Tag: self-publishing

  • My free reading challenge: independent writers oozing with talent

    This week has been more reading, reading, reading to slim down my TBR pile. Most of the books I’ve read in the past couple of weeks have been independently published because it turns out independent publishers are mostly the people I know and thus their books are the ones I get to hear about. All my…

  • 5 ways to get more words written

    I’ve been making a deliberate effort to increase my productivity lately. I’m now a self-published writer looking to increase the audience for my fiction. One of the sure-fire ways to do this is to write more books (everything I’ve read about self-publishing says the key is to write more and get more books out if…

  • What you need to finish a book:

    … tea, chocolate, and desperation (oh, and Post-it notes). Tea. I’m British, and this is the national curative. Just been in a minor accident? I’ll make you a cup of sweet tea for the shock. Bad exam results? Have a nice cup of tea and remember there’s always re-takes. Leg bitten off by a crocodile?…

  • The Last Dreamseer’s theme tune

    I always write with music on in the background. Writers have strong feelings about this. Like plotter-vs-pantster debates, fellow writers either consider music a vital adjunct to the creative process, or a barbaric derailment of inspirational flow. While I’m sure I could write without music I like to have some noise going on in the…

  • Re-filling the Well

    As I mentioned last week, I’ve been pretty busy with the nitty-gritty of publishing lately. The Last Dreamseer is now live at e-retailers and ready to launch on 27th November (yippee!), but the pace hasn’t let up as I’ve been liaising with friends who have kindly agreed to blog on my behalf to publicise the launch,…

  • The art of knowing when to stop

    I am in the thick of final, final, FINAL proofing for my next novel, The Last Dreamseer. Somehow, I thought it would be quicker than this. I’ll explain my editing process: I’ve written the book, had writer friends look at it, revised and revised again. It’s then been to a professional editor for substantive edits…

  • Divide and Conquer

    As my adventures in self-publishing continue, I’m learning (slowly) how to juggle the many hats I need to wear. Key, for me, is to have the discipline to change hats and not keep the same one on all day. I love writing, and I’d be very happy to become a stereotypical writer, sitting in a garret…

  • Overcoming Marketer’s Block

    I haven’t blogged for a few weeks. I have a couple of good excuses – I’ve been crazy busy finishing the dirty draft of one novel and working on edits for another. Since I’m a writer, it’s good to be busy with writing. However, since I’m a self-published writer, it isn’t so good that I’ve also…

  • I hate to BRAG, but…

    We writers are an insecure bunch, but perhaps that’s not surprising. The average development of a book goes as follows: 1. I’ve had this AMAZING idea! 2. Oh wow, this book is going to knock the world’s socks off! 3. Er, this isn’t coming out how I thought it would. 4. This is awful. 5.…

  • Call in the Professionals

    The thing is, until someone who does know points it out to you, you often don’t know what it is you don’t know. Using experts – and/or the perils of not doing so – is a common theme in self-publishing discussions. Most people agree that not paying for professional help in editing and cover design…