Resources for writers

Need inspiration, reassurance or more perspectives? Below is a list of books, podcasts, articles and videos that will help you in your journey of writing a book, plus give some more insight into how the publishing industry works.

Books
Literary journals and creative writing magazines
Podcasts
Blogs and videos

Books

The author’s collection of blog posts and essays about the craft of writing, touching on topics including voice, writers’ health and research.

This bestselling guide is updated each year, and as the definitive place to find a literary agent it includes contact details for more than 4,000 people in publishing.

Literary agent Mushens covers everything from how YA fiction works to the big dos and don’ts of the genre.

One of the most famous books on writing, Stephen King’s tome can be found, well-thumbed, on the shelves of many authors and editors.

A humorous and useful guide to grammar and punctuation.

Literary journals and creative writing magazines

Five Dials is a literary magazine published by Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Books. Their first issue was published in 2008.

Ambit is a 96-page quarterly literary and art magazine. It is created in London, published in the UK, and read internationally. The magazine is put together entirely from unsolicited submissions. 

Digital publishing with the goal of offering additional opportunities to new and emerging writers. Entirely not-for-profit and run by a team of passionate volunteers.

Confluence is a writing magazine which publishes in print twice a year from Wordsmithery, based in Kent.

Through journalism, personal essays, scholarly articles and short stories, Cunning Folk are curious to reflect on the relevance of the occult, folklore, mythology, and magic in our world today.

Dream Catcher is an international arts journal, which offers contemporary readers a terrific mix of poetry, prose, artwork and reviews. 

Ellipsis Zine is an online literary magazine for beautifully written fiction & creative nonfiction. 1,000 words or fewer, any genre.

Epoch is a publishing platform for original, creative nonfiction. Epoch enthusiastically encourages submissions from marginalised voices, emerging writers and people outside of academia. 

Firewords was launched through a Kickstarter campaign in May 2014 and, ever since, the small but dedicated team have been committed to showcasing the best literary talent twice a year.

Publishing hundreds of writers in its now bi-annual magazine, The Frogmore Papers also publishes individual collections and anthologies.

Granta magazine aim to discover and publish the best in new literary fiction, memoir, reportage and poetry from around the world.

The Ghastling is a biannual magazine publishing literary fiction and illustration devoted to psychological horror, folk horror, ghost stories and the macabre. 

Here Comes Everyone (HCE) is a Coventry-based, bi-annual literary magazine of poetry, fiction, articles and artwork. They aim to be open and accessible to everyone, both in readership and contributors, and encourage submissions from all across the globe. 

Hotdog aims to challenge the gender discrepancy in literature, art and publishing. Each issue pushes boundaries, bringing truth, pain and laughter to the page, blurring the space between poetry, art and design.

Indie Bites is a quarterly indie fantasy anthology, created to promote the work of indie authors. It features short fantasy fiction (prose and poetry) from self-published, hybrid and unpublished authors

The Interpreter's House is an independent poetry magazine seeking to platform and provide a welcoming home for the best in new writing.

Lacuna is a literary magazine, based at the London School of Economics, that publishes the writing of young women and people who identify with women's experiences. 

La Piccioletta Barca is an independent arts magazine pursuing the essence of human thought. Their goal is to embrace and promote substantive creative work produced by both emerging and established artists.

Lighthouse is a journal published quarterly to give space and support to new talent. They look to publish the best short fiction and poetry emerging from the UK writing scene.

The London Magazine is England’s oldest literary periodical, with a history stretching back to 1732. Today – reinvigorated for a new century – the Magazine’s essence remains unchanged: it is a home for the best writing and an indispensable feature on the British literary landscape.

Lucent Dreaming is a quarterly print and online magazine publishing beautiful, strange and surreal short stories, poetry and artwork from contributors worldwide.

One of the UK’s first creative nonfiction magazines, Moxy look for criticism, essays, travel writing, and personal essays, as well as original artwork and cartoons. 

Neon is one of the most long-running independent literary magazines in the UK. It makes an appearance twice each year in print and a range of digital formats. Each edition features a blend of surreal and speculative fiction, poetry, art and photography. Neon sits on the edge of horror and science-fiction, but with strong literary leanings.

