Naples Writers' Workshop Newsletter 084
Did a bestselling memoir writer make it all up?
Like plants? Love writing?
The Naples Botanical Gardens is hosting a series of poetry workshops this summer on July 26 and Aug. 9. The event is free for members, but you must register. Participants will get some instruction before spending the session writing poetry about nature. Sounds pretty cool to us!
A memoir writer in hot water
Remember the 2003 scandal behind A Million Little Pieces? Turns out author James Frey fudged the whole thing, but not before his book made Oprah’s acclaimed list. It’s apparently happening again with a book Penguin Random House published in 2018 called The Salt Path. Author Raynor Winn is under fire just as her book made its big screen adaptation and her fourth novel was set to publish.
Lost in translation
Translators know that taking a book from one language to another involves nuance and an artistic touch. That’s why they’re up in arms about an AI service offering to translate entire novels for $100 a pop. Critics say the finished products are poor replicas of a job humans do best.
The self-publishing boom
Many of today’s best-selling authors got their start through self-publishing, but some say the boom in the market has made it harder for aspiring writers to stand out even when they work outside of traditional publishing.
Speaking of self-publishing
It opens the door to some pretty bad writing. In a recent installment of LitHub’s advice column by author Kristen Arnett, one writer asks if she’s a bad person for not wanting to support her friend’s poorly written, self-published book.
A YA crossover imprint
We often struggle to define the age range for Young Adult fiction, and the waters are about to get muddier with a new imprint described as an Adult-YA cross over. Berkley Books and Penguin Young Readers are teaming up to bring the imprint to life, looking to cater to young adults.
Send us your work or join our accountability group
Need feedback on your novel manuscript? Our paid novel mentorship program provides guidance as you edit your book over the course of 6-12 months.
We also offer personalized and detailed critiques on your short stories for a flat fee. We’ll read your completed story of up to 10,000 words and make macro and micro suggestions to help improve the piece. Reach out to learn more.
Finally, we’re launching a paid accountability group where we meet virtually weekly to work on our own projects in silence.
Our next podcast episode
Our latest podcast episode features a story by Isabel Allende called Two Words. Spoiler: you never find out what the two words are! Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube Channel. We release new episodes on the 1st and 15th of each month.
We’re always looking for more short stories to feature on our podcast. Tell us about your favorite piece of published short fiction, and we might feature your suggestion in a future episode!
Want more from NWW?
We bring you our newsletter on a monthly basis at no charge, but we recently enabled pledges for those who’d like to pay to support our work through Substack with a monthly or annual donation. In addition, we launched a Patreon for our podcast. Your donations are mostly a way to support the show, but there are a few perks as well.