Mark Charan Newton

If you’re looking to get funding to write a book, one option is to use Kickstarter, which was pointed out to me in the comments of a previous post.

I’m sure by linking to this, it’s going to annoy the hell out of some writers – those who think we’ve a god-given right to be doing [...]

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Firstly, all the opinions here are my own, not my employer’s, not my publisher’s. Me.
We have a new survey on piracy, which makes this bold claim:
An average of nearly 10,000 copies of every book published is downloaded from filesharing sites, according to a new study by Attributor. The study examined a sample of [...]

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I wanted to share some thoughts on why I think certain bloggers are better than others, especially from the perspective of a writer.
Some background.
A couple of years ago, only a handful of pro and semi-pro online sites and magazines existed, which reviewed SFF books. Those few controlled opinion. Now, the blogosphere has decimated that [...]

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Twelve months ago, I was practically unknown online, and I had this weird little novel that no one could pronounce properly. Now, people still can’t pronounce it right, but at least I’ve got a bit of a name for myself. This blog has gone from having a several hundred hits a month, to nearly ten [...]

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So I caused a bit of a stir. My editor called me enfant terrible, though only because I’m disappointed no one has said it yet! But to those of you who think I’m just some upstart only trying to hurt Science Fiction for publicity – well, if, according to my stats, a few thousand people [...]

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What it says in the header, for all you budding novelists out there. This is some pretty useful stuff.
Here are some of the common reasons panelists stopped reading.
1. Generic beginnings: Stories that opened with the date or the weather didn’t really inspire interest. According to Harmsworth, you are only allowed to start with the weather [...]

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Following on from my previous post. I’m not going to give answers to this, since I think the best line of approach is to ask questions. So, some things to think about:
1) If a publisher asks for changes to a manuscript in order it to be more commercial (remembering that publishing is a business) for [...]

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Someone asked me what I thought of this interview, what with me being a writer who is half-Indian.
I won’t mince words here: SFF publishing in the US today is the Klu Klux Klan of the publishing world. It’s anachronistically misrepresentational in its racial mix, religious mix, cultural mix. The few exceptions to the rule [...]

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I hate giving writing advice.
There’s something distinctly awkward about it. I dislike the fact that some people can dictate any one system for writing. You have to do what works for you. That said, continuing the Tips series of posting, here are some things that come from the old editorial/bookselling side of my brain. [...]

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Continuing from the previous post, here are some more rough notes. This time, on submitting to agents and what kind of things to put in a synopsis.
The submission stage

• Use professionalism, first and foremost. Treat this like you would other business – that means, be polite to people.
• Lose your ego! You’d be surprised at [...]

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This is me talking as an ex-bookseller, one-time editor with a mass market SFF imprint, and a fantasy writer with a commercial deal. This is not me spouting rubbish about how to write, because, well, there’s something distinctly awkward about giving such advice. You do what you have to do.
So I sometimes use these notes [...]

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I understand, when you’re putting pen to paper for the first time, the desire to become a published novelist. You maybe fancy yourself as a Bohemian type, having read the tales of Hemingway and Fitzgerald in Paris. There’s a deep sensation that’s difficult to explain – you write, and you want to see your words [...]

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