

How to write a query letter
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 well do you know your market
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...


How to work out your estimated book sales
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...


Are you doing the work to get your book placed at a publisher?
Sending off a manuscript is terrifying. It is adrenalin inducing, heart-stopping stuff for any writer. But so many writers bail or fail...


Some mistakes writers make
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....


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


Some killer opening lines from memoirs
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...


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


Here are the basic plots
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...


Just getting to Greece is a journey
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


A year after my near death experience
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
It was a mixed marriage
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





