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SOFTWOOD SUPPORTS IPSWICH HOSPITAL FUNDRAISING DINNER
30/01/23
Held at Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, Saturday's charity fundraising dinner was hosted by Babergh Council Chairman, Councillor Kathryn Grandon. We were proud to donate a lovely bundle of books to the raffle, raising money for our local hospital's Blossom Appeal.

SPREADING SELF-PUBLISHING KNOWLEDGE
09/01/23
With listeners across the UK and USA, Maddy spent last Friday afternoon as a guest on Felixstowe Radio where she talked about her personal journey as an author and her passion for encouraging and enabling authors to self-publish.

SOFTWOOD'S CHRISTMAS TREE
24/11/22
If you're passing Stowmarket Library before January 3rd, pop in to see the Softwood Self-Publishing Christmas Tree! We're really excited to be a part of the town's Christmas Tree Festival and you might just recognise some of the 50 handmade decorations on our tree...

ABORIGINAL ART AND ANCIENT WISDOM INSPIRES NEW BOOK
26/10/22
When leadership coach, Dawn Jarvis, met indigenous artist, Munu Wuthuga Dardakiin, she knew she'd found the perfect way of illustrating her new leadership model. Based on the concept of leadership through ancient wisdom, we're delighted to have seen Dawn's book through the publishing journey.

WHEN IS A BESTSELLER NOT A BESTSELLER?
07/09/22
Maddy was talking again on BBC Radio Suffolk on Monday, this time responding to the news article that shone a light on various marketing practices surrounding that shelf marked 'bestsellers'. Take a listen here and all will be revealed!

SOFTWOOD IS MOVING TO STOWMARKET!
14/08/22
From August 22nd, Softwood will be working from a brand new office close to the train station in Stowmarket. Fun fact, the Queen has twice visited Stowmarket, most recently in 2002 for her Golden Jubilee!

MADDY TO APPEAR AT PRIMADONNA FESTIVAL 2022
27/06/22
We're delighted that Maddy Glenn will be offering a self-publishing surgery at the forthcoming PrimaDonna Festival in Stowmarket in July. A steller line-up of guests are promised at this year's festival including Kit de Waal, Joanne Harris, and La Roux. Get your tickets by following this link!

SOFTWOOD CELEBRATES BUSINESS AWARD
23/06/22
Softwood is thrilled to announce we have been awarded 'Self-Publishing Specialists of the Year' in London and the South East 2022! This is an incredibly exciting accolade from the Prestige Awards and we look forward to sharing more news with you next month!

NEW FANTASY READ FROM MADDY GLENN
06/06/22
Softwood director, Maddy Glenn today reveals the cover design of her next installment in the Dwelling Hunter series, In the Dark, which is due to be released at a special event in July. More details soon!

SOFTWOOD ON BBC RADIO SUFFOLK ON APRIL 20th
19/04/22
At 4pm on Wednesday 20th April, Lesley Dolphin will be in conversation with Maddy Glenn, discussing all things self-publishing and our new creative writing workshops in Needham Market's library.

NEW CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS FOR SUFFOLK IN MAY
24/03/22
Softwood is excited to announce the dates for our new creative writing and self-publishing workshops. They'll take place in the beautiful new library in our home town of Needham Market!

ANOTHER 5-STAR REVIEW ON GOOGLE
02/03/22
We love our clients! Feedback is really important to us and it's particularly lovely when we get a great review on Google. Tap the button below to read our latest feedback.

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK!
02/02/22
Yes, we've joined #booktok! Give us a follow on @swspublishing and see a bit more of what we do behind the scenes. We'll also be highlighting some of the fantastic self-published authors who we work with. Not on TikTok yet? Be warned, you'll be hooked!

ARE YOU RESEARCHING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY?
06/01/22
With today's release of the UK 1921 census, you might be inspired to write up your family's history into a book. If you want to find out more about self-publishing, request your free Zoom publishing consultation today!

BEHIND-THE-SCENES AT APPLEDORE BOOK FESTIVAL
15/10/21
We had a fabulous time leading creative writing and self-publishing workshops at the Appledore Book Festival, we thought you'd like to see some behind-the-scenes of our trip to Devon!

