book publishing

I started this blog in 2011 and did nothing for a year except read all the books on creativity. It was research for a manifesto, but the more I read, the more fascinated I became with the subject. After another 5 years of freelancing, building digital products and working as a creative professional (my income comes from things I make …

This morning I did an interview on writing fiction and we discussed, among other things, whether writing faster books leads to inferior quality and whether writing to market creates inferior art. These are real conversations, and though I would answer “no” to both, I’m often challenged by thousands of passionate creators who very firmly believe “YES.” The conversation prompted me …

This is a guest post by author Miantae Metcalf McConnell – I was so impressed she got her book featured in Oprah magazine, and I asked her to share what that process looked like.   Every month O, The Oprah Magazine publishes a list of books that they recommend to their readers, a “Top Ten List” situated in the magazine’s Reading …

Note from Derek: I usually tell authors not to bother with in-person stuff like book signings because it’s too much work, and to focus on online stuff instead… but book signings can be FUN – and doing a signing in Barnes & Noble (or any “real” bookstore) feels more significant, like a milestone or bucket list item. So when I saw …

I screwed up. Months ago I agreed to be part of a multi-author box set. I usually say no to these, but I have  personal relationship with Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich (I even featured it in my PhD Thesis) so I submitted my chapter. The authors all offered a free course or bonus to incentivize preorder purchases, and these …

I haven’t published a *new* book for over a year. Possibly, Amazon took the wind out of my sails when I overextended myself and failed to meet preorder deadlines (thus losing my preorder privileges for 12 months). I have gone back and fixed up or completed some other titles – so I’ve probably written and published about 100,000 words in …

Like hundreds of other posts, I started this article in 2012 and only finished it in 2018. Why the gap? It took me six years to figure out how to make my blog profitable enough to start using it. I want to help you do it faster than I did. So here’s a massive list of tips and resources on …

Two things: First, I’m involved in an anthology called “write and grow rich.” I accepted because: A) I wanted to practice a story-based approach to sharing knowledge, so I shared a story I’ve never told before and focused on making it gripping. B) Think and Grow Rich is hugely influential, but few people appreciate the depth and specific tactics to …

I wrote a guide to publishing children’s books earlier, and wanted to make something about marketing children’s books as well – so I’m sharing this short guide and a video I made for a friend who writes children’s books – my tips on how to redistribute content to get more links and shares of her books are great for any …

Most of my author friends have spent the last 2 months freaking out about GDPR. I haven’t commented, because I’m not an expert and I’m not personally concerned. But since I encourage book giveaways to help authors build email lists of targeted readers, a lot of people have been asking specifically whether or not giveaways are still a good idea …