My Favourite Author Resources

Hi all!

This week I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite resources for writing, marketing and publishing books. I've used all of the below and they've all worked out really well for me! Some are free, while others have subscription plans or a fee for lifetime access. You can click on each of the names to be taken to their website, so be sure to check them out!

Reedsy BookEditor.

I use this tool to format all of my books. I find their tool clean, easy to use and it formats the book beautifully. They have templates for the front and back matter for copyright, dedications and about pages. It's completely free to use and I was so ecstatic to find it after hearing about how hard formatting can be. All my books and reader magnets have been formatted through Reedsy, so if you want to have a look at the end result just take a look at my books!

Book Brush.

I use Book Brush to design Facebook ads and graphics for Twitter. My favourite use for them however is making advent calendar facts! Once I found a template I liked it was super easy for me to just use that template and change the text and graphics. They have loads of images to choose from and plenty of book templates. I especially like their cover reveal templates, which I really want to use in the future. Another thing I want to try out is their Amazon A+ templates, as I would like to add them to my book pages!

StoryOrigin.

The thought of swapping newsletters with other authors terrified me before I signed up with StoryOrigin. I signed up while it was still free and had no hesitation in paying for it. I find it invaluable to swap with other authors and join promotions. My mailing list has grown a lot and I've found new fans of my work. I also really like creating promotions, and creating the headers using Book Brush. It's easy to use and you don't have to contact other authors directly if you don't want to. You can also see how many clicks authors get from each campaign they do, so you can reject anyone if they are joining campaigns and swaps without holding up their end of the bargain.

A header I made in Book Brush for a future promotion on Story Origin

Infostack.

I purchased Write Publish Profit 3.0 in June and absolutely love it. Everything they use in their deals has a massive discount. From courses, to books, to writing tools and marketing opportunities. I've only used half of the stuff that was in the deal, and I've found it all great! I found out about it through a Facebook group and quickly snapped it up. Their deals are only available for a limited time, so if you want it you need to get it quick!

AppSumo.

This is another website where you can pick up courses, ebooks or apps for a reduced price. I've bought quite a few of their deals and I'm really impressed with them. The first one I bought was the Depositphotos deal, 100 credits to download 100 photos that will not run out. So I bought another one when that deal popped up again! I'd recommend them if there are any apps or plug-ins you want added to your website or just to keep track of various things.

Depositphotos.

I've currently got 168 images left to download from my AppSumo deals and I love it! They have a wide variety of photos, vectors and illustrations for various subjects. If I'm ever struggling to find photos for a book cover, this will be the first place that I'll look.

Author Shout.

Not only did I enter Blood and Water in their Reader Ready Awards in 2020, but I participate in Cover Wars will all of my books if I can. Entering Cover Wars is completely free and it's free advertising. None of my books have won unfortunately, though I'm hoping one will one day!

That's it for this week! I hope you found this blog post helpful and will check out some of the great resources above. See you next week!

PS; looking for something new to read this week? Check out the books in this bundle:

Magical Winter - Fantasy in Kindle Unlimited

My Longest Series Yet

Hi all!

On the 1st November I'll be writing the first book in the Original Elementals series: Frostbite. I've already announced it as my NaNoWriMo project for this year, and I'm hoping to hit 60K at least. My writing has been a bit hit and miss since I started writing Street Rats, due to stress and fluctuations in my mental health. I love writing, and I hate it when my anxiety gets in the way of me doing it properly. Hopefully Frostbite will change that.

If you didn't know, the Original Elementals series will be ten books total. They will each have a different main character, and a different adventure in each. You will discover how the originals got their elemental powers and dragons. How elemental powers became widespread, and how this started effecting natural dragon species. Draca will also be in these books, his original self, not his clone. You'll also see how the books about the originals were written, and if all the details inside them really were correct...

This will be my longest series yet, and my most ambitious. I'm hoping they'll all be around the same length as the books in the Elemental Dragons series - around 300 pages. I'm aiming to have all books written in two and a half years, with other standalone books written in between. This will not effect my publishing schedule, which is currently two books a year. In fact, once Years has come out, I have the following publishing plan:

Celestial Plague Trilogy - October 2022, April 2023, October 2023

Curse of Anubis Quadrilogy - April 2024, October 2024, April 2025, October 2025

Of course, this could all change! Especially as one day I would like to increase publishing to three books a year. That all depends on how much people like my books, however!

Original Elementals will be a long adventure, and I'm hoping a fun one. It might be the only prequel series that I write as I currently have no plans for sequels or prequels for any of my other books. I just love the Elemental Dragons universe so much and I just think that I have so much more to give it, hence Original Elementals. I thought I would answer a few burning questions you might have below...

Will there be a sequel series?

Maybe. I have ideas, but I'm trying to piece it all together. It could happen, it could not.

Will the main characters in Original Elementals act exactly like their Elementa Dragons clone?

In some instances, they will. But, the originals and the clones have had different upbringings and experiences. They won't be exactly alike, but you'll definitely be able to see all the similarities.

Will their dragons act differently as they aren't bonded?

Yes, although they love each other they will be more prone to acting out and disobeying orders. They're also more likely to take off at any moment, as there's no physical connection between them. This will cause bumps in the road, but the originals will have to figure out how to overcome this in their journey.

Will the Wyrms make an appearance?

Yes, but not in their evolved form. The scientists helped them evolve a hundred years after the events of Original Elementals, so they will be tiny parasites in these books. They will mostly be seen with Draca, as they used its body as a host in the past.

Will there be a cat in this series?

Of course! My Twitter followers voted on a grey and white cat, the name is currently tied between Aspen and Flurry. I like both names, so I might do another poll to decide!

There's only nine originals - why are there ten books?

That's a secret you'll learn once I get to that book!

Will we discover why dragons were separated into class systems?

Yes! Before the events of Original Elementals, there was no such thing as common, uncommon, rare and premier. The books will explain how this came to be, and the repercussions of this. It will also explain why common dragons are seen as the most dangerous, and why fifteen is the age that people get their dragon egg.

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading more about Original Elementals and are looking forward to reading the series. See you next week!

PS; looking for some new horror books before Halloween? Check out the ones in these bundles below:

October Tricks and Treats

Halloween Frights

How Authors Can Use Fiverr

Hi all,

This week I'm going to discuss Fiverr, and how it can help authors!

First off, what is Fiverr? It's a freelance marketplace where you can hire people to do just about anything. From animations to business plans to crochet designs!

I myself have used Fiverr quite a lot for my business. Below are services that authors can use:

Art

Animations

Posters

Book Covers

Blurb Writing

Amazon Keywords

Marketing

Merchandise Design

Advertising Coaching

Book Promotion

Website Design

Guest Blogging

YouTube Videos

Reviews

Sensitivity Readers

I've used Fiverr a lot, and I really love using it! You can have a set budget and find someone who can help with whatever you need. A lot of the freelancers that I've used have been absolutely fabulous. Some of the art I've commissioned can be seen below:

I've also had some book covers done for my reader magnets. I'm not sure that I would have a main book cover done by them as I do like my current book cover designer. I've also heard about a lot of authors getting in trouble for using book covers designed by people on Fiverr. There can be a few freelancers who don't go down the correct routes when it comes to stock photos and rights to use on books. Make sure you do your research before hiring anyone.

However, I love the variety of freelancers that are available on there. You can work with them until you are completely happy with the project. I have plans to use Fiverr more in the future, with more art for posters and reader magnets. I've had great experiences with the freelancers and I'm so glad there is a website like this out there. It makes it easy to hire freelancers and communicate with them until you get what you want. A lot of them have specific add-ons such as expediting your order or adding more detail.

In the near future I'll be getting a cover designed for the reader magnet of Years, and maybe a piece of art for a poster of Nirvana.

That's it for this week, next week I'll be talking about Mute coming out! I hope you enjoyed reading.

PS; looking for some horror books to read before Halloween? Check out the ones in these bundles:

October Tricks and Treats

Halloween Frights

Elemental Dragons Now Available in Hardcover

Hi all,

Last week I said that I had an announcement to make. And that announcement is that the Elemental Dragons series is now available in hardcover!

My proof copies of the hardcover version of Elemental Dragons

I have wanted to do hardcover since I started publishing, as they are my favourite kind of book. I love that they’re heavier than paperbacks, and the covers don’t bend so they’re not as easy to damage. I was tempted to do hardcover outside of Amazon as when I first started they didn’t offer this option to authors. The options that I looked into were Lulu and IngramSpark, but I didn’t use either. The prices for hardcovers on Lulu was enormous, at nearly £30 a book. I knew this wasn’t an option as hardly anyone would pay that much for one book. Then I looked at Ingram, but they charge $50 for each book that you want to upload and if you want to make any changes then it’s another $50. So, I had to abandon the idea of hardcovers for a while.

