One of the major things that holds people back from writing their book is the belief that they don't have a big enough audience to be able to sell enough books. Ray Dodd runs a course on making a small audience work for you, so I knew she'd be a good person to talk to about this.By bookfest

Melanie and I talked about how to become more comfortable with being on video, since this is increasingly essential for book promotion, whether that is doing Facebook Lives and Instagram stories or whether it is taking part in online book tours, video interviews or online conferences. Melanie shares breathing exercises and tips on how to feel more …

I wanted to talk to Beth because public speaking is part of the writing life - from author tours and festivals to conferences and webinars - but it's not always a skill people feel comfortable with, to say the least. Beth and I talked about how to plan for giving a talk, how to calm your nerves, and how to become a more memorable speaker.…

Today's Bookfest interview is with Jen Eastwood, social media manager. We talked about using social media for connection and prioritising engagement over follower numbers and about protecting your mental health while still getting to use social media to promote our businesses and books.By bookfest

Suzy and I discuss gentle ways to become more visible in your business and with your writing, letting go of the 'shoulds' and getting more aligned with your values, so that you can call in your ideal clients or readers. We talk about the importance of not 'pushing through' but instead taking a much more playful approach and tuning into the purpose …

Today's Bookfest interview is with Katie Sadler, marketing expert. Katie works both within publishing and with small business owners, which is why I wanted to get her perspective. We talked about what the Marketing department in a traditional publishing house does, about book launches and about the timescales within traditional publishing.…

A bit of background on what I set up Bookfest to do, and a sneak peek into my new small group programme, The Writing Studio.By bookfest

Lucy and I talked about PR for authors and small business owners, and about how she managed to fit writing a book into her demanding schedule. We also covered why she wanted to write a book in the first place and how it fits into her plans for her business overall - and some ideas on how to make book launches better.…

Sophie is a portrait photographer and personal branding coach. I wanted to talk to her, because something that holds back many of my writing clients is an unease (or downright fear!) about needing to get more visible if you're to be a published author. In our interview, we discussed different ways to feel more at ease about getting visible and bein…

Kelly is a former publisher herself, having worked with big name authors including Stephen King and Jodi Picoult. We talked through the basics of how FB ads work and what to consider to make your ads perform better.⁠ If you've never done more than boost a post on Facebook, this interview will be a great primer.…

Eli Trier is a community builder for quiet revolutionaries. She helps entrepreneurs to gather communities of their 'right people'. This interview is about how Eli's approach to community-building can work for entrepreneurs who are planning to write a book, and how you can make the most of the close bonds of a tight-knit small community to work for …

Tamu is writing her book proposal at the moment, so our conversation is mostly about the process of putting together your proposal and what that feels like. We also cover how to ground your book in your own experience, instead of being pulled into writing in a more academic voice - and how to keep a sense of joy and play in the writing process.…

Yarrow and I talked about how a history of personal blogging and "being awkward on the internet" have helped them to be less anxious about sharing their work in public, and how self-publishing zines is an important part of their creative practice.By bookfest

This is a conversation about being in the messy middle of writing a book. Avni is early in the process of writing her book - and we don't often hear from people who are still in the first stage of planning and writing. Usually, the early stages get glossed over in retrospect, so I really wanted to take the opportunity to talk to someone who is stil…

Anna and I spoke back in February. We talked about her own creative process and how she helps other women with their writing and about her decision to self-publish her book, despite having good connections in the publishing industry.By bookfest