Jon Reed's Blog, page 2
October 18, 2021
MASTERCLASS: How to Write a Bestseller – with Jacq Burns
Join literary agent and author of ‘Write a Bestseller’ Jacq Burns, and find out what it takes to become a bestselling author.
This masterclass was live on 09 Dec 2021. It will soon be available on demand to Publishing Talk members.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links to the books mentioned. See our Affiliate policy for more details. Books by our masterclass speakers are also available in our Bookshop.org bookshop.
How to Write a Bestseller – with Jacq BurnsWant to be a bestseller? Let industry insider Jacq Burns show you how.
There’s no magic formula for writing a bestseller – but there are secrets, skills and techniques that will dramatically improve your odds of publishing a bestselling novel, memoir or non-fiction book.
A former publisher and now an agent and author herself, Jacq Burns knows what it takes – and how to get there.
What we will cover:What makes a bestsellerHow to work with audience, category and genreWhat catches the attention of readersPlanning, writing and revising your bookPitching and selling your work.Workshop includes:Valuable insights, tips and advice from Jacq BurnsYour chance to ask Jacq anything about writing a bestseller – and getting it publishedA PDF resourceAccess to a video replay of the event.About Jacq Burns
Jacq Burns was commissioning editor at Random House and Editorial Director at Harper Collins, where she edited classics such as Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus, Who Moved My Cheese, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and Toddler Taming – which have sold millions of copies.
Jacq is the author of Write a Bestseller, published by Hodder, and a bestselling series of successful books for Random House, under a pseudonym. She has also ghostwritten a number of well-known titles.
She is also co-founder of The London Writers Club, and a literary agent. Find out more at jacqburns.com and londonwritersclub.com.
Write a Bestseller by Jacq Burns is available at 25% off to Publishing Talk Members – along with all other titles in the Teach Yourself Creative Writing series. See member benefits for details.
About the Publishing Talk MasterclassesOur online masterclasses are talks, interviews, seminars and workshops from successful authors, publishers, agents and industry experts designed to help you fulfil your potential as an author.
This masterclass was live on 09 Dec 2021. It will soon be available on demand to Publishing Talk members.
The post MASTERCLASS: How to Write a Bestseller – with Jacq Burns appeared first on Publishing Talk.
August 15, 2021
MASTERCLASS: How to Perfect Your Submission to Agents and Publishers – with Scott Pack
Want to get a literary agent? If you want to get traditionally published, you need to submit a compelling book proposal. This masterclass with Scott Pack will teach you step-by-step how to perfect your submission.
Available on demand to Publishing Talk members.
Watch NowHow to Get a Literary Agent
Want to get a literary agent – and a publishing deal? You need a winning strategy, a compelling synopsis and a killer cover letter!
Scott Pack’s popular Publishing Talk Masterclass on how to perfect your submission to agents and publishers is now available on demand.
Get practical, no-nonsense advice on submitting your book proposal to agents and publishers from veteran publisher Scott Pack on this essential masterclass for new authors.
If you follow the step-by-step advice in this class, you will significantly increase your chances of success. Most authors DON’T – so you’ll already be ahead of the game!
Watch NowWhat you will learnOn this masterclass, you’ll learn how to get an agent – so you can get a publishing deal. Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, this class offers straightforward advice on how to give your submission the best chance of success.
You’ll learn how to find a list of literary agents, identify the right agent or publisher to submit to, write a killer synopsis and cover letter – and avoid the pitfalls so many aspiring authors fall into. Plus, for those brave enough to share their pitches, there’ll be a chance to receive a live critique during the session.
How to Submit to Agents and PublishersWhat we will cover:
How to research agents and publishers – and identify the right ones for youHow to write a cover letter that will ensure your pitch and synopsis get readHow to put together an enticing submission packageThe secrets to writing a good synopsisThe differences between submitting fiction v. non-fictionHow to get a literary agent.Workshop includes:
Scott Pack was head of buying at the Waterstones book chain before spending several years as a publisher at HarperCollins, acquiring and editing numerous bestsellers and award-winning books.
