How to self publish. (Creating a publishing checklist. Part Two.) In a previous blog, we covered the publishing steps taken up to formatting. In today’s blog I will talk a little about the steps after that and what happens up to publishing and beyond. Decide on a price With paperbacks this is partly dictated by … More How to self publish. (Creating a publishing checklist. Part Two.)
I am often asked about how I self-publish. In this blog I give some advice on how to self-publish and what goes into a self-publishing checklist. … More How to self publish. (Creating a publishing checklist.)
The final edit. (How long does it take to write a novel Part 6) It was way back in June when I last did one of these blogs on how long it was taking me to write my fourth novel, Troll Life. At that stage I was up to 271 hours (40 planning, 80 writing … More The final edit. (How long does it take to write a novel Part 6)
Should you edit already published work? As a writer, or even an artist, a filmmaker or any other creative type, there is a temptation to look at your previous work and wish you could have done it slightly differently. The general rule is that you should keep moving forward and not dwell on the past. … More Should you edit already published work?
On Tuesday, almost two years on since I released Idle Threats, I launched my third novel, Life In The Balance. More accurately, I released it over a week ago but chose not to tell anybody. This may appear to be counterintuitive. Why wasn’t I shouting it from the rooftops? The answer is simple, I wanted … More Softly, softly. (The cautious approach to book launches.)
We’ve discussed the disasters I’ve had and the improvements I made to my book covers but now I’ve decided to change again. ‘Why?’ you may ask. There are a number of reasons, some that I outlined in my previous blog but the driving force was that I wanted a consistent theme across all my book … More Judge a book by its cover. (Part three). The rebrand.
In my previous blog I discussed some of the awful mistakes I made with book covers in the early days so it is no surprise that when I came to publish my second novel, Idle Threats, I decided that I needed some help. The dilemma that every self-publisher will face is knowing when and where … More Judge a book by its cover. (Part two) Making improvements.
Those of you who have followed my writing career or have read my earlier self-publishing blogs will know that I have a love hate relationship with book covers. Being a self-published author means that you have to be responsible for every aspect of your book’s publication and it’s fair to say that designing book covers … More Judge a book by its cover. (Part one) Making mistakes.
In my last blog I tried to explain a little bit about what I get up to when I am being a writer. I only got as far as Wednesday in the first week so I’m going to carry on from where I left off and see where I end up. Working alone has its … More Bingo, Jazz Bands and pigeons. (What does a writer do all day? Part 2)
Very pleased to officially announce my involvement in the Sunderland Literature and Creative Writing Festival 2016. I shall be making three appearances. The first two are talks about my books and where I get my inspiration. Monday 3rd October 3-4pm National Glass Centre. Monday 17th October 2-3pm Shiney Row Library. The final appearance will be … More Sunderland Literature and Creative Writing Festival 2016
Alan Parkinson 