Iain Cameron's Blog, page 9

Is Your E-Reader Keeping You Awake?

E-readers have grown in popularity

With the growth of e-books over the last few years, we have seen an explosion in the variety of e-readers with Amazon alone offering 4 models in the Fire range and 3 in the Kindle range. Alongside those, there are models by Kobo, Sony and Nook. Of course this is not the only way to read ebooks as there are Ipads and other tablets, laptops and pc’s, and a friend of mine even reads on the train using his mobile phone. With the growth in size of mobile screens as we have seen with the introduction of the IPhone Six Plus and the Samsung GalaxyS6, these bigger devices are starting to resemble mini-tablets and reading a book on a phone will become increasingly more widespread.

Of the seven e-reader models offered by Amazon, only 1, the basic Kindle does not utilise backlit technology. It, and some models by Nook and Sony, utilise E-Ink technology, which effectively ‘sprays’ words onto the screen and the unit doesn’t use any battery power all the time the page is visible. The displays of all the other devices mentioned above – tablets, laptops, pc’s and mobile phones, all use some form of backlit technology.

Why is this important?

In day-to-day usage, it doesn’t make much difference how you read your eBook, although many people report their eyes tiring quicker when reading from a screen, rather than from a newspaper or paperback book. It starts to become important when these devices are being used last thing at night. Research has shown that using a backlit device before going to sleep, not only stops you falling asleep quickly, it also reduces the amount of quality REM sleep you have.

A Little Science

When trying to fall asleep, your body generates a hormone called melatonin. Researchers at Harvard University Medical School have shown that the blue wavelength light emitted by backlit devices can slow down or prevent the production of melatonin, causing people who use them late at night to experience trouble in falling asleep and making them feel more tired in the morning.

Is sleep loss important? Lead researcher on the Harvard study, Prof Charles Czeisler, says ‘sleep deficiency has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes, and cancer.’ It is also well documented that a deep, REM sleep is essential for your body to repair damaged cells and for your brain to sort out all the disparate pieces of information collected during the day into their proper places.

What should you do?

To improve your sleep quality, minimise the use of computers, tablets and mobile phones late in the evening. This is particularly true of teenage children who already have a late body clock that keeps them up at night and are difficult to get out of bed in the morning, and the use of laptops and phones before sleep only exacerbates the problem.

If you like to read before falling asleep, choose a paperback, newspaper or a basic Ereader that is not back-lit such as the Kindle, Nook Simple Touch (without the glow light) or the Sony PRS600.

Newsletter October 2015

Twitter

Yes, it’s true. I finally succumbed to what I, and many other people believe to be the ultimate time-waster; I am now on Twitter. In many ways, my initial fears have proved unfounded, as long as I stick tweeting a couple of times a day and try not to read every tweet. What it does do well is give me an excellent way of keeping in touch with many of my fellow authors and it’s an easy way for readers to drop me a line about anything they feel like. You can follow me at: https://twitter.com/IainsBooks

Fear the Silence

The new book is out there and doing well with many five star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. You may have noticed one or two reviewers mention they received an ARC (advanced reader copy) of the book. This is because the book is currently posted on NetGalley, a web site where publishers pay to have books listed and readers can download them for free in return for writing an honest review. If you read a lot of books and you don’t mind writing reviews, give it a try. My listing runs until the end of October.

Web Blog

If you haven’t visited my blog for a while, you’ve missed these:

Why an experienced climber who was there on Mount Everest when a huge storm struck in 1996 and killed 8 people, brands the new Everest movie ‘bull.’
Morrissey should stick to music (although I think he has already announced his retirement) as his new book, List of the Lost, is attracting the kind of reviews that would give most authors nightmares.
By way of contrast, the new James Bond book, Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz has been published to rave reviews and is being praised for reviving the character of Ian Fleming’s imagination.

