… the Magazine
- Quarterly publication and eNews bulletins
- Available by subscription only
- Six printed issues and eighteen monthly news emails over one and a half years
- A4 format 68pp
- The best in fact, fiction and poetry – a good read, start to finish
The New Writer is unique and is aimed at all writers: the short story writer, the novelist, the poet, feature writer, anyone with a serious intent to develop their writing to meet the expectations of today’s editors. Launched in September 1996, in every issue you’ll find original short stories, a showcase for new poetry, articles, book reviews, market information, news and readers’ views.
The team at The New Writer are committed to working with their readers to increase the chances of publication. That’s why masses of useful information and plenty of feedback is provided. More than that, we let you know about the current state of the market and bring you the best contemporary short stories, cutting-edge poems, backed up by searching articles and in-depth features in every issue.
The New Writer is a forward-looking magazine with a range of contributors, expert in their subjects. Whether you’ve just started to write or you’re a more experienced writer wanting to explore new ideas and techniques, the practical and entertaining contents of the magazine equals essential reading. Can you afford to be without it?
… the Team
 |  |
| Guy Pringle, Publisher I was a secondary school English teacher in Whitley Bay for several years before escaping into the world of educational publishing with Thomas Nelson and Sons. I mention the publisher because I had a wry smile when I saw them credited in the foreword of Andrea Levy's The Long Song as one of the 'best publishing houses in Britain'. Subsequent twists and turns in the world of publishing, including three redundancies, finally decided me to try an idea on my own. newBooks.mag, as it was initially, sprang from involvement with the library sector in the late 90s and the realisation that there was no magazine talking to and about this community of readers and reading groups which my many librarian friends had been cultivating. And last year we celebrated our 60th issue and 10th anniversary - which makes it the longest period of continuous employment I have had in the last 30 years. Along the way I have met many more readers and librarians who are always a delight. Even now I am known for talking at length to subscribers who ring up, quizzing them about what they like (or don't like!) about newbooks and, just as importantly, what they've read and enjoyed recently. Being self-employed has been a joy at a time of life when I would have been looking over my shoulder for another round of redundancies. Long may it continue. | Madelaine Smith, Co-Editor My first attempt at a novel, at the age of 8, was the story of a young boy who stowed away on a cruise ship and eventually became a part of the crew. Although My Life as a Sailor soon ran out of steam I wrote a poem in the voice of the same character which my mother sent off to Vision magazine and I became a published writer! Having achieved early success I have a shamefully short writers’ CV, though I do have drawers full of stories, poems, children’s picture book texts, articles, novels (complete and incomplete) and an inordinate number of ‘beginnings’. I completed a creative writing MA at the University of Winchester and hope one day to return to study again. I have had articles published in The Bookseller, FOLLY magazine, newbooks and a number of privately published magazines, poems in local anthologies and an exhibition (!), and have been a writer and editor for four history titles which were the result of Heritage Lottery Funded projects. These days most of my writing time is spent on press releases, though when I allow myself the luxury I love the challenge of writing poetry. I am also working on what I refer to as ‘my thing’; a teen novel in which the characters will not obey me and frequently go off and do things on their own whether I consider it a part of the plot or not. One day I will get them under control.
|
 |  |
| Alison Glinn, Co-Editor Reading and writing, writing and reading; the two have always gone hand in hand for me. My loft is full of boxes that contain writing, from some early examples done in a rather fetching purple wax crayon, through the typical teenage ‘no one has ever felt this before’ to the later attempts at more serious work. I have enjoyed the challenge of the Open University courses A174 Start Writing Fiction and A215 Creative Writing, and intend one day to go back and complete the level 3 course – one day… My first literary success was winning the staff poetry prize while working as a science technician at a sixth form college. Judged by Andrew Motion it gave me the confidence to try and move into a more literary workplace. Working at newbooks magazine I have been given the opportunity to write articles and copy for the magazine and even had the pleasure of interviewing Jeanette Winterson. A course at Arvon’s Totleigh Barton encouraged me to try writing longer pieces, but I am coming to the conclusion that I am a ‘short writer’. What I really enjoy is poetry, articles and short stories. My default activity is reading and I am really looking forward to reading the submissions to The New Writer. | Abegail Morley, Poetry Editor Guest poetry editor for The New Writer. Her collection How to Pour Madness into a Teacup (Cinnamon 2009) was shortlisted for the Forward Prize Best First Collection (2010); the title poem was previously nominated for the Best Single Poem. Her second collection is Snow Child (Pindrop Press): “At the heart of Abegail Morley’s powerful second collection is a deep sense of loss. The poems work at countering that loss with tangible visceral images that both disturb and sing with their own gorgeousness. Morley has captured just what it feels like to be living inside a skin so thin, the sun burns right through in all its lucid glory.” Helen Ivory She was nominated for the London Best New Poet Award 2010 and won the Cinnamon Press Poetry Collection Award (2009), The Didsbury Arts Festival Open Poetry Competition (2011) and an Orbis Readers’ Award and many other poetry prizes. Her work appears in a wide range of journals including Envoi, The Frogmore Papers, Ink, Sweat and Tears, The Interpreter’s House, Iota, Poetry Review, Poetry Salzburg, The Spectator... Abegail writes a regular blog which can be seen at http://abegailmorley.wordpress.com/ |
 |  |
| Merric Davidson, Editorial Consultant Started out in libraries; public, reference, mobile, housebound and the backroom of a church in Havering-atte-Bower. Joined Hodder & Stoughton in the sixties as office lad and moved to HarperCollins in the eighties as marketing director. In 1989, set up a PR consultancy and ran several long-term campaigns for new authors and established novelists, as well as planning promotions for major and start-up publishers. Opened an indie literary agency (now part of MBA) a few years later and at the same time was invited by Publishing News to organise the book industry 'Oscars', the British Book Awards, which I administered for twenty years. Adept at juggling several balls by this time, co-founded The New Writer in 1996 and published the magazine for sixteen years ago before handing that responsibility over to Guy. | David Livingston, Designer |