How to write a great back cover book blurb
Think of your back cover blurb like a movie trailer. There is a good reason movie trailers are not made by the writer. It’s so hard as...
top of page
Writing
Advice and Tips
Sarah Bullen is a literary agent and writing coach. This page is a blog of her writing advice, publishing tips as well as calls for submission for publishers. Sign up to get the latest publisher briefs, tips and advice on writing your book.
What if my book sucks?
Here's the question we all ask. What if my book sucks?
It doesn’t matter how many books you have written (like me); lalunching a book is a
Original and Wild Voices in Storytelling
Chapter excerpt from “ABOUT ORIGINAL & WILD VOICE IN SPEAKING AND WRITING”, from “Tending the Creative Fire manuscript” by Dr. Clarissa...
The 7 writing styles
See if you can find yourself and your writing style in my article below where I detail The 7 Kinds of Writers. You may have a laugh. Are...
What does a book editor cost?
My authors are often blindsided by how much a good editor actually costs. I want you to think of it this way – most editors take a...
Why you need to block off a date with your book
1. CLOCK IN AND OUT Be specific, and mindful when you start and when you finish. A focused strategy is better than just wafting into...
Categories or subgenre of memoir
What if you are writing a memoir or biography? Memoirs are as varied as their authors. Here are some of the most common types. Where will...
Six Things Authors Can Do To Get Your Book Move Visible
You have written the book and finally launched it. It’s loaded on Amazon and you have exhausted your own marketing network and harassed your
Novel writers? Know your fiction genres
Okay so you pretty much know my rule - DON'T write until you are clear on your genre. I can't tell you how many novels I get sent and...
Top 10 Best-Selling Fiction Authors of All Time
10. J.K Rowling * 400 million copies Surprised? I suppose not, but I bet you though she would be higher on the list. J.K Rowling has...
Villainous characters
The Mastermind The Mastermind does not commit the crime, but is the brains behind the big event, whether it is a stealing, a scam or some...
Character Profile Worksheet
Basic Statistics Name: Age: Nationality: Socioeconomic Level as a child: Socioeconomic Level as an adult: Hometown: Current Residence:...
Non Fiction Book Structures
You have established your genre – now how will you book play out in terms of how you present the information. A lot of this is a choice...
How to structure your non fiction book
Memoir writers, you need to take a different approach to plotting than writers tackling a straight NF. When you plan a memoir or...
Do you need to be an expert to write?
Here's the question that lurks in the back of the mind of many writers … am I actually qualified to write a book? The book could be about...
Book Lengths What Are You Aiming For?
Where are you going with all this writing? Well, you are mostly likely shooting for a minimum of 50,000 words. Why 50,000? It is the...
The 10 Revision Stages of a Novel
It takes a lot to write a novel. Even those who haven’t tried would say, “well, duh!” to this. But it’s not so much the mind space or the sh
But is this book really yours?
What is original thought in writing? And all those things you think….. those ideas you have….. Are you aware where they come from? Are...
7 questions writers most often ask me
1. How long will this book take?
2. Can I get on the New York Times Bestseller list?
3. Where do I start?
4. Why are publishers
Self publishing your book? Independent Publishers in South Africa
Should you pitch a traditional publisher or simply bite the bullet and self-publish (or indie publish)? This is an important question and...
How to get a barcode and ISBN for books in South Africa
There are two steps to this process. Step 1: Get an ISBN Step 2: Order a barcode The National Library of South Africa (NLSA) is the...
Book titles really do sell books
‘When you write non-fiction, you sit down at your desk with a pile of notebooks, newspaper clippings, and books and you research and put...
Writing is about keeping going
‘The pathos, and the gift of life, is that we cannot know which will be our defining heartbreak, or our most victorious joy.’ Alexandra...
The types of scenes all books need
‘I am 54 years old. Large important parts of my life receive virtually no attention in my memoir — a sentence for a traumatic love...
