Reading will improve your writing It’s difficult to contribute to an artform you don’t like or understand Read the classics if you enjoy them Read a variety of books Read shorter books ‘You know, I don’t read, I write’ – Umberto Eco ‘A writer writes.’ This is...
This post was originally published on 2nd August 2020. It has been edited to add additional links to useful posts, and a new photo. What does a literary agent do? How does a literary agent get paid? Who needs a literary agent? What’s the alternative? This is such a...
Contents Self-publishing, hybrid publishers and vanity presses: a simple guide Self-publishing vs traditional publishing What is a hybrid publisher? What is a vanity press? What is a self-publishing service provider? I see it happen far too often: A writer has been...
5 Reasons Why You’re Not Ready to Hire an Editor You have an idea for a book … and that’s all You’ve just finished the first draft of your first book What you really need is some writing classes What you really need is to learn a bit about the industry You’re...
The question of how long a book should be is a common one. But it also seems to be an increasingly confused one, as self-published books don’t necessarily follow the same conventions as traditionally published titles, and challenges like NaNoWriMo suggest at least the...
This is my last post of 2020, and what a long and difficult year it has been. To finish the year on a high note, I’ve collected my favourite pieces of writing advice from great writers: Read, and Write “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all...
Literary agents are not created equal, and a bad or incompetent agent is worse than no agent at all. A literary agent needs to be a) legitimate b) have a suitable track record and c) be a match for you, your work, and your career. Finding the right literary agent to...
Before a book is ready to submit to a literary agent or publisher, or to be self-published, it is usually edited to a high standard. Unedited or poorly edited books won’t get book deals. Readers avoid low-quality self-published books. Increasingly, editors at...
You made it! You got a book deal and now here are the terms – the contract. The publisher is asking you to read it, sign it and send it back. Some of it is a bit confusing, but…I mean, they know what they’re doing so it’ll be fine to just sign it, right? Wrong!...
Editing can be a thing an author both dreads and longs for. It can be so difficult to get any real, professional response to your work, especially in these days where agents and publishers may not even reply to submissions and allow the author to take silence as their...
