Articles For Authors

21st December 2020 Ian Rankin’s reign at the top of the book charts can be traced back more than thirty years, and his latest novel, A Song for Dark Times, has topped almost every bestseller list in the country. But the 60-year-old, whose books have been translated into more than twenty languages, understands better than most the difficulties … Continue reading Ian Rankin: Authors should know the market

30th October 2020 It was Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes who ruined Rupert Frazer’s first attempt at gaining a writing credit. But there have been no hard feelings from the celebrated 73-year-old actor as he has gone on to star in the award-winning period drama. And now, after teaming up for a second time with PublishNation, he has … Continue reading Downton Abbey star’s book with PublishNation

25th August 2020 Does Snapchat or Facebook, or a smartphone, have a place in literature? If anyone can be credited for creating a credible correlation between the latest communication methods and prose, it’s Irish author Sally Rooney. Whether you have read the Man Booker-nominated Normal People or watched the prime-time BBC television adaptation, it’s easy to see why … Continue reading Normal People author Sally Rooney on the importance of being modern

19th June 2020 Horror author Helen Cardwell admits the biggest shock she’s ever experienced was when her debut novel became an instant bestseller. The 40-year-old from Leicestershire realised a lifelong dream when The House in the Attic went to print back in 2012. But within weeks of the self-published horror story being released it had shot to number … Continue reading PublishNation writer’s instant BestSeller

24th April 2020 Not every self-publishing author surpasses their literary expectations and achieves success. But Swiss-based management consultant Scott Chapman is one of the growing number who has – time and time again. The 57-year-old Glaswegian’s through-the-centuries Templar detective novels have continued to top the charts and attract five-star reviews over the past seven years. His hugely popular … Continue reading Successful PublishNation author’s top tips

17th February 2020 Creating that perfect character is something every author aspires to. While several have succeeded in recent years, finding that all-important protagonist who will appeal to almost everyone remains one of the holy grails of modern fiction-writing. One author who can lay claim to having found all the ingredients that work is Jeff Kinney. The 47-year-old … Continue reading How Jeff Kinney sold more than 200 million children’s books

16th December 2019 Lee Child is one of modern literature’s most unlikely success stories – because he ignores the rules and writes just for himself. If this world-famous sought-after author told you he doesn’t plan a single plot and has always ignored advice being offered, would you believe him? Only picking up the pen after being made redundant … Continue reading Lee Child’s tips for writing success: no planning and ignore advice!

8th October 2019 Advice for improving your writing can be found far and wide. An array of influential linguists, creative writing tutors and, of course, published authors, all freely offer their opinions on crafting the perfect sentence, paragraph, chapter and novel. But, here at PublishNation, to avoid the constant contradictions, we thought we’d step back in time and … Continue reading George Orwell’s six golden rules for every writer to follow

12th August 2019 Writing a novel isn’t easy – just ask Robert Harris. But the author of Fatherland, Enigma and The Ghost has established himself as one of the world’s best-selling novelists through hard work and following a few golden rules. The former journalist believes that valuable advice from three fellow writers has, for him at least, made … Continue reading Planning, plotting and persistence with Robert Harris

16th April 2019 Writing a good blurb is one of the most important ways to attract people to your book and encourage them to buy it. Here, you can learn some tips on how to create a blurb that will help readers understand what your book is about and why they should buy it. Firstly, what’s a blurb? … Continue reading Writing a good book blurb