My Writing Guides

Basic Fiction

$4.99 FREE

“I can’t speak highly enough of Creativindie’s Plot Dot outline method. It’s phenomenal. I used to struggle through the Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet, but Derek explains things so much better.”

★★★★★

Advanced Writing

$19.95 $8.99

“This is the writing book equivalent of being in a wizard’s hut as he tells you his secrets. You either enjoy the ambiance or you don’t. I fell under the spell.”

★★★★★

Nonfiction & Memoir

$12.99 $4.99

“So I bought this a while ago and it slipped down my reading list on the kindle. Do not let this happen to you! Read it straight away. It’s brilliant. A fun read and packed with useful info. Not long either so quick and practical to put into action.”

★★★★★

I’ve been writing and self-publishing books for two decades, and try to share as much useful resources as possible. I turned my little Plot Dot guide into a 24 chapter outline and novel-writing journal, so I recommend picking up the print version to map out your book.

Then I wrote a very long, possibly absurd and tedious, guide to writing called Book Craft. There’s a lot of great stuff in there but it’s heavy and involved. And if you’re writing memoir or nonfiction, I’ve got that covered as well. I’ve written a few million words about it all, but am always finding new secrets to improve my writing and sell more books.

PS. You can get these three writing guides if you join my online writing course.

My Publishing Guides

Publish

$12.95 FREE

“Why reinvent the wheel, and spend money uselessly, when we can leverage off the info from this book. The book contains a treasure trove of actual resources, not just advice.”

★★★★★

Promote

$12.95 FREE

“I hate to admit this, but the tips and tricks in Book Marketing is Dead were so great I, uh, well I purposely didn’t tell anyone about the book. There, I said it. I’m selfish and was looking for an edge.”

★★★★★

Platform

$12.95 FREE

“FINALLY some actual, helpful advice. If you’re an author who’s tried everything and you find nothing seems to work for you to sell your book, please pick this up… before you waste a bunch of money on marketing.”

★★★★★

I have been on the fence with starting a novel but did not know where to start. I would research and plan to avoid feelings of guilt from procrastination but never really started a project. With this outline I feel like any barriers have been removed. I have started writing again for the first time in years. Thank you for getting me back in the saddle."


Thank u so much. This is seriously the best plot structure I have ever encountered. I was able to make a first draft of my plot outline with this in less than a hour. It finally looks like I´m getting somewhere. All thanks to you!"

I am very thankful to you for all of the wonderful things that you taught to a 73 year old guy who isn’t done learning yet. If you would have ever told my high school English teacher that I would be writing novels she would have laughed you out of the room. Hope this cheers you up. You didn’t do all that you did for nothing. It did not fall onto deaf ears.”

I have started a book several times over the past few years but the main problem has been just how do I do this and achieve a professional outcome? I have looked at several options but none have seemed right for me and many were over-complicated to grasp. Your course and way of explaining is absolutely brilliant and within a couple of days I have learnt more than I have in years. I have been a frustrated author for a few decades and the main problem was how to get started and you have 100% solved this for me. Anyway, mega thanks again, really appreciated."

Just finished the Bestseller Blueprint course, and now I have a nonfiction book idea and a clearer path toward my fiction goals. I've been writing and learning for a decade and still found every section useful. There are 4 days worth of content, and I 2x the videos, so it's definitely worth the $. So if you've been looking for a writing course that's fit for newbies but works for experts as well, this is it, and it's a 6th of the price of people with similar credentials."

Oh. My. God. Derek Murphy, I've tried plotting my WIP into all these kinds of templates FOR YEARS, always feeling so frustrated that something was wrong! Every template could give me some new learning skills, but my story never fitted Save the cat, Michael Hauge or any circles and diagrams you just TOTALLY PAINTED MY STORY out for me, point by point!! I could not be more grateful! I will use this template forever, I can't wait to start my writing game up from a new point of view, THANK YOU. THANK YOU."

Best Books for Authors

I keep a list of my favorite writing and publishing resources, that helped me improve my craft. Here are my top picks for best books on writing and I have another free guide all about book cover design.

I talk a LOT about writing fiction, because I’m obsessed with literature and have written 20+ novels. But I don’t want to pollute my also-boughts by selling the wrong audience, so unless you read YA fantasy those books are not for you. I also published my MA and PHD theses as books on esoteric mysticism and astrological symbolism in popular fiction but let’s not discuss those… I was going through a weird phase.

