Pursuing Patrons

Can writers have patrons who support their writing business? Simon Whaley chats to two writers about how they use the Patreon platform. The subscription-based platform Patreon launched twelve years ago …

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Ask The Agent – John Baker

Simon Whaley chats to John Baker of the Bell Lomax Moreton agency about the weird world of speculative fiction. John Baker is an agent passionate about science fiction, fantasy, and …

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Topping Up The Creative Well

“We’re going on a cruise on Windermere,” said Bethany. “Anybody else want to come?” I watched several of my writing group friends frown and look at each other. This was …

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Back Up Your Writing Business

It happened two weeks ago. I switched on my computer to continue working on my next novel, with a word count of over 120,000, only to find the file gone! …

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Writing Hobby or Writing Business?

Simon Whaley ponders the conundrum about when a writing hobby becomes a writing business Have you ever wondered when our writing hobby becomes a writing business? Is it when we …

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Ask The Agent – Sarah Hornsley

Simon Whaley chats to Sarah Hornsley of PFD about breaking into the historical fiction market. After graduating from Durham University with a First Class Honours in History, Sarah Hornley’s publishing …

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Know Your Rights

Copyright protects every writer, not just the professionals. Simon Whaley explains why every writer should know their rights. As soon as we commit an idea to paper or keyboard, it …

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Ask the Agent – Laura Macdougall

Simon Whaley chats to Laura Macdougall of United Agents about improving LGBTQ+ representation in publishing and what publishers are looking for. Laura Macdougall began her publishing career with Hodder & …

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Translation Transactions

Parlez-vous français? Sprechen sie Deutch? Could translating your self-published books bring in more readers and cash? Simon Whaley explores the business of translation. There are approximately 510 million English speakers …

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The Self-Publishing Guide

I’m delighted that Writing Magazine invited me to contribute to their new The Self-Publishing Guide, which is out now! It covers everything from assessing whether self-publishing is right for you, …

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