NEW DATE FOR DEVON WORKSHOPS
21/09/21
Due to reasons beyond our control, our self-publishing and creative writing workshops at Appledore Book Festival will now take place on October 13th, 10am-11am, 11.45am- 2.45pm. We're looking forward to seeing you then!

CATCH OUR DIRECTOR ON BBC RADIO
16/8/21
Tune into BBC Radio Suffolk to hear our Director, Maddy, discuss her latest book and all things self-publishing with Jon Wright.
Click the link below to listen again to 'The 8pm Club'.

IT'S OUR 5TH BIRTHDAY!
20/7/21
We're celebrating 5 years of supporting and promoting self-published authors in the UK, USA, and the world!

#SUFFOLKDAY
22/6/21
How did you celebrate #SuffolkDay? We enjoyed connecting with more local businesses as we settle into our new county!

MEET US IN SUFFOLK
8/6/21
Meet us in person at the Stowmarket Craft Market at The Mix (IP14 1BB) on July 4th, from 10am - 1.30pm.

WORKSHOP
June 13th via Zoom
Join us at Essex Book Festival for an interactive workshop exploring self-editing and the benefits of self-publishing.

HELLO SUFFOLK!
26/4/21
Our Ipswich office is now up and running, ready to provide continued excellent customer service for our global network of clients.

NEW WRITERS PODCAST
22/1/21
Subscribe to this brand new podcast that discusses all things creative writing and self-publishing.

SUPPORTING INDIE AUTHORS
4/1/21
Self-published authors can now upload their book's details for free promotion on our library page!

HOW WILL A.I. AFFECT YOUR WRITING?
25/01/23
Heard of ChatGPT? If you haven't, you will soon. It's the brand new A.I. tool that is taking the world by storm. But is it something that poses a threat to writers or is it actually a useful tool? We had a LIVE discussion today with our friends at West View IT. Watch it again by tapping the link below.

READ OUR CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER!
16/12/22
We've put together a few of our highlights from 2022 along with some features of just some of the excellent projects we've been working on. Tap the link below to have a read with over a glass of sherry and a carrot - no, wait, that's for Santa. Merry Christmas!

CELEBRATING #INDIEWEEK
21/11/22
If you're looking to start your Christmas shopping by supporting independent authors, creatives, and businesses, search out the hashtag #JACIndieWeek, run by the excellent folk at Just A Card. Tap the link below or search our library page for our suggestions!

SOFTWOOD SHORTLISTED FOR INNOVATION AWARD
20/10/22
We were thrilled to be a finalist for the Shooting Star award at this year's Mid Suffolk & Babergh District Council's Innovation Awards. Congratulations to all our fellow finalists, including our neighbours, West View IT.

NEW EDITION OF THE WRITERS' & ARTISTS' YEARBOOK
25/08/22
If you're about to embark on a journey through publishing your book, this fantastic volume is a valuable resource, and for the first time, Softwood is listed! Turn to page 645 for more information...

WE TALK ALL THINGS SELF-PUBLISHING AT PRIMADONNA
01/08/22
Our first ever workshop at the beautiful PrimaDonna Festival took place on the last day of July, to a packed audience! It was great to hear everyone's writing journeys so far and to be able to suggest routes to publishing and marketing that could work for them. Control is the buzzword!

NEW BOOK RAISES AWARENESS OF PLIGHT OF KOALAS
14/07/22
We've been privileged to help produce a new picture book by children's authors, Harry & Margaret Elson, that will be sold to raise money for koala rescue in Australia. Follow the adventures of Pocket & Patch on their Instagram!

NEW BOOK EXPLORES TRUE STORIES FROM EAST ANGLIA
16/06/22
Congratulations to genealogist, Abi Pullen-Game on publishing her fascinating volume of true stories from the distant and not so distant history of East Anglia. It's been a pleasure to work on this fascinating and important book.

SOFTWOOD ATTENDS LAUNCH OF GOOGLE #DIGITALGARAGE
09/05/22
Nathan and Jessica today attended the launch of Google's Digital Garage training tour, along with the Chancellor, the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak, Vice President and MD of Google UK & Ireland, Ronan Harris, and Dragons' Den legend, Levi Roots!

LAUNCH OF NEW WALKING GUIDE BOOK FOR SUSSEX
08/04/22
We're so excited to see the release of this beautiful new guidebook by Michele Facer. It's been a joyous project to work on and the photos are particularly stunning. Find out more by tapping this link.

