Let’s celebrate with some of my favourite books by women authors. This blog post is going to be short and sweet – here are some of my favourite books written by women authors. You should check them out, they’re well worth a read. #girlpower In no particular order… 1. The Outsiders by SE Hinton2. TheContinue reading “Happy International Women’s Day!”
Author Archives: sarahjuleswriting
The Golden Rules of Working With Freelancers…
… From the perspective of a freelancer. With the rise of gig culture and the freelancer revolution, I thought it would be a solid idea to set some ground rules on how to work with freelancers. There’s some etiquette, some dos and don’ts, that I think everybody considering hiring a freelancer should know, to ensureContinue reading “The Golden Rules of Working With Freelancers…”
Some of my favourite client testimonials…
I’ve been ill this week and it’s been difficult to get back into the swing of things again, now that I’m feeling better. Instead of slogging away on a project that I didn’t have to do today, I decided to do something I’d been putting off for a while; sorting through client testimonials and collatingContinue reading “Some of my favourite client testimonials…”
Continuing Professional Development for Freelancers
Why Complacency Will Kill Your Business When you stumble into the big scary world of freelancing, the last thing on your mind will be continuing professional development (CPD). Your priority is to make money, to make freelancing a viable option for you. And, in the beginning, this is fair enough. The only way to makeContinue reading “Continuing Professional Development for Freelancers”
Why Are Readers So Judgemental?!
Gatekeeping in the Reading Community: An Angsty Essay Before you say anything, yes, I am a reader. I love books and all things book-related. However, there seems to be this pervasive judgement that is rife within the world of books. It’s not everybody. In fact, it seems to be the loud minority, rather than theContinue reading “Why Are Readers So Judgemental?!”
Should You Set a Reading Goal?
“A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return.” Salman Rushdi Picture this… it’s 2023 and you’re scrolling through the ‘gram and you see hundreds of those wonderful bookstagrammers you follow talking about how many books they want to read thisContinue reading “Should You Set a Reading Goal?”
A Reflection on 2022
I used to go into each year hoping that the next year would be perfect. I’d set all these goals and envisage what the year before me would hold. The start of a new year holds a lot of symbolism. It’s an end, and a beginning. It’s a closed door and an open one. IContinue reading “A Reflection on 2022”
Top Reads of 2022!
As 2022 draws to a close (where the hell has that gone?!) it seems only right to share with you my favourite books of this year. 2022 has been a busy one so I definitely haven’t read as many books as I would have liked. However, I did manage to read 57 books which seemsContinue reading “Top Reads of 2022!”
Finding Time to Write
A Top-Tier Procrastinator’s Guide to Finding the Time to Write Your Book Before we start this, there’s something I need to confess. Hi, I’m Sarah and I’m a procrastinator. Much to the annoyance of my long-suffering partner Danny, who likes to joke that I could do twice as much work in a month if I’dContinue reading “Finding Time to Write”
The Frustrating Side of Self-Publishing
This isn’t the blog post I planned to do, but it’s the one that I’m doing anyway. I’ve had a right morning of it, and I needed to vent, so fuck it. Here we go… I ordered some author copies of my book last week from Amazon. Author copies are the same as regular copies,Continue reading “The Frustrating Side of Self-Publishing”
BEHIND THE PEN NAME
Why do some authors use pen names? Something I’ve been asked quite a lot over the last few weeks, is why I chose to publish FOUND YOU, under a pen name, or ‘pseudonym’ if you’re feeling fancy. It’s a good question and something I don’t believe I’ve talked about before. Authors use pen names forContinue reading “BEHIND THE PEN NAME”
GIVEAWAY ENDS TONIGHT!
I’ve been running a little giveaway for my novel FOUND YOU. I realized that I’d never posted it here but, don’t fear, there’s still time to enter! All you have to do is comment on this blog post, or over on my Instagram giveaway post, with your favourite thriller book, and the country you liveContinue reading “GIVEAWAY ENDS TONIGHT!”
A Quick Update
An honest reflection on how self-publishing is working for me, so far. FOUND YOU by Sarah Jules has been live now for two weeks. Well, almost two weeks. It will be two weeks tomorrow evening. Self-publishing has been a massive learning curve for me. I stupidly thought that once FOUND YOU was released into theContinue reading “A Quick Update”
FOUND YOU IS OUT NOW!!
My book is finally live! Full disclosure, it went live on the 13th Oct, but things have been manic. Now that Amazon has finally linked the paperback and eBook versions of Found You together, it is so much easier for me to share the link with you! Found You is an ideal read for theContinue reading “FOUND YOU IS OUT NOW!!”
Journey to Publication: Designing Your Book Cover
You have two choices here: do it yourself or hire a cover designer. If you’re an arty person, maybe you have a penchant for graphic design, then you’re a lucky old thing. If you’re like me, and don’t have an artistic bone in your body, then you may find that you’re starting from scratch. IContinue reading “Journey to Publication: Designing Your Book Cover”
Journey to Publication: The F-Word (Formatting!)
