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I’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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If you’ve decided to write the story of your life (memoirs), there are a few things to consider which may be useful. How much you want to write will help you decide what to create. An autobiography is your entire life story – your childhood, family life, teenage years and so forth. Writing this could be a lot of fun, […]
Read MoreMore Tips for Editing Copy 1. For easy editing: cut out unnecessary words wherever possible. This is important when you’ve got a strict word count to stick to, but in all writing it’s good to make it as tight as possible. For instance, in the previous sentence I could remove the words “to stick to” – it would still make […]
Read MoreEditing Your Work for Better Copy 1. Think about whether you want to use British English or American English. As a general rule, it can be assumed that British writers should use British English. However, it can depend on your target audience or where the majority of your readers are based. It’s important to decide which you’ll use and stick […]
Read MoreWhether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, it’s vital that you spend time properly editing your work. Regardless of its purpose, a blog for your website needs checking as thoroughly as a manuscript to be published. Editing Your Copy 1. For a piece of text which will be published, there are two types of editing. The first is a copy edit, […]
Read MoreThe second part of the guide to writing better and making the process easier 1. Don’t rely on the in-built spell-checker when you’re writing. It’s easy to become complacent when you see those red and blue squiggles, reassuring you that typos have been picked up for you. Not so fast! Microsoft Word’s grammar checker often suggests some truly odd changes […]
Read MoreIf you’ve ever been asked to create a blog post for work and panicked because you don’t know where to start with writing, here are some tips to help you craft a piece of copy you’ll be proud to see online or in print. What You Need to Know Before You Start Know your audience: You should already know who […]
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At college and university, trying to get to the recommended word count for my essays was often a struggle, but I find for my personal writing I have no trouble in producing paragraph after paragraph of copy. Generally, this is a good thing, as there’s nothing worse than writer’s block. However, apart from the risk of repeating yourself or waffling, […]
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