I was very pleased to come across your website. I have had the idea for a while of creating a local newspaper for primary age children.

Where I live, there is already a very well established local paper, which I imagine to be a good thing. Can you point me in the direction of useful books/ articles to read and/or websites to look at?

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Andria asks … I'm a published novelist and article writer, but want to move into the more interesting (as I see it) world of magazine work using my own photos to illustrate articles. Being a utter camera-tecchie-novice, how do you submit your nice digital pictures to your chosen magazine? Do you email them or copy them (somehow) onto a CD?) (Basic answer here, please!)

I'm in a quandary as to which camera to choose – everybody has their own 'pet' wonder, but recommendations from men always seem to involve the impossibly technical – for me, at least! I have yet to learn how to properly operate a camera! but I don't want to start with something mediocre and then have to buy something better – I think it'd be more useful to get to know the camera I've got – as you suggest somewhere on your site.

I met a pro. photographer (gardening, macro-work) and she had a Nikon F100 SLR camera, which isn't digital. I'd like to take plant and garden shots rather than do newspaper stuff. Would this camera be good for these? I'd really appreciate some advice here … I'm floundering with photography, yet determined to branch out into magazine work because it's more fun than writing demanding novels, and gets’ me out! Thanks in anticipation.

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Paul asks … I am in the uk on a working holiday. I have qualifications in writing and would like to know more about freelancing. i.e do you have to register yourself with anyone or can you just apply for jobs?

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Freelance writing?

Michele asks … There seem to be a number of distance learning courses available for creative writing. Can you recommend a good one from your experience in the industry?

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Ann asks … Following advice that with articles a words and pictures package is more
acceptable, in the past year I have sent off two articles to a magazine,
stating that photographs are available and have been asked to send them on
but since then, nothing. A query by email produced the response that no
record of the photographs could be found.

In another instance I sent photographs with the article and eight months on
have heard nothing. Emails and letters have not been responded to. Should I
phone these magazines? The cost of providing return postage is not
inconsiderable and, whilst I have the negatives for the print photographs,
the transparencies are irreplaceable.

Is this a common problem? Should I try
to get magazines to accept scans sent by email or will I have to take up
digital photography if I want to continue in this area?

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Phil asks … I have written an ebook which I sell from my site. I bought ebook compiler and paid my webmaster to compile it for me -£100 plus£50 for changes and to add clickbank. I have just got my money back via sales but there must be a way than someone with no html know how can do this. If I do it all in microsoft word and then convert it to PDF would that help? Could I easily build an ebook myself and reduce professional costs?

In other words please could you sell a complete tutorial for people like me who would like to do ebooks and ezines assuming little knowledge?

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Duncan asks … I’m writing a novel which is not based on any factual event. To make the setting and story as realistic as possible, I have used real names of pub, churches, restaurants, etc. in Droitwich Spa. Is this allowed, or do I have to get permission? Two murders take place in churchyards, and a fifteen year-old girl leaves one of the pubs drunk. I have mentioned that she looked much older than her age, and that the landlord asked her age. Could the pub or either of the churches have any comeback on me?

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Tup asks … I am trying to put together something dealing with minorities in professional roles.

The objective is to share the results with imprisoned minorities, underachievers in education facilities, etc., etc.

It is an effort to offer them a different direction even though they are perhaps abused, mistreated, denied equal opportunities, etc. et.

It occurred to me that I might be able to get a grant for my research, or at least some kind of funding.

I wonder if you have any ideas as to where I might get that kind of support. I have never been involved in grants nor indeed in funding in this way.

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Marilyn asks … I'm a new writer to novels and stories, and having read through the competition list on occasion, it appears that in some cases one story could come under the criteria of more than one competition.

Is it ethical to submit a single story to more than one competition?

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Linda asks … I'm quite a new writer and I wondered if I could get some advice about plagiarism. I don't fully understand the difference between research and plagiarism and I am worried about it!

For example, I currently researching for a profile on a famous racehorse, now deceased. There is nobody who was around the horse who is still alive, so I am currently reading as much factual based books, articles etc as I can.

If I wrote my profile based purely on these materials, is it plagiarism? The more I think about it the more I am confusing myself!

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