I really hope you've discovered Comely Bank Publishing author Emma Baird's blog, High Heels And Pink Glitter. (No, this isn't being posted by Emma herself!) Emma's been blogging on all manner of subjects for three years now, and anyone who visits her website will discover that there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. Click on the image above, or even just on this sentence.

Of course Emma's one of our most prolific writers. She's already had one novel published, but she also has another three in the pipeline. (You read correctly, three.) Famously, she also founded Friday Flash Fiction, which challenges writers to produce entire stories in just 100 words – you could even try that yourself.

A type-1 diabetic herself, Emma is also co-author of a blog called The Diabetes Diet and a whole raft of diet books aimed at helping diabetics discover more ways to enjoy their food without compromising health. We could all do with a little of that.

And as if that weren't enough, Emma's a professional all-round blogger and writer: ask her to write on a subject, she'll do it. Contact her at her website.

The publishing data analysts Nielsen Book is to launch an online site, where publishers and self-published authors can purchase ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) and related services.

Called the 'ISBN Store' and combined with its BookData and Book2Look services, Nielsen Book says the aim is to increase a book’s discoverability.

The ISBN is a unique number that identifies each edition of a book among the millions of titles that are published worldwide. Unique ISBNs help people discover books and can also contribute to the marketing process by highlighting the specific qualities in a publication, such as differentiating between product form details (whether a book is in PDF or EPUB formats for example), or between the accessibility options available such as large print editions.
​
Jonathan Stolper, vice president and global managing director of Nielsen Book, said: “This launch is one of our significant achievements this year and we expect it to make the ISBN even more relevant and accessible to the publishing sector.

“Our research proves that rich content increases discoverability and sales, and this is truly a one-stop-shop for publishers and self- published authors.”
​
Marion Sinclair, Chief Executive of Publishing Scotland, added: “Where would we be without the ISBN in the book business? From its introduction 40 years ago, the book trade has come to rely upon the ISBN to speed up book selection and find a way through the multiple formats the book now comes in, to the correct edition, the right author, and the specific publisher.”

The other day Gordon Lawrie's wife came home full of joy for someone she’d met that day: the woman, it transpired, had just had her first novel accepted by a London publisher. But the publisher’s name rang a bell... and sure enough, her contract turns out to be with a vanity publisher. Not any old vanity publisher, either, but one of the top five worst in the UK, as consistently voted by writers in recent years. Let's hope she hasn't handed any money over yet.

If you still aren't clear of the difference between vanity publishing and self-publishing, check out the article on our Writers' Diaries page – you'll get to it by clicking on the Austin MacAuley logo above right.

Now in its ninth year, Blackwell’s Writers at the Fringe once again brings you the best in Scottish writing.

Every Thursday during the Festival the shop invites a selection of Scottish performers to give us a taste of their work. New and unpublished works of literary art stands alongside established novelists, with any and all genres free to be expressed – from Scots poetry to cutting edge drama, from folk music to contemporary fiction, and all that is found in between.

This year, the writer Jane Tulloch will be talking about her work. Jane's book Our Best Attention is published through Comely Bank Publishing, and she originally launched her book at Blackwell's in January this year. 

Here are the details:

BLACKWELL’S EDINBURGH PRESENTS… WRITERS AT THE FRINGE
Thursday, August 4th at 17:45 TO Thursday, August 25th at 20:00
Date: Every Thursday in August
Time: 5.45pm for a 6.00pm start
Venue: Blackwell’s Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1YS

Our 2016 line-up
Thursday 11th August
Bert Flitcroft
Harrison Hickman
Jane Tulloch
Martin McInnes
Billy Letford

Weekender by Roland Tye will be published later this summer. Have you got your copy yet?

Weekender tells the story of a city over a weekend. Eleven different tales explore lives. there's sex, alcohol, drugs, violence, football, love, betrayal and more alcohol and a man who believes a bubble travels round his body under the surface of his skin.

A lot can happen in a weekend.

You can buy your copy here, and if you really enjoy the book why not let us know on our Facebook page, or leave a review on Amazon? 

“Good reviews are wonderful for the ego, but an informative negative review can be invaluable. You are not infallible and you cannot expect your work to be any different. It can always be better.”

That’s according to self-published writer Kealan Patrick Burke as told to Publishers Weekly. The author won a 2004 Bram Stoker award for his novella The Turtle Boy, but could not make writing his full-time job.

However, some years later he decided to get back into writing and he decided to self-publish his backlist as an experiment. After three years he was able to quit his job as a fraud investigator and write full-time.

Burke researched self-publishing extensively before committing to it. He sought out advice from others so that he could get a balanced view of the pros and cons. He brushed up his Photoshop skills so he could design his own covers and he read about the formatting of books.

He admits that he underestimated the need for marketing. Nobody will read your book, he says, unless you teach yourself how to be a savvy marketer.
His other top tips for self-published authors are:

Editing. Make sure your book is thoroughly edited and proof-read.

Stand Out. Find new and innovative ways to make your book stand out.

Reviews: Good reviews, he says are great for the ego, but an informative, negative one can really help. You can learn from it. Another tip is never to engage with reviewers. Your one and only chance to sway their opinion was with your book.
 

Calling all fans of writing - and reading. It's Friday so we're doing our usual Friday flash fiction shout-out. 

Friday flash fiction is just what it sounds like - a story of 100 words or less which is written on a Friday. We're not too strict, though, about when it's actually written.

You'll see plenty of examples of Friday flash fiction on our sister site, fridayflashfiction.com. Join in or just stay and read for a while. In the meantime, to encourage you - here's an example:

Jolly Japes, by Emma Baird

Cripes – what jolly japes. I’m now in the cabinet and I’ll be telling Johnny Foreigner a thing or two.

Y’know back in the Bullingdon days, we used to reminisce about when Blighty was great. The Empire. Pre women getting the vote kind of thing (and now one’s a bloomin’ prime minister, would you credit it?)
.
But yes, we talked about throwing off the yoke of Europe. Not sure we meant anyone to take us seriously.

The great British public did, though. And er…now I’ve got re-negotiate our relationship with all of our Euro chums.

Well ah… where to begin? Feck.
 

Have you checked out our writers' diaries of late? We add new material to that section of our website all the time. 

The writers' diaries pages contain information such as the importance of book covers, the economics of books and how you should go about pricing yours and more. Comely Bank Publishing's best-selling author, Jane Tulloch, also reveals the tactics she used to help her achieve a fifth print run only five months after publishing her novel.

The latest addition to the writers' diaries is CBP's founder Gordon Lawrie's musings on the books beside his bed. Bedside books are often notorious for being the volumes we want to read, but have yet to get round to opening. 

If you are looking for advice about writing a memoir and what editing services you should consider, read Eric J. Smith's guide.

We welcome contributions to the writers' diaries section. If you're a writer and you would like to share advice and your experiences, please email us - info@comelybankpublishing.com