Welcome to my website!

Sign up for my newsletter

Business

Self Publishing a Book: Marketing Part 3

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 MORE

Flexible Hours and New Ways of Working

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 […]

READ MORE

Self Publishing a Book: Marketing Part 2

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 […]

READ MORE

Self Publishing a Book: Marketing Part 1

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 […]

READ MORE

Tips for Editing Your Copy: Part One

Whether 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 MORE

Tips for Writing Better Copy: Part Two

The 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 MORE

Tips for Writing Better Copy – Part One

If 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 […]

READ MORE

Sticking to the Word Count – and Cutting Words Out!

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, […]

READ MORE

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others and Just Get Writing

Start Writing! It can be daunting to be faced with a blank sheet of paper or Word document and to wonder where to begin. Writing is not the easiest thing to do; it takes time and energy to get it right. When the dreaded writer’s block strikes, you can be tempted to make negative comparisons to others, particularly if it’s […]

READ MORE

Networking for the Nervous – Part Three

Concluding the series of tips for successful networking: After the Event Let people know where you’ve been – send a Tweet which includes the organisers and a hashtag relating to the event if there was one (e.g. #Fridaynetworking). This is a good way of getting included in any follow-up conversations after the event and also connecting with other attendees. If […]

READ MORE