It’s impossible to achieve writing success without making a few (or many) mistakes in the process. Mistakes are a necessary part of improving your writing. However, many new writers will often make the same mistakes repeatedly when starting out. With that in mind, here are some common mistakes made by new (and experienced) writers. Read on to see if they apply to you!

Ask a reader why they like a story and they are likely to mention the characters. Your reader must care about your characters. If you have boring characters, it doesn’t matter how engaging your story or how eloquently written, your readers will lose interest. Characters bring your story to life. And, it’s not just your characters themselves that make the story engaging, it’s the change they undergo throughout the story. This is the character arc.

Often the key to success lies in subtracting rather than adding to your endless to-do list. Authors who achieve their goals have many qualities in common, including the things that they have given up and learnt to live without. So regardless of your definition of success, consider what habits and limiting mindsets are holding you back. Here are 7 things to let go of to reach your full potential.

One of the questions writers are asked the most is ‘where do you get your ideas from?’ Generally, this question is met with a shrug of the shoulders, a rolling of the eyes or a flippant reply. Many authors find it difficult to articulate where their ideas come from because they arrive in such a variety of ways. The truth is story ideas are all around us, we just have to be open to the possibility of them.

Many writers struggle with the middle. It’s at this point that your story is likely to wander off as you wrestle the two ends of your tale together. You may find yourself suffering from writer’s block as your characters reach a lull in the action or you’re simply unsure of what comes next. Luckily, this is a problem that has many solutions! In this article, we’ll look at what you can do to avoid a sagging middle.

We all wish we had more time in the day to write. Perhaps you’ve felt despondent by the days, weeks, or even years being swallowed up by endless obligations that don’t allow you the time you need to work on your manuscript. Given that a thirty-hour day isn’t coming anytime soon, let's look at how you can make the better use of the writing time you do have.

Many writers, whether complete beginners or seasoned authors, struggle with the question: “Should I use story structure to guide my writing?”

With story structure, you have a clear set of plot points and story beats to work towards—and for some writers, that is unacceptably restrictive. So the question becomes—how can you use story structure, without giving in to a formula?

Nailing your plot can be problematic. It sounds straight-forward. After all, it’s just the telling of your story. The difficulty, however, is telling that story in such a way that the reader is enticed by the characters and compelled to find out what happens. That’s where plot questions come in. These 5 questions will help you plan out your story so you avoid common writing pitfalls and begin writing with a clear outline.

The impact of your book title on sales cannot be underestimated. Along with your book cover and blurb, the title is a key factor in any reader purchase. An effective title should captivate your readers, drawing them into the story and giving them a glimpse of the magic that is to come. So, what to do if you need a title, but you are coming up blank? Don't worry, we've got you covered.

If you are an author then you are also a marketer. Long gone are the days when you could just upload your book to Amazon and it would sell itself. Increasingly author life is one of entrepreneurialism. You are responsible for not only writing but also the marketing of your book and balancing both is an ongoing juggling act. So before you self-combust from overwhelm at all the tasks you have ahead of you, here are our tips for mastering the balance between writing and book marketing. 

Twitter has been the social media author platform of choice for years now and despite competition from newer social media (Instagram, anyone?) Twitter’s popularity continues to increase. Twitter now has 330 million monthly active users and that number is growing by 4% annually. With so many people in the literary community on Twitter it’s a fantastic place to connect with fellow authors, agents, publishers and industry professionals. In this post we look at the top Twitter tips to increase your tweet visibility and connect with more readers than ever before.

Every day we are bombarded by a constant stream of book marketing tools, techniques and trends. Added to this is the highlight reel of social media, making us feel that everyone else is hustling so much harder and smarter than we are. It’s enough to make even the most persistent author feel like giving up. So how to succeed in book market when it feels like you are trying to eat soup with a fork? Here are our straight-forward strategies for beating book marketing overwhelm.

You’ve slaved over every word, edited mercilessly and added an eye-catching cover. You’ve posted and promoted on social media, done author interviews and grown your email list. So where are the influx of readers? Why aren’t you getting more sales for your books? It’s beyond frustrating. What can you do? Is there a way to reach more readers? Where are they?

There is a simpler, easier way. Try this exercise to reach more readers today. 

Your book content is edited and polished to perfection, your cover art is on point and all that is left is to capture your reader's interest with a concisely crafted book blurb. Your blurb is your big chance to draw your readers in with your compelling storyline, evocative characters and cleverly-written plot twists so that they feel that they must (yes, absolutely must) purchase your book. Here are some top tips (with examples) to help you write a reader-attracting blurb in no time. 

80% of readers say the book cover plays a decisive role in their decision to buy. Your book cover is the first thing readers see when browsing a collection, digitally and in print, so it's essential that it stand out. A great cover creates readership connection, builds your author brand and gives you a competitive edge in the market. Here we set out our top four tips to designing a best-selling cover and ensuring your masterpiece isn't overlooked. 

Some writers never bother with marketing. They simply go on writing and publishing. Their books are read a little here and there. They hope for more, but never put forth the effort of learning how to master their marketing. Unfortunately, marketing is a new and sometimes scary area for writers. If that sounds like you, it doesn't have to be that way. Here are five free and easy ways writers can market their book. 

You worked hard on your book, navigated the publishing maze now all that is left to do is wait while it flies out the door. Yet the days go past, the weeks, months. You begin to despair. Why isn't your book selling? This isn't how it was meant to be.