Blog Archives

Tips to writing a great second draft of your novel

So you have written your first draft and its now time to go back and make it all nice and shiny. Here are a couple of tips to help you get the most out of re-writing and editing the first Read more

What Is The Point Of Writing A Book If You Have No Online Presence?

Let’s face it, in 2011 writers need a strong online presence. In a world where self-publishing is a realistic option, and big publishers are telling us that having an online presence is essential to getting a book deal, writers are Read more

Virtual Book Tour Companies Who Will Arrange Blog Book Tours

We all know that marketing your book can be tough. However, one strategy that works time and again is the virtual book tour. This is where you visit a number of blogs, doing interviews and generally promoting your book. The Read more

Copyediting: 3 things to do before you pay for professional copyediting

Copyediting is an essential part of any writer’s life. Whether you are self-publishing or preparing your book for submission to an agent or publisher, you will at some point, consider employing a professional copyeditor. In this article I use my Read more

How Do I Find An Agent?

One question that I am often asked by writers is, ‘How do I find an agent?’ In this article I will explain how you can use the internet to find a suitable agent, and suggest tactics you can use to Read more

What Is The Best Book Genre To Write?

So you are an unpublished writer and you want to get published. What is the best book genre to write if you are serious about landing a book deal? Is there even such a thing as ‘best book genre’? The Read more

Researching Your Novel (and how Horrible Histories can help)

For a number of years I worked alongside writer Terry Deary, helping him to research a number of the Horrible Histories titles. This is what I learned from the master… The key to effective research is to know what it Read more

How To Make A Living As A Writer

So you want to make a living as a writer? Well despite what some writers will have you believe traditional publishing still offers writers a realistic chance of making a living as a writer. However, it’s not easy and it Read more

How To Write Effective Dialogue In Your Novel

Characterization is an accident that flows out of action and dialogue. Jack Woodford If you follow the techniques outlined in this post you will be able to write more effective and revealing dialogue for your novels. The techniques will allow Read more

How To Write A Query Letter

In this post I will show you how to write a query letter that will ensure that your book’s narrative, genre and place in the market is clearly understood. It will allow you to write a query letter that will Read more

Self-Publishing?

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