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Simon's first novel for middle grade and young adult readers, The Alchemist’s Portrait, was published in 2003, followed by The Sorcerer’s Letterbox in 2004, The Clone Conspiracy in 2005, The Emerald Curse in 2006, The Heretic’s Tomb in 2007, The Doomsday Mask in 2009, The Time Camera in 2011, The Sphere of Septimus in 2014, Future Imperfect in 2016, the Flashback series, comprising Flashback, Twisted Fate, and Parallel Destiny, in 2015, 2016, and 2018, the Shadowzone series, comprising Shadowzone, Into the Web, and Black Dawn, in 2017, and The Stone of the Seer series in 2022. He's also the author of The Children’s Writer’s Guide, The Working Writer’s Guide, The Time Traveler’s Guide, The Social Media Writer’s Guide, a contributing author to The Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction Volume One, and has written more than a hundred non-fiction books.
Simon offers a number of services for writers, including editing, manuscript evaluation, coaching, mentoring, and writing workshops, in addition to copywriting services for the business community. He's a writing instructor for adults with the University of Calgary and offers online workshops for both children and adults. He also offers a wide variety of presentations, workshops, and author in residence programs for schools and libraries, as well as virtual author visits.
Simon is a regular presenter at conferences and festivals, and served as the Writer-in-Residence with the Canadian Authors Association.
Full details can be found on his website at www.simon-rose.com.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
The famous bard, Shakespeare, knew how to make a candid point in very few words. “A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing,” from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, sums up the need to be short and to the point, or, quite frankly, no one will get the point. In this day and age, when few people really read, let alone understand what they do read, there is a need to be brief and coherent with a powerful hook to attract attention. Most people who look at social media are just scanning quickly through page after page. A professional copywriter’s job is to make each page worthy and intriguing enough to demand further attention. And, there is an art to how to use social media: be short and to the point and hook the reader in quickly.
As author Simon Rose quotes in his book, The Social Media Writer’s Guide, when working with social media, “Remember that old saying that 'you only get one chance to make a first impression’.” A professional copywriter has to make every word count in such a way that will personalize the web content to appeal to both the reader and the scanner alike. Using killer headlines instead of clichéd catch phrases like “A reputation for quality” or “We will beat any other offer” will ensure more attention. As Simon points out, “The frequent use of meaningless phrases and empty slogans on websites does an organization little good, but on the other side of the coin, choosing the right words can truly work wonders.” The internet can be a powerful promotional tool and, following Simon’s suggestions and guidelines, a professional copywriter can certainly improve his/her skills. A good resource.
