Category Archives: Writing Tips

Why JK Rowling has my sympathies

Posted on October 11, 2012 by

Book lovers will have noticed that JK Rowling has just released a new novel, and it is neither a children’s book nor connected with the Harry Potter universe. Casual Vacancy has polarized opinion; it’s a triumph for some, an author … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Tips | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Kindle 3.4 firmware upgrade … and using Calibre to build eBooks

Posted on October 11, 2012 by

If you’ve got a Kindle 3 (now called Kindle Keyboard) then there’s  a fair chance that over the past few weeks, your Kindle device took it upon itself to download a software update and a new book from Amazon to … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Tips | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Adventures in typesetting: poetry book layouts and printer’s ornaments

Posted on August 22, 2012 by

I’ve been laying out some poetry paperbacks this week for Watermark Publishing and Greyhart Press. I think poetry is my favourite of all genres to format (at least in print) because it gives licence to design the page, in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Tips | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Microsoft Word layout tip: view gridlines to anchor pictures

Posted on July 11, 2012 by

I posted a few days ago about gutters and margins for printed books. The flip-side of setting margins is keeping everything that gets printed within those margins. The easiest way to fall foul of this, and get those dreaded”you’ve got … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Tips | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

How to Set Margins: Microsoft Word vs. Createspace vs. Traditional Typesetting

Posted on July 7, 2012 by

I’m currently working on a paperback and eBook layout commission for an illustrated children’s book: Cassie Kindly and the Naughty Christmas Fairies. The body text is in two columns, although the delightful illustrations of this 22-page book (which my six-year-old … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Tips | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Createspace finally extends its operations to Europe

Posted on May 19, 2012 by

Anyone self-publishing print books through Createspace (and possibly those who chose Lulu instead) should take note that last Wednesday, Createspace added distribution options for the UK  and continental Europe. If your print books are published only through Createspace, you should … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Tips | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How UK authors can escape US withholding tax on their royalties

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

Several UK-based authors, publishers, and one literary agency have asked me how to avoid paying 30% tax on earnings from amazon.com and other US-based retailers such as Smashwords and Createspace. I’m most of the way through the process now, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Tips | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

How to find tips on writing

Posted on May 9, 2012 by

I’ve added an icon on the right-hand panel to make it easier to find the posts I’ve written about writing, including my series on formatting books for Createspace and Lulu. Now that it’s a little easier to find my posts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Tips | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why writers need Lego

Posted on April 13, 2012 by

We’re now coming to the end of my son’s two-week Easter break from school. We went on a train, saw the animals at the zoo, and played soccer. Most of all, though, we’ve made things with Lego. At my parents’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Perils of Plotting Time Travel

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

The Perils of Plotting a Time Travel Novel By Tim C. Taylor (a version of this article was originally posted on Jeremy Bates’ blog) One of the great fantasies in fiction is to travel into the past to experience what … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Tips | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment