www.writing.ie have been awarded the honour of developing a National Emerging Writer Programme in assocation with Dublin UNESCO City of Literature.This will be the world's first national support programme for new writers and will consist of a series of video 'workshops' with international best selling Irish Authors. The core of 3 initial videos will be streamed free through www.writing.ie and the Dublin UNESCO City of Literature website, and supported by downloadable PDF tips sheets. The whole series of videos will also be available on DVD from libraries nationwide. Local libraries will be getting involved developing writing groups and bringing in visiting speakers.More on that as soon as we have it! Waterford Writers Weekend In 2012 too, I'm programming the Waterford Writers Festival 23rd-25th March (put it in your diaries now!), where I will be running 8 workshops -details to follow. As a result of all this busyness, I don't have a huge programme Inkwell workshops planned - I will however be running a fabulous workshop that was discussed on the Joe Duffy RTE Radio show earlier this week: Self Printed with Catherine Ryan Howard 3rd March 2012 Royal St. George Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin 9am-4.30pm (as mentioned on RTE1 Joe Duffy Show) This workshop is for writers who consider self-publishing to be a good Plan B, or even a sideline to traditional publication. Who want to do it the cheapest and easiest way possible while still producing a quality product. Who understand that much like Starbucks outlets and Nespresso coffee machines, traditional and self-publishing can peacefully co-exist. Who know that they don't have to sell a million copies of their book to start earning a living from their writing, but that they do have to work hard and treat it like a business. Who are blessed with common sense and live in the real world at least most of the time. Who find my jokes funny. If this sounds like you, then SELF-PRINTED: HOW TO SELF-PUBLISH WITH CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD may be just the self-publishing workshop you were looking for. It will tell you everything you need to know in order to publish a Print On Demand paperback and e-book, and - crucially - sell them, without sounding like anti-Big Publishing propaganda produced by the Ministry of Truth. Be warned: you are now entering a No Saying Gatekeepers Zone... Catherine Ryan Howard is one of Ireland's most successful self publishers and has sold over 10,000 books. She has spoken at The One Stop Self Publishing Conference, Irish PEN and facilitated for the Faber Academy. This workshop is €125 including lunch and all refreshments. This workshop will book out very quickly so if you are interested, sign up now! For more information visit http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/self-printing/ or for booking www.inkwellselfprinted.eventbrite.com The New Year is all about resolutions and making a new start, and an ideal time to get your writing on track. If you can't get to a workshop, an online workshop might be the answer! Working one to one with a published author or industry professional, online workshops are ideal for anyone trying to fit writing in around their life. Do them at yourown pace in the comfort of your armchair! Inkwell Online Workshops include: Write That Book Step By Step with Best selling author Tracy Culleton http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/write-that-book-step-by-step/ Blogging and Beyond with freelance writer Hazel Gaynorlhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/blogging-and-beyond/ Writing Historical Fiction with Patricia O'Reilly http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-historical-fiction/ Writing Romance with Sally Clements http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-romance/ An Introduction to Memoir with Maggie Smith Hurt http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/introduction-to-writing-memoir/ The Art of Editing with freelance editor Sarah Franklin http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/the-art-of-editing/ How to Promote Your Book with Sarah Franklin (ideal for anyone self publishing) http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/how-to-promote-your-book/ Writing TV Treatments with Caren Kennedy. http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/workshops/writing-tv-treatments/ Manuscript Subscription Assessment Service Don't get rejected! Or if you have been, find out why! You only get one chance to submit your book, so make sure it is the best that it can be, that you covering letter does you justice and that your synopsis does justice to your story. I assess your submission, and give you a report on where you will be best placed to submit your ms, as well as looking at the covering letter and the chapters themselves to ensure that they