Writing Magazine/Writer’s News - www.writingmagzine.co.uk

You can buy Writing Magazine from most newsagents. It has articles on all kinds of writing - short stories, novels, articles, screenplays and poetry. Its sister magazine, Writer’s News is only available by subscription. It also carries all kinds of articles but also has news items on markets. I was able to place my first short story after reading about the launch of a new magazine. I also found out about the competition run by Poolbeg which led to the publication of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.

Absolute Write - www.absolutewrite.com

An online writing magazine, based in the USA. Again, they feature all kinds of writing, from novels to screenplays.

The Writer’s Handbook - Editor Barry Turner, published by Macmillan
- www.thewritershandbook.com

The equivalent of the Yellow Pages for writers. Inside you’ll find a list of publishers and agents and, most importantly, they type of author they publish/represent. It is vital to send your submission to the right person, otherwise it wastes everyone’s time, especially yours.

The Writer’s Conference - www.writersconference.co.uk

This conference is held annually in Winchester, Hampshire. As well as a day long conference, they also hold workshops and you can meet editors, agents and published authors on a one to one basis. Absolutely invaluable for networking and to keep the inspiration flowing.

Publications

There are lots of books that have been written about writing and achieving publication. Below are a few of my favourites. Some may be out of print but you might be able to buy them at Amazon - www.amazon.co.uk

On Writing - Stephen King (New English Library)
From Pitch To Publication - Carole Blake (Macmillan)
Bestseller - Celia Brayfield (Fourth Estate)
How To Get Published - Susan Page (Piatkus)
How To Write A Book And Get It Published - Susan Curran (Thorsons)