The Launch of Compass Books

The 1st November was an exciting time for O-Books, with the launch of its new website under John Hunt Publishing. It was also an exciting day for introducing one of it’s new imprints, Compass Books. It’s almost a year since the idea for expanding the creative writing interests of O-Books was first mooted, and during that time several TNW subscribers have had books accepted for publication in order to get the ball rolling.
The first four Compass Books - Simon Whaley’s The Positively Productive Writer; Lynne Hackles’ Handy Hints For Writers; Linda M James’s How To Write and Sell Great Short Stories and my own Life-Writes - are due to see the light of day early in the New Year.
The New Writer is also involved in Writer’s Wheel (brain-child of Maria Moloney), which will offer a selection of free self-help articles for the various writing disciplines, together with courses and services operated by the authors who have books published in the O-Books/John Hunt stable. Due to be launched in May 2012, WW will cover every aspect of the business such as fiction and non-fiction writing skills, marketing, proofreading, review and copy-editing services, and how-to self-publish. The ultimate aim is for WW to become the one-stop shop for all writing needs.
So here we are … a whole website of editors and publishers who are writers in their own right, and all contributing to help beginners get their foot on the publishing ladder.

What We’re Looking For
Let’s begin by saying what Compass Books doesn’t want. Avoid overworked subjects such as writers’ A-Z compilations; beginners’ how-to’s covering every writing discipline on the planet; motivational texts; collections of previously published articles; or re-hashes of old fashioned, out of print titles. What we do want are proposals for how-to books for writers that are packed with practical advice, tips and exercises; from authors with a few publishing successes to their credit and the ability to produce new writing tutorials that are original in approach, informative and entertaining. Books based on each author’s personal writing experience and achievements, together with appropriate tutorial experience, will be given preference because these are writers who are writing about what they know.
For example, rather than a book about ‘how to write a novel’ or ‘how to write for children’, we are looking for authors who write in, and can write about, a specific genre, i.e. historical fiction, modern romance, chick lit or fantasy. While each category of children’s writing also has its own set of ‘rules’ from toddlers to teens, and young adults. What are the differences in publisher requirements between the different genres? What are the marketing tricks in that particular category? How can you get ahead of the game? Which pitfalls should you avoid?
Proposals are already in the pipeline for how to write crime, the MB&S market, self help/how to and research techniques. And here’s our current wanted list for starters:
Scriptwriting
Plays
Novel writing (specific genres)
Writing for children (different age groups)
Young adults
Poetry
Science Fiction

John Hunt Publishing distribution covers the USA, Canada, South Africa, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Far East and so it will also be to your advantage to give your book an international appeal where possible. If you are writing a new book that fits the Compass list, and we seem like a possible publisher, send your synopsis with full chapter break-down and the opening chapter via email in the first instance (as all Compass Books business is conducted on-line) to suzanneruthven@eircom.net
For submission guidelines for the other imprints go to www.johnhuntpublishing.com

This article first appeared in the Winter issue of The New Writer

BOOK REVIEW

There's now a publishing date for Life-Writes for the 25th May 2012 and an advance book review:

"This is a practical and substantial insider guide for the new writer, highly informative and brimful of helpful advice from a vastly experienced author and a specialist in this field. A compendium of riches, it covers the waterfront and beyond."
Merric Davidson, publisher The New Writer magazine

December update

Just completing the final proof for my latest creative writing book, Life-Writes and hopefully this should be available in May 2012. Been exceptionally busy writing under my other hat for the MB&S market (2 new books due shortly there), and helping John Hunt Publishing (formally O-Books) to set up Compass Books, their writers' resource site, of which I'm commissiing editor.

With Christmas just around the corner, everything's continuing to look good on the writing front for the New Year. Exciting times.

Book review for Whittlewood

I came across this book review on http://www.goodreads.com/ for my novel Whittlewood. Although the book was first published in 1997 'Ancestral Celt's' review of 4th September 2011 gave me a tremendous buzz to know that the book can still cause a shiver!

[EXTRACT] "This book is a real page-turner. I started reading it and had to finish it in one sitting; I just could not put it down. Whittlewood is a tale of murder and magical mystery, with some romance and a few touches of history, all of which combine to entice the reader to keep reading and reading - ever hungry for more ... Suzanne Ruthven has woven a story of magic, mystery and reality into a marvellous book. I hope she continues to write such engrossing tales. What's more her descriptive style is such that I could smell the incense and greenery in the Church; I was transported. There is only one slight quibble with the book and that is the occasional editing or printing error, but even so, I could not be wrenched from my reverie in Ashmarsh. This is one of the most original fictional works I have read in recent years. Read it!!!"

I'd been thinking that the next step might be to add it to the Kindle list and this clinched it.
Thank you Ancestral Celt!

Publishing up-date

The typescript for Life-Writes has gone off to the publishers and there's a lull in the proceedings before going on to something new. Time to update blogs and things, and make decisions about whether to keep/discard websites, and other activities that take up so much time. Also having a gigantic stock clearance of ignotus press titles and finally winding down the business. It was good fun while it lasted but publishing is moving ahead in leaps and bounds and we can't compete. Will think about putting one or two of the more popular titles on Kindle but it all takes time. The new O-Books website should be launched soon and Compass Books (for which I'm commissioning editor) will be looking for more titles.

Lots of things going on

Firstly, the contract has been signed for Life-Writes: where do writers get their ideas from ... it's called Life! with O-Books. Hopefully this will be published in early 2012 as part of the growing list of titles in the new writers' resource imprint, Compass Books.

As commissioning editor for Compass Books, I have great pleasure in seeing titles coming in from well-known names from The New Writer, and hopefully the number will continue to grow.

Catch Up Time

It's been a long time since anything has been posted but I haven't been idle. I have had a new book - Life-Writes - accepted by O-Books for publication later thing year and am now commissioning editor for O-Books' new imprint Compass Books, which will be developed into a writers' resource site.