are ready to go and have all the essential elements that will make them commercially viable and publishable. Reports are usually delivered by telephone so we can brainstorm particular issues - calls take around an hour and give you an opportunity to ask a any of those gritty questions that have been bothering you... The ms assessment service is now Euro 65 per submission (but there is a 10% discount to newsletter subscribers - just let me know when you get in touch!) and will provide you with invaluable information on the way forward. Post a hard copy of your covering letter/synopsis and 3 chapters to me at The Old Post Office, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow with a cheque and I will email you to arrange a time to chat. Ms assessments are usually completed within two weeks of receipt and the feedback is verbal and usually takes an hour. Subscriber News: First from Maria Perry Mohan who is based in India! There are workshops galore not to mention books on how to write and sell short stories, but magazines seem to be in favour of dropping fiction in favour of celebrity news and 'reality' stories. I am a member of a Facebook group formed by writer Julie Philips to try and persuade the magazines to bring back their fiction wherever possible. The group is growing well and everyone is supportive of each other. It is a good source of support and information. The group is called Bring Back Fiction To Women's Magazines and can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/savefictioninwomensmags/ Anyone who is on Facebook is welcome to join once they support the aims of the group - to bring back fiction to women's magazines. Please check out the group and pass on the info if you can! Maria Perry Mohan First Kill. By P. J Callahan Huge congratulations to PJ Callahan who got in touch to tell me about First Kill. This will be officially launched in Ardgillan Castle (Demesne), Balbriggan, on Saturday November the 19th - First Kill is an aviation-based adventure novel, for adults and young adults, alike, and the initial reviews have been excellent. He says: Like Roddy Doyle, in the beginning, I considered that this was the surest way of getting my novel and my reputation as a credited and credible writer before the general public. Otherwise, like so many other new writers, in today's harsh economic world, my work could remain unprinted and unread. While the main purpose of the launch is of course to promote my own novel, I am ready to discuss the merits of self-publishing, and to explain more fully my reasons for choosing this path. More information about me and my novel can be found on my web page, at: www.choicepublishing.ie/book store/new releases/FIRST KILL. By PJ Callahan. Competitions In the interests of efficiency and keeping on top of the news as it happens, rather than list all the competitions here, I'm directing you to the competitions page on the writing.ie forum where we have loads listed - and are updating them almost daily. Here's the link: http://writing.ie/forums/forum/16-Writing_Competitions.html Submission Opportunities For current submission opportunities, updated regulary (worth bookmarking both pages!) here is the link to the Submission Page on the forum there are two pages so do click to the previous page as well: http://writing.ie/forums/forum/11-Publishing_Submission_Opportunities.html And we have our own submission opportunity over at writing.ie - we're looking for a variety of stories for our Monday Miscellany, Mining Memories and Writing andMe sections. Click here for info: http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/tell-your-own-story.html Have a fabulous Christmas! Keep Writing Vanessa Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:58:01 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/inkwellnews/GYiMo/h/Inkwell_News_September_2011.htm Inkwell News www.inkwellwriters.ie Competitions, publishing news and submission opportunities from Inkwell Writers Workshops Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Welcome! These newsletters are like buses - nothing for ages and then a stream of them. This edition brings you priority notice of the Great Writing, Great Places events I have been organising with UNESCO Dublin City of Literature (with my writing.ie hat on). Most of the events are free so book quickly if you are interested! The Inkwell Start Writing Workshop is booking fast, so if you are thinking of starting a novel or memoir or have stalled with your manuscript, this is the workshop for you. We only run it once a year, so scroll down for information.... Inkwell is all about getting you published and creating a community of writers (with relatively regular newsletters), so do tell me your news! Scroll down for info on Inkwell services including our manuscript assessment service.We also offer editing and critiquing services. Anyone