welcome…

…to all my secrets on life as a published author

(I’m 7 traditionally published books in and I’ve learnt some stuff 😉)

 
 

I blog weekly about author websites, newsletters and life as a writer…

New posts published every Monday 😊

Want to learn more about me and my own publishing journey first?

(includes info on how I landed one of those mythical six-figure book deals!)

Read all about my own journey to publication →

Or scroll down to read all my other posts!

 most popular posts

 

 most recent posts

Project Spotlight: mariontodd.com
Project Spotlight Charlotte Duckworth Project Spotlight Charlotte Duckworth

Project Spotlight: mariontodd.com

I’m so happy to be sharing with you my last web design project of 2023. As you’ll know if you read my previous post, I have only done a handful of website designs this year as I’ve had so many of my own writing deadlines to content with, but I absolutely loved doing this project and it’s got me very excited about 2024 and all the shiny new projects I have booked in!

Read More
 
 
 

 ✨ 30 things I’ve learnt from 5 years being published ✨

September 6 2023 marked 5 years since my first book was released 😲

To celebrate, I shared a new post about what I’ve learnt from being published EVERY DAY throughout the month.

Enjoy!

 
Featured
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 30 – what you do does actually matter
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 30 – what you do does actually matter
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 29 – publishing runs on hype
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 29 – publishing runs on hype
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 28 – your characters are unlikeable
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 28 – your characters are unlikeable
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 27 – no-one knows anything
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 27 – no-one knows anything
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 26 – you should write the book that's in your heart
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 26 – you should write the book that's in your heart
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 25 – goodreads and netgalley are the devil's work
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 25 – goodreads and netgalley are the devil's work
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 24 – you know your book better than anyone else
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 24 – you know your book better than anyone else
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 23 – I still google 'how to write a novel' every time I start
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 23 – I still google 'how to write a novel' every time I start
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 22 – genre snobbery is real - and annoying
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 22 – genre snobbery is real - and annoying
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 21 – there will be times when it all feels hopeless
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 21 – there will be times when it all feels hopeless
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 20 – (your) social media doesn't sell books
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 20 – (your) social media doesn't sell books
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 19 – there is hope after bad track
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 19 – there is hope after bad track
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 18 – you can write in another genre
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 18 – you can write in another genre
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 17 – it's important to take stock from time to time
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 17 – it's important to take stock from time to time
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 16 – you will need to do some exercise
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 16 – you will need to do some exercise
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 15 – getting ARC copies is amazing - and stressful
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 15 – getting ARC copies is amazing - and stressful
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 14 – lots of authors hate their covers
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 14 – lots of authors hate their covers
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 13 – Harrogate Festival is amazing
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 13 – Harrogate Festival is amazing
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 12 – it's OK to take a break
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 12 – it's OK to take a break
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 11 – your author website matters (ha!)
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 11 – your author website matters (ha!)
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 10 – the best marketing you can do for your book is write a new one
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 10 – the best marketing you can do for your book is write a new one
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 9 – publication day is nuts
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 9 – publication day is nuts
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 8 – First drafts get harder - but editing gets easier
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 8 – First drafts get harder - but editing gets easier
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 7 – being on submission never gets any easier
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 7 – being on submission never gets any easier
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 6 – the writing is the best bit
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 6 – the writing is the best bit
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 5 – writing ruins reading
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 5 – writing ruins reading
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 4 – editors are overworked
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 4 – editors are overworked
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 3 – A loyal agent is better than a hotshot agent
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 3 – A loyal agent is better than a hotshot agent
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 2 – The size of your advance matters
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 2 – The size of your advance matters
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 1 – the author community is incredible
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 1 – the author community is incredible

curious about my books?

click the covers to find out more

pssst! before you go…

Sign up to my newsletter to get access to my studio resource library and all my FREE guides exclusively for authors!

Look at all the great stuff you’ll get…

Essential-Guide-to-SEO-for-Authors.png

Essential Guide to SEO for Authors
17 page guide

Debut-Author's-Survival-Guide.png

The Debut Author’s Survival Guide
30 page ebook

Author-Website-Content-Guide.png

Author Website Content Guide
14 page guide

 
 
Author-Website-Content-Guide-(3)_ipadair2_gold_portrait.png

Author Newsletters
- a Beginner’s Guide
30 minute video

 
blogging for authors video.png

Blogging for Authors
- a Beginner’s Guide
18 minute video