This is the first in a new series for indie authors, covering many of the most challenging aspects of self-publishing.
A good book cover is key to your book’s success, so this video takes you through everything you need to know about finding and approaching a book cover designer.
This whole work/life balance thing can be hard sometimes, so in this video I decided to create some rules around how I’m using social media. I’ve been having all kinds of issues with my neck, shoulders and upper back, which has been causing tingling and pain in my hands – not ideal for someone who works with their hands all day.
While hard work is SUPER important when you’re setting up a business, it’s also imperative to set up sustainable habits so that you don’t burn out or end up having to quit.
Here are my social media rules, at least for now:
No post on Sundays. Do you like my Harry Potter reference? This basically means no social media all day on Sunday.
No screen in the bedroom. Again, this applies mostly to social media. Scrolling though Instagram before bed isn’t conducive to a good night’s sleep, so I want to cut that out.
No screen 1 hour before or after sleep. As with number 2, this is to improve my sleep quality and give my hands a break from using my phone.
Check Instagram twice a day at set times. I suspect this one will be the hardest habit to kick, but it’s so important for avoiding mindless scrolling.
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LINKS
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30 days of yoga: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
Dragon pins: https://www.hollydunndesign.com/shop/...
Daniel Pink: https://www.danpink.com/
Monday was the launch of the new products I featured in last week's vlog. The new enamel pins arrived too, which was super exciting. They'll be up on my site next week. Later in the week, I made a bunch of wax seal envelopes for my bookmark bundles and I show you some new drawings I'm working on.
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MENTIONED:
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My shop: http://www.hollydunndesign.com/shop/
The Girl Aquarium by Jen Campbell: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
Iron and Ink Designs: https://www.ironandinkdesigns.com/
Grishaverse books by Leigh Bardugo: https://www.goodreads.com/series/2350...
Alchemy and Ink Candles: https://www.alchemyandink.com/
Silvana by Belinda Mellor: http://forestdreaming.com/
I’ve been dealing with a fair bit of pain this week. What I thought was RSI from too much drawing turns out to be a problem with tense muscles in my neck and upper back. It seems to be fixable, but it’s very uncomfortable at the moment. So, in lieu of doing my usual amount of drawing, I filmed some other things. This video includes a mini book haul, a sock haul from Out of Print Clothing and some behind-the-scenes of the Spine Magazine podcast.
This week was the lead-up to the launch of some new products on my shop, including new notebooks and bookmarks. There’s a sneaky look at those in this video too.
I’ve been a little absent from YouTube over the past few weeks, and have been trying to figure out what this channel will be going forward. This is the conclusion I’ve come to: studio vlogs with a bit of behind-the-scenes, a bit of art and design, and a bit of me talking about books. Oh, and plenty of Lyra. We all know she’s the real star!
In which Holly takes a turn around her 'room of one's own.'
In which Holly doesn't like a popular book... and feels bad about it.
In which Holly probably needs to examine her life choices.
In which Holly talks about the non-YA books she read in August, and discovers a new favourite.