Until now, of course!

Not only is Elemental Dragons in hardcover, but all of my future books will be too! They will be the ones that I keep on my shelf as well, although I do like the paperbacks.

That’s it for this week! Let me know if you also prefer hardbacks in the comments. See you next week.

PS; looking for some new books to read? Take a look at the ones in these bundles below:

September Urban Fantasy Sale

Terrifying Adventures - Horror Giveaway

The Pros and Cons of Authors Using Patreon

Hi all,

On Twitter I asked people to vote on what I should blog about next. So, I'm going to be writing about the pros and cons of authors using Patreon!

If you don't know what Patreon is, it's a subscription based platform. The creator posts content specifically for Patreon that can't be found anywhere else. People then subscribe by picking a membership level to see that content and become Patrons. I've heard of a few authors using it before, and have even checked out their Patreon accounts. A lot of them post:

Writing excerpts.

Chapters from a novel.

Polls.

Character profiles.

Book Trivia.

Merchandise.

So, without further ado, let's talk about the pros and cons!

Pros.

It's another way to connect with readers.

Those that subscribe to your Patreon have done it because they want more content from you. They want to see behind the scenes stuff, or help you decide which book to write next. You can see which content of yours does well, and then you know that's what your readers want to see.

Another revenue stream.

A Patron signs up for a monthly subscription, so even if you're only charging £1 a month, that's £12 per person every year! This won't help you pay for cover designs or editing costs, but you can use this money for marketing or advertising.

You get feedback.

If you post a chapter of a story you're working on, you can get feedback from your Patrons. They can tell you what they like, and what parts they want to see more of.

You can post entire books.

Say you want to post a self-edited chapter of a book you're working on once a week. Your Patrons will love that, as they get exclusive content until you decide to publish that book. Even after you've had a cover designed and got it professionally edited, your Patrons may want a physical copy too!

Cons.

It's another thing to manage.

On top of writing, editing, publishing and marketing this will be another thing that you will need to keep up with. Even if you have other social media, you can't neglect one to benefit the others. If Patrons are paying monthly, they will want new content on a regular basis.

Revenue is small.

The money you get from Patreon won't pay your rent or bills. It's just a small revenue stream that you can put into something small. Yes, you can charge Patrons more, but then they can always cancel their subscription. Patreon also get a small cut of whatever you earn as well.

You have to post regularly.

You can't just post once a month and be done until the next month. Your Patrons want regular content, and if you don't give it to them they will leave,

You may feel like you're talking to yourself sometimes.

Readers might not reply to your writing, or polls. So, some of the posts you make on there may feel like you're just screaming into the void. There will be posts that get no feedback as well.

It's not a crowdfunding platform.

You will not be able to crowdfund in order to publish a book. The fee that your Patron pays monthly is all you will get. Don't try to squeeze them for more.

I have considered creating a Patreon, though I'm not sure whether I'll do it or not. I'm not sure if at this stage of my author career if I have enough time to actually put into it.

That's it for this week, next week I have a special announcement to make, so keep an eye out! See you next week!

PS; looking for some new ebooks to download? Check out the ones in these bundles:

September Urban Fantasy Sale

Terrifying Adventures - Horror Giveaway

Why You Don't Need to Market on Every Social Media Platform

Hi all!

This week I'm going to discuss something that I've seen a lot of authors talk about recently - social media. While some only have one or two platforms for their marketing, others have several. The ones who have several say that all authors should be marketing on every platform available, and I thought I would share why you don't need to do that.

The platforms that authors usually have a mix of are:

Twitter.

Facebook.

YouTube.

Instagram.

Reddit.

Medium.

TikTok.

Clubhouse.

Pinterest.

Patreon.

To begin with, it's too much.

Some authors may be able to use all of the platforms effectively, but I just think it's too much. How are you supposed to engage with your audience equally when you have so many platforms to keep an eye on? Ones like TikTok and YouTube may require you to follow trends or do challenges in order to stay relevant. So you have to research that, on top of posting regularly, and interacting with other regularly. It's just way too much.

Most of the time, it's not effective.

Some choose to post the same thing on all of their social media platforms so then more people see it. However, with things like Twitter and Facebook, it's hard for these posts to get noticed unless one goes viral. A lot of the time you'll just be screaming into the void.

