Cornerstones: deals, dogs, and deadlines
Publication round-up, submission deadlines for the Bath Novel Awards, and new on the blog...
Dear all,
We hope you’re having a good start to the month. We’re delighted to be sharing more wonderful publication news from Cornerstones alumni, as well as a reminder about submission deadlines to the Bath Novel Awards, and an exciting new feature - Behind the Book - on our blog. Read on for more!
Congratulations to Ericka Waller on the recent publication of her debut novel, Dog Days, described by Beth Morrey as “[a] soulful, lyrical tale... Such a treat.” Ericka is represented by Katie Greenstreet at Conville & Walsh.
“After completing my first draft of DOG DAYS I had no idea what to do next! Cornerstones offered me invaluable advice and support. The whole team are approachable and genuinely passionate about bringing books to the market.
My Cornerstones editor was thorough, detailed, and always positive. I could not recommend them more to get your manuscript in shape. Thanks to the team I went on to secure an incredible agent and publisher. Thank you Cornerstones for making a dream come true!”
Congratulations also to Kate MacDougall on her memoir, London’s No.1 Dog-Walking Agency, which is part of a two-book deal negotiated by Laura Macdougall at United Agents.
“I had some wonderful mentoring with Cornerstones at first draft stage which was incredibly helpful, and through the support of Helen and the team, I worked towards a final draft and managed to get myself an agent.”
Finally, congratulations again to Tom Benjamin, on the publication last week of the second book in his Daniel Leicester series, The Hunting Season.
We’re excited to be launching a new series on our blog: Behind the Book, where we ask Cornerstones alumni five questions about their writing process and route to publication. The first post features Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller winner, Julie Ma, discussing her novel, Happy Families.
Here’s an excerpt from the post. Click here to read the full feature.
How close was the experience of being published to what you expected? Were there any big surprises?
I think I always expected a much more conventional approach to publication. Probably in the same way that Daphne Bridgerton expected to marry an ordinary well-to do gentleman but ends up with Simon, Duke of Hastings! I had already presented myself to many agents but most of them said they didn’t ‘love’ me - sorry I mean to say, my submission - enough. And then a handsome duke in the form of Richard and Judy arrived! On a more serious note, I did not realise how collaborative a process publishing is and how much teamwork, along with firm, frank and friendly notes, is involved. As a lone writer tapping away at home, it is ever so nice to see other serious publishing professionals lavish your work with their time and attention.
In competition news, the Bath Novel Award is currently open for submissions until 31 May 2021, so get your entries in while you still can! The Bath Children’s Novel Award is due to open to submissions on 1 June 2021.
The longlist prize for both awards is a place on our Edit Your Novel the Professional Way online course, which takes writers through an intensive masterclass in self-editing and aims to leave participants with a fully-formed submission package, and access to a list of agents who are exclusively open to receiving queries from alumni.
“The course is phenomenally good. I don't have enough superlatives or emphatic expressions to describe it. I have an MFA in fiction, and have taken so many other courses over the years, but I think Kathryn and the course modules manage to articulate things that somehow I never fully integrated. The way it's structured is so thoughtful and effective - each module leads so beautifully on from the other, and as I revisit earlier chapters in the On Editing book, I just realize how much I've learned between readings.”
- Mónica Parle, executive director of the Forward Arts Foundation and previous BNA longlistee
That’s all from us for now – but we’ll leave you with an industry tip (below) and well wishes for a productive May!
Until then,
The Cornerstones Team
Industry tip:
It is important to identify a target audience for your story and to tailor your writing to this audience. Publishers want to sell a product after all, so it is key for you to be able to tell them who will want to buy yours! Who is most likely to want to read your work? Can you identify other books and stories that are similar to your own?