I’ve got a new name to call myself: I’m a hybrid author. I’ve got one book traditionally published (Last Seen in Lhasa, Random House), then The Pagoda Tree through Unbound and I’m soon launching A Baboon in the Bedroom as an indie-publishing project. The big difference...
A structural edit is the first major overhaul your manuscript will go through. Rather than going through line by line, it's about the whole shape of the narrative. An editor will send 10 - 20 pages of notes with page references to accompany the edit....
Thrilled to be able to share the first photo of the Unbound edition of The Pagoda Tree. It exists, it's real, it's gorgeous and the rich red-wine cover invites you in. I wish I could say that it's been plain sailing but despite my oh-so-jolly Facebook...
It's important! These days the metadata of any book must really work for you. Metadata means the title, subtitle, blurb, short author bio on the back of the book, key words — anything that will be used as a way for people to find you...
A couple of years ago at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival, I heard Charlotte Harper, founder of the digital press Editia, saying that as soon as she receives an author’s submission she searches for their online presence. As Editia only publish virtually, if the author can’t...
A writer asked how she could bring more emotion into a piece of memoir writing. My advice: focus on two or three key moments which you remember as turning points during your life and then slow the writing down. This works for both fiction and non-fiction stories. You...
Whatever it is you’re working on: an article or the first chapter of your book, you need to make your first lines work hard. They must hook the reader, wind them in, convince them to read on. They also need to set up your story. They...
For so long, authors have been able to hide away in their proverbial garret and write. Even 10 years ago, it was enough to write a good book and expect a publisher to do their part in selling, distributing and marketing that book. Today, you need...
'Should I send my manuscript to different publishers simultaneously?' An agent will send out the same manuscript in a multiple submission so there’s no rule that you can’t do that yourself. However, an agent will make sure that this is clear in their submission letter. Personally, I...
Every year I try to go to Kerala in south India for a break. I’ve been going for over 20 years. I like to bring my favourite writing book, The Writer's Portable Mentor by Priscilla Long. I love her no-nonsense practical style. It’s really a...