He is now a freelance editor and university lecturer, and hosts many writing workshops and classes.
Scott is also the author of two essential guides for authors: a short ebook, How to Perfect Your Submission; and Tips from a Publisher: A Guide to Writing, Editing, Submitting and Publishing Your Book (Eye Books, 2019), which is also available in the Publishing Talk Bookshop, which helps support local, independent bookshops in the UK.
About the Publishing Talk MasterclassesOur online masterclasses are talks, interviews, seminars and workshops from successful authors, publishers, agents and industry experts designed to help you fulfil your potential as an author. Find out more on our masterclasses page.
This masterclass is available now, on demand, to Publishing Talk members.
Watch NowThe post MASTERCLASS: How to Perfect Your Submission to Agents and Publishers – with Scott Pack appeared first on Publishing Talk.
July 29, 2021
MASTERCLASS REPLAY: How to Become a Kindle Bestseller – with Nicola May
The video replay of Nicola May’s masterclass on How to Become a Kindle Bestseller, from Weds 28th July 2021. Includes PDF handout and links.
This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.The post MASTERCLASS REPLAY: How to Become a Kindle Bestseller – with Nicola May appeared first on Publishing Talk.
July 19, 2021
MASTERCLASS: How to Write a Memoir – with Allegra Huston
The author of bestselling memoir Love Child talks about how to draw a compelling narrative out of the rough material of your life.This masterclass was live on 27 Oct 2021. It is now available on demand to Publishing Talk members.
Watch NowThis post contains Amazon affiliate links to the books mentioned. See our Affiliate policy for more details. Books by our masterclass speakers are also available in our Bookshop.org bookshop.
How to Write a Memoir – with Allegra HustonMemoirs are the hot publishing trend. They have become hugely popular in recent years, and frequently top the bestseller charts. While not everyone has a novel in them, everyone has a life story to tell. But how do you turn yours into a compelling narrative?
Where does the story begin and end? What is it actually about? What are the legal issues? And how do you write authentically without worrying about hurting people you love?
Allegra Huston is the author of the bestselling memoir Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found. She runs an annual 5-day residential workshop in memoir writing, and has taught writing courses at the University of Oklahoma, the National University of Ireland, Galway, and the UK’s prestigious Arvon Foundation. She is currently developing an online community for people who are exploring writing as a creative pursuit, at imaginativestormwriting.circle.so
This is your chance to learn how to write a memoir from a bestselling memoirist and writing tutor. Benefit from Allegra Huston’s expertise in memoir writing in just 90 minutes. Join us for this illuminating masterclass – and learn how to draw a compelling narrative out of the rough material of your life.
What we will cover:What memoir is – and what it isn’tHow to develop a narrative structure – and choose which aspects of your life story to focus onHow to write authentically – without worrying about what people will think!How to develop your characters on the page (even if they are real people)How to build your settingHow to edit your workLegal issues to be aware of around memoir writingWorkshop includes:Valuable insights, practical tips and inspiring advice on how to write a memoir from Allegra HustonYour chance to ask Allegra anything about memoir writingA one-page PDF download with useful prompts for memoir writingAccess to a video replay of the eventAbout Allegra HustonAllegra Huston is the author of the memoirLove Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found, the novel A Stolen Summer, and many screenplays. She is a contributor to One Last Lunch: A Final Meal with Those Who Meant So Much to Us, which combines memoir and fiction. and she has also written two guides for authors: How to Edit and be Edited and, with James Navé, How to Read for an Audience. These are both available through her publishing company Twice 5 Miles – and Publishing Talk members get a 25% discount on the digital editions.
Allegra grew up in London, Ireland, Long Island, Los Angeles, and Mexico, where her father, film director John Huston, lived for the last decades of his life. She read English at Hertford College, Oxford, then spent nine years in publishing in London, first at Chatto & Windus and then as Editorial Director of Weidenfeld & Nicolson. In her thirty years as an editor she has worked with three Booker Prize winners and two Nobel Prize winners, as well as Sir James Goldsmith and Jane Goodall.
