Book Editor and Writing Coach

August 5, 2024

Engage the World in Your Book Creation to Engage an Audience

In the 1990s I went to see a band called TISM. This is Serious Mum is an anonymous, energetic rock band which riffs on social themes and is quite ‘out there’. Now what has this got to do with book creation and engaging an audience, you might ask? (Engagement is key to creating a buzz pre-launch and post-launch.) Three things: Suburban and urban themes, real hypocrisy Energy Novel ideas – no idea is too out there Bring the energy to your Category of One Now let’s bring that kind of vibe to these thoughts on trend waves and involving the world in your book creation. This is a radically different thing than writing a book you like and putting it up on Amazon KDP to hope for sales… la, la, la. You need to write in a category of one.…

November 18, 2024

Selling eBooks and Media

The Benefits of Organic Traffic for Authors

You may have heard of doing work to ensure better ‘organic’ traffic on Google, i.e. natural, unpaid traffic. There are certainly many benefits for book authors to capitalise on SEO for their book or author website. (Though this article is not about search engine optimisation). People will generally find your website through a combination of their remembering your author name and/or book title. An especially rare keyword might also work. Google isn’t the only source of free visitors; there is also Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. However, these folk mostly won’t click through to your website to find out more. Happy as a clam on FB or Instagram, they often don’t move from that spot. Whereas, with a Google search, many will click on the top three ‘organic’ spots… unless there is the answer right on the search results page.…

January 1, 2025

Book Design

3 Book Creation Apps to Bring Your Writing Dream to Life

Dear Googlers, I know you’re prone to expecting a magical tool that whips up your book merely from thinking the thought “this is my idea for a book”. So let’s adjust expectations. There are a few software book creation apps but, like a Ferrari, they require a fairly good driver. Unlike a Ferrari, a couple are free, so we’ll start with those. 1. Reedsy Editor Online Tool The top online book creation tool for hobbyist self publishing authors is Reedsy Editor. I wrote a review on Reedsy already, which goes into the pros (easy to use, free) and cons (unable to control table of contents look) I found. 2. Blurb BookWright Personal opinion only, but Blurb’s app has wasted many of my hours. Blurb’s BookWright tool takes a bit of time and RAM. Close other applications. My patience did wear…

May 14, 2025

Book Writing

How Do I Write a Book? Your Book Writing Helper

This question underlies everything I do when creating books: how do I write a book that resonates with my market? Always think about a potential market first. Also, consider the barriers and pitfalls that may stop you. (To help you, this 1,800 word guide is written by me, Jennifer, an author, book coach and editor). Table of Contents for this Book Writing Guide How long should it take to write a book? How to come up with a good topic for a book? How to write a book when you have Dyslexia or ADHD How long should I spend editing before hiring an editor? What editing step comes after Structure? Proofreading How to write a book with help More info about the Book Creation course What not to do when writing a book The first thing is not to…

May 3, 2024

Book Writing

AI and Systems to Improve Our Writing Habits

Sometimes we need a little help to make a new habit. When writing a book, the practice of “writing and researching” needs to become habitual. That’s why reminder apps are so useful. On Google Workspace Marketplace, you’ll find “Intelligent Apps”. When I saw them all, and this Calendar AI assistant, I was “mind blown”. Of Reclaim.AI, one user said, “Overall I think a lot of people dread the idea of mapping out their goals, passions and more menial time obligations, and what Reclaim can offer is the ability to take the guess-work out of when to DECIDE to do something.” To write a whole book, you need to keep reminding yourself for about the first four weeks to keep up the writing. Using Google Calendar and time blocking (or Reclaim), you can remind yourself to write at a particular time.…

fixing pricing at Australian book retailers

January 7, 2025

Self-Publishing, Selling eBooks and Media

Fixing Errant Prices at Australian Book Retailers

You might be facing similar self-publishing book pricing problems. In 2018 I had issues with proper listing and pricing at Australian book retailers, such as Booktopia. Since then I have learnt more about the secrets of Print on Demand (with IngramSpark). Things I will be writing about in an upcoming Pitfalls of Publishing book! Feeds are not distribution. IngramSpark promising Australian micro/indie publishers that they can get their book listing out to 39,000 retailers/libraries is misleading. As a proud author-publisher, I do NOT expect that online book retail partners like Booktopia and The Nile to not list POD books, or list them at over-inflated prices! Actually, The Nile still stocks NONE of my books as partners of Ingram. Retail Prices As an experienced user of Print on Demand, I list my titles prices with consistency. To encourage sales, I set a…