Mark Ayre Writing

We’ve come a long way together, you and I. I’ve taught lots of classes in my time, some of whom even agreed they were being taught, but none have been like you. It has been an absolute pleasure, and I think, together, we have put ourselves in a position to take the indie book market […]

It’s Monday. Isn’t it always? Well, no, I suppose not. Yesterday, for example, was Sunday. Get a few of those now and then. I planned to write this blog on that Sunday. I knew there would be plenty of time and it’s easier to write at my desk at home rather than during my lunch […]

Hello again. Look how far we’ve come in the last nine months. We could have made and birthed a baby but what we have achieved is much more impressive. We’ve created fiction that, while rubbish, hits all the right buttons with audiences. We’ve learned how to get the correct response from our beta readers and […]

The funny thing about stress is I’m feeling it. Maybe you’ve experienced it — the swollen pulsing ball that sits in the pit of your stomach sending waves of discomfort to your throat. Well, I don’t have a pit in my stomach. It’s full of food. I bring it on myself. I get up five […]

I’m an indie author – so naturally, when I see an author such as Christopher Shevlin who has done well from his writing it makes me swell with pride that my fellow professional has – No wait, I remember. I hate him. Jealousy bubbles like acid in the pit of my stomach and heart, making […]

A long time ago, in this galaxy, I spent a review looking at my Man vs Bookshelf stats over the first 100 days. Well, 102 days, to be exact and, at the time, I thought, I should do this again when I get to a year. A grand idea, and one I intend to stick […]

Hi guys. Been a long time right? Okay, well, no, not for you. As far as my screaming, ever excited fans are concerned, my last blog came out three days ago. Even that probably felt like a lifetime, so desperate were you for the next instalment. But, if you’re me (keep dreaming), the gap has […]

You’ve probably heard of Steve Jobs. You know the one. Co-founder of Apple one of the largest and most successful technology companies in the world. Creator of the iMac, iPhone, iPad and iTonya. He also was behind the renaissance of Pixar ahead of their release of Toy Story, followed by a string of Oscar-winning, commercially […]

Must we talk about another book on writing? I love this challenge, but sometimes it does feel like I’ve made a rod for my own back, when I’m staring at yet another book it’s going to be almost impossible to review. Look, I’ve said all I’m going to say about books on writing. You want […]

Last week I spent a lot of time talking about one of my favourite TV shows, and because I think originality is overrated (or I forgot to plan or something), I’m going to do the same this week. Difference is, this time I don’t have books to review on which said TV show was based. […]

So, you’ve dodged jail for harassing literary agents long enough to get your book self-published online – congratulations. Since then, you’ve no doubt been sitting back, waiting for the money to roll in and, if so, thank Christ I’ve come back with my next guide because getting your book up online is only half the […]

Today is a good day. I’ve not done much, but I get to be positive. How rare is that? See, today (29-Sep-2018) I finished the first draft of my next novel. The sequel to The Black Sheep’s Shadow, which isn’t even due out until November. This sequel, once completed is due out in May 2019. […]

A couple of entries ago I reviewed a book on Inbound Marketing. In doing so, I probably mentioned how I got into marketing because of my love of writing. History, too, feeds into my love of writing. From an early age, it was my favourite subject. Not so much the later stuff, but up to […]

This weekend was a bit of a loss. Productivity wise, I mean. No, no, don’t try and make me feel better. I know I should have done more. Okay, I did 18,000 words of my novel which was only 2,000 short of the target, and pretty good, but let’s remember I had three blogs to […]

It’s Sunday, 11:17 am. I didn’t do enough yesterday. Surprise surprise. I’ve loads of writing to do today, and here I am writing this blog. Of course, I’m three or four blogs behind now as well. No matter how well we do, it always goes back to shit in the end. Though, I suppose there […]

A lot of the time when people write reviews for books or films or games or whatever else, they have to put a disclaimer at the start saying they either have no affiliation with the producer of the reviewed item and therefore please believe them or that they have indeed been paid to review the […]

Hey, isn’t it weird how fast time goes? I know some of you out there will be grumbling “oh, he thinks it goes fast now, he’s only 28, wait until he’s 82, then see how quickly the time slips by. Well, firstly, I’m 26, not 28 and, secondly, I get that, it’s all a matter […]

You have no idea for how many years I’ve tried to sustain a consistent blogging effort. Honest, since I was a teenager, it’s been going on. I would sit down, tell myself I was going to blog blog blog and not stop. Then I’d stop. Sometimes it would be blogging on life, sometimes writing tips, […]

Last month we spoke about how you can best secure yourself an agent, and it’s great to receive your emails regarding your success. Of course, as yet, no one has secured an agent, but it’s great to hear that less than 10% of you have been arrested and so far we are looking at one […]

This blog comes at a very inconvenient time. See, I’ve taken a week off work to catch up on my blogging and to finish the latest draft of my book, and things have been going well. I’ve been working hard. Getting up before eight I’ve been reading my latest Man vs Bookshelf book until around […]