It takes away from other marketing and writing.

If you're spending all day on social media crafting the perfect post and engaging with others, you're going to have less writing time. It also means you'll have less time to research for your advertisements.

Information overload.

If your fans follow you on multiple platforms then they will see a lot of posts from you. Sometimes this can be a hit overwhelming, as if they miss a few they have to go back and see what you've posted. Sometimes it's best to post a couple of times a day.

It’s not fun.

You’ll likely spend most of your day worrying that you haven’t posted enough on specific platforms, or that your posts aren’t doing as well. This is mentally draining, so it’s much better to focus on a few rather than all of them.

Some are not accessible for all.

In the case of Clubhouse, I've seen a lot being posted about how they are not accessible to those who are hard of hearing or deaf. A lot of the events on there don't use closed captions, which means that some people can't engage. If you're going to do an event on here, then make sure that you also run the same event on a different platform that is more accessible.

I only use three platforms myself; Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. It means that when I get home from work I'm not spending hours on social media. I can post as little or often as I want, with no pressure to post something on each account every day.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week!

PS; looking for some new books to read? Check out the ones in these bundles!

Multigenre Kindle Unlimited Finds

Fantasy Books for Sale

The Pros and Cons of Book Posters

Hi all!

This week I thought I'd write another blog post that could help authors, this time about book posters.

What is a book poster?

It is a poster designed to market your book. It usually has the book cover on the front, and where the book is available to purchase. Some choose to have a solid colour background or a picture, while other authors go for illustrations. An example of one of my book posters is below:

I went down the illustration route, as I like those best on posters. The top of the poster is dedicated towards the illustration, which initially catches the eye. Then as they look down the reader can see the book cover, tag line, and the fact that it's available on Amazon. Not all authors use book posters, but I prefer having something to tag onto the end of my blog posts and emails.

Pros.

Eye-catching.

A lot of posters can be eye-catching, which is exactly what you need when marketing your book. You want people to be drawn to it and check out your work.

You can make them yourself.

Using websites like BookBrush or Canva, you can make your own marketing material. They have a lot of templates and designs to choose from. You don't have to pay someone else to make it for you.

Useful for advertising.

If you use Facebook ads, then having a book poster as your ad could help you make more sales. It also means you don't have to worry too much about the visual aspect of the ad, as that has already been covered.

Cons.

Illustrations can be expensive.

To get the type of illustration that you want for your poster, it's going to cost money. To get a good one by a talented artist will, rightfully, cost more. If you want to use illustration, make sure you set aside a bit of your budget for the cost of this.

You can't use them in many places.

I use them at the end of my blog posts and emails, but that's about it. Most posters are too large and get cropped by social media sites. This means that they can't grab people as easily. There aren't many places that they can be used effectively.

Might not do as well as regular advertising.

Using a book poster as an ad may not work, depending on your target audience. Some prefer to see images that relate to your book. For example: weapons, backgrounds or creatures.

That's it for this week! Do you have a book poster? Do you consider it a marketing necessity? Comment your thoughts below! See you next week.

PS; looking for some new books to add to your bookshelf? Check out the ones in these bundles!

Multigenre Kindle Unlimited Finds

Inside the Dragon’s Cave…

Mute Cover Design

Hi all!

If you haven’t seen my social media posts, then you might not know that I have revealed the cover for Mute! Without further ado…

Again, this cover has been designed by the wonderful people at Deranged Doctor Design! As with all of my previous covers, I thought I’d explain some parts of the design!

• The cat on the cover is Solaris, one of the guardians. He is not the main character, but he does assist her in her fight against the wendigo.

• The colour scheme for this book is grey and pale green.

• The background is a forest that is present in the book. Audra will sometimes dream herself there and be pursued by the wendigo.

• The buildings in the background are also a part of the forest, where the wendigo hunts.

• The blade beneath Solaris’ paws is a dagger, which Audra uses to defend herself against the wendigo.

• I originally wanted the wendigo to appear on this cover in some form, but I thought it would look too messy and also doesn’t fit with the overall look.

• I had a difficult time picking the font for this one but I think the one I chose is easy to read and also very fitting for the story.

• The cover is very dark and dreary, fitting the horror theme of the book.

• The design put my author name at the bottom this time as it is more standard for horror books.

All in all I am very happy with how this cover turned out as I’m not as well-versed with horror covers as I am with fantasy. I’ve a lot of people tell me that the cover reminds them of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, and that was the book that got me into horror!