The blog can be found at: www.iain-cameron.com/blog

In the News

The next big literary festival of the year is the Cheltenham Literary Festival, running from 2-11 October in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Sponsored by The Times/Sunday Times, it features Caitlin Moran, Jonathan Franzen, Kate Atkinson and one of my favourite authors, Robert Harris. Two musicians to look out for are Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones) talking about a diary, unseen since 1965, and Tracy Thorn (Everything But The Girl), who published an autobiography a few months back, playing the songs that inspired her. Details of the festival are available at: http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature/

Changes to the Website

Once my website developer has finished some other stuff, he will be making some changes to mine. I want to add a ‘News’ section with details of any interviews I do (like the recent one for the West Sussex County Times), copies of past newsletters, and information about what’s happening around the book world. Other changes might include a guest blog, book reviews, and author interviews. If you would like to suggest something, please drop me a line.

New Book

Work on the new book continues at a pace, (in between bouts of blog writing and Twitter reading). I don’t want to talk of a release date or a title just yet, but what I will say is Henderson starts the story by investigating a crime that his ACC believes doesn’t exist, and events from the past have a deadly bearing on the present…

That’s all for now.

Keep reading.

Iain

Any comments, issues or questions, feel free to make contact:

Email:admin@iain-cameron.com

Website: www.iain-cameron.com

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Newsletter August 2015

New Novel – Fear the Silence

My new book came out July 1, found its way up the Crime Fiction/Kidnapping chart in double-quick time and it’s been in the top five ever since.

One point made in Amazon reviews, mainly in the US who seem to be quick readers, the book is not a traditional whodunit. In its defence, the book reflects police life, as many crimes are not solved by brilliant deduction or an inspired idea, but by dogged determination and a slice of good luck.

As I said in my last newsletter, it was loosely based on a real criminal case where the police were focussing on the husband, but found the real perpetrator after receiving a tip-off from a member of the public.

Web Site

Over the last few months my web site has been inundated with over a thousand comments. No, not from readers praising my books to the high heavens or criticising me for killing off their favourite murderer, but comments about acne cream, Nike trainers and Dorito vouchers. You guessed it; spam. My web administrator is doing his best to stop it but if you have posted a genuine comment and it hasn’t appeared on the website, I’m sorry but I’ve probably deleted it. Send me an email and I’ll have it reinstated.

Literary Festivals

The picture above was taken at the entrance to the Theakstone’s Crime Festival in Harrogate. It’s not the biggest literary festival in the UK as Hay and Cheltenham are bigger, but Harrogate is one of the few that only concentrates on crime books. Many well-known names were in attendance including Lee Child, Peter James and Peter May. First-time author Sarah Hilary won the crime novel of the year with Someone Else’s Skin, despite some strong opposition from more established authors.

Bookbub

I mentioned this in the blog on my website but it’s worth having another go. If you like reading and have an eye for a bargain, Bookbub is for you. Sign up on their web site, www.bookbub.com, key in your preferences and they will send out regular emails about the bargain books available from Amazon, the Apple Store and a few other places. Some publishers use Bookbub to start promotions so you will often see well-known novels heavily discounted.

Foreign Shores

One of the joys of writing books is finding out that they are being enjoyed in other countries. From day one and with no promotion from me, my books have sold well in the US, Australia and Canada. Now, thanks to the free giveaway of One Last Lesson a few weeks back, I have racked up sales in Germany, France and strange as it may seem for a quintessential British novel, Japan.

New Novel

Fear not, work has already started on the next DI Henderson instalment. At the moment, I’m concentrating on research but suffice to say it was inspired by an Ian Rankin television programme a year or so ago when he talked about the perfect crime. I got so wrapped up in the idea that I thought of more than one.

That’s all for now.

Thanks for reading.

Iain

Any comments, issues or questions, feel free to make contact:

Email: admin@iain-cameron.com

Website: www.iain-cameron.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Iain-Cameron/635962733162750

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To unsubscribe just sent me an email with ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject box

Newsletter June 2015

New Novel – Fear the Silence

My new book, and for anybody counting, it’s my third, is nearly finished and will be called Fear the Silence. It will be available as a Kindle download and as a paperback from July 1.

A woman goes missing and DI Henderson is assigned the case not because he wants it or is skilled at dealing with missing women, but because it’s high profile as Kelly Langton is a former model and despite her age, still the celebrity.

Her husband falls under suspicion and is arrested but Henderson has his doubts and starts looking elsewhere for the perpetrator. This brings him face-to-face with a man who is cold, evil, and doesn’t care who he kills, and little does Henderson know; he is next on his list.

