welcome…

…to all my secrets on life as a published author

(I’m 7 traditionally published books in and I’ve learnt some stuff 😉)

 
 

I blog weekly about author websites, newsletters and life as a writer…

New posts published every Monday 😊

Want to learn more about me and my own publishing journey first?

(includes info on how I landed one of those mythical six-figure book deals!)

Read all about my own journey to publication →

Or scroll down to read all my other posts!

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 most recent posts

Project Spotlight: katie-marsh.com
Websites Charlotte Duckworth Websites Charlotte Duckworth

Project Spotlight: katie-marsh.com

I’m very excited to share with you one of my most recent projects - a one-page website for bestselling author Katie Marsh! I don’t often get to design one-page websites so I really enjoy it when I do - it gives me the chance to trim things right back and create something simple but striking. Less is more!

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Project Spotlight: lesleykara.com
Websites Charlotte Duckworth Websites Charlotte Duckworth

Project Spotlight: lesleykara.com

It was such a joy to work on Lesley Kara’s website - not least because I’m a big fan (loved her mega-seller The Rumour!), we write in the same genre AND she’s a Faber Academy graduate like me. We were also on a crime writers’ panel together last year and she was just so lovely to me, so I knew I was going to enjoy working on her website!

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Project Spotlight: kellyrimmer.com
Websites Charlotte Duckworth Websites Charlotte Duckworth

Project Spotlight: kellyrimmer.com

It’s been a while since I shared a design project with you! And this is one I actually completed a little earlier in the year before the summer break. It’s a website for the prolific, bestselling Australian author Kelly Rimmer, and was honestly one of the most fun projects I’ve worked on to date.

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 ✨ 30 things I’ve learnt from 5 years being published ✨

September 6 2023 marked 5 years since my first book was released 😲

To celebrate, I shared a new post about what I’ve learnt from being published EVERY DAY throughout the month.

Enjoy!

 
Featured
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 30 – what you do does actually matter
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 30 – what you do does actually matter
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 29 – publishing runs on hype
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 29 – publishing runs on hype
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 28 – your characters are unlikeable
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 28 – your characters are unlikeable
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 27 – no-one knows anything
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 27 – no-one knows anything
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 26 – you should write the book that's in your heart
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 26 – you should write the book that's in your heart
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 25 – goodreads and netgalley are the devil's work
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 25 – goodreads and netgalley are the devil's work
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 24 – you know your book better than anyone else
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 24 – you know your book better than anyone else
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 23 – I still google 'how to write a novel' every time I start
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 23 – I still google 'how to write a novel' every time I start
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 22 – genre snobbery is real - and annoying
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 22 – genre snobbery is real - and annoying
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 21 – there will be times when it all feels hopeless
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 21 – there will be times when it all feels hopeless
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 20 – (your) social media doesn't sell books
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 20 – (your) social media doesn't sell books
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 19 – there is hope after bad track
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 19 – there is hope after bad track
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 18 – you can write in another genre
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 18 – you can write in another genre
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 17 – it's important to take stock from time to time
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 17 – it's important to take stock from time to time
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 16 – you will need to do some exercise
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 16 – you will need to do some exercise
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 15 – getting ARC copies is amazing - and stressful
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 15 – getting ARC copies is amazing - and stressful
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 14 – lots of authors hate their covers
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 14 – lots of authors hate their covers
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 13 – Harrogate Festival is amazing
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 13 – Harrogate Festival is amazing
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 12 – it's OK to take a break
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 12 – it's OK to take a break
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 11 – your author website matters (ha!)
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 11 – your author website matters (ha!)
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 10 – the best marketing you can do for your book is write a new one
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 10 – the best marketing you can do for your book is write a new one
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 9 – publication day is nuts
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 9 – publication day is nuts
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 8 – First drafts get harder - but editing gets easier
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 8 – First drafts get harder - but editing gets easier
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 7 – being on submission never gets any easier
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 7 – being on submission never gets any easier
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 6 – the writing is the best bit
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 6 – the writing is the best bit
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 5 – writing ruins reading
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 5 – writing ruins reading
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 4 – editors are overworked
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 4 – editors are overworked
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 3 – A loyal agent is better than a hotshot agent
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 3 – A loyal agent is better than a hotshot agent
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 2 – The size of your advance matters
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 2 – The size of your advance matters
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 1 – the author community is incredible
30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 1 – the author community is incredible

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