permission granted

I had an email early this week asking for permission to include three of my limericks in an English school workbook, which is to be published in September ready for the new academic year. This wasn’t really a surprise as I’d agreed with the author back in February that she could use them. Even so, I had half forgotten our conversation and wasn’t sure when the book was due out or when I might hear.

Although the official request is for “non-exclusive distribution rights […]” I’m not going to include the pieces here, at least until after publication. However, the news does give me an excuse to post a limerick.

Fifteen years ago, I won a competition in Freelance Market News for a writing-themed limerick with the following:

I’d intended a three-part bestseller
’bout my lover – a hunk of a fella.
But he left on page two,
Now what can I do?
Turn it into a tragic novella!

I think the prize was £30 – almost £1 a word – which is a rather better rate than I’ve been paid for most of my writing since then.

 

(Today the photograph is of no relevance to the post; I just thought the poppy was rather lovely.)