You’ve caught the eye of an agent. What now? — When I first started to send work out to agents I dreamt of the day I would finally get that email or call. And I did! It was one of the ‘dream come true’ situations where my agent hunted me down to my day job and invited me to lunch. …

Publishers not marketing? Get organised to market your novel. — When I first entered publishing I had a completely unrealistic expectation about how much marketing publishers will do. I did not know the following: Publishers rely on organic marketing some of the time — they rely on people browsing their brand Publishers will have a marketing plan and budget for…

Typos, missing words and more — You’ve sent a first draft of your first three chapters out. You’ve written a synopsis. You are constantly refreshing your email for responses from agents and publishers. In the background, there is a full manuscript lingering unedited. You might check your work as you go. You might spend hours on…

And read the synopsis that sold my book Teenage Kicks — You’re ready to submit. You’ve completed the amazing feat of finishing your novel. You read the submission criteria on the agent or publisher website. Three chapters — check. Covering letter — check. Synopsis — panic. I read a lot on the internet about how writers fear the synopsis. But it’s…

‘ … like the ramblings of a fifteen-year-old…’ — It was my birthday yesterday. I am 61. Not much writing done. But today I am sending out something I have written as well as adding to the word count of my current work in progress. Many years ago, before the internet had got the hang of public and private…

A checklist for submitting your novel — You’ve make the decision to send your finished novel out. You’ve got your short-list of agents or publishers. You know which particular contact you will send it it to. And you’ve researched what they need to see to move forward. But what do you send? Here’s a checklist: 1. A sample of your novel This will…

How to choose an agent or publisher — Sending your work out is daunting. Writing your novel or story is the creative aspect of writing. But sending your work out is the first step on the bridge to the business of publishing. There are no guarantees that an agent or publisher will take your work. So the best…

Press releases and biographies and headshots, oh my… — So when do you start to publicise your writing? When do you start to tell the world you are a writer? How do you publicise your own profile? In this world of social media it’s both easy and difficult to get noticed. But putting your writing self out there is…

Two steps to believe in yourself and your writing — I have read dozens of posts about imposter syndrome, which involves feelings of self-doubt and personal incompetence that persist despite your education, experience, and accomplishments. Some of them apply to writing and some to life in general. Most of these posts focus on your internal thoughts and feelings about yourself…