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I’ve Written A Book, Now What? (Indie Versus Traditional Publishing)

Updated Following the runaway success of the rebooted “I’ve Written A Screenplay, Now What?” page, lots of Bang2writers requested a similar one for book writing and publishing. So without further ado, here’s Luke with a short and sweet rundown of the basics. There’s plenty of great linkage too. Enjoy everyone! So, you’ve written a book Congrats! Go out and celebrate. Pat yourself on the back. Pat yourself all over. Eat a cake. Eat two. Writing a book is hard, so you should celebrate it. However, writing is only the first step in publishing a book, because that’s the ultimate goal… Read More »I’ve Written A Book, Now What? (Indie Versus Traditional Publishing)

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5 Ways To Impress A Literary Assistant (Or At Least Not Irritate Them)

It’s been yet more Submissions Insanity this week at B2W Towers, though for once the shoe has been on the OTHER foot as I’ve found myself in hot water for daring to share my last article in an online screenwriting group that I was invited to join and start a discussion?? Guess I didn’t read the admin’s mind well enough! Whatevs, homies. Unlike some jumped-up jobsworths out there in www.land, REAL industry gatekeepers out there don’t want you to try and resort to telepathy … Instead, they WANT you to clear those hoops and get your fantastic submissions into their… Read More »5 Ways To Impress A Literary Assistant (Or At Least Not Irritate Them)

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10 Ways To Make A Good Impression As A Writer

Look, we KNOW it’s all about the writing … and totally NOT all about the writing. But bar networking and meeting people, what else do writers actually need to do, to earn that all-important good first impression? After all, we know a bad impression has a nasty habit of lasting and stinking us all out with its fetid whiff, so chew on these advance solutions for size: 1. Send them all they ask for, the way they ask for it. C’mon guys, this is a no-brainer, right? Well, you would *think* so. But until submissions guidelines get READ, never mind adhered to,… Read More »10 Ways To Make A Good Impression As A Writer

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Want To Write A Guest Post For B2W?

Social media has made it easier than ever for us all to connect, so now we have a new problem: novelists, writers, screenwriters and filmmakers have to work extra hard to stand out, to grab their best possible chance of getting noticed. With all the appeals for “Likes” and RTs and general SPAM flying about on all the various platforms, the savvy writer or filmmaker knows that it’s great CONTENT that gets their projects, sites and themselves awareness. So I’m offering B2W up as a platform for any writer or filmmaker who wants to up their profile and connect with others… Read More »Want To Write A Guest Post For B2W?

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6 Ways To Annoy The Crap Out Of People Online

ANTI-Social Media I talk to A LOT of people because I spend a lot of time on social media. You may have noticed. (Just a bit!). What you may not have realised however is how much I READ about social media. It’s a subject that really interests me, especially the notion of “best practices”. Why? Because I see so many people completely screwing up social media and annoying the crap out of others online. What’s particularly surprising then is there is a plethora of good advice going around on best practices for social media. It’s one of the reasons I… Read More »6 Ways To Annoy The Crap Out Of People Online

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Can I Pitch My Unfinished Projects?

  Unfinished Projects Many thanks to Bang2writer Jon Ryan, who asks this question on the FB page: “I often speak to journalists about a story I’m working on and if they’re interested, they say to ‘check in’ later when it’s closer to being ready for them to cover. Is it ever worth doing that with a producer? I’m thinking of at LondonSWF if you don’t have a final draft. Or do they get so many pitches that it would be wasting their time? You often say concept is king – if that is rock solid, can it hurt to pitch… Read More »Can I Pitch My Unfinished Projects?

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6 Reasons NOT To Have A Prologue In Your Novel

So I’ve been reading a lot of spec novels via the Bang2write script reading service and downloading various free self published works for my Kindle app on my shiny new iPad (why the hell didn’t I get one years ago? Oh yeah, no money and the whole technophobia thing). Anyway, of the many spec or self published works that have crossed my radar in recent weeks, I’ve noticed some similar issues, all relating to prologues. Here are my thoughts on  NOT having one and why: 6. Your story starts too early. All too often, prologues in spec novels are boring… Read More »6 Reasons NOT To Have A Prologue In Your Novel

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5 Reasons Writers Should Consider A Transmedia Project

I am still new to the idea of transmedia, but it is a concept that has captured my imagination immensely. Transmedia can be roughly described as telling a story over different formats, mainly using digital technology. See the transmedia section of The B2W Required Reading List. For example, J.K Rowling could create a fake website for Hogwarts school, or set up a blog written by a pupil in Harry Potter’s class. It’s an attempt to bring a new layer of depth to your work and excitingly, is open to any writer who is any stage of a project. After experimenting… Read More »5 Reasons Writers Should Consider A Transmedia Project

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On Writing: The 3 Cs Versus The 3 Ps

Bang2writers ask me quite frequently for my “top tips” on  surviving the writing process and this industry. Before now I always felt that it depends on the person, what they’re doing, how they work and who with. But actually, having worked on a variety of projects now with various people over the last ten years, I think there are 6 things all writers of ALL formats need to know and live by, whether they’re screenwriters, novelists, playwrights, journalists, transmedia writers, the works. That’s right – just 6. But they mean SO much – literally everything. 1. THE WRITING You need the… Read More »On Writing: The 3 Cs Versus The 3 Ps

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5 Essential Apps For Writers

Whether you’re in academic, creative, or business writing, there are more tools than ever before to get inspired, organise your thoughts and get help with publication. Of course, most people don’t have time to wade through the swamp of redundant, buggy, spam-ridden apps, so we’ve done the hard work for you. The following 5 apps are among the highest-rated, most-popular on iTunes and Google Play. 1. Story Tracker Story Tracker is a great organisational tool for writers who are already getting content published. This app makes it easy to track where content has been submitted, what deadlines are looming and… Read More »5 Essential Apps For Writers

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Top 7 Writing “Debates” To Avoid

I love the internet. Writers can plug in and get access to all the people, information and opportunities they could ever need. They can even create a whole career out of it via blogging and social media – that’s what I did. I didn’t even live in London. As I always say: anything is possible. But even an Internet Die Hard like me can get sick of the web, due to the SAME writing “debates” rolling around and around, two, three or even *more* times a year – and some of them NEVER seem to go away, despite the fact… Read More »Top 7 Writing “Debates” To Avoid

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Top 3 Ways Technology Screws Up Your Story (And How Not To Let It)

Technology exists … And it’s creating ISSUES for us writers. How do I know? Because, in my notes for Bang2writers – screenwriters OR novelists – I frequently end up writing one of these three questions: 1) Why don’t they call somebody? Okay, okay … this one’s easy: they have no signal. Or credit. Yes, it’s become a cinema cliche, particularly in Horror movies as this fantastic montage demonstrates, but who cares, really? All we need to do is forget about the phone in a single, throwaway moment – “No signal” does that. But writers seem to want to draw attention to… Read More »Top 3 Ways Technology Screws Up Your Story (And How Not To Let It)

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