who is looking for help, whether it be a professional cover designer, a web designer, printer or editor, should check the Services for Writers section on writing.ie: http://writing.ie/writers-toolbox/services-for-writers.html First, don't forget this special offer for Inkwell writers - The Mountains to Sea festival in Dun Laoghaire is running a fantastic event Getting the Job Done with authors Claire Kilroy, John Boyne and Chris Binchy. I will be facilitating and quizzing the authors on how they write - whether they plot and plan (and if so, how), the importance of character and plot, how they get over writers block, and what their key tips are for a well paced, well structured novel. We will have a QandA, so you will have a chance to ask key questions like just how John Boyne came up with the idea for The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas. Held at County Hall, 11-1pm on Sat 10th Sept, this event is only Euro 10 to Inkwell writers, half price! The Pavilion Box Office is (01) 231 2929 and writing.ie is the password! Workshop News: Start Writing: Sat 17th September: Booking fast! Just starting your novel or half way through and losing heart? Inkwell Start Writing is for you! With best selling novellists Sarah Webb and Julie Parsons, this workshop has set many writers on the road to success, and it only happens once a year, so now is the time to book! Held at The Royal St George Yacht Club Saturday 17th September 9-4.30, this workshop will give you all the tools you need to start your book - in any genre of fiction - and show you the essential fiction writing techniques you need to bring your book to a publishable standard. Euro125, including a fabulous lunch and all refreshments, click here to book:http://inkwellstartwriting.eventbrite.com/ Getting Published Half Day Seminar: Sat 8th October Faciliated by Vanessa O'Loughlin, in association with the Big Smoke Writing Factory - if you were on the waiting list for this workshop at the Dalkey Book Festival, now's your chance to book in! Covering the Irish market, who is looking for what and how to impress a prospective publisher or agent, this workshop is aimed at anyone preparing to submit. Find out how to reduce your risk of rejection and make your submission package the very best it can be. And as a Literary Scout I'm always on the lookout for new talent! Held at The Big Smoke Writing Factory, Lower Hatch Street, Dublin 2 10am-1pm Tea and Coffee provided Euro 40, booking through www.bigsmokewritingfactory.com at http://www.bigsmokewritingfactory.com/Courses_introductionpublishing.php Crime Pays: Sat 15th October This is an exclusive workshop that only comes around every few years, and an essential workshop for anyone writing crime, thrillers or mystery of any sort. Faciliated by international best seller Alex Barclay and Sunday Word True Crime Editor and best selling author Niamh O'Connor, find out how important character is to a strong plot, how each author plots and plans, how they create tension and keep the reader hooked right to the end of the book. Places are limited, so book now to secure your place.Crime fiction is booming at the moment, so make your book the best it can be before you submit. Held at the Royal St George Yacht Club, Saturday October 9-4.30, this workshop is Euro 125 including lunch and all refreshments. Click here to book: http://inkwellcrimepays.eventbrite.com/ Getting Webwise: Building a Career from Blogging Half day seminar Sat 22nd October Facilitated by author and freelance writer Hazel Gaynor, Getting Webwise will show you how to make the web, and a blog, work for you - whether you need to build an author platform to sell books or to catch the eye of a publisher, or whether you are looking to develop your writing career online, find out how your online presence can make you money and get essential tips on how to attract readers to your blog. Held at The Big Smoke Writing Factory, Lower Hatch Street, Dublin 2 10am-1pm, Tea and Coffee included Euro 40 Booking through www.bigsmokewritingfactory.com at http://www.bigsmokewritingfactory.com/Courses_webwise.php If you can't get to a workshop, an online workshop might be the answer! Working one to one with a published author or industry professional, online workshops are ideal for anyone trying to fit writing in around their life. Do them at yourown pace in the comfort of your armchair! Inkwell Online Workshops include: Write That Book Step By Step with Best selling author Tracy Culletonhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/WriteThatBook.html Blogging and Beyond with freelance writer Hazel Gaynorhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/Blogging-And-Beyond.html Writing Historical Fiction with Patricia O'Reillyhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/HistoricalFiction.html Freelancing for Online Markets with Beth Morrisseyhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/Freelancing-For-Online-Markets.html EPublishing Romantic Fiction with Beth Morrisseyhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/epublishing-Romantic-Fiction.html Writing Romance with Sally Clements (whose fifth romance novel is due out this year)http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/Writing-Romance.html The Art of Editing with freelance editor Sarah Franklinhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/The-Art-Of-Editing.html How to Promote Your Book with Sarah Franklin (ideal for anyone self publishing)http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/How-To-Promote-Your-Book.html Writing TV Treatments with Caren Kennedy.http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/Writing-TV-Treatments.html Manuscript Assessment Service Don't get rejected! Or if you have been, find out why! Inkwell Manuscript Assessment Service You only get one chance to submit your book, so make sure it is the best that it can be, that you covering letter does you justice and that your synopsis does justice to your story. I assess your submission, and give you a report on where you will be best placed to submit your ms, as well as looking at the covering letter and the chapters themselves to ensure that they are ready to go and have all the essential elements that will make them commercially viable and publishable. Reports are usually delivered by telephone so we can brainstorm particular issues - calls take around an hour and give you an opportunity to ask a any of those gritty questions that have been bothering you... The ms assessment service is only Euro 50 per submission to newsletter subscribers and will provide you with invaluable information on the way forward. Post a hard copy of your covering letter/synopsis and 3 chapters to me at The Old Post Office, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow with a cheque and I will email you to arrange a time to chat. Ms assessments are usually completed within two weeks of receipt. Subscriber News: There are workshops galore not to mention books on how to write and sell short stories, but magazines seem to be in favour of dropping fiction in favour of celebrity news and 'reality' stories. I am a member of a Facebook group formed by writer Julie Philips to try and persuade the magazines to bring back their fiction wherever possible. The group is growing well and everyone is supportive of each other. It is a good source of support and information. The group is called Bring Back Fiction To Women's Magazines and can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/savefictioninwomensmags/ Anyone who is on Facebook is welcome to join once they support the aims of the group - to bring back fiction to women's magazines. Please check out the group and pass on the info if you can! Maria Perry Mohan Competitons In the interests of efficiency and keeping on top of the news as it happens, rather than list all the competitions here, I'm directing you to the competitions page on the writing.ie forum where we have loads listed - and are updating them almost daily. Here's the link: http://writing.ie/forums/forum/16-Writing_Competitions.html Submission Opportunities For current submission opportunities, updated regulary (worth bookmarking both pages!) here is the link to the Submission Page on the forum there are two pages so do click to the previous page as well: http://writing.ie/forums/forum/11-Publishing_Submission_Opportunities.html And we have our own submission opportunity over at writing.ie - we're looking for a variety of stories for our Monday Miscellany, Mining Memories and Writing andMe sections. Click here for info: http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/tell-your-own-story.html Great Writing, Great Places: Great Writing, Great Places is a truly original series bought to you by UNESCO Dublin City of Literature and writing.ie in the first of what we hope will be many reader events. Booking information and details of the great writers appearing in these great places (images take a moment to load but they're worth it!) is all at the link below, or go to www.writing.ie homepage Many of the events are free, and will book very quickly! Monday 12th Sept: Tales of Immigration and Loss Aboard the Famine Ship Jeanie Johnston Wednesday 21st Sept: Inspiring Lives - Stories of Courage and Determination at Deanery House, St. Patrick's Cathedral Wednesday 5th Oct: Getting to the Heart of it - Tales of Romance in the Resting Place of St. Valentine, Whitefriar Street Church Tuesday 18th Oct: Dublin on a Plate - Food and Food Writing at its Best at Fallon and Byrne Tuesday 1st Nov: A Tale of Terror in the Crypt of Christ Church Cathedral (for children aged 10+) Wednesday 2nd Nov: Matters of Grave Importance - Tales from the Tombs at Glasnevin Museum Wednesday 16th Nov: