Category: Writing Advice

  • Safety Valve

    I don’t know about you, but I have vivid memories of reading a children’s story about the little train who could. “I think I can, I think I can,” was her motto as she struggled up the hill. Self-publishing is a lot like that: “I think I can, I hope I can, I know I…

  • Self-Publishing Master Class

    I had to count on my fingers, but it’s about six months since I started self-publishing. It has been a steep learning curve. It’s been wonderful! Maybe not for sales of my books (boo!), but for learning about the publishing industry. Your lessons, findings, conclusions, will vary, but here are mine: You must be obsessed.…

  • Amazon Keywords

    Amazon keywords are wonderful. Get them right, and readers searching for your type of book are served your book in their search results. Get them wrong, and your book may well languish, undiscovered, and hence, unread. I have plenty of those books. But I’m learning! The place to start is with Amazon’s own advice on…

  • Procrastination. Don’t fight it

    Procrastination is your subconscious over-ruling your conscious self. What I really wanted to do today was write my secret project. I have notes, I have a cover, I have absolutely everything except the ability to focus on it! So I’m procrastinating; i.e. putting off writing the MS in favour of a range of other activities.…

  • Graphics Bonanza!

    I’ve been spending a fair bit of time learning how to use Canva.com to create graphics to promote my books. These are generally called teasers, although there’s some debate whether they should or shouldn’t include quotations from books. As always, I sit on the fence and have both. Someone asked me the other day why…