PS – why do I give my books away for free? They’re all available on Amazon, so you can buy them there; but I’m happy to share all the lessons learned after earning over six-figures in book sales, and I know that publishing and book marketing is complex…

I can give away ALL the knowledge and you’ll still probably need to hire someone like me for book design, editing or marketing – so if you find the books useful but overwhelming, or don’t have the skills to really publish a quality product and become a bestselling author – I can help with that! Explore the top menu for more details on what I offer.

Pay it forward by learning as much as you can, and then helping out less experienced authors when they need guidance.

So, grab my books, or get lost in my free resources. Whichever path you choose, I sincerely hope I’ve been able to help you on your journey.

The 3 unskippable steps to self-publishing success

I put out my self published non-fiction research book about a year ago. I did almost everything wrong. I’m starting to come to grips with what I should have done, which I’ve arranged in the following 3-step plan for those who can benefit from my mistakes.   1) Distribution. The book has to be OUT

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How to choose the PERFECT author pen name: and when you should!
How to choose the PERFECT author pen name: and when you should!

Update: this is an older post that still gets a lot of traffic, so I made a video on some critically important pen name tips that will help you sell more books. Watch the video to learn more. For a long time I thought using an author pen name was disingenuous. Plus it gets confusing

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Why I’m taking a year off to write novels: a $100,000 publishing goal
Why I’m taking a year off to write novels: a $100,000 publishing goal

In the last couple of years, I increased my online businesses to the point where I could make $100,000 a year. A month ago, I launched DIY bookcovers and made $50,000 in 6 weeks. With that success behind me, a very low cost of living and no debt, I now get to focus on something

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Best free online graphics editors for making your own book cover designs
Best free online graphics editors for making your own book cover designs

Looking for a book cover maker? So was I! But I’ve built some recent solutions to book cover design, scroll down to see the latest stuff! So here’s an interesting problem: self-publishing is exploding globally. People want to publish quickly and cheaply. Formatting can be automated to some extent. But getting a high quality book

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How to make a full print book cover in Microsoft Word for KDP, Lulu or IngramSpark
How to make a full print book cover in Microsoft Word for KDP, Lulu or IngramSpark

A few years ago I put out a package of DIY book cover templates in Microsoft Word and revolutionized publishing with a how-to guide to designing amazing book covers in an easy to use program you’re already familiar with. But it took me a while longer to figure out how to customize your front cover

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Is self-publishing “real” publishing? (aka I want a real book, not an ebook)

I was at a conference this weekend talking to a lot of smart people; many of whom wanted to write a book. They’d inevitably ask, “are you self-publishing?” and then scowl, because they “want a real, physical book, not just an ebook.” I explained that print on demand has been around for a decade and

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My favorite 21 people in self-publishing

I’ve learned so much about self-publishing in the last few years, and now – as I begin to focus on publishing more books of my own – I wanted to share my appreciation for some of the amazing people who keep me inspired. I started this list awhile back thinking I could get pictures with

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134 publishing questions answered (the ULTIMATE resource guide on how to self-publish and market a bestselling book)
134 publishing questions answered (the ULTIMATE resource guide on how to self-publish and market a bestselling book)

If you’re interested in publishing or self-publishing a book, you’ve probably got a lot of questions. There are so many tools, resources and services offering tips and information. How does it all work? How do you put a book together, get it out into the world, and get people to buy it? You might have

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29 new ways to sell more books RIGHT NOW
29 new ways to sell more books RIGHT NOW

Recently I wrote about how most authors will never make any money. I was surprised by the comments, which I expected to be more negative. It seemed to comfort people to learn that they weren’t failing at being an author – they were doing as well as 99.9% of other self-publishing authors, because almost everyone fails. But

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Why you should never try and get your books in bookstores or libraries

The first time I published, I went with Ingram Spark because I heard it would be easier to get into bookstores and libraries. That claim is false. While theoretically your books can be ordered by libraries, it’s unlikely they will – you need to get them reviewed by MG/YA book reviewers or big organizations. You

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A simple 10-step book launch plan you can easily use to outrank bestselling authors.
A simple 10-step book launch plan you can easily use to outrank bestselling authors.

I tend to go overboard with my courses and tutorials, and am trying to simplify.  Today I’m at the San Francisco writer’s conference and I keep finding myself repeating my book launch formula to authors. I told one writer, “Authors don’t like book marketing because they think it means telling strangers about your book.” She

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How to design 3D book mockups and promo graphics with Google Slides (FREE TEMPLATES)
How to design 3D book mockups and promo graphics with Google Slides (FREE TEMPLATES)

UPDATE: after several months of work, we just launched a brand new 3D book cover mockup tool, and it’s amazing. Scroll down for the direct link (it’s free). I’ve been trying to find a way for authors to make better graphics for a long time – for book covers mostly, but also for book promotion

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