The inspiration for the story is derived from a real criminal case several years ago when a man was arrested for his wife’s murder after it came to light the couple were involved in a violent argument the night before she disappeared. Unbeknown to the husband, she was seeing a secret lover and her mysterious departure the next day was to meet him, the man subsequently convicted of her murder.

Books on the Radio

If you would like to know more about authors and the books you read, there are numerous book programmes available on the radio. Many can be listened again on BBC iPlayer or downloaded as a podcast to listen at your leisure. Here is a selection of the most popular.

BBC Radio 4

Book of The Week – 09:45 weekdays

Serialised book readings of nonfiction works – biography, travel, diaries, essays, humour and history – from Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming to Shop Girl by Mary Portas.

Book at Bedtime – 22:45 weekdays

Something to spark your imagination but not too much if you want a good night’s sleep.

Open Book – 15:30 Thursday & 16:00 Sunday

Mariella Frostrup (who used to present a book programme on the Sky Arts television channel) discusses fiction and non-fiction in interviews with publishers and authors.

Bookclub – off air until autumn

Jim Naughtie talks to an author about one of their best-known novels in front of a studio audience. The audience can ask questions and often the best are on topics the author hasn’t considered.

A Good Read – off air until autumn

Two celebrity guests are invited by Harriet Gilbert to bring along a book of their choice. It’s not the love-in you might expect as guests often take a deep dislike to the book choices.

Saturday Review – 19:15 Saturday

A studio discussion about books or films with guests and chaired by Tom Sutcliffe.

Front Row – 21:15 weekdays

A general arts show but often with a variety of book-related issues.

BBC Radio 2

Simon Mayo Drivetime – 17:05 Friday Book Club

A discussion about a new book with Simon Mayo, his colleagues in the studio and the author.

BBC World Service

World Book Club – 14:05 Saturday GMT monthly

Harriet Gilbert invites acclaimed authors from all over the world to discuss their best- known works.

Literary Festivals

The season of literary festivals is now in full swing. Hay as usual, has created a number of headlines of its own, such as: libraries will outlast the internet (see my blog for more information), parents can be too nice to their children, and the music industry can’t keep up with the demand for vinyl. Sponsored by the Daily Telegraph, the website and newspaper carry updates before, during and often after the festival is finished, and many of the stories can still be still read in their web archive.

I will be heading up to Harrogate in July to the Theakstone’s Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival (a bit of a mouthful), and unlike many others, it concentrates only on crime writing.

Amazon Reviews

Reviews on Amazon continue to amuse like the one who said she was very pleased with the watch and gave my book five stars. Yes, I know, I shouldn’t laugh, it’s easy to mistake a book for a watch. A while back Peter James did a charity video with various authors recalling their worst one-star reviews. Well, if he ever calls me for my contribution I’ll be ready because someone gave me a one -star review for One Last Lesson and then admitted they didn’t read the book.

That’s it for now, good people. Any comments, issues or questions, feel free to make contact:

Email: admin@iain-cameron.com

Website: www.iain-cameron.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Iain-Cameron/635962733162750

Keep checking the blog, I try and update it once a week. On a technical note, websites, blogs etc. are indexed by Google, which in short means words contained in a blog can often be used as search terms, evidenced by the fact that someone came onto my website after keying into Google, ‘Hay Festival Alan Cumming.’

Thanks for reading. Iain

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Be assured that by subscribing to this newsletter, you will never be sent junk mail or have your email address deliberately passed on to someone else

To unsubscribe just sent me an email with ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject box

Newsletter February 2015

New Book

The next book, to be called Fear the Silence, has just received a second edit and is now being proof read. When a woman goes missing, her large and intimidating husband falls under suspicion, but could there be another explanation, and something that’s bothering Henderson, more missing women? You might notice a couple of changes from previous Angus Henderson books in that the DI has a new boss in Lisa Edwards, and DS Carol Walters has a new car. To find out what’s so significant about the car, you’ll need to read the book. Available Summer 2015.