She is currently developing an online community for people who are exploring writing as a creative pursuit, at imaginativestormwriting.circle.so, with a Prompt of the Week available on the Imaginative Storm YouTube channel and Facebook page and a forthcoming audio course, Imaginative Storm Writer Training.
About Love Child‘Extraordinary… she is an absolutely outstanding writer, incapable of writing a dull sentence’ – Lynn Barber, Daily Telegraph
When Allegra Huston was four years old, her mother was killed in a car crash. Soon afterwards, she was introduced to an intimidating man wreathed in cigar smoke – the legendary film director John Huston – with the words, ‘This is your father.’
So began an extraordinary odyssey: from the magical Huston estate in Ireland, to the Long Island suburbs, to a hidden paradise in Mexico – and, at the side of her older sister, Anjelica, into the hilltop retreats of Jack Nicholson, Ryan O’Neal and Marlon Brando. Allegra’s is the penetrating gaze of an outsider never quite sure if she belongs in this rarefied world and of a motherless child trying to make sense of her famous, far-flung family. Then, at the age of 12, Allegra’s precarious sense of self is shattered when she is, once more, introduced to her father – her real one, this time, the British aristocrat and historian John Julius Norwich.
Beautifully written and forensically honest, Love Child is an exploration of the secrets of a fragmented family, and Allegra’s compelling attempt to unite those fragments and forge a connection with the mother she never knew.
About the Publishing Talk MasterclassesOur online masterclasses are talks, interviews, seminars and workshops from successful authors, publishers, agents and industry experts designed to help you fulfil your potential as an author. Find out more on our masterclasses page.
This masterclass is now available on demand to Publishing Talk members.
Watch NowThe post MASTERCLASS: How to Write a Memoir – with Allegra Huston appeared first on Publishing Talk.
MASTERCLASS: How to Write a Memoir – with Allegra Huston (Online, Weds 27th Oct, 2021)
The author of bestselling memoir Love Child talks about how to draw a compelling narrative out of the rough material of your life.
Masterclass: How to Write a Memoir
Speaker: Allegra Huston
When: Wednesday 27th October 2021, 6:30pm UK time (BST)
Where: Online – join us from anywhere in the world
Price: £10-£30 / FREE to members
Booking: Eventbrite (Limited places available – book early!)
This post contains Amazon affiliate links to the books mentioned. See our Affiliate policy for more details. Books by our masterclass speakers are also available in our Bookshop.org bookshop.
How to Write a Memoir – with Allegra HustonMemoirs are the hot publishing trend. They have become hugely popular in recent years, and frequently top the bestseller charts. While not everyone has a novel in them, everyone has a life story to tell. But how do you turn yours into a compelling narrative?
Where does the story begin and end? What is it actually about? What are the legal issues? And how do you write authentically without worrying about hurting people you love?
Allegra Huston is the author of the bestselling memoir Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found. She runs an annual 5-day residential workshop in memoir writing, and has taught writing courses at the University of Oklahoma, the National University of Ireland, Galway, and the UK’s prestigious Arvon Foundation. She is currently developing an online community for people who are exploring writing as a creative pursuit, at imaginativestormwriting.circle.so
This is your chance to learn how to write a memoir from a bestselling memoirist and writing tutor. Benefit from Allegra Huston’s expertise in memoir writing in just 90 minutes. Join us for this illuminating masterclass – and learn how to draw a compelling narrative out of the rough material of your life.
