As I learn more about this business (and make no mistake, it is a business, I find I have lots of information I’ve gathered, and bearing in mind how long it has taken me to track down and experiment with all this stuff, I decided to keep a page of useful sites, books and posts so that you won’t need to spend so much time searching them out for yourselves.
I may vary the arrangement from time to time, and will keep adding and updating links as often as I can, but don’t shoot me if something is no longer current, please!
You may need to scroll down the page to locate what you are looking for, but to save you more of that precious time, right now the order of info below is:
- Blogging, social media and website info
- Links to recommended reviewer and editors
- Books and links on writing craft
- Publishing and marketing info
HOW TO START BLOGGING
We all hear how important it is for writers to have a ‘platform’ – well, your blog will serve as the hub for your social media, the place that links it all together.
If you don’t know how to go about setting up a blog/website, then take a look at: https://websitesetup.org and/or a brief tutorial at: https://startbloggingonline.com
If you’re not convinced about why you should be blogging, see this post: Reasons To Start A Blog
Best WordPress Themes for Writers and Publishers
If you want to build a really professional looking website rather than just a blog, take a look at this simple, pictorial set of instructions at: http://www.createyourwebsites.com
How to create a QR code for your website or web page: https://natalieducey.com/2023/03/07/how-to-create-a-qr-code-for-a-website-and-or-web-page/
Tips on using social media sites – and a useful blog to follow
Take a look at this useful cheat sheet on using and sizing images in social media
https://makeawebsitehub.com/social-media-image-sizes-cheat-sheet
And learn to use CANVA – a free image design tool that’s quite easy even for non-techies, to create images for just about anything!
even book covers if you are feeling adventurous (or skint!), although I would always recommend a professional cover unless you are very switched on about genre specific design.
https://www.canva.com/create/book-covers
Looking for a book reviewer?
Take a look at: The Book Review Directory
Design your own logo
Free (for low res) and good value high res – every author should have one!
How about a translation service?
Babelcube translates for free, then takes a share of the royalties.
THE EMOTION THESAURUS
One of the most useful little books I’ve found in ages
Using its easy-to-navigate list format, readers can draw inspiration from character cues that range in intensity to match any emotional moment, including situations where a character is trying to hide their feelings from others. The Emotion Thesaurus also tackles common emotion-related writing problems and provides methods to overcome them.
This writing tool encourages writers to show, not tell emotion and is a creative brainstorming resource for any fiction project.
About the Authors
This is not a book about why you don’t need an editor. This is a book about first editing your own work to the best of your ability, so that when you hand your manuscript over to an editor, it is as free of placeholder writing, as devoid of verbal crutches, as lean and clean as you know how to make it.
Good editing by the writer—before an outside editor ever sees your work—can make the difference between an okay book and a good one, or between a good book and a great one.
http://www.techtoolsforwriters.com/hemingway-app-a-proofreading-tool-for-writers
http://www.techtoolsforwriters.com/proofreading-tool-perfectit-pro
http://www.techtoolsforwriters.com/macros-for-writers
http://www.techtoolsforwriters.com/using-split-screen-for-editing
Pictorial guide to body language
http://writerswrite.co.za/body-language-reference-sheet
World’s best grammar checker: Grammarly
And Wordtips simple guides to grammar https://word.tips/grammar
ProWriting Aid – add this tool to your writing software to improve your technique: https://prowritingaid.com/
A whole website devoted to the business behind being a writer: https://www.zenbusiness.com/info/writing-careers
Joanna Penn’s AUTHOR 2.0 BLUEPRINT – a FREE downloadable document on all aspects of self-publishing and marketing,
- how to deal with copyright infringement
- ebook formatting
- how to make audio books and book trailers
- alongside more on editing etc., from The Story Reading Ape at https://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2018/05/01/writers-resources-updated-please-bookmark-browse-and-share-with-your-author-writer-blogger-friends/
Interested in how AI can help your writing? Or worried about its impact on your writing career?
Take a look at this short overview, with lots of links to more detailed posts:
deborahjay 
Thanks for all the writer’s resources. 🙂
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You are most welcome – hope you find plenty of them useful 😀
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Yes I’m sure they will come in handy. 🙂
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😀
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Lots of great sounding resourses here, Deborah… Will have to come back and check some of them out when I have a bit more time. 🙂
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Thanks Kev, I think my biggest problem is not including too many – so easy to eat up that precious time.
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Best to stick with what feels comfortable in that case… Easier said than done though. 🙂
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[…] Writer’s Resources […]
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Thanks for including us on your list!
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My pleasure 😀
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Thanks for this information, Deborah! @v@ ❤
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Very welcome – this is what I love about indie authorship – mutual support and information sharing 😀
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Deb, my bad I never saw this page. Thanks for taking the time to put together such great resources. 🙂 xx
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I only recently cleaned up my blog – there were too many pages before, so easy to miss.
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Excellent reference sheet! I know I’ll be by to check it many times, lol. 🙂
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I’ll update it when I get time. Whenever that might be!
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I hear you on that! 🙂
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[…] Writer’s Resources […]
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Wow… this is a fabulous list. Thanks so much. I’ve added this link to my files for future reference. And, I’m over the moon to be featured on your list. Huge hugs and many thanks. 🙏🏻
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Cheers! I try to update this page at least once a year but it’s often at the bottom of my to do list, so adding your link has prompted me to give it a once over this week 👍
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I saved it too. So much good stuff here! Thanks so much.
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[…] and aggregators when learning how to publish a book on their own. Here's a list by Deborah Jay on publishing and marketing info if you need extra […]
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