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What makes a good beta reader?

By Belinda Pollard 122 Comments

A good beta reader can help you make your book manuscript 10 times better than it was before. But where do you find one of these magical creatures?

Filed Under: Beta Readers, Writing & Editing

What is a beta reader and why do I need one?

By Belinda Pollard 72 Comments

A beta reader gives you feedback on your finished manuscript, so you can adjust it before you set it loose on the world. These are the reasons why every writer needs beta readers.

Filed Under: Beta Readers, Writing & Editing

The New World of Self Publishing

By Belinda Pollard 22 Comments

Self-publishing used to mean 15 boxes of books going mouldy in your garage, but new technologies have changed all that. Find out how it works.

Filed Under: Book Marketing, Self-Publishing

How to spell Your, You’re, There, They’re, Their, It’s and Its

By Belinda Pollard 10 Comments

Do you ever struggle with your and you’re? Do you know when to use there, they’re and their? What about it’s and its? Do you use the apostrophe in “it’s a nice day” or in “the planet had it’s own gravitational force”?* Now, I know you’re getting a teensy little headache just thinking about this, but stay with me, there will be prizes later. You can win the spelling wars, without bloodshed.

Filed Under: Writing & Editing

Editing your book? Print it out!

By Belinda Pollard 29 Comments

Yes, we all live in an electronic world these days, untethered by concrete reality, communicating like mad things on various iThingies. Paper is so 2002. But if you want to do a good job of editing your book, you need to print it out. Yes, I’m serious. Print it on actual paper, seize a red […]

Filed Under: Self-Editing, Writing & Editing

Could this be the way to fund your book?

By Belinda Pollard 1 Comment

The Guardian newspaper in the UK had a story this week about a man who raised $1 million to fund production of his book through Kickstarter, a “crowdfunding website”. Others have financed publishing ventures through similar means. Could it work for you? Maybe. Let’s have a look at what happened.

Filed Under: News

Opportunities in traditional publishing

By Belinda Pollard 3 Comments

While I’m a champion of quality self-publishing, sometimes a trade publisher is the right way to go for a particular project. And this week I have seen two excellent and rare opportunities for authors to get their work before some of the best in the business. One is a a major literary agent who is […]

Filed Under: News

Is it still worth writing a book?

By Belinda Pollard 6 Comments

worth-writing-a-book

If you spend too long on the internet, you might start to think books are dead. But one of the strange things that is still true, even in this world of iPads and ebooks and endless blogging, is that a book gives its writer credibility.

Filed Under: News

Seven Ways to Improve Your Business Writing

By Belinda Pollard 5 Comments

Improve your effectiveness any time you have to put something in writing for a business purpose — from emails and letters to marketing and submissions, and everything else in between.

Filed Under: Writing & Editing

Why Emerging Authors Need Twitter

By Belinda Pollard 16 Comments

You might think Twitter is a waste of time, and you wouldn’t be alone in that thought! But you might be surprised by what this social network can actually do for an emerging author…

Filed Under: Book Marketing

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Small Blue Dog Publishing

PO Box 310,
Lawnton, Queensland, 4501
Australia

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I hope to see you again soon. ~ Belinda

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