What we will cover:What memoir is – and what it isn’tHow to develop a narrative structure – and choose which aspects of your life story to focus onHow to write authentically – without worrying about what people will think!How to develop your characters on the page (even if they are real people)How to build your settingHow to edit your workLegal issues to be aware of around memoir writingWorkshop includes:Valuable insights, practical tips and inspiring advice on how to write a memoir from Allegra HustonYour chance to ask Allegra anything about memoir writingA one-page PDF download with useful prompts for memoir writingAccess to a video replay of the eventAbout Allegra HustonAllegra Huston is the author of the memoirLove Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found, the novel A Stolen Summer, and many screenplays. She is a contributor to One Last Lunch: A Final Meal with Those Who Meant So Much to Us, which combines memoir and fiction. and she has also written two guides for authors: How to Edit and be Edited and, with James Navé, How to Read for an Audience. These are both available through her publishing company Twice 5 Miles – and Publishing Talk members get a 25% discount on the digital editions.
Allegra grew up in London, Ireland, Long Island, Los Angeles, and Mexico, where her father, film director John Huston, lived for the last decades of his life. She read English at Hertford College, Oxford, then spent nine years in publishing in London, first at Chatto & Windus and then as Editorial Director of Weidenfeld & Nicolson. In her thirty years as an editor she has worked with three Booker Prize winners and two Nobel Prize winners, as well as Sir James Goldsmith and Jane Goodall.
She is currently developing an online community for people who are exploring writing as a creative pursuit, at imaginativestormwriting.circle.so, with a Prompt of the Week available on the Imaginative Storm YouTube channel and Facebook page and a forthcoming audio course, Imaginative Storm Writer Training.
About Love Child‘Extraordinary… she is an absolutely outstanding writer, incapable of writing a dull sentence’ – Lynn Barber, Daily Telegraph
When Allegra Huston was four years old, her mother was killed in a car crash. Soon afterwards, she was introduced to an intimidating man wreathed in cigar smoke – the legendary film director John Huston – with the words, ‘This is your father.’
So began an extraordinary odyssey: from the magical Huston estate in Ireland, to the Long Island suburbs, to a hidden paradise in Mexico – and, at the side of her older sister, Anjelica, into the hilltop retreats of Jack Nicholson, Ryan O’Neal and Marlon Brando. Allegra’s is the penetrating gaze of an outsider never quite sure if she belongs in this rarefied world and of a motherless child trying to make sense of her famous, far-flung family. Then, at the age of 12, Allegra’s precarious sense of self is shattered when she is, once more, introduced to her father – her real one, this time, the British aristocrat and historian John Julius Norwich.
Beautifully written and forensically honest, Love Child is an exploration of the secrets of a fragmented family, and Allegra’s compelling attempt to unite those fragments and forge a connection with the mother she never knew.
About the Publishing Talk MasterclassesOur online masterclasses are talks, interviews, seminars and workshops from successful authors, publishers, agents and industry experts designed to help you fulfil your potential as an author. Find out more on our masterclasses page.
You will be sent email reminders with joining instructions two days, two hours and 10 minutes before the start time of 6:30pm UK time (BST) on Weds 27th Oct 2021.
You can join this masterclass from anywhere in the world. If you’re outside the UK, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.
10:30am PDT | 11:30am MDT | 12:30pm CDT | 1:30pm EDT | 6:30pm BST | 7:30pm CEST
The post MASTERCLASS: How to Write a Memoir – with Allegra Huston (Online, Weds 27th Oct, 2021) appeared first on Publishing Talk.
July 12, 2021
MASTERCLASS: How to Perfect Your Submission to Agents and Publishers – with Scott Pack. Get a literary agent – and a publishing deal! (Online, Weds 15th Sep, 2021)
Want to get a literary agent? If you want to get traditionally published, you need to submit a compelling book proposal. This masterclass with Scott Pack will teach you step-by-step how to perfect your submission.
Masterclass: How to Perfect Your Submission to Agents and Publishers
Speaker: Scott Pack
When: Wednesday 15th September 2021, 6:30pm UK time
Where: Online – join us from anywhere in the world
Price: £10-£20 / FREE to members
Booking: Eventbrite (Limited places available – book early!)
…OR watch the replay of the previous class.
How to Get a Literary Agent
Want to get a literary agent – and a publishing deal? You need a winning strategy, a compelling synopsis and a killer cover letter!
