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!
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What happened when I blogged every day for a month
As you may already know, I celebrated my five-year anniversary of being a published author on September 6 2023. I remember that day so well - and now I look back and think how sweet and wide-eyed I was about the whole process.
Is a one-page author website right for you?
While obviously I believe that every author should have their own website, I also appreciate that not every author has the time or enthusiasm to create an all-singing, all-dancing, multi-page wonder website, packed full of content, that they need to update every week to stop it from looking ‘out of date’…
Why you need a custom email address for your author career
Email addresses! When was the last time you thought much about yours? Or more pertinently – when was the last time you changed yours? I suspect not for a long time. Email addresses are a bit like bank accounts – you set one up when you’re young and then stick with it for life.
Six signs it might be time to leave your literary agent
There are tons of articles out there about how to spot a shady literary agent, but they are almost all for people who are still looking for representation, and they talk about things like never paying someone to read your manuscript etc.
What’s a good open rate for my author newsletter?
Ahh open rates! For those not completely au fait with email marketing terminology, the open rate is the number of people who actually open your author newsletter. It’s not the same as the number of people on your mailing list, or the number of people who actually receive it (this is referred to as your ‘delivered’ rate).
How I deal with bad reviews
If you’re having a novel traditionally published then there’s one thing that’s certain to happen: you are going to get a bad review.
How to share your Squarespace site privately for feedback
If you’ve taken the plunge and decided to build your own author website (and if you have, then a huge pat on the back from me!), then you might want to share it with others BEFORE you actually make the site live so that the whole world can find it.
Why I prefer one-book deals
I’m probably a minority here, I know. I know because I’ve asked a lot of my friends who are authors and they’ve pretty much all said they prefer the security of a two- or maybe even three-book deal.
How to build your own author website
One of the things that upsets me a lot is when I speak to authors who feel really discouraged, frustrated and downright angry with their author website. They don’t have the budget to pay a designer but they also have no idea where to start when it comes to building a site themselves.
What's the best website platform for authors?
Whether you’re a self-published or traditionally published author, you do need an author website. As an author, if you’re trying to sell copies of your books to people outside your immediate family, then you’re basically the head of a small business, and businesses in 2023 need websites!
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 30 – what you do does actually matter
Oh my goodness, I actually feel quite emotional writing this post. I can’t believe I’ve come to the end of this blogging series!
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 29 – publishing runs on hype
The most shocking thing I think I have learnt from my five years of being published is that the industry often knows which books are going to be the next ‘big books’ far, far in advance of publication. And sometimes even before they are even bought by publishers. 😮
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 28 – your characters are unlikeable
Sometimes I think it doesn’t matter if your characters are PERFECT. If they behave impeccably. If they are flawless models of perfection. I have learnt over the past five years that no matter what they are like - good, bad or downright ugly - someone out there will absolutely hate them.
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 27 – no-one knows anything
No one knows anything… including me. So please take all my posts with a pinch of salt. I’m just sharing my experiences in the hope that they will be, if not useful, then interesting at least!
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 26 – you should write the book that's in your heart
An interesting thing happened to me after I had written two books. I decided to try to be a bit more strategic.
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 25 – goodreads and netgalley are the devil's work
Oh Goodreads! Oh Netgalley! What can I say about you that won’t get me blacklisted among the reviewing community?
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 24 – you know your book better than anyone else
I think when we’re starting out, most writers feel - understandably - that we don’t really know much about anything. We’re winging it, writing from the heart and enjoying the ride.
The ONE thing I wish I had known before I got my book deal
I know, I know, it’s a bit of a click-baity title but please bear with me! I feel like this is the thing that NO-ONE talks about EVER. And for the life of me I can’t really understand why. Because if we did talk about it more it would take the pressure off all the debut authors out there who are having meltdowns.
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 23 – I still google 'how to write a novel' every time I start
One of the benefits of being a published author is that other avenues of work open up for you. For example, many of my published friends teach creative writing, or do manuscript reports for aspiring authors.
✨ 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!
curious about my books?
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Essential Guide to SEO for Authors
17 page guide
The Debut Author’s Survival Guide
30 page ebook
Author Website Content Guide
14 page guide
Author Newsletters
- a Beginner’s Guide
30 minute video
Blogging for Authors
- a Beginner’s Guide
18 minute video