Scales of Justice - Crime Writing Discussion in the Unique Surroundings of The Four Courts Saturday 19th Nov: So Much More Than Shopping - Bestselling Women's Fiction at The Lost Society, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre All info about this great series of free events is at http://writing.ie/com/index.php?option=com_contentandview=articleandid=348andItemid=214 More soon! Keep Writing Vanessa Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Tue, 06 Sep 2011 07:36:26 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/inkwellnews/12.vU/h/Inkwell_News_at_last_August.htm Inkwell News www.inkwellwriters.ie Competitions, publishing news and submission opportunities from Inkwell Writers Workshops Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Welcome! A very warm welcome to anyone who is receiving this for the first time - I know regulars have been wondering what had happened to the newsletter as there hasn't been one for ages - but here we are at last! And this month we have news of Autumn workshops, an exclusive half price offer for Getting the Job Done seminar at The Mountains to Sea festival (only Euro10!), and some slightly delayed but none the less brilliant subscriber news. Inkwell is all about getting you published and creating a community of writers (with relatively regular newsletters), so do tell me your news! Scroll down for info on Inkwell services including our manuscript assessment service.We also offer editing and critiquing services. Anyone who is looking for help, whether it be a professional cover designer, a web designer, printer or editor, should check the Services for Writers section on writing.ie: http://writing.ie/writers-toolbox/services-for-writers.html My new website www.writing.ie is going from strength to strength, with over 30,000 visitors a month. I can keep you all posted instnatly on up to date writing info there, competitions, events etc,so this newsletter is a bit shorter than normal - nip over to see what's new! Writing.ie is a huge site, updated weekly with new content, tips and articles from Irish writers, and we have several sections in the Forum where you can get links to the type of great articles that normally feature here, as well as competitions and publishing opportunities, links are below. You can also chat to other writers there and get their news. We are also working on expert QandAs via the forum. If you have done a book review, send it on to us, and we are now taking submissions for the Tell Your Own Story section. We are regularly visited by agents and publishers, so this could be your opportunity to shine! For anyone wanting to promote their book or work, do come along to the forum and post about it - it's an opportunity for others to see the quality of your work. So first, a very special offer for Inkwell writers (ahead of those visiting writing.ie!) - The Mountains to Sea festival in Dun Laoghaire is running a fantastic event Getting the Job Done with authors Claire Kilroy, John Boyne and Chris Binchy. I will be facilitating and quizzing the authors on how they write - whether they plot and plan (and if so, how), the importance of character and plot, how they get over writers block, and what their key tips are for a well paced, well structured novel. We will have a QandA, so you will have a chance to ask key questions like just how John Boyne came up with the idea for The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas. Held at County Hall, 11-1pm on Sat 10th Sept, this event is only Euro 10 to Inkwell writers, half price! The Pavilion Box Office is (01) 231 2929 and writing.ie is the password! I'm in the process of organising a series of events with UNESCO Dublin City of Literature called 'Words on the Street' - some exciting writers speaking in fabulous locations - more news in the next newsletter. Workshop News: Start Writing: Sat 17th September Just starting your novel or half way through and losing heart? Inkwell Start Writing is for you! With best selling novellists Sarah Webb and Julie Parsons, this workshop has set many writers on the road to success, and it only happens once a year, so now is the time to book! Held at The Royal St George Yacht Club Saturday 17th September 9-4.30, this workshop will give you all the tools you need to start your book - in any genre of fiction - and show you the essential fiction writing techniques you need to bring your book to a publishable standard. Euro125, including a fabulous lunch and all refreshments, click here to book:http://inkwellstartwriting.eventbrite.com/ Getting Published Half Day Seminar: Sat 8th October Faciliated by Vanessa O'Loughlin, in association with the Big Smoke Writing Factory - if you were on the waiting list for this workshop at the Dalkey Book Festival, now's your chance to book in! Covering the Irish market, who is looking for what and how to impress a