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5 Ways You Can Help An Author … Without Even Buying Their Book!

In the interests of transparency, I’ve got a book out! It’s my debut novel at the age of 59 – which should give hope to all those ‘Am I too old?’ Bangers – and I’d love you to buy it. No, seriously: there is no substitute for getting readers to actually hand over their hard-earned cash for the thing you’ve slaved over. But that’s also the point. In these increasingly tough times, getting anyone to part with £16.99 for a hardback (other formats are available) is a big ask. I get it. So would it interest you to know that… Read More »5 Ways You Can Help An Author … Without Even Buying Their Book!

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Top 5 Reasons Producers Don’t Like Your Pitches

Your Next Step: Finding Producers You’ve got the script. You’re ready to get it made. Finding producers is your next step. But nobody seems to want to work on it with you. In fact, a lot of producers aren’t even replying to you!  So let’s see where you might be going wrong … Ready? Let’s go!  5) You didn’t make it personal Quite simply, you’re contacting a producer with no personal connection or interest in what you’re pitching. A producer will likely spend 6 months – 3 years devoted to a short film, and much longer for anything else. They’re… Read More »Top 5 Reasons Producers Don’t Like Your Pitches

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7 Ways To Beat Procrastination & Increase Your Productivity As A Writer

How To Beat Procrastination & Increase Productivity Procrastination is a constant struggle for writers. It’s hard to get started and even harder to keep going. But don’t you wish there was an easy way to beat procrastination? Well, there is. Here are the seven habits that will boost your productivity and help you beat those pesky writer’s block blues. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Set deadlines The first step in beating procrastination is to define what you need to do and set a deadline for when you will complete it. It can be daily, weekly, or monthly depending on your… Read More »7 Ways To Beat Procrastination & Increase Your Productivity As A Writer

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What Do I Do If My Book or Script Is A ‘Hard Sell’?

Help! What If My Story Is A ‘Hard Sell’? Every week I hear from Bang2writers who say their stories are a ‘hard sell’ and they don’t know what to do. That’s right … EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK! With this in mind, I broke down the process into steps to help. Ready? Let’s go … STEP 1: Get REAL First things first, what makes your story a ‘hard sell’? Do you know for certain … Or are you just guessing? I always find it very interesting (but not surprising) that lots of new writers pretend to themselves their story is a ‘hard… Read More »What Do I Do If My Book or Script Is A ‘Hard Sell’?

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8 Spot-on Ideas To Make Your Book Cover More Eye-Catching

Your Book Cover Wanting to make every effort to make your book stand out from the undeniably huge crowd is something everyone wants for greater success. Choosing a book cover that is unquestionably eye-catching is one of the best ways to do this. Fortunately, you can use a few strategies to create a cover image that stands out from the crowd. And to help you out in the process of creating the magic, we outlined eight ideas that make your book cover eye-catching. Read the article to find out more as we gathered everything from accents to typography to everything… Read More »8 Spot-on Ideas To Make Your Book Cover More Eye-Catching

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How Do I Know When It’s Time To Let Go Of A Draft?

If You Love Something, Let It Go  When should we let go of a draft? Well, like so many writing-related things, this can be a real ‘piece of string’ question. That said, there are some best practices to consider that will help you know when to let go. Ready? Let’s go …  1) Have THE GUTS To Finish!  To often, writers can’t let go of drafts. They will tinker with them endlessly, making submissions alongside these endless edits. This frequently leads to them trying to make multiple resubmissions. This is a bad idea, because industry pros want to see fresh… Read More »How Do I Know When It’s Time To Let Go Of A Draft?

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Top 3 Tips to Write a Perfect Query Letter

All About The Query Letter (Or Email!) A great query letter or email can make all the difference to your writing career. It can mean hooking an industry pro with your writing … or having to shelve the screenplay or novel you have worked so hard on. Eek! But do not worry, we got your back. Let’s go! 1) Get Them Hooked Bad query letters often miss that extra ‘oomph’ that is supposed to intrigue agents in your writing. So how do you hook them? Mention if you have ever met the agent at a conference or a similar event.… Read More »Top 3 Tips to Write a Perfect Query Letter

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10 Important DON’Ts You Must Think About When Writing Your Story

Important DON’Ts Storytelling is much harder than it looks, so I have composed a list of DON’Ts to think about when writing your story. If you find this post useful, please pass it on to your writer friends and followers. Ready? Let’s go … 1) DON’T: Start Too Early If you begin too early in your story, you end up with a ‘top-heavy’ draft. This is no good, because modern readers and viewers do NOT want to wait for your story to start. But how do we avoid starting too early? Well, think about beginning with some kind of EVENT… Read More »10 Important DON’Ts You Must Think About When Writing Your Story

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Is Your Story A Mystery, Horror or Thriller? Here’s How To Tell

Mystery, Thriller or Horror? Mystery, Thriller and Horror novels and screenplays do BIG business as they have high ‘adaptability’. Readers and viewers love them … plus there’s a lot of convergence between them. This is because the Mystery, Horror and Thriller genres have lots of elements that cross over. However, lots of writers run into trouble because they’re not really sure what their story *is* at foundation level. Whilst many writers know mystery usually involves some kind of twist, they often don’t know how to get there. As a result, writers may make their mystery too easy to guess, or… Read More »Is Your Story A Mystery, Horror or Thriller? Here’s How To Tell

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Script Reading: 25 Experts Share Their Expectations Versus Realities

All About Script Reading Script reading can be a VERY misunderstood job. Writers often have beliefs about script readers that don’t even vaguely match what REALLY happens ‘behind the scenes’! Some common wrong beliefs about script readers include … They enjoy tearing writers down It’s an easy job They don’t really care about the scripts They make megabucks They’re jealous of writers who do well None of the above is true in my experience. This is one of the reasons I launched this blog … I wanted to demystify the submissions process for writers. After all, the more writers understand what… Read More »Script Reading: 25 Experts Share Their Expectations Versus Realities

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10 Powerful Affirmations For Writers & How To Use Them

All About Affirmations Affirmations are positive statements that can help us to challenge and overcome self-sabotaging and/or negative thoughts. When we repeat them often, we start to believe in them. This means we can start to make positive changes. I first came across affirmations when I had cancer. My therapist at the time challenged me to use affirmations to challenge my belief I was doomed to die. I had only just survived a breakdown and could not face yet another journey back to health. She told me to repeat to myself the following as a starting point … ‘I will not… Read More »10 Powerful Affirmations For Writers & How To Use Them

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Hey Writers: Here’s Why You Haven’t Scored Representation Yet

Looking for Representation? There’s something that’s #1 on most writers’ wishlist: representation. The search term ‘how to get an agent‘ brings hundreds, if not thousands of writers to this blog every single month. It’s not difficult to see why. Gaining representation FEELS like the ultimate validation for a writer. After all, your screenplay or novel MUST be *good* if someone is willing to stand up and try and sell it, right? It’s also arguably better to have representation than not … Even though B2W is the first to say not every writer needs an agent, having representation can mean certain… Read More »Hey Writers: Here’s Why You Haven’t Scored Representation Yet

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