Should I traditionally publish or indie publish?
One of the biggest questions I hear from authors is this. Should I traditionally publish or indie publish? Since 2013 Jane Friedman has...
Key things authors can do to get a book promoted
So you have got a book out there into the world. Massive congratulations. But getting a book published is one step, getting it to...
Editing your book – Second Draft Rules
I just got back from the annual month-long writing residency in Greece, and I read a LOT of working manuscripts there. Many authors came...
Sending your book off to publishers and agents
Now that you have done all the hard work, it’s time to press play. If you want to get a publishing deal, this is where the rubber hits...
Beta Reader? Manuscript Appraisal? Editor? How to take the next steps
You have written your best possible version of your book, and now you may just need someone to make it better. The good news is that...
Rewriting (and rewriting and rewriting)
Rewriting (and rewriting and rewriting) is not only completely essential – it is the lifeblood of an author. In writing the first draft you
Let's Netflix your book
AUTHORS are having to adapt and adjust with reader demands. That means you have to get tighter on delivering a book that is ‘on point’...
Create your Author Brand - with brand expert Tessa Graham
As authors, we need to be savvier than ever about who reads our books. We have the ability to market our books directly to our readers....
Writing your story - how do you hook a reader from the start?
Where should your story start? Few stories start at the beginning. Most stories start in the middle. All stories - whether it’s a novel,...
How to sell that book (once its published)
‘I didn't know how much marketing would be involved in actually getting my book sold.’ ‘My publisher did some PR for the first few months...
Why Your Book Needs a Single Big Idea
You start structuring a book by being very clear on what you are writing about. Sounds simple? You (sort of) know what you want to say...
What are publishers looking for in 2023?
It has been a busy year in publishing – and its only July. The good news is that reading has not been hit by the two years of lock...
Write, Publish, Profit
Where are you going with all this writing? What is the end game? Do you simply love writing with no real outcome required? Is it profit?...
Write a movie-style logline for your book
What is your book about? The dreaded question. The answer is most likely 'a HELL of a lot - do you have two hours?' People don't, so...
What is a ghostwriter and why may you need one?
What is a ghost writer and why may you need one? And when should you actually write your own book? I'm just going to unpack that a...
Who’s causing trouble in your story?
What! You ask. Why trouble? Why would I need anyone to do this in a book? Have you ever heard that books are driven by conflict? This...
Memoir writing - 5 characters you need in your cast
Even though you may be the 'main character' in a memoir, this book is not just about you. Even non-fiction needs other characters. And...
A decade of no writing... then this
I had no name. No attachments. No family. No form. No purpose. I was a floating, formless, light being. Totally at peace in the vast,...
The 4 Questions Every Author Should Ask
It’s a romantic idea ... to ‘write a book’. It gives us a purpose and something to do. It gives us somewhere to pour our time into. It is...
Find your novel's genre (and sub-genre). Don't start until you are clear
Choosing a genre is the starting point in all fiction writing. I cannot stress this enough. Please do not start your book until you are...
I stopped mucking about and finally wrote my book - Zoe Scholz
Zoë Scholtz, June 2020 Early in January 2020, it was a weekday, a day like any other. I was at the office minding my own business,...
The types of scenes your book needs
Books are loooooong and so many can be really boring. As an author that is your problem to solve, and it often means you need to engage...
How to Write About Yourself
Writing about yourself is an exercise in both honesty and storytelling. You are narrating your own life or experience, but you are also...
Rainmakers, Initiation and Climate Change
If Einstein was right, and a problem cannot be solved using the mindset that created it, perhaps we should be discussing our climate...
How to Build a Book (hint... scene by scene)
Writing a non-fiction story is like cracking a safe. It seems impossible at the beginning, but once you're in, you're in.’ Rich Cohen ...
The real work of writing
We write and write and write, and then someone asks the dreaded question… ‘so what is your book about?’ What happens? You stammer and...
bottom of page