prospective publisher or agent, this workshop is aimed at anyone preparing to submit. Find out how to reduce your risk of rejection and make your submission package the very best it can be. And as a Literary Scout I'm always on the lookout for new talent! Held at The Big Smoke Writing Factory, Lower Hatch Street, Dublin 2 10am-1pm Tea and Coffee provided Euro 40, booking through www.bigsmokewritingfactory.com at http://www.bigsmokewritingfactory.com/Courses_introductionpublishing.php Crime Pays: Sat 15th October This is an exclusive workshop that only comes around every few years, and an essential workshop for anyone writing crime, thrillers or mystery of any sort. Faciliated by international best seller Alex Barclay and Sunday Word True Crime Editor and best selling author Niamh O'Connor, find out how important character is to a strong plot, how each author plots and plans, how they create tension and keep the reader hooked right to the end of the book. Places are limited, so book now to secure your place.Crime fiction is booming at the moment, so make your book the best it can be before you submit. Held at the Royal St George Yacht Club, Saturday October 9-4.30, this workshop is Euro 125 including lunch and all refreshments. Click here to book: http://inkwellcrimepays.eventbrite.com/ Getting Webwise: Building a Career from Blogging Half day seminar Sat 22nd October Facilitated by author and freelance writer Hazel Gaynor, Getting Webwise will show you how to make the web, and a blog, work for you - whether you need to build an author platform to sell books or to catch the eye of a publisher, or whether you are looking to develop your writing career online, find out how your online presence can make you money and get essential tips on how to attract readers to your blog. Held at The Big Smoke Writing Factory, Lower Hatch Street, Dublin 2 10am-1pm, Tea and Coffee included Euro 40 Booking through www.bigsmokewritingfactory.com at http://www.bigsmokewritingfactory.com/Courses_webwise.php If you can't get to a workshop, an online workshop might be the answer! Working one to one with a published author or industry professional, online workshops are ideal for anyone trying to fit writing in around their life. Do them at yourown pace in the comfort of your armchair! Inkwell Online Workshops include: Write That Book Step By Step with Best selling author Tracy Culletonhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/WriteThatBook.html Blogging and Beyond with freelance writer Hazel Gaynorhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/Blogging-And-Beyond.html Writing Historical Fiction with Patricia O'Reillyhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/HistoricalFiction.html Freelancing for Online Markets with Beth Morrisseyhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/Freelancing-For-Online-Markets.html EPublishing Romantic Fiction with Beth Morrisseyhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/epublishing-Romantic-Fiction.html Writing Romance with Sally Clements (whose fifth romance novel is due out this year)http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/Writing-Romance.html The Art of Editing with freelance editor Sarah Franklinhttp://www.inkwellwriters.ie/The-Art-Of-Editing.html How to Promote Your Book with Sarah Franklin (ideal for anyone self publishing)http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/How-To-Promote-Your-Book.html Writing TV Treatments with Caren Kennedy.http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/Writing-TV-Treatments.html Manuscript Assessment Service Don't get rejected! Or if you have been, find out why! Inkwell Manuscript Assessment Service You only get one chance to submit your book, so make sure it is the best that it can be, that you covering letter does you justice and that your synopsis does justice to your story. I assess your submission, and give you a report on where you will be best placed to submit your ms, as well as looking at the covering letter and the chapters themselves to ensure that they are ready to go and have all the essential elements that will make them commercially viable and publishable. Reports are usually delivered by telephone so we can brainstorm particular issues - calls take around an hour and give you an opportunity to ask a any of those gritty questions that have been bothering you... The ms assessment service is only Euro 50 per submission to newsletter subscribers and will provide you with invaluable information on the way forward. Post a hard copy of your covering letter/synopsis and 3 chapters to me at The Old Post Office, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow with a cheque and I will email you to arrange a time to chat. Ms assessments are usually completed within two weeks of receipt. Subscriber News: Lousie Phillips was in touch to let you know that she's been