Hello! Remember me? Probably not, and I wouldn’t blame you! Things have been a little manic recently, and I’m not just talking about Covid-19. (I do hope everyone is safe and well.) Some of you may recall that for the past three years I’ve been working three days a week in an employed capacity, for the Diocese of Hereford, offering grant advice to churches looking for funding (mainly for building projects). It’s been an amazing time, and I’ve learned a…
In this month’s Writing Magazine I’ve an article about making the most of this month’s extra day. So I thought I’d share some of it here, so you can start planning on how you’re going to use yours!
Do you know where all your assets are? (Oo-er missus!) Seriously, though, do you keep a list of all of the books you’ve written(both traditionally published and self-published ones) and which markets they’re available in? It’s so easy to think that you’ll keep a track of everything, but when I decided to formalise things by putting it all down into a small spreadsheet, I suddenly discovered I’d missed several markets with one of my self-published books.
I’ve blogged in the past about how using services such as Draft2Digital enables you to access a wide variety of other ebook distribution services, like Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble etc. But they also have another use when it comes to managing your books on Amazon: making books permafree.
Inter … what? Stitial. Interstitial. It means the bit in between. I’ve been journalling for a few years now, and a few months ago I came across this term: Interstitial journalling. It’s about journalling between activities. The idea is, when you finish one writing task you journal about it, and then think about what you need for the next writing task. What’s the next action you need to take to get started on it? The idea is that keeps you focussed on your…
Next year will be a busy year for me from a tutoring perspective. I’ve been booked to lead five courses, four of which have been outlined so far.
We’re approaching that time of year again, when it’s common to look back over what we’ve achieved and think about the future. But when it comes to thinking about that future, it’s easy to come up with a list of writing-related goals … but are they the right goals? Here’s an excerpt from my Business of Writing feature in the latest issue of Writing Magazine (out now!). Goals are a complete waste of time, if you don’t have a vision. As my…
I don’t know about you, but Christmas feels like it’s hurtling towards me at an even faster pace than previous years. I must be getting old. But not to worry, because according to the latest issue of The People’s Friend, I’ll soon be in the festive spirit.
Last weekend it was our writers’ group’s annual retreat. I was staying near Abersoch, found near the end of the Llyn Peninsula, in Wales. There were thirteen of us in total and we all turned up on Thursday evening fired up for three full days of writing, before departing again on Monday morning.
Fellow writing advisor Alex Gazzola has just published his latest book in his Mistakes Writers Make series, and this third in the series is called 50 Mistakes Writers Make. The first two books focussed on common mistakes beginner writers make. This edition considers mistakes that more experienced writers might make.
I owe you an apology. It’s been several weeks since my last post. Things have been … well, a tad hectic recently. This time last week I was having breakfast with the Archbishop of Canterbury. And between 8.39am and 8.59am I and my colleagues demonstrated to him the new online resource we’ve been creating over the last year for churches. (It seems the planning that goes into Archbishop visits is similar to that of Royal visits.)
It’s that time of year again for me when the latest royalty figures (and payments) arrive for my first published book, One Hundred Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human. It was sixteen years ago (crikey!) when it first hit the bookshops, and it’s a reminder that words are our assets. Those 5,000 words, written earlier in 2003, are still generating an income for me today (albeit a much reduced one than sixteen years ago!).
Last time, in my post How To Sell In Peru, I discussed the decision self-published authors have to take about being exclusive to Amazon, or going wide. This is because when we upload our material to Amazon we’re given the choice to join their Kindle Select scheme. Signing up to this scheme requires giving Amazon exclusivity to your eBook.
There are times when I marvel at the Internet. Here I am, sitting at a computer in the rural tranquility of Shropshire, and looking through my sales data for The Complete Article Writer in 2019, and I see that copies have been bought in Peru, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Australia (as well as here in the UK and in the USA). And I’m not referring to sales on Amazon, either. Such is the dominance of Amazon, it’s easy to upload anything you…
Turn to page 60 of the latest issue of Writers’ Forum magazine (Issue 215) and you’ll find my ugly mug staring back at you! I’ve been interviewed by Anita Loughrey for her regular Research Secrets column, where she asks writers to share how they undertake research for their writing projects. When it comes to writing articles, there are lots of projects, which means there’s lots of research material. And, as I mention in the article, I love the fact that research for one article…