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welcome…
…to all my secrets on life as a published author
(I’m 7 traditionally published books in and I’ve learnt some stuff 😉)
I blog weekly about author websites, newsletters and life as a writer…
New posts published every Monday 😊
Want to learn more about me and my own publishing journey first?
(includes info on how I landed one of those mythical six-figure book deals!)
Read all about my own journey to publication →
Or scroll down to read all my other posts!
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2023 Squarespace navigation updates
Hello! Another short but sweet post today to let you know that Squarespace has been making some major changes to the back-end navigation, which might mean things look a little different when you log in to update your author website.
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 10 – the best marketing you can do for your book is write a new one
I believe it was novelist Tracy Buchanan who first told me that the best marketing you can do for your book is to write another one. It really opened my eyes and made me reconsider the hours I spent on social media, desperately trying to break through the noise and drum up some kind of interest in my book.
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 9 – publication day is nuts
It’s been five years since my debut novel came out, and I honestly couldn’t remember what I did on the actual day. It’s a whirlwind, a total blur. And so I just went and looked on my phone memories and realised that on my publication day my then three-year-old daughter, my partner and I planted a tree that he had bought me as a celebration present.
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 8 – First drafts get harder - but editing gets easier
I thought it might be a good idea to get a bit more technical in today’s post and talk about something to do with the actual writing for a change.
So here’s a revelation I didn’t expect when I started on my one-book-per-year journey: THE FIRST DRAFT GETS HARDER.
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 7 – being on submission never gets any easier
You may have been on submission to publishers yourself, in which case I’d suggest skipping this post unless you want to be reminded of the absolute pain and agony of that hideous process.
If not, then stay tuned…
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 6 – the writing is the best bit
Following on from my previous post about how writing ruins reading, I thought it might be time for a more positive realisation, before I put any readers here off writing for good.
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 5 – writing ruins reading
I am having a lot of fun writing this series of things I have learnt since being published. It’s like all the Thoughts and Feelings I’ve been harbouring over the past five years are finally able to spill out of me.
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 4 – editors are overworked
OK so hands up who thought that editors sat around reading books all day and occasionally marking up manuscripts with a red pen?
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 3 – A loyal agent is better than a hotshot agent
With each day that I blog, I’m getting increasingly nervous that I’m going to get cancelled but hey, these are my truths and my lived experiences and this is my blog and so I’m GOING TO BLOW THIS SHIT UP! Ahem, share.
How to overcome tech phobia and build your own author website
This post is one that’s very close to my heart. I speak to SO many authors who say ‘I hate technology’ or ‘I just find it all so confusing’ or ‘I have no idea who to build a website - I’m a writer!’ and I’d just like to begin this post by saying that I totally get it.
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 2 – The size of your advance matters
The one thing we all dream of as an aspiring author is the day our agent calls us to tell us that we’ve received an offer from a publisher.
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 1 – the author community is incredible
Welcome to my new blogging series! I’ve been thinking for a while about a way I could celebrate my FIVE YEAR anniversary of being a published author, and I figured what might be useful/interesting would be to share 30 things I’ve learnt throughout September - one per day.
How to manage images on your Squarespace author website
The images you use on your author website are probably more important than the words (sorry but it’s true!) which is why I’m very excited that earlier this year Squarespace finally introduced a better way of organising them!
3 things to do straight after getting a book deal
There are so many articles on the internet telling you how to get a book deal – some helpful, some bizarre, some basic. But what I found when I got my first book deal was that there wasn’t much information on what to do after you got your book deal…
How to add social media links to your Squarespace author website
A short but sweet post this week! But I’m often surprised by how many author websites don’t have obvious links to the author’s social media pages embedded somewhere on them.
5 tips for surviving your book’s publication week
Apologies for the slightly negative angle on the title for this post! But as a seasoned published author, I feel duty bound to explain to any debuts out there that they are not alone in finding publication week a little bit, well, tough.
Must-have pages for your Squarespace author website
So you’ve decided to get your author website sorted! Congratulations. I truly believe that having a strong, beautiful website to showcase your writing career is important not only for your readers, but also for your own mindset. It shows that you are taking your writing seriously.
How to add an Events calendar to your Squarespace author website
The Events functionality is one of Squarespace’s oldest features, and while it’s not hugely intuitive to use, it can be a really neat way to list all your upcoming events so that readers can easily and quickly find out where you will be appearing.
How not to be a dick when you get a book deal 😉
Apologies for the slightly tongue-in-cheek title for this post, but it was one of those ideas that just popped into my head randomly when I was walking home the other day and I thought – yes! I have a LOT to say on that subject!
Top tips for taking your own author headshot
I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a good author headshot! So many authors I work with absolutely hate having their photos taken but you will need a decent picture of yourself to use on your author website, social media platforms and probably on your book jacket too.
✨ 30 things I’ve learnt from 5 years being published ✨
September 6 2023 marked 5 years since my first book was released 😲
To celebrate, I shared a new post about what I’ve learnt from being published EVERY DAY throughout the month.
Enjoy!
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Essential Guide to SEO for Authors
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Author Website Content Guide
14 page guide
Author Newsletters
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