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There are good and bad points to working from home. You don’t face constant interruptions from colleagues and managers, but when you’re working on something less exciting than some of your work, endless cups of tea or chores suddenly become an appealing distraction, which can really impact productivity. When I’m working on a piece of writing for someone, I tend […]
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I intended to write a guide covering various aspects of grammar, but as it can be a dry subject, it seemed easier to focus on one area at a time. I decided to start with an item of punctuation that a lot of people struggle with – the apostrophe. I have to confess, there are times when I’m not certain […]
READ MOREI know my parents read to me constantly from when I was tiny – some of our family catchphrases are lines from my favourite childhood books. My mum has a story about me “reading” out loud while sitting on the floor of a bookshop – I was making it up. I thought being a writer sounded exciting. I was fascinated […]
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If your business has been established for some time, you’ve probably got a website that you’re happy with which was set up early on. You may have used a developer to put the content together while building the site, or maybe you did it yourself. While there’s nothing wrong with this, it can be worth having your website content reviewed, […]
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Blogging Content Content Marketing
As I recently completed a 90-day blog challenge, it would be reasonable to assume that I don’t struggle for blog topics. As a writer, I can theoretically write about anything, and you’ll see that my blogs are about things that interest me as well as how-to information guides. But what if you’re tasked with creating the content for your company’s […]
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A recent article in Writers’ Forum Magazine looked at a new book about understanding readers, what writers can do to encourage them to read their work and the importance of writing for the audience. “The Reader’s Brain”, by J. Yellowlees Douglas, sets out five tips to bear in mind when writing, based on the science of reading and the “science […]
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In the final post in this series, we look at what to do in the last two weeks leading up to publishing your book, the day itself and afterwards. Book Signings In the final fortnight, see if you can arrange book signings in your local area. The best bet is an independent book seller, who chooses their own stock (including […]
READ MOREI’ve talked before about my desire to have a location-independent business and I’m actively working on this. It’s definitely easier to do this if you’re self-employed and your business isn’t customer-facing. So what does that mean for those in employment? A recent article in People Management magazine (for HR managers) looked at different working policies and practices around at the […]
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In this second article on tips for self-publishing and marketing your book, we move closer to the publication date and look at what you should be doing. You’re now well-prepared for your publication date, which is about three months away. This is the time to create a buzz and a following, so set up whichever social media accounts you think […]
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Publishing a book yourself is great, because you have control of when and how it’s released, set the price and sell it internationally without having to wait for distribution rights. However, without a traditional publishing deal it can be harder to find a readership beyond your immediate acquaintances. Here are some pointers to get you planning ahead and maximising sales […]
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