Scott Pack returns for his popular Publishing Talk Masterclass on how to perfect your submission to agents and publishers.
Get practical, no-nonsense advice on submitting your book proposal to agents and publishers from veteran publisher Scott Pack on this essential masterclass for new authors.
If you follow the step-by-step advice in this class, you will significantly increase your chances of success. Most authors DON’T – so you’ll already be ahead of the game!
What you will learnOn this masterclass, you’ll learn how to get an agent – so you can get a publishing deal. Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, this class offers straightforward advice on how to ensure your submission has the best chance of success.
You’ll learn how to identify the right agent or publisher to submit to, how to write a killer synopsis and cover letter, and how to avoid the pitfalls so many aspiring authors fall into. Plus, for those brave enough to share their pitches, there’ll be a chance to receive a live critique during the session.
How to Submit to Agents and PublishersWhat we will cover:
How to research agents and publishers – and identify the right ones for youHow to write a cover letter that will ensure your pitch and synopsis get readHow to put together an enticing submission packageThe secrets to writing a good synopsisThe differences between submitting fiction v. non-fictionCommon mistakes made by writers – and how to avoid themHow to get a literary agent.Workshop includes:
Scott Pack was head of buying at the Waterstones book chain before spending several years as a publisher at HarperCollins, acquiring and editing numerous bestsellers and award-winning books.
He is now a freelance editor and university lecturer, and hosts many writing workshops and classes.
Scott is also the author of two essential guides for authors: a short ebook, How to Perfect Your Submission; and Tips from a Publisher: A Guide to Writing, Editing, Submitting and Publishing Your Book (Eye Books, 2019), which is also available in the Publishing Talk Bookshop, which helps support local, independent bookshops in the UK.
About the Publishing Talk MasterclassesOur online masterclasses are talks, interviews, seminars and workshops from successful authors, publishers, agents and industry experts designed to help you fulfil your potential as an author. Find out more on our masterclasses page.
You will be sent email reminders with joining instructions two days, two hours and 10 minutes before the start time of 6:30pm (UK time, BST) on Weds 15th Sep 2021.
You can join this masterclass from anywhere in the world. If you’re outside the UK, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.
10:30am PDT | 12:30pm CDT | 1:30pm EDT | 6:30pm BST | 7:30pm CEST
The post MASTERCLASS: How to Perfect Your Submission to Agents and Publishers – with Scott Pack. Get a literary agent – and a publishing deal! (Online, Weds 15th Sep, 2021) appeared first on Publishing Talk.
July 1, 2021
MASTERCLASS REPLAY: How to Create a Setting – with Liz Fenwick
The video replay from How to Create a Setting, with Liz Fenwick (Weds 23rd June 2021). Liz is the…
This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.The post MASTERCLASS REPLAY: How to Create a Setting – with Liz Fenwick appeared first on Publishing Talk.
June 22, 2021
5 ways to make your social media accessible
Is your social media accessible? These five tips will help make sure you’re including everyone.
Since today is #WorldCamelDay (no, really – there’s always a hashtag), here’s a post that includes my top tip for making your social media accessible: use #CamelCase for your hashtags! A version of this post first appeared on the Pilao Labs blog.
How much time have you spent doom-scrolling through Twitter today? How many times have you looked at Facebook or Instagram?
Social media is now a ubiquitous part of our daily news, entertainment and social lives. It’s how we interact with the world and stay in touch people. It’s also how we market our products and services to a global online audience.
But are you including everyone? Or are you excluding a large part of your potential audience by making it hard for people with disabilities to access your latest gem of Twitter wisdom, compelling Instagram image or Facebook post?
How to make your social media accessibleIn the UK, one person in five has a disability. In the US, it’s one in four. Improving the accessibility of your website makes business sense – and it’s also the right thing to do legally and morally. But, while you have control over every aspect of your website, the same isn’t necessarily true of your social media. So where do you start?
