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It takes a lot to write a novel. Even those who haven’t tried would say, “well, duh!” to this. But it’s not so much the mind space or the sh

What is original thought in writing? And all those things you think….. those ideas you have….. Are you aware where they come from?  Are...

Feelings follow action. A story about the power of coaching. KAREN MARGINOT MAY 03, 2024 This is a guest post by KAREN MARGINOT OF SOBER...

1.   How long will this book take? 2.    Can I get on the New York Times Bestseller list? 3.    Where do I start? 4.    Why are publishers

What am I doing here? It’s an easy Sunday morning and I am sitting on a cold concrete floor with my legs stretched out in front of me and a six-kilogram black hen on the top my head. I really should not be here. I am a frazzled, but reasonably mature, hip and working mother of two small kids at age 34. And Sundays are rest and wine days. I should be at my parents’ house by the beach in Simonstown looking out over the yachts sailing. Soon I should be sitting down for a Sund

Should you pitch a traditional publisher or bite the bullet, pay and self-publish or independently publish?   This is an important question that all authors need to ask themselves. The truth is, only a fraction of books and authors will get a publishing deal with a traditional publisher (think Penguin, Little Brown, Pan MacMillan)   A traditional publishing deal means this publisher will pick up all of the costs  of producing your book,and they will pick up the costs of distr

There are two steps to this process. Step 1: Get an ISBN Step 2: Order a barcode The National Library of South Africa (NLSA) is the...

‘When you write non-fiction, you sit down at your desk with a pile of notebooks, newspaper clippings, and books and you research and put...

‘The pathos, and the gift of life, is that we cannot know which will be our defining heartbreak, or our most victorious joy.’ Alexandra...

‘I am 54 years old. Large important parts of my life receive virtually no attention in my memoir — a sentence for a traumatic love...

One of the biggest questions I hear from authors is this. Should I traditionally publish or indie publish? Since 2013 Jane Friedman has been regularly updating her informational chart about the key book publishing paths. She addresses this question in her website Publishing Trends and I have pasted the chart below. She says this: "Should I traditionally publish or indie publish?" This is an increasingly complicated question to answer because: There are now many varieties of

So you have got a book out there into the world. Massive congratulations. But getting a book published is one step, getting it to readers and getting reviews is another step and project all together. We have put together a long list of places you can list your book and submit it for reviews. It covers free and paid reviews. This is a huge step in getting some eyeballs, and hopefully sales, on your words. Here is a huge list of things you can do, and take your time and work

I just got back from the annual month-long writing residency in Greece, and I read a LOT of working manuscripts there. Many authors came...

Now that you have done all the hard work, it’s time to press play. If you want to get a publishing deal, this is where the rubber hits...

You have written your best possible version of your book, and now you may just need someone to make it better. The good news is that...

Rewriting (and rewriting and rewriting) is not only completely essential – it is the lifeblood of an author. In writing the first draft you

AUTHORS are having to adapt and adjust with reader demands. That means you have to get tighter on delivering a book that is ‘on point’...

As authors, we need to be savvier than ever about who reads our books. We have the ability to market our books directly to our readers....

Where should your story start? Few stories start at the beginning. Most stories start in the middle. All stories - whether it’s a novel,...

‘I didn't know how much marketing would be involved in actually getting my book sold.’ ‘My publisher did some PR for the first few months...