Your book needs a theme. A theme is closely aligned to your plot and often the words are used interchangably. I see them as different...

So many writers get stuck at the very start. They simply cannot get off the starting block. Either they get stuck with the very idea of...

Are there... in fact, writing and marketing tips specific to YA fiction. The elements of what makes a great story are the same across...

Have you ever wondered how literary agents make money? Or how much commission a literary agent makes on the sale of a book or novel? The...

A query letter is pasted into the body of an email. It is the first thing an agent or publisher is going to see.  You are going to send...

How many copies do you think your book will sell? A publisher wants to know what your expected sales are. But how do you work that...

In a non-fiction proposal you need to be specific. Who did you write this book for? Who is most likely to buy it, and why? ​​ When you...

In a non-fiction proposal you need to be specific. Who did you write this book for? Who is most likely to buy it, and why? ​​ When you...

Sending off a manuscript is terrifying. It is adrenalin inducing, heart-stopping stuff for any writer. But so many writers bail or fail...

Genre is a funny thing. Ask most writers what they HATE and they will tell you ‘generic fiction’. Just the word ‘generic’ will strike...

I have been coaching writers for some years now and I wanted to address some of the most common reasons queries or questions that I get....

I have been coaching writers for some years now and I wanted to address some of the most common reasons queries or questions that I get....

Here are some strong openers for memoirs that kick the reader straight into the story. Do you have a favourite one? Share it in the...

All books need to have a professional editor to take them from manuscript to finished product. First, these are the variables that...

I love this below list of plots and they do ring true. Find your own plot below: The list below is from 20 Master Plots & How to Build...

So we arrived after a mammoth 2-day journey. 8 hours in Dubai airport (never again it wasn’t terrible as we slept, but just too long). Then

So we arrived after a mammoth 2-day journey. 8 hours in Dubai airport (never again it wasn’t terrible as we slept, but just too long). Then

By Sunday I was in a coma in ICU and on a life support machine that kept me breathing. I stayed in the coma for a month

By Sunday I was in a coma in ICU and on a life support machine that kept me breathing. I stayed in the coma for a month

I had a murky idea about what family life was going to be like. I hadn’t thought about it a great deal, but I did have a few ideas: I though