Some of the responsibility for making social media accessible lies with the platforms themselves. But there’s also a lot you can do – including using accessibility features where provided by those platforms. Here are five simple things you can do to improve the accessibility of your social media:
1. Include image descriptionsWe’re (hopefully) all now used to including ‘alt’ tags on images on our websites – so that screen readers can describe images to people who are blind or have a visual impairment. But how do you make all that visual content on social media accessible? Let’s look at some of the most widely-used platforms:
Facebook automatically includes simple descriptions for all uploaded images. However, you’ll probably want to edit these for accuracy and context as they can come out a bit mangled. Do this when you upload a new image, or edit older images. When you upload an image, click the ‘edit’ icon, which brings the options to add ‘Custom alt text’.
For old posts, click on any image you’ve previously uploaded, and then click on the three dots at the top. Menu options include ‘Change alt text’. Click this to see the automatically generated text – and add your own, better text.
Instagram started adding automatic image descriptions to posts towards the end of 2018, saying: “With more than 285 million people in the world who have visual impairments, we know there are many people who could benefit from a more accessible Instagram.”
Like Facebook, you can also add your own alt text. It isn’t obvious or easy to find – but it is there. When you add a post, on the final screen, where you write your description, scroll to the very bottom and tap the ‘advanced settings’ text (ironically, this is small and with poor contrast); then scroll to the bottom of the next screen and select ‘Write alt text.’ This option isn’t currently available for stories.
UPDATE: you can now also add alt texts by editing your posts after you’ve shared them. Simply tap the three dots at the top-right of your post, click ‘Edit’, and an ‘Edit alt text’ link appears at the bottom-right of your image.
Twitter. Though not automatic, alt tags are easy to add in Twitter. When you compose a tweet and add an image, two links appear under the image: ‘Tag people’ and ‘Add description’. Click the latter to add your description. Twitter advises that: “Good descriptions are concise, but present what’s in your photos accurately enough to understand their context.”
LinkedIn makes adding alt text very intuitive. When you add an image to a post, a blue ‘Add alt text’ button automatically appears top-right. Click on this for a box where you can enter up to 120 characters of text describing what’s in your image.
2. Add captions to your videosCaptions aren’t quite the same as subtitles. Subtitles translate speech only, whereas captions cover all speech and sound. This helps make your video content on social media accessible – which helps everyone. Most people watch videos on social media with the sound off these days – even if they can hear clearly. It means we can watch videos any time, anywhere without disturbing others – even without headphones.
A 2019 study by Verizon Media and Publicis Media found that 92% of US consumers view videos with the sound off; and 80% are more likely to watch an entire video if captions are available.
For those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, captions aren’t just useful: they’re essential. The good news is they’re also much easier to add than they used to be. If you run a Facebook business page, you can opt to have captions added automatically to videos you upload to Facebook.
As with auto-generated alt text, you’ll want to review and correct this. My experience is that it’s pretty good – but there will also be some nonsense that you’ll need to re-write. You can also do all your captioning manually in Facebook. YouTube and Vimeo also come with captioning options.
You can also create and add your own caption track to any of your videos – known as an SRT file (or SubRip Subtitle file). You can create one of these manually – but there are also plenty of good third-party tools to help you. Rev is a good option: $1.25 per minute of video, with 24 hour turnaround.
Once you have your SRT file, some platforms give you the option to upload it separately when you upload a video to a post – such as LinkedIn. For others, such as Twitter and Instagram, you’ll want to create a video file that displays your captions on the video itself. Kapwing is an useful option here. Upload your video, either upload an SRT file or manually add captions, then download a captioned video to share on social media.
If you’re manually adding or editing captions, or preparing your own caption file, increase readability with descriptions like [music]or [laughter]in square brackets, and add >> to the beginning of a new line when the speaker changes.
There are lots of third-party tools out there to help with captioning, many of which are free or cheap. Look for one that suits you. Other options include wave.video, amara, dotsub and Subtitle Horse.
