Last week I was asked to go along to the Edinburgh City of Literature monthly salon to say a few words about blogging. I was expecting people to be interested in the mechanics of how to blog, and had even started writing a post with some tips – but the question that came up most was whether people should be doing it at all.
Continue reading “Should I Start A Blog?”
Last week I was discussing possible favours for my sister’s forthcoming wedding. This conversation took place, as 98% of 21st Century wedding related conversations surely do*, via Pinterest – and whilst we were there, Pinterest took the opportunity to point me in the direction of stuff it thought I might like.
Continue reading “We need to talk about algorithms”
Last week there was a piece in the Guardian by Richard Lea called The Bad Side of Goodreads’ Reading Challenge. I clicked because I’ve actually signed up to said challenge. For the most part, I disagreed with the piece – and I’ll tell you for why.
Continue reading “Why I’m Taking The Goodreads’ Reading Challenge”
People often ask me, ‘hey Ali! Whaddya do when you’re not writing books, blogging about writing books or blogging about books written by other people?’
Continue reading “How To Sell An eBook”
Or, how to be paranoid about marketing your eBook before you have even begun.
Homespun Threads (A Patchwork of Fairytales) has now been available to buy on the internets for a week (at Smashwords or Amazon). I’ve read a fair amount of advice on how to market it, all of which requires a lot of time and effort which I am applying in fits and starts – that’s what happens when you have a day job, alas. Here are some of the main bits of advice that have come up:
Continue reading “Self Publishing For Beginners”
As of today I am off gallivanting around mainland Europe with an interrail card and a bindle full of euros, which means I’m leaving the blog in the very capable hands of a selection of interviewees and guest posters until the end of May. First up, professional writer and researcher Lucy Redland explains the case for getting yourself a Literary Agent.
Continue reading “Literary Agents – Always The Right Option?”
Kohl Publishing is a new independent Scottish publisher set up by Lesley Dickson and Leila Cruikshank earlier this year. I chatted to them about chick lit, why they decided to go it alone, and the inescapable topic of the digital revolution…
Continue reading “Interview: Kohl Publishing”
There’s a lot of hype around self publishing at the moment, related at least in part to John Locke (an American author, not to be confused with the father of liberalism or the bald sociopath in Lost) becoming the first self-published author to sell a million e-books for the Kindle. He’s put 9 titles out, the latest of which is How I Sold 1 million e-books in 5 months. A cynical man, then…
If the internet is any judge, people have mixed feelings on self publishing. This is because there’s a perception of it as a vanity project, as you’ve probably heard. I’m not sure who specifically thinks that, but I’ve read several blog posts assuring me most people do, and explaining why they are wrong. What a bold premise…
Continue reading “Not Another Article on Self Publishing (it is, though)”
