Tahzeeb Akram, Brittle Paper’s submissions editor, has just introduced her own literary consultancy company named Crafter’s Ink. She described the initiative as the place to go for writers who have fiction, nonfiction, or poetry manuscripts that they need help assessing/reworking/editing. The goal is to be the go-to place to help writers get their manuscripts ready for submission to publishers.
Tahzeeb Akram, a literary editor and curator, was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. She graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BA in Literary Studies and Classics, as well as two postgraduate degrees from the university formally known as Rhodes. She earned a Master’s degree in Literary Studies, with a specialisation on queer Nigerian literature. She serves as Brittle Paper’s Submissions Editor and has 7 years of experience as a literary editor and curator.
Crafter’s Ink.’s major goal is to give four vital services to creatives, particularly writers. These include concept consulting to brainstorm manuscript and plot ideas with writers for enhanced clarity on their execution; manuscript assessment for a thorough review and in-depth feedback that moves the project forward; editing and proofing to edit the manuscripts and proofread to eliminate any remaining errors; and publication preparation to help writers prep and ready their manuscripts for submission to agents and/or potential publishers.
In Tahzeeb’s words: “Crafter’s Ink. is my way of contributing to filling the daunting gap between a writer and their masterpiece. I’m proud of the literary platforms I’ve been a part of, spaces that publish and celebrate aspiring writers, but that does not mean there isn’t a huge gap in the support structure we give writers in the creative industry. Writers, and all creatives, should have people and spaces they can go to where their work can be reviewed, where their ideas and concepts can be shared and explored, and where they get constructive feedback on how to enrich their craft. So many writers only get feedback or responses to their work once they have submitted it to a magazine or publisher and the responses are usually a swift acceptance or rejection. This is not a slight on the magazines and publishers because giving feedback takes time and resources and, at the end of the day, their job is to publish, not mentor.”
To learn more, click here,
Here’s wishing Tahzeeb all the best with this laudable project.