For more on making your videos accessible, see Kelvin DeSena’s post on 5 ways to create accessible video.
3. Use camel case for hashtagsThink about your hashtags too, when making your social media accessible. Have you ever tried to decode a long hashtag that’s basically an entire sentence smashed together, all lower case? It can be confusing even for shorter hashtags – especially if they’re not written in your native language.
Writing your hashtags in camel case is the answer. This is where you capitalize each word, without spaces. It means you should #WriteYourHashtagsLikeThis.
Using an initial capital letter for each word not only makes hashtags easier to read for everyone, they’re essential to help screen readers read them out correctly. If your hashtag is a single word, you can use all lowercase. Otherwise, use camel case.
4. Don’t overuse emojisEmojis are fun, expressive and, in the visual world, help your text stand out when people are scrolling through Twitter. But think about the experience for people using screen readers.
One is great. A few are OK. But a row of a dozen ‘crying laughing’ emojis would quickly get annoying if read out by a screen reader: “crying laughing crying laughing crying laughing crying laughing crying laughing crying laughing crying laughing crying laughing crying laughing crying laughing crying laughing crying laughing.” We’re really not.
5. Provide transcripts of your podcastsPodcasting is experiencing a boom, and is a great way to connect with your audience. But, while your blog posts can be read out by screen readers, and videos can be captioned, what do you do with your podcast episodes if people can’t hear them?
The answer is to provide transcripts. There are companies that will do this for you – just send them your audio file, and you’ll get a transcript back. Again, Rev is a good option, and also provides translations. Other options include PodScribe.
The cost varies, tends to be charged by the minute, and you get what you pay for. A real, human transcriber will be more accurate but more costly; and AI robots are cheaper but with patchy accuracy that you’ll need to review and correct. Or, if you have lots of time on your hands, you could do it yourself.
There are two big advantages to putting transcripts of your podcasts on your blog or website:
Accessibility. It makes your podcast accessible to all, and therefore helps you reach a wider audience.
Findability. It provides a lot of text for your website, which search engines can index, making you more findable. Think of it as re-purposed content.
Make your social media accessible – as well as your websiteYour first priority should be to make sure your website is accessible. But many people will find your website via social media – and it’s also how you’ll build and engage your audience. So consider how accessible – or otherwise – your social presence is too.
Think through the content you create and share on social media from an accessibility point of view. There’s usually a way to improve it. While you may be at the mercy of built-in accessibility features of social platforms, these are now widely available, improving all the time – and you should use them.
And you always have control over your own website and the content you create. Make it accessible, and everyone wins.
This is a slightly edited version of a post that first appeared on the Pilao Labs blog.
The post 5 ways to make your social media accessible appeared first on Publishing Talk.
June 18, 2021
MASTERCLASS: How to Write a Bestseller – with Jacq Burns (Online, Thurs 09 Dec 2021)
Masterclass: How to Write a Bestseller
Speaker: Jacq Burns
When: Thursday 9th December 2021, 6:30pm UK time (BST)
Where: Online – join us from anywhere in the world
Price: £10-£20 / FREE to members
Booking: Eventbrite (Limited places available – book early!)
This post contains Amazon affiliate links to the books mentioned. See our Affiliate policy for more details. Books by our masterclass speakers are also available in our Bookshop.org bookshop.
How to Write a Bestseller – with Jacq BurnsWant to be a bestseller? Let industry insider Jacq Burns show you how.
There’s no magic formula for writing a bestseller – but there are secrets, skills and techniques that will dramatically improve your odds of publishing a bestselling novel, memoir or non-fiction book.
A former publisher and now an agent and author herself, Jacq Burns knows what it takes – and how to get there.
What we will cover:How different genres workWhat catches the attention of readersPlanning, writing and revising your bookPitching and selling your work.Workshop includes:Valuable insights, tips and advice from Jacq BurnsYour chance to ask Jacq anything about writing a bestseller – and getting it publishedA PDF resourceAccess to a video replay of the event.About Jacq BurnsJacq Burns was commissioning editor at Random House and Editorial Director at Harper Collins, where she edited classics such as Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus, Who Moved My Cheese, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and Toddler Taming – which have sold millions of copies.
