The latest issue of BBC Countryfile magazine is out with not one, but two pieces of mine!
Author: simonwhaley
Sunny Snapper
After getting an Editor’s Pick two days, I was rather surprised to find another Editor’s Pick this evening, with a photo of some sunshine on the lower flanks of Hope Bowlder Hill.
Needle’s Eye Snapper
I set off early this morning towards The Wrekin to tackle a route for Country Walking magazine. The national forecast had said that any cloud first thing this morning would soon disperse. So, it was with a little trepidation that I drove along the A49 […]
Make Poetry Pay
The latest article in my Business of Writing series in Writing Magazine. The poet Robert Graves once claimed, “There’s no money in poetry, but then there’s no poetry in money.” Generating an income from our writing can be challenging, but for poets, it can be […]
River Onny and Hopesay Hill
The September 2020 issue of Country Walking has my River Onny and Hopesay Hill route in it. This was the second route I walked after they eased lockdown restrictions (for exercising) and I hardly saw another soul all day. Which was such a shame, because […]
Don’t Mess With The IRS!
Don’t let the IRS take a third of your self-published royalties. Simon Whaley takes you step-by-step through the IRS tax interview process. No business likes giving away 30% of its income when it doesn’t have to, and that applies to your writing business too. If […]
Shower-Dodging Snapper
I’m sure it was the confused message my photo illustrated that made Rebecca pick it. Some cows are lying down, while others are standing. Then again, with a mixed message like that, it really illustrated the mixed weather. Sunshine and showers!
Writing Magazine’s Inspiration Month
To help inspire writers across the country, Writing Magazine has designated July as Inspiration Month, and has asked writers and some of its contributors to make a short video offering advice and inspiration. So here’s mine … recorded at the top of my local hill […]
Countryfile Snapper
Last night’s Countryfile programme was from Shropshire – in fact, it was from just the other side of the Long Mynd, here in Church Stretton. I’d already climbed Ragleth Hill earlier in the morning, appreciating the sunshine we hadn’t seen for a few days. Walking […]
Proposing Prose
Securing a non-fiction book contract means having a business plan. Simon Whaley reveals what to put into your next book proposal Do you have an idea for a great non-fiction book and want to secure a traditional publishing deal? Then what you need is a […]
Outstanding Oswestry
I nearly called this piece Oscillating Oswestry, such is the number of times it has moved (from one side of the Welsh Borders to the other). Although it’s most recent move came courtesy of the Ordnance Survey. To find out why, you’ll have to check […]
Sizzling Snapper Simon
It was hot, hot, hot yesterday! It’s not often the Welsh Borders gets up to 30 degrees, but we hit it yesterday (and I think today will be even hotter). But at least I got up early and climbed Ragleth Hill before it got too […]
Shropshire’s Lake District
The July 2020 issue has my Ellesmere route in it. It’s a classic route because it’s one of the best ways to see three of the largest meres in Shropshire. First, though, there’s the small matter of negotiating the 80-metre Ellesmere tunnel. (It is possible […]
The Complete Article Writer’s Box Set
It was while updating Photography for Writers, that I realised I had the perfect opportunity to create a box set, combining this book with The Complete Article Writer. Now available in eBook format (via Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, etc), The Complete Article Writer’s […]
Photography for Writers – Take Two
I can’t believe it’s been six years since Photography for Writers was first published. At the time, I wasn’t able to pursue my goal of including photographs within the book. Sadly, the publisher explained that would make the book uneconomical.
Shropshire Snapper
If I could ask the BBC WeatherWatcher service to make one minor change, it would be to show where our images had been used. You see, this morning, a friend messaged me to say they’d seen my photo on the telly last night. Puzzled, I […]
Enchanting Exmoor
This week’s issue of The People’s Friend (dated 6th June 2020) has my travel piece about Exmoor on the front cover.
Office Locations
Virginia Woolf famously called for a ‘room of her own’ in which to write. Simon Whaley chats to three wordsmiths about where they work and why. A year ago, the Royal Society for Literature released the results of a survey in which 80% of writers […]
A Pride of Barbers
This week’s issue of The People’s Friend (30th May 2020) contains my article about a fascinating organisation: The Lions Barber Collective. It was set up by barber, Tom Chapman, after the sudden death of a friend through suicide. Tom realised that a barber shop was […]
Headland Heaven
The June issue of BBC Countryfile explores Britain’s coastline, and my 3-mile walk around Dinas Head kicks off this month’s Great Days Out section. (Don’t forget – always abide by current Covid-19 lockdown guidance.) To read the article in full on the BBC Countryfile magazine […]
Come to Caldey
This week’s issue of The People’s Friend carries my travel piece about Caldey Island on its front cover.
Sultry Snapper
It’s ben rather hot here in the Welsh Borders, recently. In fact, we’ve not had much rain at all. As the cliché goes, the ground is rock hard … except it isn’t. When I strolled onto the summit ridge of Ragleth Hill today, the ground […]
Surreptitious Snapper Simon
Blink and you might have missed this one! This appeared on the weather forecast on the national BBC One o’clock news, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it wasn’t one of mine because it wasn’t credited.
A Bigger Platform
Should self-published authors go exclusively Amazon, or dip their toes into the wider world of Kobo, Apple and more? Simon Whaley explores the pros and cons. Ask any self-published author which ebook platform they sell their books on, and most will say Amazon. It’s easy […]
Scenic Shrewsbury
The latest issue of the People’s Friend has my feature about Shrewsbury in it and on the front cover.
Wordsworth and Bing
No, not a new double act between the poet and singer, but a search engine’s use of one of my photos to celebrate the anniversary of Wordsworth’s 250th birthday. Bing has used one of my photos for their search page background for today – it’s […]
You’ve Got Mail
The Business of Writing – You’ve Got Mail What makes a good author email newsletter? Two authors tell Simon Whaley how they keep in regular touch with their readers. Mailing lists. Every author should have one. Why? Because once we have our readers’ email addresses, […]
Self-Distancing Snapper Simon
It’s a troubling time at the moment, and while the Government permits us to go outside and exercise, I shall continue to do my daily walk. I was already aware of how lucky I am to live on the Welsh Borders, but the current Covid […]
You Can Bank On It
The Business of Writing – You Can Bank On It Has your writing business come of age? Simon Whaley looks at when to get a business bank account. We all remember our first time. It was 1989, I was 18, and I couldn’t believe what […]
272,222 and still counting
Well, what can I say? Each year the number just keeps getting bigger. Thank you to everyone who’s bought a copy of my first book One Hundred Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human. Lifetime sales through all outlets up until the end of […]