Over the last few months, in between writing and editing Fear of Silence, I have been busy updating the blog on my website. Interesting stories that you might have missed include:

Stieg Larsson’s new book: Stieg is no longer with us but that hasn’t stopped the Larsson family, not including Stieg’s long-term girlfriend of over 30 years, from commissioning David Lagercrantz to write book number 4.
Books to get men reading: A survey for World Book Day found that men think they don’t read enough, probably because they’re too busy doing household chores, and this list is full of books designed to get them back into it.
Rachel Abbott announcement: The author of Sleep Tight and Stanger Child has just announced that the combined sales of her last four books has just topped a million copies. This is an incredible achievement for any author backed by a huge publishing house, but what’s more remarkable, Rachel is self-published.
Clean Reader app: A new app has been developed to remove profanity from eBooks. I can see two main uses for it: helping kids to read books older than their years, and as a stick for the far right to beat foul-mouthed authors over the head.

Check the website regularly to read the latest blogs and you’re welcome to leave a comment, I’m always happy to read them.

This Town Ain’t Big Enough…A reviewer on the Amazon web site accused me (tongue in cheek, I think) of plagiarism, for setting my DI Henderson novels in Brighton. The town, she said, is already policed by a lesser known cop (now I’m being tongue in cheek), called DS Roy Grace. I find this comment a little odd as many towns in the UK have multiple fictional detectives: Glasgow has Taggart (Glenn Chandler) and Superintendent Lorimar (Alex Gray); Bristol, DI Jack Caffery (Mo Hayder) and DI Ray Stevens (Clare Mackintosh); and Mark Peterson, Peter Gutteridge and Paul Grzegorzek, all set their crime novels in Brighton. In any case, DI Henderson is a Sussex cop and more often involved in a scene with a rural backdrop than on the hard pavements of Brighton and Hove.

What’s in a Name?

I haven’t yet read the new novel by Atticus Lish about alienated lovers in New York, called Preparation for the Next Life, but I do think he’s got a terrific name. It’s not made up, as apparently he’s the son of literary lecture and editor, Gordon Lish, but it should have every author with a dull name reaching for a book of nom de plumes.

Pre-Orders

A couple of months back, Amazon was in dispute with a large international publishing house over pre-orders, the ability to publish details of a book or DVD, many weeks before the item becomes available. They do this in the hope that it will notch up many pre-sales and on the day of publication, rocket to the top of the sales charts. It’s very much in vogue in the book business at the moment, as new novels by Angela Marsons, Damien Boyd, and the latest ‘publishing sensation’, a Domestic Noir novel by Renee Knight, billed as the UK’s answer to Gone Girl, are all being sold this way. You never know, I might give it a try.

That’s all for now, folks! Any issues, questions, jokes or comments, feel free to contact me: Email: admin@iain-cameron.com

Website: www.iain-cameron.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Iain-Cameron/635962733162750

Thanks for reading. Iain

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Be assured that by subscribing to this newsletter, you will never be sent junk mail or have your email address deliberately passed on to someone else

To unsubscribe just sent me an email with ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject box

Newsletter November 2014

Hi everyone and welcome to my newsletter.

One Last Lesson

The progress of One Last Lesson continues to surprise me. I thought I’d have to wait until my third or fourth book before I caught sight of the Amazon sales charts but here we are, not three months in and it’s up there and hovering around 20th position in Police Procedurals and the same again in Thrillers/Crime. A big thank you goes out to all who took a gamble on this new writer.

The New Book

The next one out of the trap and available on Amazon mid-November is called Driving into Darkness. DI Henderson is trying to catch a gang of car thieves that are smashing down doors with sledgehammers and stealing up-market cars. Their methods are becoming increasingly violent and inevitably, someone is killed. Henderson is under intense pressure to get a result but the more he digs, the more he realises he is driving down the wrong road.

Reading Recommendations

If you are on the look out for a good read, here are some books that I’ve been reading lately:

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

A thumping big book of 700 odd pages (Kindle format) which takes the reader on a journey through many countries and into the mind and methods of a clever and ruthless spy. Well written, exciting and entirely credible.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

A tense and dark, two-person thriller with a surprise ending that will catch many readers out. Now a new film staring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike but with a different ending.

Derailed by James Siegel

This is a violent and edgy thriller with a great plot, written in a succinct, no-nonsense style. It was made into a film staring Clive Owen and Jennifer Anniston and having seen the movie and read the book; the book is better.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Not so popular in the UK but a huge hit in the US. It’s not the most exciting premise as nothing much happens when a woman attempts to walk the 1100-mile Pacific Crest Trail, trying to come to terms with her life after her mother dies of cancer but a very enjoyable read nevertheless.

