Thriller writer, archaeologist and traveller
#17 in an occasional series on writing non-fiction If you are self-publishing or are with a small press who will play ball, you can employ a number of sophisticated strategies, particularly if promoting e-books outside your local region. You will need to study the various techniques on offer and apply them rigorously. These are in... Continue Reading →
#15 in an occasional series on writing non fiction The cover image is a bit of fun - it's not the way to market a book! Marketing is the really tough challenge and can take as much time as writing the book itself. I’m not a marketing expert and it’s something I have personally struggled... Continue Reading →
#14 in an Occasional Series on writing non-fiction If you are an aspiring novelist, this is where your dreams can die. A minority of people who start writing a novel succeed in completing a readable book, and only a fraction of those will find a traditional publisher. Sadly, unless well written and edited to high... Continue Reading →
Suddenly we’re out of winter and into conference season. It’s a joyful time of travel, meeting friends and colleagues, and talking writing or archaeology (and sometimes both). Conferences and festivals tumble one after the other in the run-up to Easter, which is why I haven’t been blogging and now have a backlog to report on.... Continue Reading →
2024 has whizzed past and I finished it at home with a particularly nasty flu that dodged around the jab, so those Old Langs had to Sine themselves. The year was packed with writing, travel, archaeology and new experiences, so no wonder it felt hectic. Tucked under a Game of Thrones fleece (known as 'Game... Continue Reading →
I've just pitched into another draft of my next non-fiction book, which has the working title A Roman Small Fort on Alderney. It's the result of research and excavations stretching back to 2008 and I've been picking up the text and working on it for the past eight years or so. It now has a... Continue Reading →
#12 in an occasional series on writing non-fiction (with a little fiction thrown in) Eagle-eyed followers of this blog will notice that #13 came out last week and #12 follows it. The simple reason is that I didn't have a cover image to hand. Does it show? So, book titles. You probably set out writing... Continue Reading →
#13 in an occasional series on writing non-fiction It is tempting to write your book straight out, beginning to end. At which point you realise you have uncovered a great deal more information than you can fit into the main text without breaking up the flow. This is the purpose of Notes and Appendices. Footnotes... Continue Reading →
No.11 in an occasional series on writing non fiction In fiction it is true to say that you cannot edit your own work. At very least it needs a capable beta reader if not a professional editor to work through the manuscript you thought was finished. Editing non-fiction can be complicated by the subject matter,... Continue Reading →
#10 in an occasional series on writing non-fiction This week's blog looks at creating a Style Sheet, which is something authors of both fiction and non-fiction books should consider. It is worth creating a Style Sheet as you begin drafting your book. Some publishers will have their own which they will supply, but you should... Continue Reading →