Just recently I’ve received a number of requests from writers and writing-related organisations. The latest is from Carissa Halston, who quote rightly pointed out that writers are often missing from indie-related sites and blogs. After all, writers are artists too. I have therefore added a brand new category devoted entirely to wordsmiths, scribes, poets and new writing projects. And you can find a number of writing-related blogs and projects in our blogroll.

Going back to the talented Ms Halston, her novel, ‘A Girl Named Charlie Lester’, was honourably mentioned at the New York Book Festival last year and two of her shorter pieces of fiction have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Carissa also creates text-based art, which can be purchased along with her books through her Etsy store.

Something a little bit different today. These beautiful bookmarks are made from copper by Studio 2b2. The nature inspired patterns are created from original drawings and have been etched onto the surface of the metal.

No more folding over page corners or using old bus tickets to mark your place.

Buy online from Studio 2b2’s Etsy shop.

Today we follow Hannah Nunn though a day in her life . . . .

Getting up

My daughter Ffion (14) gets up first at around SIX o’clock (way too early) and clatters around the house running the bath, drying her hair etc. Once I’m awake I’m not very good a dozing off again so I get up too and leave Robert, who IS very good at dozing back off, in bed. I get up, feed the cats who are camped outside my bedroom door waiting for their breakfast, make the kids packed lunches and then do my yoga. I’ve been doing yoga everyday for YEARS. It’s utterly ingrained into my routine. I love it. It keeps me healthy, sane and straightened out! Then Euan (13) gets up (he only takes 10 minutes to get ready) and they leave for school at 8. I have my breakfast and then switch the computer on.

Starting work

I like this time of day. Kids have gone, Robert’s still asleep. The house is peaceful. I do most of my computer stuff at home at this time of day. I check my emails and Etsy conversations, bumble around on the net looking at blogs and things, update website stuff, do a bit of blogging on either my Hannah Nunn blog or my Radiance blog, print out orders and get anything I might need when I go to the workshop. Then Robert gets up and goes to work and I get dressed. It’s up to me what I do then. My shop opens at 11. This gives me the mornings free to do what I like - I might go straight to the workshop if I’m busy or stay at home working on the computer until then, or I might go for a walk in the woods with my camera for inspiration or go for a coffee. It’s nice to be able to choose!

Going to work

Then I make the long commute to work (it’s about 30 seconds away) with my cup of tea and my cat following me all excited. My shop is Radiance - a lighting and craft boutique and I have my lamp making workshop up some steps at the back of the shop. I switch everything on so it’s at its glowing best, I light the fire in the workshop and then get on with my work. I manage somehow to run the shop and the workshop. The shop isn’t that busy in the week so I’m able to get my head down to my making but I’m there for customers if I need to be. On a Saturday when it is busy I just sit behind the shop counter chatting to people and catching up with shop paperwork on the computer there.

There is always a lot to do but I don’t do it in a particular order. I just choose what I fancy doing next. This includes - making my lamps which involves lots of cutting out with my craft knife and then laminating, packing orders for galleries or individuals, making up cables and tripods for the insides of lamps (that’s a boring job), unpacking deliveries for the shop (lovely job), contacting designers and makers, photographing things for the websites, doing shop displays, paperwork and accounts etc.

Lunch

I put a back in a minute sign on the door and nip home to make a quick sandwich and a cup of tea which I bring back down with me. I don’t have a loo in the shop so it’s a good job I only live round the corner!

Afternoon

In the afternoon when all the jobs and orders are done I might do a bit of development work and play with any designs that I’m working on. I’m developing some new wall panels at the moment and have lots of ideas for designs. I like this part. I can get very excited about new things I’m working on.

Hometime

I finish at 5 and usually need to walk round to the post office. It’s nice to get some fresh air. Don’t know what I’d do without a post office 5 minutes away. I’m so glad it’s there!

Evenings

Then home. Evenings are usually cooking something nice for tea, having a glass of wine, cosying up on the sofa with a pile of cats on top of us. Euan’s electric guitar can usually be heard in the distance (but that’s OK, he’s very good) as can Ffion’s tapping away on the computer keyboard.

I try not to work in the evenings but sometimes I get sucked in. I’m doing a new Radiance website at the moment and turning it into an online shop. I can really get into doing web stuff in the evenings but I have to fight with Ffion for the computer as she is Tumblr mad and also always has lots of homework to do.

Things I like about being an indie designer

It’s a pleasure to be able to do the things I do. To be allowed to follow my inspiration and make lovely things for a living. It makes me very happy that people want to buy my work. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. It means I can do the things I love everyday like sitting in the woods with my sketchbook or cutting out pretty things from paper or buying flowers from the flower shop for inspiration. This is my JOB! It’s great!

Things I don’t like so much about being an indie designer

Sometimes I can feel a little overwhelmed at the task of keeping everything running smoothly and knowing that I am responsible for ALL aspects of the business. It’s usually just when I’m tired so I have to be careful not to wear myself out too often. When I’m excited about work and full of inspiration I just go and go and go! I have to remember to slow down to keep balanced.

Summing up

It’s a nice life. I’m very happy. Although I work alone mostly I feel quite connected to the other makers through the Internet and through the network built up at trade and craft shows. And I’m never alone for long in my shop. I have lots of lovely customers without whom I would have no business so thanks guys! The indie Craft world is a lovely, friendly and far reaching place and it’s a pleasure to be a part of it!!! Long may it flourish!

——————-

Thank you Hannah! For more information about Hannah and her work, take a look at her websites and blogs.