asked to read at the Irish Writers Centre in their Lonely Voices programme (several times now!). Huge congrats to Louise - there is stiff competition to be selected! And fantastic news from Siobhan McKenna : My news is I won the TV3/Poolbeg Write a Best Seller competition! The Lingerie Designer is a fictional story of one woman's quest for wholeness while still clinging on to her comfortable lifestyle. The story is largely set in South East Asia and gives readers an insight to the clothing trade as most people will not have seen it before. Many topical issues are raised, such as reinventing ourselves in the face of adversity, second chances and age difference relationships. And if I say so myself - it's very witty! Read all about Siobhan's book and her fabulous win on writing.ie http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/womens-fiction/244-writing-a-best-seller-the-tv3--poolbeg-winner.html Great news too from Olive Collins and Gillian Duffy who have both had books launched this summer by Book Republic - Olive's Lucinda's List is available now as is Gillian's LA Commandments. We've had great success from the Inkwell Getting Published workshop with authors getting deals, but Gillian has to be the fastest! She attended the workshop in mid May and by June had a deal! News from Lisa Burkitt: You had a mention in your newsletter in February about me being shortlisted from a worldwide competition - The Paris short story contest - which sought stories with Paris as its theme. I'm very happy to say that my story; 'A Pinch of Tarragon' was one of twelve selected for publication. The book - 'The Best Paris Stories' will be launched in Paris in the Autumn...a trip I am very much looking forward to! My story was also nominated for the overall editorial prize. All of this was thanks to a link that you had in one of the Inkwell newsletters....so thanks for keeping us informed about things we would otherwise have no idea about! A little poem of mine, 'Happily ever after' was published on the poetry 24 blog to tie in with the Royal wedding, Hope you are all well, Brigid OConnor http://poetry-24.blogspot.com/2011/04/happily-ever-after.html Newsletter subscriber Derek Flynn has had great feedback on his work - after winning a bursary from Waterford County Council that gave him 6 hours mentoring with author Grace Wells - he's now been awarded a week at the Tyronne Gutherie Centre by Waterford County Council to focus on his writing - we're expecting great things! He has a fabulous blog, well worth a visit, and you can find him on Twitter @derekf03 www.derekflynn.wordpress.com Competitons In the interests of efficiency and keeping on top of the news as it happens, rather than list all the competitions here, I'm directing you to the competitions page on the writing.ie forum where we have loads listed - and are updating them almost daily. Here's the link: http://writing.ie/forums/forum/16-Writing_Competitions.html Submission Opportunities For current submission opportunities, updated regulary (worth bookmarking both pages!) here is the link to the Submission Page on the forum there are two pages so do click to the previous page as well: http://writing.ie/forums/forum/11-Publishing_Submission_Opportunities.html And we have our own submission opportunity over at writing.ie - we're looking for a variety of stories for our Monday Miscellany, Mining Memories and Writing andMe sections. Click here for info: http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/tell-your-own-story.html And Finally Some great tips for dealing with email from A1 Computers in Cabinteely Co. Dublin! As someone who gets literally about 100 emails a day, I thought this was fabulous advice! For each email in my inbox I make one of five choices. If it is spam, I right click on it and add to my blocked emails. If I can deal with it in less than 5 minutes, whether by simply reading it or replying then I do so. If it will take more than 5 but less than 15 minutes I drag it to my task list, and select the category of where I need to be to do it. (ie) @computer, @office etc. If is going to take longer then I make an estimate of how long, drag it to my calendar and give it the time it needs to be done. This quickly gives me an empty inbox and a feeling of control. More soon! Keep Writing Vanessa Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:51:24 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/inkwellnews/1ez1w/h/Newsflash_2_Book_Deal_for.htm Inkwell News www.inkwellwriters.ie Competitions, publishing news and submission opportunities from Inkwell Writers Workshops Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Welcome! A quick newsflash to tell you that Maria Duffy who first contacted Inkwell around 3 years ago and has both attended workshops and had her book critiqued by Tracy Culleton and myself has announced a two book deal with