It's the first Thursday of the month, which can mean only one thing to thousands of writers: the latest edition of Writing Magazine.

Get your copy of the magazine today, as a digital download for tablets, phones and desktop computers, or, for that hold-it-in-your-hands, smell-the-ink, feeling, as a print edition.

Feature articles cover preparing your manuscript for self-publication or submission, how to make the most of your writing time and the lasting legacy you leave every time you write online. Fiction writers will enjoy learning how to use viewpoint to engage readers and freshen up your plot, how to get started in fantasy, and our exploration of whether factual accuracy is really that important in fiction.

On the non-fiction side, we're revealing the secrets of successful article pitching, how to write a 'how-to', and what you can learn from your published articles.

We interview Jodi Picoult on her challenging new book, ask Michael Marshall Smith to reveal his writing routines and pay tribute to the late horror master James Herbert with an exploration of his tricks and techniques.

All this, plus 32 pages of news, competitions, market leads, editors looking for writers, and publishing news, in Writers' News.

Get your copy of Writing Magazine today, as a digital or app download, or in print.