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…
Having just been commissioned to write a feature about a tinsel factory for a weekly magazine, it’s reminded me that while it’s currently the summer school holidays, I’m actually working on Christmas material. (Eek! Sorry. I’ve mentioned the C word!) But that’s what the business of writing is all about … being about six months ahead of schedule. (Indeed, for some markets, particularly the monthly ones, it’s already too late for this Christmas.)
One good way of developing your writing business in a fun way, is learning from others, and there are two upcoming events that I’m involved with: one as a committee member, and one as a tutor. NAWGFest 2019 – 30th August – 1st September – University of Warwick The National Association of Writers’ Groups annual gathering takes place at the University of Warwick, between 30th August and 1st September. Our gala dinner night guest speakers are Nicci Gerard and Sean French, better…
Last week, I decided to take myself away from any distractions and work in the library in my county town. I could have worked in the library in my village (which we’re still fortunate to have), but the chances of bumping into people I know, who would then stop to chat, would be much greater … so I decided for the relative anonymity of the larger library in town.
Firstly, many thanks to everyone who commented on last week’s post and shared it on social media. A touch of reality was clearly appreciated! The current reality for authors and creatives could be about to change, if the UK adopts the new EU Copyright Directive. However, Brexit could have an impact. On 17th May 2019, the European Copyright Directive passed onto the EU’s official journal of laws, which means the clock is now ticking for member states to adopt it…
It was an opportunity I had to take. Here was an editor keen on my novel. But a few others in the acquisitions meeting had reservations, so a contract wasn’t quite in the offing just yet. A few tweaks, though, could make all the difference.
As the proverb says, All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so last Saturday I had a play day at Hay. I, along with a group of writers’ circle friends, minibussed it down to the Welsh Border village of Hay on Wye for the 32nd Hay Literary Festival. I’ve always had mixed feelings about some of the larger, well-known literary festivals, because, historically, authors haven’t always been recompensed properly for the work they put in when attending such…
I help administer a short story competition on behalf of a writers’ group I go, and last week I had to send a copy of an anthology to one of last year’s successful entrants. I didn’t have their postal address, so I went back through our emails to find the entrant’s original submission, and then got in touch to ask for a postal address. I was horrified when Gmail returned my search results. There was the email with the competition…
As writers, it’s important that we come up with fresh new ideas on a regular basis. However, we’re wasting our time if we don’t do anything with them. Much better to have a habit of developing ideas and then either writing them up (if it’s fiction) or pitching them (if they’re non-fiction).