international publisher Hachette. Read the full story at www.writing.ie in Meet the Authors/ Writing and Me. (we are having a few technical issues today, so if you can't see the pictures, do keep trying!) Huge congrats are due to Maria who created her author platform through Twitter (anyone who has been to the Inkwell Getting Published workshop will know I'm a great advocate of Twitter and creating an author profile!) , and made herself irresistable to Hachette Ireland. Any Dream Will Do is due out in November! This month has been a great one for Inkwell and Inkwell writers - Laura Jane Cassidy has launched Angel Kiss (Puffin Ireland), and Elizabeth Murray has signed with Sallyanne Sweeney of Watson Little after an Inkwell introduction. And at least four writers who I have spoken to in the last two months have done deals with Book Republic, (more on that in the Getting Published section, next week on www.writing.ie!), and..even more...Brigid O'Connor's poem Boy-Man was published in the New Irish Writing section of the Independent on April 30th - she's thrilled! For anyone who is inspired by this and who to wants to really take their writing to the next level, Inkwell offer a range of distance learning courses, as do Kilroy's College (who also offer one for children) - that give you a diploma in creative writing. Kilroy's free brochure is well worth a read as it will show you what areas you should be covering in your writing! Details on Inkwell Distance Learning Courses are at www.writing.ie Info here for: Kilroy's College Creative Writing Diploma http://writing.ie/courses.html?view=joomdandlayout=detailandid=57 Kilroy's Junior Diploma in Creative Writing: http://writing.ie/courses/search-courses.html?view=joomdandlayout=detailandid=59 They also offer a diploma in Freelance Journalism by distance learning: http://writing.ie/courses.html?view=joomdandlayout=detailandid=62 Workshop News Inkwell 4 Kids Workshop This year the hugely successful Inkwell 4 Kids workshop will be run as part of Rathdown School's Mindlab camp - with creative writing in the morning and digital story telling in the afternoon. And this year we are running two weeks in June and August! At only â'¬100 for a full week 10-3, they are great value. Check out www.writing.ie 'Courses' for Kids and Teens, or www.camprathdown.com for full info. Don't get rejected! Or if you have been, find out why! Inkwell Manuscript Assessment Service You only get one chance to submit your book, so make sure it is the best that it can be, that you covering letter does you justice and that your synopsis does justice to your story. I assess your submission, and give you a report on where you will be best placed to submit your ms, as well as looking at the covering letter and the chapters themselves to ensure that they are ready to go and have all the essential elements that will make them commercially viable and publishable. Reports are usually delivered by telephone so we can brainstorm particular issues - calls take around an hour and give you an opportunity to ask a any of those gritty questions that have been bothering you... The ms assessment service is only â'¬40 per submission to newsletter subscribers and will provide you with invaluable information on the way forward. Post a hard copy of your covering letter/synopsis and 3 chapters to me at The Old Post Office, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow with a cheque and I will email you to arrange a time to chat. Ms assessments are usually completed within two weeks of receipt. Competitons In the interests of efficiency and keeping on top of the news as it happens, rather than list all the competitions here, I'm directing you to the competitions page on the writing.ie forum where we have loads listed - and are updating them almost daily. Here's the link: http://writing.ie/forums/forum/16-Writing_Competitions.html Submission Opportunities For current submission opportunities, updated regulary (worth bookmarking both pages!) here is the link to the Submission Page on the forum there are two pages so do click to the previous page as well: http://writing.ie/forums/forum/11-Publishing_Submission_Opportunities.html And we have our own submission opporunity over at writing.ie - we're looking for a variety of stories for our Monday Miscellany, Mining Memories and Writing andMe sections. Click here for info: http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/tell-your-own-story.html The writing.ie site is reguarly visited by publishing industry professionals on the look out for new talent (an editor approached one of our bloggers recently!), so these sections are also an opportunity to showcase your talent, and if you've released a book recently, to give it a plug! More soon! Keep Writing Vanessa Contact Vanessa with all your news vanessa@inkwellwriters.ie 087 2835382 Fri, 20 May 2011 05:07:20 -0400