I’ve linked the best free resources I’ve found (so far ?) for everything from craft through to book marketing below. Feel free to scroll the page, or use the quick links to jump to the section most relevant to you.
Quick Links
Edit….. …..Query….. …..Publish….
..Author Platform….. …..Market..
Character Craft
Character Arc Guide -blog series by KMWeiland
Character Development Checklist by Elise Carlson
8 Types of Character, by Jerry Jenkins.
Personality Test by 16 Personalities
Character Craft Blogs by Amelia Wiens.
Marginalised Characters
Problematic Stereotypes to Avoid, by me.
Writing Trans Characters -youtube series by Christopher Drost.
Writing LGBTQIA+ Inclusive, by me.
Writing Characters With Autism, a 3 part blog by Elizabeth Bartmess.
Writing Disabled & Neurodivergent Characters, by me.
9 Tips For Writing Characters Unlike You, by Michael Gallant
Writing With Colour -avoiding racial stereotypes.
White Authors Writing Poc. Research white author’s can do to include POC characters authentically and respectfully.
Writing the Other’s Resource Page a fantastic resource collection for a range of character identities.
Plotting & Story Structure General Advice
Story Structure -blog series by KM Weiland.
6 Scene Dilemas, by KM Weiland.
KM Weilan’s Story Database -popular films and books for which she’s outlined major plot points, handy for understanding story structure.
How to Write an Insanely Good Ending, drawing on Emotional, External and Philosophical Arcs -learning from screenplays by Michael Arndt.
3 Act Structure Introduction -youtube video.
Plotting Methods
The Snowflake Method, a Plotting Technique by Randy Ingermason.
The One Page Plot Formula -an outline template and blog post on using it.
Save the Cat (by Blake Snyder), is plotting beats illustrated with Avengers Infinity War in a video by Studiobinder.
Save the Cat beats defined by NYC Screenwriters Collective.
Story and Scene level Beat Sheets by Jamie Gould, including Save the Cat, for Scrivener an
Editing & Critical Readers
Five Tips for the First Five Pages, by me.
Basic Self Editing Tips, by Editor Karin Cox. Comma Usage.
Self Editing for Fiction Writers (a book you’d need to purchase) has been recommended to me again and again
5 Compelling Ways to Begin a Chapter, by the Historical Quill.
Editing Chapter Checklist by K.M. Allan
Critical Reader Checklists: Chapter One,
Act One Act Two and Act Three by Elise Carlson.
4Dialog Editing Tips, by Cheryl Burman
Filter Words and Phrases to Avoid in Fiction, by Anne R. Allen.
The First 5 Pages Workshop -MG & YA Only, runs monthly, participation by ballot
Sensitivity Readers
What are Sensitivity Readers? explains the benefits and process of working with a sensitivity reader, from Reedsy.
Confessions of a Sensitivity Reader, gives insight into how a sensitivity reader will work with you, from Salt & Sage Books blog.
Editors
5 Things Author’s Need to Know Before Hiring an Editor, an interview with editor Staci Frenes by Mixtus Media
Different Levels of Critical Reader & Editing Services, by Amelia Wiens
World Building
Brandon Sanderson’s Free Lectures five & six
Magic Systems: Power Escalation and Character Development
Hard Magic
Soft Magic -youtube videos.
Social Class Systems -youtube videos.
Why Orcs & Evil Races can be problematic, by Salt & Sage Books
World Building Blogs by me;
Humanoid Life
Culture
Geography
Food & Fashion
Power & Conflict
SFF(H) Online Conferences
Both of these are free, and both have newsletters you can sign up to for links to sign up to participate on panels, or to attend the online con.
Flights of Foundry
For SFFH authors, artists, editors.
Runs annually in Sept (pretty much 24/7 for time zone inclusivity).
Rainbow Space Magic
For Queer SFF Authors.
Runs annually in October (on US CST time unfortunately, so no good in the Southern Hemisphere if you’re not a morning person or nocturnal).
Querying Resources
Querying In General
Pitch Parties
Querying Your First Novel by Elise Carlson.
All Things Querying Links: My blog of resource links for Query Letter & Synopsis Advice, Successful Query Examples & Advice on Communicating with Literary Agents.
Alexa Donne’s Youtube Channel gives thorough coverage of all things querying (+writing advice)
Literary Agency BookEnds Youtube Channel
Which Parties can I Pitch my novel in? blog of ever-growing number of pitch parties listed by type, with 10 Tips for Optimal Pitching, by me. (Note, most of these are now on Bsky Social, some being by form/ blog/ website.)
Crafting a Pitch -another blog by yours truly.
Party Tips & Info -blog (language warning) by Bethany Baptiste.
Publishing Information
Choosing a Publisher
Writer Beware’s definitions and pros and cons of Hybrid Publishers v.s. Vanity Publishers (the latter being on my blacklist)
Publishing Paths; Big 5, Traditional, Indie, Self Publishing, by Jane Friedman.
Types of Publishers/ Publishing & Choosing One by Joanna Maciejewska.
Small Presses
Small Presses defined, their pros and cons by Writer Beware
3 Unique Research Methods for Identifying Small Publishers by Jane Friedman
If you publish directly with a publisher, The Society of Authors
and Authors Guild both offer legal advice on publishing contracts to their members.
Publishing Paths; interview with authors on the Traditional, Hybrid & Indie Publishing Paths.
Self Publishing
How to Get Your Book Self Published by Jane Friedman.