Jacq is the author of Write a Bestseller, published by Hodder, and a bestselling series of successful books for Random House, under a pseudonym. She has also ghostwritten a number of well-known titles.
She is also co-founder of The London Writers Club, and a literary agent. Find out more at jacqburns.com and londonwritersclub.com.
Write a Bestseller by Jacq Burns is available at 25% off to Publishing Talk Members – along with all other titles in the Teach Yourself Creative Writing series. See member benefits for details.
About the Publishing Talk MasterclassesOur online masterclasses are talks, interviews, seminars and workshops from successful authors, publishers, agents and industry experts designed to help you fulfil your potential as an author.
You will be sent email reminders with joining instructions two days, two hours and 10 minutes before the start time of 6:30pm UK time (GMT) on Thurs 9th Dec 2021.
You can join this masterclass from anywhere in the world. If you’re outside the UK, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.
10:30am PST | 11:30am MST | 12:30pm CST | 1:30pm EST | 6:30pm GMT | 7:30pm CET
The post MASTERCLASS: How to Write a Bestseller – with Jacq Burns (Online, Thurs 09 Dec 2021) appeared first on Publishing Talk.
MASTERCLASS: How to Write a Bestseller – with Jacq Burns (Online, Thurs 12 Aug 2021)
Masterclass: How to Write a Bestseller
Speaker: Jacq Burns
When: Thursday 12th August 2021, 6:30pm UK time (BST)
Where: Online – join us from anywhere in the world
Price: £15-£30 / FREE to members
Booking: Eventbrite (Limited places available – book early!)
This post contains Amazon affiliate links to the books mentioned. See our Affiliate policy for more details. Books by our masterclass speakers are also available in our Bookshop.org bookshop.
How to Write a Bestseller – with Jacq BurnsWant to be a bestseller? Let industry insider Jacq Burns show you how.
There’s no magic formula for writing a bestseller – but there are secrets, skills and techniques that will dramatically improve your odds of publishing a bestselling novel, memoir or non-fiction book.
A former publisher and now an agent and author herself, Jacq Burns knows what it takes – and how to get there.
What we will cover:How different genres workWhat catches the attention of readersPlanning, writing and revising your bookPitching and selling your work.Workshop includes:Valuable insights, tips and advice from Jacq BurnsYour chance to ask Jacq anything about writing a bestseller – and getting it publishedA PDF resourceAccess to a video replay of the event.About Jacq BurnsJacq Burns was commissioning editor at Random House and Editorial Director at Harper Collins, where she edited classics such as Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus, Who Moved My Cheese, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and Toddler Taming – which have sold millions of copies.
Jacq is the author of Write a Bestseller, published by Hodder, and a bestselling series of successful books for Random House, under a pseudonym. She has also ghostwritten a number of well-known titles.
She is also co-founder of The London Writers Club, and a literary agent. Find out more at jacqburns.com and londonwritersclub.com.
Write a Bestseller by Jacq Burns is available at 25% off to Publishing Talk Members – along with all other titles in the Teach Yourself Creative Writing series. See member benefits for details.
About the Publishing Talk MasterclassesOur online masterclasses are talks, interviews, seminars and workshops from successful authors, publishers, agents and industry experts designed to help you fulfil your potential as an author.
You will be sent email reminders with joining instructions two days, two hours and 10 minutes before the start time of 6:30pm UK time (BST) on Thurs 12th Aug 2021.
You can join this masterclass from anywhere in the world. If you’re outside the UK, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.
10:30am PDT | 11:30am MDT | 12:30pm CDT | 1:30pm EDT | 6:30pm BST | 7:30pm CEST
The post MASTERCLASS: How to Write a Bestseller – with Jacq Burns (Online, Thurs 12 Aug 2021) appeared first on Publishing Talk.