Formatting… I was way out of my depth! When I researched self-publishing, it seemed like there were two schools of thought when it came down to formatting your eBook or paperback. There are valid reasons for each. By paying for a professional to do it, you can ensure that it is done properly and toContinue reading “Journey to Publication: The F-Word (Formatting!)”
Journey to Publication: Proofreading
I ummed and ahhed about whether to get my manuscript proofread. I’ve been running Sarah Jules Writing Services for almost four years now, so I’d like to think I know a thing or two about proofreading! The thing is, proofreading your own writing is actually very difficult because you know what you meant to write,Continue reading “Journey to Publication: Proofreading”
Journey to Publication: Deciding to Self-Publish
I’ll be the first to admit, when it comes to self-publishing, I always saw it as a bit of a cop-out for the people ‘not good enough’ to be traditionally published. My perspective shifted over the last couple of years as I watched clients of mine go through the process themselves. There’s a misconception thatContinue reading “Journey to Publication: Deciding to Self-Publish”
Almost Ready to Publish!
I’ve been terrible at updating you guys on my journey towards publication, but with good reason. Over the last few weeks, my book has been proofread both by myself and by a wonderful proofreader I found on Fiverr. I made the cover, asked for feedback, made edits, and here we are. I will do aContinue reading “Almost Ready to Publish!”
Should Authors Pay for Reviews?
The Background Story Please skip ahead if you’re not interested in why I decided to write this blog post. Although, the preamble does provide useful background information. Recently, I had an interaction via the old Instagram machine that thrust me down the metaphorical rabbit hole of paid book reviews. If you follow me on Instagram,Continue reading “Should Authors Pay for Reviews?”
Dealing With Rejection
My Journey to Publication The world of publishing is something I am relatively new to. I have always hidden behind my clients, in that respect. I write the manuscript, make it something they are proud to hold, and then bid them adieu, kind of. What I’m trying to say is that, typically, as a ghostwriter,Continue reading “Dealing With Rejection”
Are Ghostwriters Mercenaries?
I was speaking with a new client today who said something that really got me thinking. He said that ghostwriters are simply mercenaries and I suppose, to some extent, he is right. This is part of the reason I love my job so much. I get to hear so many different viewpoints, and meet peopleContinue reading “Are Ghostwriters Mercenaries?”
Do you judge an author’s capabilities based on their chosen genre?
A while ago I wrote a blog post about writing the book you want to write, rather than the book you think other people will read. I’ll link it below if anybody is interested. However. recently I’ve been thinking… Do you think some genres are better received than others? I seem to get the impressionContinue reading “Do you judge an author’s capabilities based on their chosen genre?”
Querying Literary Agents
It’s been a while since I posted an update on my journey to publication. After a lot of deliberation, I decided to give the traditional publication route a go. After another round of edits and proofreading, my manuscript was ready to go. At this point, I started to seriously research which agents I’d like toContinue reading “Querying Literary Agents”
Write the book you want to write.
Your book doesn’t have to be the next Pulitzer Prize winner. There’s this fallacy that the only books worth writing are the ones that are going to win awards. I hear it all the time, “My idea isn’t anything special, so what’s the point of writing it?” First of all, how do you know yourContinue reading “Write the book you want to write.”
Ask Me Anything
As promised, welcome to the ‘ask me anything’ blog post. I want to say a huge thank you to the people who reached out with questions. It means a lot to me. I had some really awesome questions, so thank you for that. I also wanted to mention, I’m always happy to ask any questionsContinue reading “Ask Me Anything”
Is Hiring a Ghostwriter a Good Idea?
Making the decision to hire a ghostwriter is a tricky one for a lot of people. There are many misconceptions about ghostwriting that can truly sway you away from hiring a person that could make a huge difference for you. Whether you’re an author or business person (or both!) taking the first step to reachContinue reading “Is Hiring a Ghostwriter a Good Idea?”
Fleshing Out the Story
From First Draft to Publication Let me tell you, finding the motivation to revisit my novel and add in new scenes is tough. I know my book needs it, and I want it to be the absolute best it can be, but the whole process is so bleurgh (that’s the best word to describe it).Continue reading “Fleshing Out the Story”
How to Manage Your Time as a Freelancer
Time Management and Organisation Tips to Protect Your Sanity People often turn to freelancing for the freedom. The irony isn’t lost on those who have been in the game for a while. Yes, freelancing comes with a certain amount of freedom but when you’re managing multiple projects and clients, in order to experience that freedom,Continue reading “How to Manage Your Time as a Freelancer”
Back from the Beta Readers
And a huge thank you for their invaluable insight! My manuscript is back from the beta readers and their feedback has been shared. I loved hearing what they thought of the storyline. I have tonnes to work on, a few more scenes to add, and some aspects to tweak. We’ve had a quick meeting whereContinue reading “Back from the Beta Readers”
Sarah Jules Writing Services 