Literary Festivals

There are over 350 literary festivals in the UK every year, just as many as there are pop festivals but a different sort of food for the brain. Here’s my pick of 2015 festivals and a place where you might bump into me if you’re there.

Hay Festival, Hay-On Wye, Wales, 21 May – 31 May 2015. www.hayfestival.com

During the day, a rich mix of author interviews, lectures and discussions and in the evening, performances by several well-known artists and bands.

Theakstone’s Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate, 16-19 July 2015. www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/crime/

As the name suggests, a celebration of crime writing in its many forms: books, television and the international perspective. All the big names in crime writing have appeared there over the years and it’s the place where the prestigious Theakstone’s Crime Novel of the Year is awarded.

Bloody Scotland, Stirling, September 18 – 21 September 2015 (likely). www.bloodyscotland.com

Scotland has a rich seam of crime writers from Rebus in the east to Taggart in the west, not to mention DS McRae in that cold, windswept outpost they call Aberdeen. A relatively new festival but it’s rapidly gaining momentum.

Other Stuff

Authors don’t spend all their time writing, even if it often feels that way. We do check our emails and look to see what’s bothering other folks on social media. Feel free to contact me by email at admin@iain-cameron.com where I will be happy to hear your comments, praises and moans about too much swearing, sex and violence in my books (or not enough) or to unsubscribe to this newsletter if it’s not to your liking.

Alternatively, I can also be contacted on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Iain-Cameron/635962733162750

Enjoy reading,

Iain

Author Blasts ‘Everest’ Movie

Jon Krakauer in an interview with the LA Times has criticised the makers of Everest, the new movie starring Jake Gyllenhall and Josh Brolin, calling it ‘bull.’ He is the author of Into Thin Air about the very incident on which Everest is based. He says the producers never talked to him nor is he portrayed accurately in the film. 8 people died on the world’s highest mountain in 1996 when the summit was hit by a ferocious storm. In the movie, Krakauer, played by Michael Kelly is approached by a guide and asked to help with rescue efforts, but he refuses due to snow-blindness. He says the incident never happened. Is this another case of the facts getting in the way of a good story or were the producers and director negligent in not talking to Krakauer?

Worst Book Review Ever?

Never has a new book attracted such criticism and a collective outpouring of bile as the former lead singer of the Smiths,  Morrissey’s first foray into fiction. List of the Lost tells the story of of a 1970’s relay running team who accidentally kill someone, a man who turns out to be a demon and comes back to kill the relay team one by one.

Michael Hann in Guardian said: ‘Do not read this book; do not sully yourself with it, no matter how temptingly brief it seems. All those who shepherded it to print should hang their heads in shame.’

Charlotte Runcie in the Telegraph: ‘List of the Lost is terrible and, at only 118 pages, still feels overlong.’

I wouldn’t normally highlight the woes of a fellow writer, but he’s a musician and they have a rich history of writing turkeys or at least turgid rubbish, I should know, I’ve had the misfortune to read many of them. Interestingly, it’s published by Penguin, they of the Modern Classics, another attempt by them to move into general fiction. If they’re going to make a success of it, they’ll have to be more selective in future about what they publish.

Have you got a turkey to top Morrissey? How about Bob Dylan’s Tarantula?

 

Twitter

I have finally succumbed – I am now on Twitter. You can find me at twitter.com/IainsBooks If you don’t feel inclined to compose a long email, you can drop me tweet, I’m always interested to read your comments.

Want to Write a Book?

Do you have a great idea for a book but are not sure where to start? Does the thought of putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, stop you dead in your tracks? Fear not, this guide is designed to help turn that germ of an idea into a successful book. It is a practical guide primarily aimed at fiction writers but non-fiction writers should find it useful too.

Developing Your Idea

Every new book starts with an idea and your first task is to flesh it out. Mull it over in your mind for a few days, pulling and pushing it in every direction by asking, ‘what if I change this,’ ‘what happens when I do that,’ ‘what if I add this?’ When your idea has some shape and form, write it out as a one or two-page summary.