For over twenty-five years, New Welsh Review has been central to the Welsh literary scene in offering a vital outlet for the very best new fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry, a forum for critical debate and a rigorous and engaged reviewing culture.

Founded in 1965, Poetry Wales is the national poetry magazine of Wales. Publishing contemporary poetry, features and reviews in its triannual print and digital magazine. 

The Pomegranate London is a biannual printed art and literary magazine featuring short stories, poems and essays on artists. 

Popshot is an illustrated literary magazine that publishes short stories, flash fiction, and poetry from the literary new blood. The magazine is published quarterly.

Pushing Out the Boat, North-East Scotland’s unique literary and arts journal, publishes high-quality prose, poetry and art selected from a unique blend of the global and the local. 

Quince Magazine is an online literary and visual arts journal that looks to provide a platform for new writing and art from emerging and established writers and artists from around the world. 

Salò Press is an independent micro-publisher focusing on poetry & prose of an experimental / weird / surreal / cerebral nature. 

The Selkie publishes poetry, fiction and non-fiction by writers from underrepresented backgrounds.

Shooter launched in January 2015 with the goal of supporting emerging writers of literary fiction, creative non-fiction, narrative journalism and poetry. Though based in the UK, Shooter publishes work in English by writers from anywhere in the world.

Short Fiction is a high-quality online journal publishing some of the finest short stories from around the world.

Storgy seeks to publish and promote exceptional literary fiction whilst providing authors with the opportunity to reach a wider literary audience. 

Twice a year Structo produce a print issue containing remarkable new short stories and poetry from all around the world, alongside essays and interviews with authors and others. 

The Tangerine is a Belfast-based magazine of new writing. It covers culture and politics, and is published three times a year. The Tangerine includes features, reportage, commentary, fiction, poetry, illustration and photography.

The White Review is an arts and literature quarterly magazine, with triannual print and monthly online editions. The magazine launched in February 2011 to provide ‘a space for a new generation to express itself unconstrained by form, subject or genre’, and publishes fiction, essays, interviews with writers and artists, poetry, and series of artworks.

Wildness accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction and considers work in most styles, forms, or genres. 

Podcasts

Guests on this podcast discuss how they write and where their ideas come from, and talk listeners through five objects that have provided inspiration for their work.
Acast | Apple Podcasts

This weekly books podcast includes book news, discussions and interviews with authors discussing their work.
Acast | Apple Podcasts

20 podcasts about writing that will have you penning a bestselling novel in no time, from Bustle.

14 podcasts every writer should listen to, from Book Fox.

20 inspiring writing podcasts to subscribe to right now, from The Write Life.

Blogs and videos

Watch this in-depth panel discussion about the publishing process between an author, literary agent, editor and publicist at the first ever #Merky Books New Writers’ Camp.

Penguin Talks, in partnership with Speakers for Schools hosted a Q&A with Simon Armstrong, Publicity Manager and Hannah Chukwu, Editorial Assistant. They discussed how the industry works, how books are made and how you can get into publishing.

We put our top tips together from writers, editors and agents to help you on your way.

WriteNow alumni Abir, shares 10 things he has learned about the publishing process.

Thriller writer Tom Bradby shares his working process, from pen on paper to publication, and why all writers should know that teamwork is key.

We spoke to 10 brilliant debut authors about their publishing journey so far.

What kind of roles exist in publishing? And what do they involve day to day?

We’ve opened our doors to introduce you to some of our colleagues across the company who all work in the creation of books, from design to distribution. 

Award-winning playwright and author Barney Norris won The Critics' Circle and Off West End Theatre Awards for Most Promising Playwright for his debut full-length play Visitors. Here, he talks to his editor, Alice Youell, about his days spent writing.

Ruth Jones explains how the idea for her debut novel Never Greener came about and how life as an author differs from writing for TV.

These free guides, podcasts and interviews provide a wealth of advice, techniques and tips for being a more productive writer.

We will keep this page updated with new resources as and when they become available.