Why the digital publishing model is GREAT for debut authors!

Hi all,

I'm guest posting here at Rach Writes on why the digital publishing model is good for debut authors and, ultimately, for readers too.

Come and visit!

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Publishing deal!

Image by http://www.scenicreflections.com

I didn't expect to be writing a post like this so soon. If you'd asked me at the beginning of the year whether I saw a publishing deal in my near future, I'd have said "No way!" Then my agent sent my manuscript to new digital publisher Momentum, a division of Pan Macmillan Australia - and they liked it. And they offered me a deal for international digital publication. And I accepted.

I'm back!

It's time to get out the metaphorical broom and whisk away the cobwebs on the windows and cornices; don gloves and pull up the weeds which have grown in the corners of the landing and twined their way up the banisters of my stairway...

Okay, enough with the unnecessary imagery. I'm back! And very glad to join you again. What have I been up to? All sorts of very worthwhile enterprises, some of them actually outdoors, which is always nice for a writer.

In November, I enjoyed my roses in full bloom. Can't resist sharing a picture.

Going blog-quiet...for a while

I've been putting this off. Hoping I could do it all. Burning the candle at both ends and then some.

Unfortunately, my writing's been suffering. Writing? What writing? And this has become the online journal of an unproductive procrastinator, which is not what I want to be.

On following the writer's dream, with a hop, skip, jump...

Image by Etsy/RochePapierCiseaux

Who started your writing dream? Was it a book you read, a particular author, or an influential person in your life?

My MG/YA group of Campaigners are holding a blog hop for the next week on this very topic, with some fabulous prizes on offer (as befits such a fabulous group of bloggers). You have one week to comment, and every comment you make increases your chance to win a prize. The prize pool includes query critiques, manuscript critiques and several free books...

Campaign #3 - My commitment to you, fellow Campaigners

 Have I bitten off more than I can chew?

This is my third time as a participant in the Platform-Building Campaign. I've been there since the beginning. I think the essence of the idea is great, and through my past participation I've met some wonderful bloggers and have felt really touched by the posts some of those people have written, and the personal way they've responded to comments and posts.

Writing is a very lonely undertaking, and anything we can do to foster a sense of community is valuable. The way the Campaign is now organised into sub-groups with similar writing interests or geographic locations is also great. I see this as an invaluable networking opportunity, and I love meeting new like-minded types and talking writing.

Writer's Repast: Rhubarb 'n Lemon Cake + Campaign News

image from etsy/SweetiePaint

I can't stick to a recipe. I've tried. It's not just because when the urge to bake overcomes me I may find the pantry short of essentials like eggs, sugar or milk...though that's sometimes the reason! But I think I am, at heart, a tweaker.

This is a recipe for the cake I made when my mother brought me rhubarb from her garden last week. We enjoyed slices of it warmed, with whipped cream.