I had an interesting discussion earlier about what constitutes a romance story. Does it have to have a happy ending? And for me, the answer is unequivocally yes. Whether it’s a happily-ever-after or a happy-for-now, the couple needs to be together and enjoying life. Can they have ups and downs and tragedy along the way? […]
I’ve been working with Abigail Sins since 2015 – I do some of my covers myself, but she’s done the rest, including all the hand-drawn art for the Blackwood Security series. I’ve always liked my covers to tell the stories rather than just being stock art or the ubiquitous half-naked dude, so she draws little […]
Like it or not, readers do judge a book by its cover. You can tell the best story in the world, but unless people pick up the book in the first place, nobody will ever know. For most writers who choose the self-publishing route, the cover represents the biggest investment apart from editing, so it’s […]
A side effect of publishing books means I’ve also had to learn a bit about graphic design. Although I have help with many of my covers from the wonderful Abigail Sins, that still leaves me to work on the marketing materials myself, and I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with Photoshop over the past couple of […]
I’m having one of those “why?” days… Here are a few things I didn’t know before I started publishing my books. – The book in your hands represents months of work. Months. No self-respecting author simply writes the book then hits publish. They write. They rewrite. An editor rips their carefully constructed words apart. They […]
Like with wine and fashion, everybody likes something different (for info, I prefer rosé and yoga pants). I’ve found software that works for me, and thought I’d put together a quick summary of the twelve apps/programs I swear by and a few tricks I’ve found for getting the best out of them. I get nothing […]
Start a blog… That’s what every “How to sell your book” guide tells new writers. You know the ones? They promise fame and success if you follow their instructions, and make it all sound so easy. Just do X, Y and Z, and instant riches will follow. Well, they don’t. Turns out the whole book […]