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Video Lessons on Writing

Blog Posts on Writing

Should you PUBLISH your story or TMI?

When is it a good time to share your story? And..... should you share it at all? I always encourage writer to WRITE their stories....

Say what! How many drafts of my book must I write?

I have just finished writing my 11th book in 15 years (three are my own books and the other eight I ghostwrote for clients over the last...

Do you REALLY need an author blog?

Author blog? Author brand? Do you even need one? I can answer this in one simple word. Yes. Oh yes! If you are writing any form of...

Writing a Children’s Book? You need to get clear on the categories

You want to write a book and your brain goes. …PING! ‘I will start with a children’s book’. Enid Blyton did it. Who hasn’t read...

How to get paid on Amazon in South Africa

South African authors have drawn a short straw from Amazon for years as we have been unable to link a bank account for royalty payments. ...

Cancer vs Corona? No contest for me

I want to first disqualify myself by saying I have not had Covid-19. At least not that I know of. Or not yet. But I have ‘had’ cancer. In...

What got my book sold? Self publishing my cult memoir

Kelly Alder's memoir TheFourteenth Wife is a tale of self-discovery and an insider view of a polygamous tribal 'family'. She wrote it...

Sarah's Rules of Writing Your First Draft

There is no right or wrong way to write a book, but after working with writers for over 15 years to get them published, I do have some...

What books are getting published? And read?

Book publishing is an old and complex industry. It is both timeless and on-trend. I have been contacted this week by a few publishers...

How to Write a Solid Novel Synopsis (With Example)

Writing your synopsis can be even tougher than writing your entire novel. Or it certainly feels that way. The reason is that it is often...

How to write a sellable non-fiction book proposal

You may have written (or want to write) a non-fiction book that is based on your professional expertise. Or a memoir (also a non-fiction...

Ten sexiest dirty romance novels

I make no secret of being a romance addict. I love the genre and consider myself a bit of an expert. Of course the best expert is one...

Your character needs to be his own worst enemy

A book wouldn't be very readable if everything went your hero’s way would it? Imagine a romance where the hero and romantic interest met...

Writing tricks to make your characters come alive in your novel and memoir

Readers want to live and breathe your characters in a novel. They want to walk in your shoes in a memoir. But how do you make your...

What are publishers looking for in 2021?

If you do want to get published, a good idea is to look at what are publishers are actually looking for in their 2021 booklists....

How to write a Personal story for magazines

You've experienced or done things that can interest others. These things don't have to be earth shattering -- just incidents that others...

How to set a writing goal

Do you actually have a clear goal? And if you do have a goal, then are you any closer to it? Because I don’t want you to hang about too...

Find your non-fiction book structure

Structure is the architecture of your book. It is the way you are going to organise your information in a way that is entertaining and...

4 universal rules of writing (to be published)

You all know I am a bit fan of lists and rules. So here are some of my own from years of working on books and placing books to be...

How to plan a non-fiction book

The difficult thing about planning a book is working out how to break down the information; often it feels as if there is just this great...

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