Self Publishing & Promo Steps -youtube series by D.C. Ferguson.
Becoming an Indie Author Part 1
and Part 2: Book Launching by Elise Carlson.
How to Self Publish Your book (youtube series) by DC Fergerson.
Why Indie Authors Should Consider Their Own Imprint.
Abandoning Amazon as Author and Reader by Elise Carlson
MISC Self Pub
Self Pub Con (annual online con, in October. FREE live and for the first week after recording.)
Indie Author Project (Canadian and US only, alas, for library access.)
Self Pub News, Alliance of Independent Authors.
Formatting Tool, Lacuna (one time payment).
Publishers Taking Un-agented Submissions
Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity has a comprehensive
list of publishers accepting unsolicited submissions and self-publishing and other useful resources like contests, and where to get reviews.
Author’s Publish is a mailing list of publishers and magazines accepting unsolicited submissions. They also have querying and general writing advice.
Profit and Loss –How Publishers Decide What to Publish, by Jane Friedman.
Ethical Art/ Images, & Fonts
Cara; browse portfolios of artists who oppose gen ai.
unsplash.com has high resolution photos (its the main source of photos used on this blog), and lets you credit photographers.
Creative Commons has a searchable, clearly labelled public domain image bank.
Hire a Human Artist is a listing of artists who self reported and have been vetted by other artists as not using gen ai in their work.
Dafont is my go to for fonts. Check licensing of each font for usage; commercial, personal etc.
Public Domain Gallery Art
Metropolitical Museum.
Check ‘open access’ tagged in top of the page search filters before using.
The Getty
Check “Open Content” option is ticked.
Rijks Museum in the Netherlands Pieces which are Public Domain.
National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC Public Domain pieces. Open access policy.
Indie Author Competitions
Note: all FREE to enter. (I don’t personally consider paid ones worth it, unless you get critical reader feedback or reviews as part of the judging.)
SPFBO
Fantasy, and first in series only.
(Entries opened Jan in 2026).
Only 300 books can enter. Successful applicants chosen by ballot. Free entry, and you get a review from notable fantasy blog.
SPSFC, SciFi and similar to above. (Entries opened Oct 2025).
Indie Ink Awards
(Nominations begin in November)
Nominations for character, story, genre etc, and book covers, etc.
You can also set up a profile associated with your books on Indie Story Geek (who run the award).
Building an Author Platform
General Resources
Finding Your Target Audience by Marc Guberti.
Building a Platform as an Unpublished Writer by Jane Friedman.
Building an Author Platform by Emma Lombard.
Author Platform Action Plan Worksheets by Jane Friedman.
Marketing Without Social Media by Carol Michel.
Growing Your Bookbub Following by Diana Urban.
Indie Author Marketing & Time Management, by me.
Author Newsletter
Author Newsletters: the Basics, by me.
Unpublished Author Newsletters -blog by Emma Lombard.
Bookfunnel (build your newsletter via group promos. It was good value in 2024, but I hear sign ups are down in 2025-26.)
StoryOrigin (best for newsletter swaps one on one with authors).
CraveBooks Giveaways are the single most effective thing I’ve done to get more subscribers. (You’ll need to navigate to and through the author section.)
Website & Blog
Author Site Set Up Tips, by me.
Blog v.s. Newsletters, pros & cons plus Jane Friedman articles on developing both.
Site SEO Optimisation, Thomas Umstattd Jr.
Visitors Your Author Site Needs To Thrill, podcast by Novel Marketing. NB: enrol in the course for access (free).
100 Blog Ideas for Unpublished Authors
by Mixtusmedia
Growing Your Blog
Tips to Make Readers Continue Reading
Social Media
Social Media for Writers, by me.
Bsky Newby Guide and Diverse Bsky, by me.
Avoiding Social Media Burnout for Creatives by me.
10 Ways to Promote without tweeting links, by Lee’s Hall of Information.
Book Tok Ideas by Never Enough Novels.
How to Start A Booktok by Kelly Hallucci
Help with Book Marketing
Where Do I Start?
Becoming an Indie Author Part 1, by me. Note: this is a post Amazon, post Draft to Digital’s annual fee for low earning authors post, with direct sales and wide publishing info.
50 Book Marketing Ideas Every Author Needs to Know, by Reedsy.
Book Marketing 101 by Jane Friedman (see her blog for more marketing advice posts)
Becoming an Indie Author Part 2: Book Launch, by me.
Writing Attention Grabbing Promo Copy by Bookbub.
Marketing Your Book During Lulls, by Dax Murray.
Indie Author Marketing & Time Management, by me.
Graphic Tools
canva.com is great for author related graphics. (I use it for posts, newsletter headers, Pinterest pins ect.)
bookbrush.com allows you to design 20 book marketing images for free, and paid designs after.
See ‘Ethical Art’ and ‘Public Domain Gallery Art’ in the Self Pub above for ethical images to use in promo (beyond utilising your human artist cover art, as I did with part of Sythe Series book 2’s cover below).
Book Marketing Groups
Wide for the Win For publishing and marketing outside of Amazon.
Free Marketing Course
Starting From Zero, course by David Gaughran.
Promo Services & Advice
Best Paid Promo Sites of 2026, by David Gaughran.
How to Market your Book to Get World Wide Exposure, by BookBub.
Author Profile & Review Sites
Goodreads Author Program (review site).
Bookbub (review site).
StoryGraph (review site).
All Author (gives you free ebook and paperback mock ups if you sign up, which is free)
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