Websites:
- www.hannahnunn.co.uk
- www.hannahnunn.etsy.com
- www.radiancelighting.co.uk

Blogs:
- www.hannahnunn.blogspot.com
- www.radiancelighting.blogspot.com

Get 20% off at Lost in the Forest using coupon code ‘20SMILES’. Save on enchanted jewellery and accessories inspired by ‘times gone by, tea parties, walks in the countryside, castles, fairy tales, love stories and the forest’.

And if you mention Indie Quarter at the checkout, you’ll get free shipping too!

www.lostintheforest.etsy.com

Offer ends 31st Jan.

Cause a Scene fashion editor, Sarah Jane Adams, has put together some useful tips on gaining press coverage.

Do your Homework

Make sure the magazine you are pitching to is an appropriate fit with your brand. Investing a small amount of time targeting publications carefully can produce much more effective results than blanket mailing every blog or site you’ve ever seen. Vintage brands, try independent / retro / eco publications, gothic shops try alternative / tattoo/ fetish mags, etc. It sounds simple, but it’s the most basic principle of marketing, and so many brands ignore it. In this way, not only are you more likely to get featured at all, but you increase the odds of getting a bigger and better slot. A big mag may, if you’re very lucky, post a small image and name check, but a specific genred publication may want to run a full spread or interview. If an editor is working within your genre, they’ll understand your ethos and achievements and the coverage will be of a better quality. And don’t forget, by targeting your submissions, you’re also targeting a more appropriate audience.

As Unique as Everyone Else is . . .

Carefully consider any copy and slogans you use to describe your brand to the press. It’s incredibly tempting for indie brands to state how unique they are, and how their items are for those who are turning away from the high street, but as fresh and revolutionary as this sounds to you, it is being used by every handmade company out there. Try a new spin, such as promoting your eco-friendly credentials, or cost effectiveness in this time of limited spending.

Make them Bite

Fashion editors are competitive creatures, so hook them in with a short mention of any high profile features you’ve received elsewhere, or of any celebrities who endorse the line. Even having a vast online following, such as a good few thousand MySpace following can raise the interest.

The Personal Touch

Make your email relevant. Make sure you’re sending it to the most appropriate email address, and person, and if you can find their name, use it. Never send one email to multiple editors’ email addresses, ALWAYS take the time to send them individually. State how your brand fits their style and ethos, and make a point of including a couple of sentences that are completely specific to just that publication. Either mention the name of the exact section you’re submitting for, or even that you enjoyed a particular article in the current issue. In the very least, use the name of the publication. You’d be surprised how many don’t bother, and if you’re asking an editor to use valuable time to check out your items, the least you can do is make them feel that you’ve made the effort to check them out first.

Short and Sweet

Make sure your email text is short and concise, and then include any other information as attachments, giving the recipient the option to see more details as, when, and IF they want them. Opening an email with masses of text, a copy and pasted press release, how you became an indie designer and details of what product you’ve just launched are likely to result in an instant hit of the delete button. The main email should introduce your interest in the publication and being featured, with a couple of lines about the brand, a link to your site, and flag up the fact that further information is attached for their convenience. This is where you should add your images and full press release, and a design resume if relevant. Learning how to create a press pack as a PDF file will increase your professionalism a hundred fold.

Make any links in the email clickable, by using the full http://www. prefix. Simply clicking a link there and then is much more tempting for an editor, and realistically could decide whether or not they visit your site.

Always finish your email with a simple signature of your full name, company name, website address and MySpace page. Contact numbers are not usually necessary, most editors will work by email, and they will more than likely be in a separate country to you.

Never hassle an editor, whatever the size of the publication. Mags often work in advance, so may have you in mind for something in the future, when you may be more relevant to a feature, or when they have the space. Many blog owners network with each other, so don’t damage your rep. Finally, always check the policies on the site before you apply for anything and respect the procedure. If a mag receives a lot of requests, they will often state not to expect a response unless you have been successful, whilst some editors may simply not think your stock is right for them, which should just be accepted in good grace.

Visit Cause a Scene at www.causeascenemagazine.com.

For the last two years Indie Fixx Shop has been delighting and tempting us with an abundance of unusual and inspiring handmade goods. I was therefore sorry to hear that on 15th March it will be closing its shutters to allow shop owner Jen to spend more time with family and on new pursuits.

Until then everything is on sale. All items have been marked down between 10% and 50%.

Be quick. Items are selling fast! www.shop.indiefixx.com

The CCA (Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow) is launching a new quarterly publication dedicated to creative writing. Edited by Francis McKee and Louise Shelley, each issue will feature new work, as well as work commissioned specially for the publication.

I’m currently working with the CCA as part of an audience development internship, helping get their message out to as wide an audience as possible. The new publication, which is called ‘2HB‘ is one of the CCA’s innovative side-projects, and the first issue will be launched officially on the 7th March 09. The publication is a totally new project and has arisen from the editors’ own interests in creative writing.

Submissions from interested writers are welcomed. The selection process will focus on creative writing or fiction with a critical awareness or issues. Subjects for future issues include eroticism, sci-fi, philosophical fiction, art as writing and detective fiction, but work beyond these suggestions will be considered.

So far the response has been fantastic, with artists and writers keen to get involved with this project, and excited by the concept. It makes my work so enjoyable to be involved in such an interesting and creative project.

For further information please visit www.cca-glasgow.com

Cutie Pie has created some delightful new necklaces. The theme is ‘Afternoon Tea in Paris’ and treats include pink and green macaroons with creamy fillings and sparkly gems. Delicious.

Go to www.ilovecutiepie.com.