After seven days of writing about an otherworldly weekend away with The Silent Eye, it’s back to reality with a rather prosaic thud – this post is all about crafting the agent submission letter.

I’ve written before about submitting your manuscript to agents – while I don’t consider myself by any means an expert, I have had a bit of experience in sending the things out. I also attended a workshop some time back at Bloomsbury, where a couple of London agents shared their idea of a perfect submission letter, and several other agents have commented that my submission package stood out from the others (although no-one has taken me on board as yet – boo-hoo).

So, how do you structure the all-important letter? (I say all-important because it’s the first opportunity you have to make an impression, and we all know how important first impressions are). Well, here are…

It doesn’t have to be springtime to clean up your blog.  These free tips can be used at any time of the year.

1. Give your blog a brand new theme. WordPress offers lots of free themes, and you can try them out first before deciding on which one best suits you. Giving your blog a brand new theme will give it a fresh new look. However, there’s nothing wrong with sticking with your current theme if you’re happy with it.

2. Customise your existing theme. Press the ‘customize’ button on your blog’s dashboard to see what you can change.

3. Change the background colour of your blog. However, be careful when choosing a colour. Ask yourself if you’d be happy reading a blog with that neon coloured background that plays tricks on your eyes. Press the ‘customize‘ button to make any changes.

4. Change the type of font (and…

It’s Wednesday, and time for another wander. I’m continuing with our recent trip to New York – apologies for the number of posts but there was just so much to see, as we crammed in as much as we could in the few days we had! This week, I’m wandering to Times Square and Rockefeller Plaza.

I have to admit that Times Square isn’t really my kind of place. A bit too frantic, a bit too touristy. But, at the same time, there is a kind of intensity to the neon insanity and towering structures, and I do believe that it’s somewhere you need to see when you visit New York, even if you just wander through.

Times Square is located at the intersection of 42^nd and 7^th, and was originally called Long Acre Square, after the original in London. Originally the location for William H. Vanderbilt’s…

On behalf of the committee of the Bloggers Bash, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to everyone who has confirmed their attendance for the 4th Annual Bloggers Bash. Bags are packed, votes have been counted, cakes baked, envelopes sealed, outfits chosen, and the fun starts at 10:30 when Sacha flings opens the doors, and the hugging begins. (Please – no screaming this year when you see Geoff’s beard!)

Where & When?

Saturday 19th, May 2018 at The George IV pub in Chiswick, London. Click here for full details on how to get there.

We’ve lots going on during the day, including two speakers, a panel debate and, of course, the announcements of this year’s bloggers bash award winners. We’ll also be announcing the winners of The Bloggers Bash Blog Post competition. Click here to see the agenda.

Without further ado, allow me to introduce you all to this year’s attendees who have…

I can’t believe there’s only a few days left until the 2018 Bash! This weekend is your last chance to get your tickets at the standard price, as from Monday, the cost will shoot up to the last-minute purchase price. So if you’re wavering, push that buy now button before it’s too late. 

The venue does have a capacity limit, which means tickets are limited. It’s first come first serve. So, once the tickets are gone, you ain’t getting in. We have bouncers. ** 

This year there are three pricing bands for tickets. 

Early Bird tickets: £20 (Sales end 11th Jan) 

Standard Tickets: £25 (Sales ends13thMay) 

Last Minute Larry Tickets: £30 (Sales 14th – 18th May) 

Prices are in sterling and can be bought using PayPal. Buy your ticket HERE, and it will be sent…

Are you coming to this year’s Bash? It’s on the 19th May and there are no competing attractions, however keen you are on Royal Weddings and FA Cup finals. I’m mean, seriously? Competition? Pah!

If not, why not?

Here’s where you can get tickets.

If you are booked, then this is what you need to know.

The Bash is held this year at The George IV pub in Chiswick. Here’s a link to said welcoming hostelry. We will take over the Boston Room for our glorious meet up.

The fun starts at 10.30 and runs until 4.30. Here’s a link to the agenda post with details.

Before I get into more details on travel and admin on the day there’s one big thing I’d like help with. As there will be a fair few of us coming and we are in a pub that serves food, the options for…

Lately, Facebook has been in the news a lot, and I’m reading lots of articles comparing it to favourite social media websites of the past such as MySpace, LiveJournal and Friendster. Has it, too, had its day?

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Facebook since I can remember. At first, I was very reluctant to join. Did I really want everyone knowing what was going on in my life, where I was, what I was doing, who I was with, etc., etc., etc.? I mean, there are other ways of finding out that information, isn’t there?

As an author, I know I should be using Facebook to help promote my book and my blog but, just over a year ago, I had decided enough was enough and finally gave Facebook its marching orders.

Here are my seven reasons why I deleted my Facebook account.

Time. Did you know that some people…

Blog stats seem to be a subject that many bloggers worry about. For ‘Throwback Thursday’, this week, I’ve updated a post I wrote in August 2015. Is your blog living by numbers?

via Is Your Blog Living By Numbers? #bloggingtips (Updated April 2018)

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Don’t forget to buy your ticket for The Bloggers Bash on May 19th, 2018. Click here for full details.