.png?format=1500w)
welcome…
…to all my secrets on life as a published author
(I’m 8 traditionally published books in and I’ve learnt some stuff 😉)
I blog weekly about author websites,newsletters and life as a writer…
New posts published every other Monday 😊
Want to learn more about me and my own publishing journey first?
(includes info on how I landed one of those mythical six-figure book deals!)
Read all about my own journey to publication →
Or scroll down to read all my other posts!
most popular posts
most recent posts
Project Spotlight: mariontodd.com
I’m so happy to be sharing with you my last web design project of 2023. As you’ll know if you read my previous post, I have only done a handful of website designs this year as I’ve had so many of my own writing deadlines to content with, but I absolutely loved doing this project and it’s got me very excited about 2024 and all the shiny new projects I have booked in!
2023: my work year in review
Gosh what a rollercoaster this year has been. I touched on it briefly with my post on why I hated writing full-time, but I think it’ll be useful (for me!) and perhaps interesting (for you!) to go into more depth about exactly what happened to me work-wise this year
Which retailers should I link to from my author website?
Obviously, one of the primary purposes of your author website is to make it easy for people who visit to go on and buy your book. However you’ll be surprised - or perhaps dismayed?! - how many author websites I see that don’t have ANY links to online bookshops on them at all.
5 tips for building an author website on a budget
I’ve said before many times on this blog that writing is not a lucrative career in the main, and therefore I totally understand if you’re an author and you don’t have much budget available for creating your author website.
When should I launch my author website?
This is a question I get asked quite frequently by authors who are enquiring after my services! So I thought it would be an interesting topic to explore in a blog post.
3 author websites I built in a day
I don’t get to share my Author Website in a Day projects very much - so I thought today I would do just that, and share with you three author website designs that I built in just one day.
How I deal with bad reviews
If you’re having a novel traditionally published then there’s one thing that’s certain to happen: you are going to get a bad review.
Why I prefer one-book deals
I’m probably a minority here, I know. I know because I’ve asked a lot of my friends who are authors and they’ve pretty much all said they prefer the security of a two- or maybe even three-book deal.
The ONE thing I wish I had known before I got my book deal
I know, I know, it’s a bit of a click-baity title but please bear with me! I feel like this is the thing that NO-ONE talks about EVER. And for the life of me I can’t really understand why. Because if we did talk about it more it would take the pressure off all the debut authors out there who are having meltdowns.
How to overcome tech phobia and build your own author website
This post is one that’s very close to my heart. I speak to SO many authors who say ‘I hate technology’ or ‘I just find it all so confusing’ or ‘I have no idea who to build a website - I’m a writer!’ and I’d just like to begin this post by saying that I totally get it.
3 things to do straight after getting a book deal
There are so many articles on the internet telling you how to get a book deal – some helpful, some bizarre, some basic. But what I found when I got my first book deal was that there wasn’t much information on what to do after you got your book deal…
5 tips for surviving your book’s publication week
Apologies for the slightly negative angle on the title for this post! But as a seasoned published author, I feel duty bound to explain to any debuts out there that they are not alone in finding publication week a little bit, well, tough.
How not to be a dick when you get a book deal 😉
Apologies for the slightly tongue-in-cheek title for this post, but it was one of those ideas that just popped into my head randomly when I was walking home the other day and I thought – yes! I have a LOT to say on that subject!
5 books that inspired me to become a writer
I was recently asked in an interview to talk about the top 5 books which most inspired me to become a writer and I found it such an interesting question! As authors, we are often asked if we have favourite books or favourite writers, but this was a different angle and it really got me thinking about my journey towards becoming a published author and the books that influenced my writing the most.
My publication journey (so far!)
It occurred to me recently that I’d never really shared much about my own journey to publication on here. But I think one of the reasons my lovely clients choose to work with me on their websites is because I know EXACTLY what it’s like to be a published author.
2021: my work year in review
I’m not entirely sure how to start this post! Last year, I said I hoped 2021 would be better than 2020, and we all know how that went. So I’ll skip past all that chat and move on to what I achieved this year work-wise!
Project Spotlight: gabriellabraun.co.uk
What better way to finish the year than with a little write-up of my latest website project? I’m so happy to be able to share this with you - one of the few websites I’ve done for non-fiction authors - in this case Gabriella Braun. It was really fascinating getting to learn about Gabriella’s upcoming book and find out more about her interesting career, too.
Squarespace: how to use the accordion block on your author website
Hello! I was SO excited about this new feature that I just had to write a blog post on it - Squarespace has FINALLY introduced an accordion block, which will make having drop-down / Q&A sections on your website super slick and lovely and easy (previously this could only be done with code).
Where to get help with your Squarespace author website
One of the things I love the most about Squarespace is the wealth of support there is out there on offer to people using the platform. And it’s really useful support too!
Project Spotlight: paulagreenlees.com
Oh I’m so excited to be blogging about this website! The perfect design to get us all in the mood for the summer after the long days of winter and lockdown.
✨ 30 things I’ve learnt from 5 years being published ✨
September 6 2023 marked 5 years since my first book was released 😲
To celebrate, I shared a new post about what I’ve learnt from being published EVERY DAY throughout the month.
Enjoy!
curious about my books?
click the covers to find out more
pssst! before you go…
Sign up to my newsletter to get access to my studio resource library and all my FREE guides exclusively for authors!
Look at all the great stuff you’ll get…
Essential Guide to SEO for Authors
17 page guide
The Debut Author’s Survival Guide
30 page ebook
Author Website Content Guide
14 page guide
Author Newsletters
- a Beginner’s Guide
30 minute video
Blogging for Authors
- a Beginner’s Guide
18 minute video