In 2015, Joanna Penn hosted a talk at Nottingham Writers' Studio on how to make a living from your writing. Her talk dispelled many of the myths...
6 Self-Publishing Myths That Need to Die
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Publishing
The Rollercoaster of Submitting Your Novel to an Agent
Your book is finished.
Now what?
Self-publish or face the submissions rollercoaster?
Most writers would still prefer to be trade-published.
A few bag a deal quickly.
Some fall faster than Alton Towers’s Oblivion.
For most it’s a long, bumpy ride.
If you’re on that ride or about to begin you’re not alone.
Strap yourself in and come with me on my trip.
How Will Brexit Affect Publishing?
It’s been over a year since the UK voted to leave the EU in the EU Referendum, and we still don’t know what that means for any of us. We have no...
How Do You Know When Your Book is Ready?
First off, we need to establish whether you mean ready for an editor/beta readers, or ready for self-publication/submitting to agents.
They’re VERY different things.
Having published two books, sent a third off to beta readers (more on that soon), and studied Creative Writing, I’ve had to get good at knowing when my work is ready to share with people.
Sometimes it’s a case of the book is ready, but you’re not.
In that situation, you need two things: moral support and tough love.
Indie Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing
There comes a point in an author’s life where they have to make a decision. It’s a decision that we barely had five years ago, and ten years ago...
Don’t Myth Out on Writing Competitions!
This is a guest post by Cathy Bryant. There are hundreds of writing competitions held every year, often with tempting prizes, yet many writers don't...
Self Publishing Lessons: How Not to Edit Your Book
I have a confession to make. I did a really, really shit job of copy editing and proofreading What Happens in New York. I don’t get embarrassed...
How to Launch a Book on a Budget
In June this year my first novel, Baby X, was published by a small independent press that didn’t have a lot of money to spend on the launch, or on...
10 Things I’ve Learnt from Being Traditionally Published
Traditional publishing covers a range of types of experience anyway, from Big Five to small press. The point of this post is not to compare...
What Life is Like at a Small Publishing House
When I was 42, I was made redundant from my job as a middle manager at an IT company. I’d been ill for a few months, and wasn’t in a fit state to go...