If you start writing now, the book will lack direction and consistency and the daunting task of facing a blank page every day will eventually put you off. To avoid this, expand your summary into the shape and style of a book by fleshing out the story chapter-by-chapter. This can be done linearly with a list of chapters, starting with chapter 1 and finishing at say, Chapter 40. Into each chapter add an outline, short or long, as to what the chapter will be about. Don’t worry if you can’t fill in all the blanks, as it is unlikely you will know everything about your new book at this stage, and once you start writing, the order and content will inevitably change.

If a list doesn’t appeal, try something spatial and for this you could use Mindmaps or index cards but whatever method you choose, a chapter-by-chapter guide will provide essential, on-going help. It will not only tell you what you need to write when you come to write, it will also keep track of plots and sub-plots, characters and threads and at a glance, show you the balance of your novel; between action and inaction, how often a character appears, the number of fight-love-tension scenes, the length of each chapter, and much, much more.

In the same way as you set about developing chapters, you now need to do the same with characters. Write a detailed bio for each one and get to know them as intimately as you would do your friends. This helps to maintain consistency throughout the novel and will avoid the situation of an ardent non-smoker, later found to be enjoying a cigarette, or a non-driver jumping behind the wheel of a car to escape a pursuer.

At this stage, many authors stop writing and begin their research, as the chapter-by-chapter approach will highlight the areas of your novel where you need to visit locations, understand how to use certain equipment, talk to professionals in the field, or read articles and books in a library or on the web. Not every author will do it this way as some are writing about an area of expertise with which they are familiar and needing little research, while others will start writing and conduct research when the narrative demands it. One word of caution. The temptation to include all your research is strong – don’t. It is there to provide colour, credibility and texture to your narrative; it is not an end in itself

Can You Write?

It is discouraging to think it requires about 100 hours to become proficient at anything new and in book terms, this equates to about a million words. What about all those successful ‘first-time’ authors, I hear you say? This is marketing hype, as many of them wrote half a dozen novels before they were published or previously worked in writing-based jobs, such as journalism or editing. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule and it’s not hard to find authors who have not written a word since leaving school – just look at E.L. James.

Will It Sell?

I often hear lofty authors say they don’t care if their book sells or not, they just want to see it published. If you feel this way too, you will find there is nothing more dispiriting than discovering your book, unloved and un-reviewed at number 350,000 in the Amazon sales charts, while other similar novels are riding the crest of a sales wave, supported by dozens of great reviews.

Some points to consider:

Is your book aimed at a particular segment of the market, be it romance, crime, paranormal? Good, because crossover books, e.g. vampire detectives and horror romances rarely work as they are difficult to target to a particular audience. Also, it is best to avoid tired and over-supplied segments, e.g. misery memoirs and another ‘girl on the train.’


How will it be marketed? This is one of the most crucial questions you can ask. After spending months writing, editing and re-editing your book and finally seeing it published, you can expect to sell around 35 copies, mainly to family and friends. To sell more, you need to think about PR and advertising, but if it all sounds too expensive, there are some things you can do without breaking the bank. In short, copy the good habits of successful authors. This means having a thoroughly proofread and well-edited script, an eye-catching cover with an exciting back-cover blurb, a professional website, and an established presence on social media. If the thought of using social media fills you with dread, take a look on Twitter or Facebook and you will find a plethora of authors, many of whom are signed to large publishing houses with a professional marketing department behind them, using it regularly.

The Future

Are you planning only 1 novel? That’s a pity, as nothing sells a first novel like having a second. If the author of say, five or six books undertakes a piece of advertising or an article about them appears in a newspaper, it may tempt new readers to look at their books. If the reader buys the advertised book and likes it, they will come back and buy a number of the author’s earlier titles – voila, more sales.

Further Information

There is a huge amount of information available about book writing, grammar, editing and marketing a novel in books, courses, websites and blogs. Take a look at your favourite authors’ websites as many of them offer book writing guides and if you can afford it, attend a couple of writing courses as they provide a good opportunity to meet other people in a similar position as yourself.

It has been said by other commentators before, but to develop yourself as a writer you must keep writing, whether you think it’s any good or not. The next day you might see a way of making it work but if you don’t, you can always remove it and write something else.