DIY? Or pay someone else?

It’s been a week of frustration. Tearing out hair. Gritting teeth. And – I admit – quite a few swear words, all directed at my poor, beleaguered old laptop. And why? This website.

‘Pay someone,’ a friend advised. ‘You’re getting paid for your writing now so it’ll be tax deductible.’

Now I don’t actually know what I can expect to earn as an unknown debut novelist, but I’m not expecting it to be much. I don’t know how much it costs to have someone else design your website either, but I’d haz...