LOCAL HISTORIAN TO PUBLISH HER FIRST BOOK
10/03/22
We're delighted to be supporting Abi through her self-publishing journey! Her latest book on local history gets a mention in today's East Anglian Daily Times (as do we) and you can pre-order your copy by joining her Facebook group today.

ANNOUNCING OUR FIRST WORKSHOP OF 2022
24/02/22
We're really excited to be providing an online self-publishing workshop in association with Atlanta Writers Club. You can book you place on eventbrite now and we'll see you on March 5th!

BEATING BLUE MONDAY WITH BOOKS
17/01/22
If you're looking to beat #BlueMonday with a new read, check out our listings of exclusively self-published books - or add your own independently published book as a free advert! Click the link below for more information.

SOFTWOOD'S CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER
14/12/21
We've had a great time putting together our 2021 highlights for this year's Christmas newsletter. Click on the link below to read it for yourself. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

THE CAMPAIGN TO RECOGNISE #CLIFI AS A NEW GENRE
01/10/21
This campaign is targeting the forthcoming Climate Change Conference (Cop26) to get #CliFi as a separate recognised genre in the publishing industry. Do you write #CliFi? Join the campaign.

IS YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY WORKING?
9/9/21
With the news that Instagram is going head-to-head with TikTok by prioritising video content, how is your social media strategy going to adapt to best support your brand as an author? Let us help?

MEET US IN NEEDHAM MARKET, SUFFOLK
29/7/21
We're really looking forward to supporting local businesses (and having a go on the fairground rides) at Needham! Come say hello and find literary quizzes and puzzles on our stall on 7th August 11am-5pm.

SOFTWOOD OUT AND ABOUT
15/7/21
Have you caught up with us in Suffolk yet? We're looking forward to playing our part at Needham Market's Bounce Back on Aug 7th.

EDUCATING AUTHORS
15/6/21
Thank you to everyone who attended our self-publishing Zoom workshop on Sunday. Great to meet you all!

NEW AUTHOR IN TOWN
2/6/21
Thank you to In Touch for their feature on us and our CEO, Maddy, in June's edition.

PUBLISHING AFTER COVID-19
26/5/21
Why self-publishing may be the answer to shakeups in the book world amid COVID-19.

BOOK FESTIVALS
18/4/21
We're really looking forward to meeting more indie authors at book festivals across the UK this year. Join us at Essex, Guildford, and Appledore festivals!

NEW: VIDEO TRAILERS
18/1/21
The perfect way of building anticipation towards your book's release, a video trailer is an effective promotional tool.

UNSELFISH WOMEN
10/8/20
We were really proud to work on this great new book by American playwright and author, Towonda Kilpatrick.

ARE YOU DOING VEGANUARY?
20/01/23
Whether you are new to veganism or not, Sadie Jade's new 'Vegan Lifestyle Journal' is the complete interactive guide to living an ethical and sustainable life, (beautifully designed and printed by Softwood!). Pictured above are Maddy and Sadie at its launch.

AT THE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR WRITING
08/12/22
Maddy spent another day with a team of writing practitioners from the East of England at the National Centre for Writing in Norwich. We're fortunate to have this resource so close to us and we're looking forward to developing our links with them in 2023.

TRUE STORIES FROM LATE DIAGNOSED AUTISTIC WOMEN
08/11/22
A fantastic new resource from autism coach, Nicky Collins, has been published that draws on true stories from ten women from around the world. This is an inspirational read for anyone looking for advice on how to live their life in their own way and we've enjoyed guiding it through the whole publishing process. Congratulations, Nicky!

SOCIAL MEDIA IN TIME OF NATIONAL MOURNING
12/09/22
We were deeply saddened by the death of Queen Elizabeth II. We were subsequently asked by many of our clients on how they should use social media in the lead up to the funeral. Our thoughts and recommendations are here.

"SOFTWOOD'S ENTHUSIASM AND DRIVE IS INSPIRATIONAL"
16/08/22
We were delighted to recently attend the Prestige Awards ceremony in London where we received our trophy for Self-Publishing Specialists of the Year, London & the South-East! It was great to have our former intern, Lizzie, with us to share our success. Onwards and upwards!

