Reality Bites 3 is up and running

I have been re-appointed as director of the 2010 Reality Bites Literary Non-ficiton Festival to be held in Cooroy on the Sunshine Coast 24 June - 1 August.
Put those dates in your diary and make sure you don't miss it.

Better still, join the Sunshine Hinterland Writers' Centre and enjoy member discounts on festival tickets. You'll find the link to the website in the right hand column.

Genre fiction specialist

Books and Writing now has a brilliant assessor on board for genre fiction.
I can now provide high quality assessments to fantasy, sci-fi, speculative fiction writers as well as thriller writers.

Good News on Australian Books

The Government has said no to changing import restrictions on books, leaving the industry intact. Excellent news for writers and publishers,

Regional Writes Mentorship Awarded to Rhys Rodgers

Chevallum author Rhys Rodgers has been awarded the Regional Writes manuscript development mentorship.

20 year old Rhys studied creative writing briefly at the University of the Sunshine Coast, but quit and wrote his novel instead. His story, "Jac and the Wild Children", picks up from where JM Barrie left off by re-imagining the origin of the lost boys and pirates of Peter Pan. Rhys has written a beautiful moral tale about power and friendship, betrayal and resistance; about growing up and holding onto the truth that to love one another is the only rule we need to follow.

The winner was selected in a 'blind' read, (without knowing the identity of the authors) from 20 full length manuscripts received from all corners of the Sunshine Coast region. The strong field was narrowed to a shortlist of three, including Cooroy author Tanya Overson and Christine Wunderlich of Yandina.

Rhys will be mentored by local author Annette Hughes, writer in residence at the Butter Factory Arts Centre in Cooroy, and will receive one-on-one coaching through the process of redrafting to take his manuscript to the next stage of development towards publication.

"I've been completely blown away by the quality of submissions to this mentorship program," says Annette," and by the range of genres authors are working across in this region; from fantasy to non-fiction, travel writing to the philosophical investigation of the natural world."

“The professional development workshop component of the Regional Writes program has received great feedback from participants, with most of the workshops booked out, and an extra session scheduled to meet the demand.” said Councillor Jenny McKay. “There is an amazing wealth of literary talent on the coast which Council is pleased to be able to identify and nurture through the Regional Writes program. The collaboration between Council and funding bodies from the Regional Arts Development Fund and Arts Queensland have enabled the delivery of a fantastic program."

Regional Writes

From 6 September to 15 December I will be the Regional Writes writer-in-residence at the Butter Factory Arts Centre in Cooroy. There will be a range of programs available, including a manuscript development mentorship.

Submissions close 30 September, and the mentorship will be announced 30 October. The author must be available to work on the manuscript during the residency.

So, get your submission in, and good luck.

for more information got to the website.

Competition rundown

2009 HAL PORTER SHORT STORY COMPETITION
18 DECEMBER 2009
Australian writers are invited to enter a short story, written in any style for the first prize of $1000. Manuscripts must be original works, in English, and must not have been previously accepted for publication, which includes websites. Any style of story is acceptable. No entry form is necessary. Stories will not be returned. Mail entries and entry fees to Hal Porter Short Story Competition, East Gippsland Art Gallery, 2 Nicholson St, Bairnsdale, Victoria, 3875. Submission guidelines and conditions of entry at http://eastgippslandartgallery.org.au/uploads/pdfs/HalPorterSSC09_GuidelinesConditions.pdf.

OPPORTUNITIES

WOMEN WARRIORS: FIGHTING BREAST CANCER
Would you like to contribute to the fight against breast cancer? Do you have a story you would like to share with others? Robyn Morris is editing an anthology of stories regarding the trials of breast cancer. Stories are encouraged from breast cancer patients, their friends and/or their family. Individual chapter submissions will be around 2000-5000 words although larger chapters will be considered. Poetry will be considered also. Please contact Robyn via email on ndu.literary@bigpond.com if you have any further queries or wish to register your interest in this project.

PUBLISHER-SUPPORTED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESIDENCIES
This new non-selective program provides an exciting new professional dimension to Varuna’s successful Professional Development Residency Program, offering an added component of one-on-one time with a publisher. There will be three Publisher-Supported Professional Development Residencies in 2009, from August onwards. A project should be well established in the writer’s imagination and have a secure foundation for development for a residency to be effective. There are only five residents in each professional development residency, and Creative Director Peter Bishop will be the resident tutor. Publishers will visit during the residential week, and each writer will have a one-on-one consultation with the publisher.
The aim of a Professional Development Residency is always to explore the possibilities of the next major step in the creative development of a project. Meredith Curnow (Random House), Aviva Tuffield (Scribe) and Jane Palfreyman (Allen & Unwin) are the publishers involved. The cost of the residency – including all board and lodging – is $2000 (Early Bird Special to end of July is $1800). Information at www.varuna.com.au/publisherprograms.html#pspdr.

Scribe launches the CAL Scribe Fiction Prize

Scribe is delighted to announce the launch of the CAL Scribe Fiction Prize. The prize is open for an unpublished manuscript by any Australian writer over 35, who may or may not have been published before. The winner of the CAL Scribe Fiction Prize will be awarded a book contract from Scribe and a prize of $12,000. The winner will be announced in March 2010. For entry forms visit http://www.scribepublications.com.au/prize.

For more information see attached media release, or contact:

Susan Hornbeck
Publicity Manager
Scribe
Australian Small Publisher of the Year 2006/2008
PO Box 523
Carlton North VIC 3054

Tel: 03 9349 5955
Mobile: 0434 01 30 80
Fax: 03 9348 2752

Email: shornbeck@scribepub.com.au
Web: www.scribepublications.com.au

Be my guest

Seeing as I'm doorbitch to the reality Bites Festival, I'm inviting you and your friends to this .

Hope you can make it.

One for the playwrights

This interview with Albee is a don't miss.

If you are a budding playwright, Albee has much to teach on the subject, especially what he has to say about what you need to take on board from the other arts. Wonderful stuff.

self publishing dilemma

Saw this article recently about why we should embrace self publishing. It makes an interesting point that book publishing is now at the same place as the music industry was when the technology became available for independent musicians to produce and duplicate their own CDs on computer.

It is a mere pimple on the bum of the big producers - they could care less if an individual makes a few records to sell to their friends, likewise the publishers. It will not eat into their market at all, really.

Now there are free downloads of software on which you can format and publish your own book, either on line with a site like Yudu.com, or blurb.com, where you can order as few as one copy of your book.

No matter how schmick your self published book-shaped-object is, it is still the content that counts. What the big houses have that the self publisher doesn't is backup - editors, publicists, warehouses and distribution. Before you press your own print button - make sure that your content is of as high a quality as you can achieve.

Good luck with it.