Let’s get to know each other…
Hey there! My name is Derek Murphy, and I built this site to help creative people succeed faster. If that’s you, I’ve got at least a dozen tips you can use to instantly see better results, regardless of your current project.
I’m from Oregon but have spent the last twenty years vagabonding. I’ve been everywhere twice, but am currently in Taiwan with my wife. Apart from writing over twenty books, managing a creative business of digital products and courses, and occasionally renting castles, I’m a USA TODAY bestselling author and have a PhD in Literature.
I was a surrealist painter for awhile and had some pretty big exhibitions; and now focus on my writing because painting is messy and canvasses are hard on the digital nomad lifestyle. But I’m a creative at heart – even though I’ve found ways to make money with my art and writing.
I’m a bit of a mess, and I have thousands of hours of content, so you might have to dig around a little to find what you need. I also have some free books and guides you can download right away. I try to help as many people as I can, and a lot of people have found some benefit. So here’s what some of them have had to say about me.
When should you give up on your writing?
I’ve been thinking about writing this post for awhile, but just saw this letter on NYMag’s Dear Polly section from a middle aged author struggling with her declining career, and the response is basically the world’s worst advice to writers. Even worse, it’s exactly what all authors and writers keep repeating and telling each other.
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A Defense of #amwriting (and NaNoWriMo)
I recently found out about the “War on #amwriting” while researching for a tattoo befitting someone involved in publishing, that announces to the world what I do. I chose this one… it’s pretentious enough to make me self-conscious until I work my ass off and publish a legacy of books It’s great article, bemoaning the
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How I made $18,000 in 48 hours with my first course launch (with no webinar and no affiliates)
Even though I don’t consider myself an expert at doing online courses, I did pretty well with my first one. So this is an (epic) case study explaining everything I did to make 5-figures with my first course launch – without any affiliates promoting it for me, and without doing any webinars. I hope it will be
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$35K in 7 months self-publishing on Kindle
“Can you really make a living as a writer?” Last year I decided to put my PhD in Literature to good use and write some novels; specifically, I wanted to see whether I could actually make a living as a writer. The short answer is YES. I made about 35K in six months publishing fiction
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30 Writing Tips from Charles Dickens That Will Help You Have a Merry Christmas
Last year we visited the Charles Dickens house in London, which is when we found out there was a movie about the author’s life called The Man Who Invented Christmas. I only watched it recently – it’s available on Amazon Prime – and then I watched it again and took notes. These are tips based on
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Best self-publishing companies for indie authors (that aren’t scams)
Recently I got featured on a couple lists of “best self-publishing sites (The Write Life & Feedspot). I thought I’d pay it forward by making my own list of self-publishing companies. When most authors start thinking of self-publishing their book (usually after years of failed querying, or with dollar signs in their eyes from reading
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How to be a lifestyle coach (and why I'm not one of them)July 16, 2013 -
Best 25 books on creative ideas and innovation from the world's leadings creativity expertsNovember 16, 2013 -
Why not using your time travel powers is selfish and stupid (a review of "About Time")January 19, 2014 -
Building your hot air balloon - a metaphor for creative successJuly 9, 2014 -
The three kinds of advice you get on your creative journeySeptember 5, 2015 -
Whine or shine (how much of your struggle should you share?)September 20, 2015 -
You are awesome: do something that matters.September 28, 2015 -
Writing under the influence: productivity and motivation tips to help authors write fasterApril 25, 2017
