How you and your writing can benefit from our Writer’s Retreat Are you a writer with an idea, an unfinished manuscript or even a book you’d like to tweak just to make it a little bit better? Maybe you’ve just been craving some time away from your busy schedule, or time out after the Easter holiday madness? We have the perfect opportunity for you! On the 6th – 8th May, Indie Authors World are hosting a luxurious, relaxing Creative Writer’s Retreat at the beautiful Seamill Hydro Hotel. Check out our five reasons for why YOU need to get this Retreat booked ASAP, but you better be quick, we onl ..read more

The Four Foundations (Five tips to help you write dialogue) Show don’t tell. Use the dialogue to advance the story as much as possible. Think about how people speak. When people are speaking, they will use contractions and their grammar may not always be correct. Think about accents. Accents can be difficult to recreate but can add an extra bit of realism. Appropriate language. Ensure the way your character speaks matches the back story you have created. Personal vocal ticks. Some people will use certain words or phrases regularly. If one of your characters has an expression like this it c ..read more

The Four Foundations (Five tips to help you create characters) Create character sheets. Create worksheets that details everything about your main characters. Back story. Write a short back story for your character on the worksheet and then flesh it out as you go. Physical description. A good physical description will help your readers to imagine the character. Personality. Use the back story to help create the personality of your character. Development.  Allow the character’s personality to develop over the course of the story. Every major event should see evolution. Learn more about ..read more

The Four Foundations (Five tips to help you create locations) Do your research. If you are writing about somewhere unfamiliar make sure you research it. Bring it to life. Use every sense that is appropriate to evoke the atmosphere of a place. Landmarks. Familiar landmarks can help root the story in the place and help the reader to imagine it. Little things matter. Small details can really help to add something to your descriptions, but don’t go overboard. Be accurate. If you are writing historical fiction research the sights and smells of the place and time you are writing about. Learn mo ..read more

The Four Foundations (Five tips to help you create a plot) The power of ‘What if…’. If you’re struggling for ideas to start writing or even during the writing, stop and think, ‘What if…’ Start with a bang. Make sure the first chapter is enticing to the reader. Have a plan. You don’t need to stick to it but having a plan will help prevent you from going off on a tangent. Write an elevator pitch. When you are writing it can be easy to lose track of what it is you are trying to achieve. A short description of what the book is about can help you to stay on track. Leave them wanting more. Try t ..read more

The Four Foundations and why you should be conscious of them When you are writing a novel it’s important that you find a way to engage your reader. There are four foundations that can help you to do just that. Plot Although there is a school of thought that believes that plot is not necessary if you want to sell books in any kind of number you are going to need a solid plot. The art of storytelling is almost as old as language and since the days of sitting around a campfire in animal skins, people love a good story. To help you to produce that compelling story you will need a good structure ..read more

Guest Blog – Nathaniel M. Wrey Stay Professional from Publication to Marketing Congratulations! You’ve written and published a book. It looks great, a dream fulfilled, but now you want to share it with the world, perhaps get some money back. In this blog post, I will share my experiences and how I stayed professional from publication to marketing but Prepare yourself for a bucket of cold ice. Thousands of other people are in the same boat, shouting on social media for someone to buy their book. Your voice will be lost in the cacophony. You’ll discover a burgeoning online industry promising ..read more

Be Tax Ready with Helen Monaghan You’ve finally written the book you’ve dreamed of. You’ve scraped together the funds (or perhaps you went down the Kickstarter route) and got it published. Now you’re happily making a few sales every week, but someone has just mentioned the words; HMRC, tax return, or Self-Assessment, and now you’re freaking out big time.   “Oh no! Should I have registered with HMRC?”   “Feck! Do I have to pay tax?”   “OMG! How much?”   “Eek! When does this need to be paid?”   First, take a deep breath.   This blog will tell you all you need to k ..read more

Guest Blog – Jeff Brown. The Good, The Bad, and The Possibly Ugly I am the author with no name. Oh, go on then you can call me Jeff. My book has just passed its first birthday and I feel in a melancholy mood of reflection. What went well? What went badly? And if I cross your palm with silver, can you tell me my book’s future? So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you ………. ‘The good, the bad and the possibly ugly’. THE GOOD Proper book – the £1.27 million in royalties, superstar author status and the film discussions with Danny Boyle were good. However, when I woke up my bank account was empty ..read more

Book Marketing for Authors On Friday I listened to a podcast episode about book marketing for authors and I had to share it with you as it is truly one of the best that I have heard. Here are the highlights from the show that will help you realise that marketing your book can be fun and worthwhile. About the podcast Wendy H. Jones is a successful writer, international speaker, and President of the Scottish Association of Writers. She has just released a new book for authors “Marketing Matters” and clearly knows a thing or two about marketing books.  Her podcast called The Writing and Ma ..read more