Mute will be out in October 2021, pre-order will be available in August!

That’s it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading, see you next week!

PS; love reading about dragons? Check out this bundle full of FREE dragon books!

Dragon’s Lair

Writing in a New Genre - Post-Apocalyptic

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about a new genre I recently discovered - Post-Apocalyptic. A lot of books have fallen under this umbrella but have been marketed as Sci-Fi or Dystopian. The Celestial Plague series that I'm writing is an example of one who will be genre hopping.

First of all, what is Post-Apocalyptic?

It's a genre detailing the aftermath of an apocalypse. I do love writing about world ending viruses and incidents, so I'm very much in love with the genre.

Celestial Plague.

When I started writing the trilogy I had in mind that it would be a YA Sci-Fi. Now that I've discovered more genres and written more books, I've realised that this doesn't quite fit anymore. Instead it will be a YA Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy. I think this label will fit the books much better and also help when I release them. Making a story about four girls with powers live through an apocalypse never quite sat right being in the Sci-Fi genre.

Curse of Anubis.

Again, this was going to a be a YA Sci-Fi Horror, but I think it would better fit as a YA Post-Apocalyptic Horror. The main character, Tahira, has to learn to survive in a world where a zombie virus has broken out. I think this suits Post-Apocalyptic better.

There will be no significant changes to either of the series as I edit them. My writing style will not change, and the characters will be the same. I am only using this as an opportunity to expand my writing into even more genres, and get my books out there more. I'm sure I'll be able to come up with new book ideas in a variety of worlds and experiences!

So with a new one under my belt, what genres am I planning on writing? Currently, my books will be one, or a mixture of:

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

Dystopian

Horror

Young Adult

New Adult

Post-Apocalyptic

A lot of heavy genres it seems…

That's it for this week! I've started Camp NaNoWriMo this week, I'm hoping to get 50K words written for Curse of Anubis #3: Middle before the end of the month.

See you next week!

PS; with Cinder and Fire out in less than two weeks are you eager to read about dragons to fill the time? Check out the books in this bundle:

Dragon Eggs For Easter!

How I Chose the Colour Schemes for my Books

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about something a bit different, colour schemes. Each of my books have a set colour scheme and I usually have the colour scheme in mind before I've finished the book in some cases! I thought I would explain how I narrow down the colour choices for the covers.

Elemental Dragons.

Each book in this series has a different colour scheme:

Blood and Water - blue and red

Venom and Earth - green and purple

Glass and Ice - white and pale blue

Cinder and Fire - orange and grey

I chose the colours based off the book's titles. When people think of water they usually think of the colour blue, and blood is red. The only one I struggled with was Venom and Earth. I knew half would be green, but I did struggle for a while on the other colour. In the end I went with purple, as in a lot of cartoons and films I used to watch the poisonous bottles would be purple or filled with a purple liquid. So I went with purple.

Mute.

Because Mute is a horror book, the colours will be dark. There will be definitely be an element of dark green on the cover. This is because whenever I think of a 'mute symbol' I usually picture it in green.

Years.

This book will have an orange colour scheme due to the abundance of solar flares in the book. I haven't thought about the cover much apart from the colour scheme, but I still have time to mull it over!

Celestial Plague.

I wrote these books years ago, so I have a good idea of what the covers will look like. Instead of a full colour on the cover, I'm going to have it in the background instead:

Nirvana - mint green

Heaven - multicoloured

Purgatory - purple

When I wrote the books, the only colour scheme I was sure of was Heaven's. One of the main characters has the power to change the colour of hair and fabric, but can't control it. That's why this book will have a multicoloured element to it.

Curse of Anubis.

These books will have colour schemes based off sand and the sun. The books contain Egyptian gods and feature heavily in a realm that is a desert, so I thought the colour schemes were fitting.

Halfway - orange

Limbo - red

Middle - yellow

Dual - gold

Like Years, I haven't thought much about the covers apart from the colour schemes. Middle and Dual haven't been written yet, but I already know what colour schemes they'll have!

That's all of the books that I have planned for now, but I'm already deciding what project to move onto once Curse of Anubis is finished. It will be a mix of Original Elementals and standalones that I've been wanting to write for a while. Their colour schemes will come to me before the books are written, I'm sure!

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week.

PS; looking for new books to read this Spring? Check out the ones in these bundles:

Spreading Magic in March…

March Madness Fantasy Book Fair