Hello! I’m Belinda Pollard.
I am an Accredited Book Editor, Writing Coach and Author.
Based in Brisbane, Australia, I own Small Blue Dog Publishing and manage a mini-team of dedicated publishing specialists.
We help people change the world, one word at a time.
Welcome to my blog. Make yourself at home.
Who do I help?
Do you yearn to grow into the best writer you can possibly be, the writer you were born to be?
Do you want to write a book that people want to read?
Do you wrestle with self-doubt, writer’s block and fear? (Spoiler alert: we all feel these things. Me too! There is nothing wrong with you!)
If this sounds like you, then WELCOME. You are in the right place.
Professional services
We provide premium professional services to Australian writers:
- Developmental and structural editing
- Copyediting
- Proofreading
- Book coaching
- Preparation to submit to publishers
- Self-publishing support through all stages of the process, including cover and book design and consultation.
(Apologies if you are in other parts of the world – frustrating insurance limitations! – but check out the online courses I’m developing.)
Australian writers: need some practical, professional help with your writing or publishing? Click here to Hire Us!
Find your way around the blog…
A selection of my most popular blog posts.
- Beta readers: What are they, and where can you find some?
- Blogging: How to build an online audience without enslaving yourself to your website.
- Editing your own book: What to do when you’ve finished the first draft.
- Memoir: Truth, fiction, or something in between?
- Social media: Twitter for writers — two golden rules.
- For editors and writers: Why are book editors so expensive?
I write this blog to a standard, rather than a schedule — sometimes there are gaps between posts. Subscribe to be notified by email when a new article is published, and to receive notification of relevant offers.
About me
I’m a world traveller based in beautiful, sub-tropical Brisbane, Australia.
I began as a journalist, became a specialist book editor in the mid-90s, and a self-publishing consultant in the early 2000s.
I coach writers who are working out how to get their book together or revise it to make it sing.
I’m also a speaker and love presenting practical workshops for writers, and inspirational speeches for readers.
My credentials
- Accredited Editor (AE) through the Institute of Professional Editors
- Degree in Communication (QUT, Brisbane) learning writing, editing and layout for mass media
- Honours degree in Theology (Moore College, Sydney, Australia)
My career
- Award-winning former journalist
- 20+ years in books and publishing, including both traditional and self-publishing
- Editor of dozens of books, some of which have been reprinted multiple times, translated into other languages, become bestsellers, or won or shortlisted for awards both in Australia and internationally
- Consultant and coach to many authors and self-publishers, especially in fiction, inspirational memoir, self-help, psychology, theology and non-fiction
My personal experience
- Multi-award-winning author of light memoir and fiction
- Personal experience of the unique fears, challenges and opportunities encountered in today’s self-publishing
- Lots of life experience!
My own books
I’m a writer as well as an editor. I know exactly what it’s like to be a writer in this strange new world.
- My latest book, a labour of love, is Use the Power of Feedback to Write a Better Book – based on my experience as both writer and editor.
- My light memoir, Dogged Optimism: Lessons in Joy from a Disaster-Prone Dog (2015), is about my fraught-but-funny life with the Small Blue Dog.
- Book 1 in my Wild Crimes series, Poison Bay (2014), won a Varuna Fellowship.
- My Bible meditations were published by Scripture Union UK for 15+ years.
- Amazon Author page
My other blogs
- My author blog with short stories about Travel and Other Catastrophes: belindapollard.com
- My website and podcast for Christians who write for mainstream readers: gracewriters.com
Social media
- Read my full qualifications and career profile on LinkedIn
- Connect with me on Twitter
- My Facebook page
- My Instagram profile, if you like nature and the sky!
- My dog’s Instagram profile (no, I don’t resent the fact that he’s more popular than I am.) (Well, not much.)
As seen…
I present workshops for writers and editors in person and online, both in Australia and internationally.
- I have presented for many years at conferences, writing retreats, and for writers groups and organisations, including the renowned Queensland Writers Centre.
- I have been selected to present at multiple national conferences of Australian editors.
- I have been selected to present at multiple GenreCons — the Australian national conference of genre fiction writers.
- I co-host the Gracewriters Podcast for writers of faith.
If you would like to discuss a presentation for your writers group or retreat, in person or via Zoom, check out my Speaking page.
Why the funny name?
My business was originally called Write Angles, which was fun, but no one could spell it.
I noticed people naming their companies after yachts and racehorses. I didn’t have a yacht or a racehorse, but I did have a dog. I thought: “Maybe I could name it after my dog?”
My dog’s name was Killarney.
So… no one could spell that, either.
So I decided on Small Blue Dog, after the company’s blue-and-tan Aussie terrier cheerleader.
It’s a weird name, which hopefully helps you remember it!
And I like the way the name captures the agile nature of our small team. As the old saying goes, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.
Killarney Pollard has now passed the baton to our new mascot and security manager, Rufus the medium red dog, but the company continues to be named in her honour.
