Get your writing year off to a flying start with this masterclass packed full of advice and inspiration from the
Get your writing year off to a flying start with this masterclass packed full of advice and inspiration from the
How many words in a novel? Here are the average word counts and page numbers by genre – so that you know what to aim for!
From clearer thinking to the confidence that comes with mastering a skill to processing difficult life events – not to mention the sheer pleasure of creativity – here are some of the ways writing can give your mental health a boost.
You need to market your book. But what if you really, really, don’t like marketing? You became a writer to write, after all – not to sell. Here are some ways to approach marketing if you really don’t like marketing.
If you want to get traditionally published, you need to submit a compelling book proposal to agents or publishers. This masterclass with Scott Pack will maximize your chances of success.
The London Book Fair is back! And so am I. Here are my top takeaways for authors.
Nicola May is a self-publishing sensation, and the author of a dozen romantic comedies. In 2019 she hit the #1 Kindle bestseller spot in the UK with The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay. Now she’s signed a three-book deal with Hodder. Jon Reed asked her why.
Social media has been key to Emily Benet’s success as a writer. Her first book, Shop Girl Diaries, started life as a blog; her second, The Temp, as a serialised novel posted online; and her latest, #PleaseRetweet, is a comedy about social media obsession. Social media is a wonderful tool for writers – but it has pitfalls too. The key is to use it, and not let it use you, as she reveals in her top pros and cons of social media for writers.
Read More
Looking to self-publish but tight on funds? Want to build a fanbase before you’ve even released a book? Or, perhaps you want to fund a special project like a graphic novel or audiobook? If that’s you, then crowdfunding might just be your new best friend. Indie bestseller and self-publishing expert Ben Galley shares his top tips in this handy Q&A.
Read More
Issue 7 of Publishing Talk Magazine has a self-publishing theme. Learn how to design your own book cover, self-publish successfully, market your books, get started on social media, develop a content strategy and much more.
Read MoreLauren Child speaks exclusively to Lucy Coats at the Bologna Book Fair about One Thing, her first Charlie and Lola book for five years – and why she hopes to do for numbers what she’s already done for language and literacy.
Read MoreLucy Coats, Contributing Editor to the Children’s Publishing issue of Publishing Talk Magazine, reports back from this year’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair with details of new and forthcoming titles – and catches up with Children’s Laureate and Publishing Talk cover girl Malorie Blackman.
Read More
Steven Lenton, illustrator of children’s bestseller Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam, and author/illustrator of Princess Daisy and the Dragon, shares with us his top seven secrets for success as a children’s book illustrator.
Read More
Some people enjoy writing for the sake of it, while others want to develop and improve. If you fall into the latter category then read this. A creative writing lecturer and published author with a new novel The Dark Light out in July 2015, Julia Bell is one of the UK’s foremost authorities on creative writing. Here, she shares with us the top ten pieces of advice she gives her students at the start of each year.
Read MoreDanuta Kean looks at the fastest-selling paperback of all time – the publishing phenomenon that is Fifty Shades of Grey – and asks: “Why?”
Read More
As a writer, active member and chair of the London Writers’ Cafe – one of the largest writing groups in the UK – Lisa Goll knows a thing or two about how to get the most from participating in a writing community. Here she shares her top tips on finding the group that’s right for you, what to expect on joining and how to survive the writing velociraptors.
Read More
Serialized novels were popularised by Victorian novelists such as Charles Dickens. Today, free online tools enable anyone to do it – and reach an audience. But would you do it for free? What if it lead to a million hits and a two-book deal with HarperCollins? Emily Benet tells us how she used Wattpad as a launchpad, and shares her top tips for success.
Read More
Whether you’re interested in writing drama or comedy, plays or sketches, BBC Radio 4 commissions hundreds of hours of original material every year – far more than BBC TV – and is always on the look out for new writing talent. BBC Radio 4 commissioner Caroline Raphael offers her top tips for aspiring radio writers.
Read More
Twitter: Huge distraction? Waste of time? Like shouting into an empty field? That’s what Saul Wordsworth used to think. But now his Twitter comedy character Alan Stoob has become a bestselling book, and may become a Hollywood movie. He reveals how he did it – and how you can create your own Twitter character.
Read More