SOFTWOOD SHOWCASE SUCCESS
28/07/22
What a fantastic we enjoyed at the Market Cross in Bury St Edmunds, where 5 proudly independent authors spoke about their writing journeys in front of a supportive audience. It was also the launch of Maddy's new book! Click the link to find out more.

SOFTWOOD RESPONDS TO BBC RADIO MONEY BOX
25/06/22
BBC Radio recently broadcast an interesting discussion on the pros and cons of self-publishing. It was great to hear this coverage and Maddy has written an article responding to the issues raised. Tap the link to hear the programme again and to read her response.

ANNOUNCING SOFTWOOD WRITERS SHOWCASE
07/06/22
We're delighted to be bringing our inaugural Writers Showcase to Bury St Edmunds on July 27th at 7pm. Come and join 5 fabulous local female authors as they talk about their writing and their self-publishing journey. In aid of Suffolk Libraries.

BOOK NOW FOR OUR CREATIVE WRITING COURSES!
03/05/22
Places are being booked up for our new series of creative writing and self-publishing courses which start on May 17th! Find more information by visiting our website, where you can also book your place.

SELF-PUBLISHING SUPPORT IN BURY ST EDMUNDS
06/04/22
We were really pleased to find so many Suffolk authors represented at The Market Cross in Bury this week, including our very own MJ Glenn! It's a beautiful place to read and eat cake. Go enjoy!

ATLANTA WRITERS CLUB, GEORGIA, USA
07/03/22
Over 60 authors from around the world gathered on March 5th for our self-publishing workshop in preparation for Atlanta Writers Club inaugural self-publishing conference in April. We loved meeting you all!

A BUSY OFFICE IS A HAPPY OFFICE
17/02/22
It's been a particularly busy few weeks at Softwood HQ, and we were delighted to have Lizzie, our intern, able to be working alongside us in person instead of on Zoom! We've also suffered from some staff absence due to illness, but all are on the mend now.

LOCAL WRITERS APPEAR ON BBC RADIO SUFFOLK
11/01/22
If you're looking for local tales by local writers, tune into BBC Radio Suffolk on January 11th for 'Transformation Myths' at 6pm (available afterwards on BBC Sounds), featuring our very own Maddy Glenn.

CHILDREN'S BOOK GETS BBC RADIO 1 MENTION
08/11/21
Congratulations to our client, Esme, for appearing on BBC Radio 1's 'Minute of Me' talking about her environmental children's book, Through the Eyes of a Tree. Available now on Etsy!

CAN YOU SELL YOUR BOOK THROUGH BOOKSHOP.ORG?
28/09/21
Bookshop.org launched in late 2020 but how accessible is it for authors and how exactly does it work? This excellent article by Ellen Peirson-Hagger is worth a read if you want to find out more!

SELF-PUBLISHING WORKSHOPS IN SURREY
8/9/21
Tickets are now on sale for our 2-hr workshop via Zoom, hosted by Guildford Book Festival.
Click the link to find out what else they have going on in our former home-town!

INTRODUCING OUR INTERN!
21/7/21
We're delighted to welcome Lizzie to our team. Lizzie is an English graduate and is currently working towards her MA. She is particularly interested in historical, Victorian and children’s literature.

FREE PUBLISHING ADVICE
1/7/21
We'll be at The Mix in Stowmarket, Suffolk, this Sunday morning. Come say hello to the team from 10am till 1.30pm.

CELEBRATING #PRIDEMONTH
10/6/21
We're really enjoying working on and promoting some amazing manuscripts by our LGBTQ+ clients this month!

NEW: PICTURE BOOKS
1/6/21
We're delighted to be now able to offer short runs of colour paperbacks suitable for children's picture books!

SELF-PUBLISHING TIPS
25/5/21
Read our interview with Emma Jacobs on what steps to take when starting out self-publishing.

HITTING THE HEADLINES
2/2/21
We're delighted to be featured in Surrey's latest edition of the Round and About magazine.

HITTING THE HEADLINES
13/1/21
Thank you to the Guildford Dragon for featuring our CEO's brand new novel!

NEW PIRATE SERIES
1/8/20
Check out this brand new series entitled 'The Immortal Pirates', by C.R. Pugh. So happy to have been involved with this!