Self Publishing Coach
Former BBC journalist, prize-winning author, bookseller and magazine editor, Helena Halme holds an MSc in Marketing and an MA in Creative Writing. Helena also acts as Nordic Ambassador for The Alliance of Independent Authors and is a Fellow at CreateThinkDo.
Helena loves to share her vast experience in Self Publishing with other authors and creatives.
What my clients say
‘Helena provides a sprinkling of magic to the self-publishing process.’
I can, with complete honesty say that Helena has been essential help when I started to self-publish. She lent me an expert hand in making sense much more quickly of a world that is becoming increasingly complex. She also helped me to decide what I wanted to do and how to do it… a little bit of Good Fairy dust on my launch campaigns is always welcome!
Helena’s years of experience in the publication industry show. She made me feel confident I could achieve my goals based on practical help and gave me an idea of how to structure my writing career. In publishing your own book, like in many other businesses, the quality of the team around you will make or break your project. Helena is one of these high-quality professionals.
And it is always fun to deal with Helena. She genuinely cares about her students’ success.
– Freddie P Peters, Best-selling Author of HENRY CROWNE: PAYING THE PRICE trilogy.
"Being an author Helena deeply understands publishing and promotion and what a book means to the reader. With her expert knowledge she guided me through the process of the self-publication of No Ordinary Woman. I so appreciate her perseverance and patience. A big thank you."
— Joyce, Baroness Gould Of Potternewton
"Helena was a huge help to me in getting my first book, Love and Death in Shanghai, published and distributed. She knows all the systems and explains them clearly. It has been an enormous pleasure to work with her!"
— Doreen Massey, Baroness Massey of Darwen, Member of House of Lords
"As a result of our regular coaching sessions, I feel that I’ve managed to develop as a blogger and a storyteller, and transform my business communications into something engaging, interesting and emotional for others to read and relate to."
— Saija Mahon, founder and CEO of Mahon Digital Marketing, author of The Modern Female Entrepreneur
In today's' world, it's not enough to just write to be a writer. If you want to make a living from your words you need to adopt a business mindset which can be overwhelming. I was confused about what my author brand is and should be and didn't know how to market my book in an easy and ethical manner. Working with Helena has totally changed this.She worked diligently with me, understanding what my books are about and how to create an effective marketing plan using specific and effective marketing principles. She helped me to define and own my author brand and showed me, via the CreateThinkDo method, how to integrate this effortlessly into both my books and marketing. Helena also demystified what keywords were and explained how to use them in my writing, books and business.
What I especially love about Helena's approach is that the marketing principles you learn are not something you feel forced to do. You can pick and choose which methods best suit your personality and books. And that was the penny dropping moment for me.
Helena was also able to see my blind spots and helped me to overcome some of my biggest hurdles which included feeling overwhelmed. She helped me to design and own my day, helped me to break down tasks and work against deadlines. The two CreateThinkDo sessions are great value for money and I consider it an investment in my author career, especially since the principles can be reapplied.
– Sukhi Jutla, Author of Escape the Cubicle: Quit the Job You Hate. Create A Life You Love
Thank you so much for all the work you have put into the final stages of making my book become a reality. Your bill came as a pleasant shock, as I can guess how much of your time you put into it, and I thank you so much. Without your help, the final stages would have been a nightmare, if achieved at all, as I am not too far from computer illiterate. Your quick email replies and fast progress has made working with you a pleasure and has taken away a lot of the recent stress, so I a massive thank you again.
– Robert Brook, Author of Wasn't Born to Follow and Maiden Makings & Canny Crows
Interested in One-on-One Coaching?
Over the ten years of being a self-published author, I have helped countless writers navigate the complicated landscape of self-publishing. During the one-on-one coaching, I will show you everything from what files are needed to upload your book to Amazon (and other sales platforms), to what keywords and other metadata are needed to effectively market your book.
Today, there are countless service providers in the self-publishing industry and sometimes it's difficult to know who to trust and what services are truly needed to become a successful author. I have helped many authors see which companies to trust the services that suit their particular writing style and publishing schedule, and which ones to steer clear of.
AI is a hot topic in the industry, and as a self-publishing coach and a bit of a futurist, I try to keep on top of the rapid developments in this area too. I can show you how easy it is to use AI to write blurbs and marketing copy for Facebook Ads, social media, etc. If you are interested, AI can also be used for writing inspiration and editing.
Ultimately, however, if you sign up for one-on-one coaching, what we cover is up to you. You can tell me what you'd like help with, whether to complete your project, publish it, or get ideas and help with marketing.
If you'd like to talk to me about one-on-one coaching to get your book published, I offer a 15-minute free discovery session via Zoom. This gives you a chance to find out if I am the right person to help you further your writing career. It's important that we both feel comfortable with each other. Tap the button below to get the ball rolling!
Sign up for Self Publishing Tips
Are you looking for tips and tricks on self-publishing? Sign up for my mailing list and get regular updates and book offers!
Here are some of the tools I use to publish and market my books
