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 @AmeliaWiens.

Writing Diverse Characters
Problematic Stereotypes to Avoid, by me.
Writing Trans Characters -youtube series by @AuthorDrost
Writing Characters With Autism, a 3 part blog by Elizabeth Bartmess.
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 and others.
Podcasts & Youtube Channels Covering All Things Craft
iwriterly is a youtube channel by Meg Latore. It covers a range of writing craft (+querying and other) topics
Campfire Technology (Yeah, random name but I promise it’s about writing craft). This is a youtube channel with Hero’s Journey & Character videos, plus a great one on pacing.
Editing & Critical Readers

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.
4 Dialog 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
Areas of World Building: Humanoid Life Geography Power & Conflict
and Cultures by Elise Carlson.
Querying Resources
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
iwriterly has a few great querying videos, including top reasons agents reject queries
Pitch Parties
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 and 3 mentoring program links.
Crafting a Pitch -another blog by yours truly
Party Tips & Info -blog (language warning) by @StorySorcery
Publishing Information
Avoiding Dodgy Operators
Writer Beware’s Thumbs Down Publishers List of infamous publishers
Writer Beware’s definitions and pros and cons of Hybrid Publishers v.s. Vanity Publishers (the latter being on my blacklist)
Choosing a Publisher
Publishing Paths; Big 5, Traditional, Indie, Self Publishing, by Jane Friedman.
Types of Publishers/ Publishing & Choosing One by Joanna Maciejewska.
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
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.
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.

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 @LombardEmma
Author Platform Action Plan Worksheets by Jane Friedman
Marketing Without Social Media by Carol Michel.
Growing Your Bookbub Following by Diana Urban
Author Newsletter
Author Newsletters: the Basics, by me.
Unpublished Author Newsletters -blog by Emma Lombard.
Bookfunnel (build your newsletter via group promos)
StoryOrigin (best for newsletter swaps)
Graphic Tools
canva.com is great for author related graphics. (I use it for posts, newsletter headers, Pinterest pins ect.)
unsplash.com has high resolution photos (the main source of stock photos illustrating this blog), and makes it easy to credit photographers.
bookbrush.com allows you to design 20 book marketing images for free, and paid designs after.
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
3 More Blog Tips
& Being a Guest Blogger by Marc Guberti
Social Media
Social Media Tips by Marc Guberti
Facebook for Authors by Jane Friedman
Social Media for Writers, by Elise Carlson
#WritingCommunity Hashtag Guides -Twitter & Insta, by Elise Carlson
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?
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)
KDP Select or go Wide? Another Reedsy blog linked to resources to help you decide whether to distribute ebooks exclusively in Kindle Select or not.
Amazon Expanded Distribution, Ingram Spark & ISBN Info by Eric V. Van Der Hope.
Choosing Keyword on Amazon by Dave Cheeson
Writing Attention Grabbing Promo Copy by Bookbub
24 Things David Kadavy Learnt From Self Publishing, including about KU
How to Develop an Indie Author Marketing Plan, by Emma Lombard.
Ad & Promo Creation Tools
Creative Common Resources (check if the images are personal or commercial use before using!)
Canva (I use this for post & site graphics, newsletter headers, book banners etc)
Unsplash (high resolution free commons images naming the photographer so you can credit them)
Book Marketing FB Groups
20booksto50k -marketing strategies discussion and support for self published authors
Wide for the Win -dedicated to marketing strategies for going wide
Free Marketing Courses
Starting From Zero, course by David Gaughran
5 Day Amazon Add Course, by Dave Cheeson (Kindleprenuer)
Promo Services & Advice
127+ of the Top Free and Paid Book Promo Sites, by Kindleprenuer
Free & Paid Book Promotion Services, curated by Reedsy
How to Market your Book to Get World Wide Exposure, by BookBub.
Author Profile & Review Sites
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads Author Program (add your book for arc & normal reviews)
Bookbub (review site)
StoryGraph (review site)
All Author (some tools & cover competition)
Quick Links
Edit….. …..Query….. …..Publish….
..Author Platform….. …..Market..
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