ACPR Blog

If you combine work and a family, you will enjoy Working Mothers - the Essential Guide by Denise Tyler (£8.99 Need2Know Books) I started the book expecting that there would be little new in it for me - I’d already researched plenty of information for working parents as part of my book, Family Friendly Working. The first few chapters on Flexible Working, Childcare and Starting Your Own Business were the ‘essential guide’ as advertised, full of clear facts presented in an easy to read way, perfect for someone returning to work after maternity leave and wanting to gen up.

I found the second part inspiring and interesting. And if, like me, you have been juggling conflicting demands for years, this is the part that will make the book worth buying. Denise, a working mother herself, manages to get the right level of inspiration and encouragement, gently coaching worn down working mums on subjects such as Your Health, Staying Positive and that old favourite, Guilt. I managed to read the book in stolen moments on the train: it is light enough to slip in your bag and browse when you have a chance.

I sent a press release about my PR book to a range of trade magazines, and as a result Accountancy Age asked me to write an article. The article has now appeared on three different websites, here, here and here, which I hope will get a few accountants and IT pros to check out and buy the book.

I went on a short Wordpress course today at the eBiz centre in Hastings. Wordpress seems straightforward, and I could probably have managed without the course, but it was fun to do and I met some good people and made a useful contact. I now have to decide about how to attach it to my site(s). I have three sites running currently, ACPR, PRBasics and Family Friendly Working. ACPR is simply the site for my PR Business, and the other two are the sites for my latest books. I have one further site which is deeply out of date, and I’m too embarassed to link to. I think in reality I need to update that and add the blog to it, and use it as a way of bringing the other three sites together. I could also do with creating a website for my Dad’s Glass Book, and another for a very sector specifc area of PR training which I don’t mention anywhere online yet!

Something to think about over Christmas perhaps! 

I’m enjoying reading The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World by Linda Jones. It is in a lovely format – a small hardback, about 6″ by 4″ - and written in short snappy sections which makes it easy to read. It is inspiring and motivating, and reminded me how to sharpen up my pitches. However, the shortness of some of the sections can make some of the content seem a little disjointed. It can be frustrating just when you get interested to find that the book has moved onto the next topic. Jones is at her best in some of the longer sections. The chapter on Writing for the Internet is one of the best, and probably worth buying the book for by itself. I’m finally clear on exactly why blogging is such a good tool to boost your website’s profile, and what a Permalink is. Linda Jones is a prolific blogger, and this shows in this section of the book. Read her latest updates to her blog for parents of twins and more, You’ve Got Your Hands Full or find out more Freelance Writing Tips in her blog of the same name. 

The book is very practical, and you can see that Jones has years of experience in the media. She has written for local papers, worked in PR, and currently freelances for a range of newspapers and magazines. Buy the book if you want to get paid for writing, and need some pointers about the best way to achieve this. It will be £6.99 well invested.

Other useful books for aspiring writers which I’d recommend:

The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook, The Writer’s Handbook, and the Media Directory are all handy references. Each has its strong points, they all have good information written by well informed people in the media, and will clue you in on how to get started. If you want to find a media contact the guides can be a starting place, although as they only come out once a year contacts may not be up to date.