Why not make someday, this day.
Instead of putting things off, or collecting notes and anecdotes, or keeping the idea of a book always on the horizon, but never in your hands or on the shelf… wouldn’t you love to just get it done?
Trust me, you’ll feel so much better.
But writing a whole book is hard, especially if you’ve never done it before. How do you even start? What should it be about? What if nobody wants it? What if I waste time and never finish?
Good news! I’m kind of an expert at this stuff. After finishing a PhD in Literature, I started writing novels and nonfiction books, and sharing all my top-secret discoveries. My writing and publishing resources have gotten millions of views, and they’re really helping people. On this page you’ll find links to my best content, free articles and resources, books and courses, and even an option for direct, personal feedback on your writing.
Ready to get started?
If you need help plotting or outlining your novel, start with these:
The Bestseller Blueprint
The chapter outlines are great for fleshing out your story and filling in gaps; but having a strong core structure is just barely enough to get you started, and keep you on track until your book is finished. You still need to actually make it good, which takes a ton of knowledge and experience. You can spend 10 years figuring it out on your own, or get up to speed fast with my meticulous writing tutorials.
What kind of writer are you?
Hemingway
$37
Hard-working novice. Give me all the tools, I’ll build my own cabin in isolation and ruthless independence.
Dickinson
$297
Dedicated genius. My words are honed to perfection but I’m ready for a second pair of eyes.
Shakespeare
$2997
Professional wordslinger. I’m committed to excellence and am looking for 1-on-1 support to create my best work.
Here’s what’s included in each offer:
1. This three-course writing bundle includes a ton of exclusive writing tips and tricks you won’t find anywhere else, the outlines I’ve used to write over 20 books, and a few guides to writing to deepen your craft. It’ll walk you through *everything* you need to know about writing books, in a practical, step-by-step method you’ll actually use.
Reg. $197 $37 (91% off)
2. Once you’ve got some words down, I can do a developmental critique of your first 5000 words – the absolutely essential beginning of your story. I’ll also help flag writing mistakes and stylistic problems, so you get a better idea of what kind of editing you might need; and give you an indication of genre, so you know how to pitch or promote to the right audience.
$297 (one-time payment)
3. The hardest part about writing a book is… actually writing it. I’ve written a lot of stuff about productivity and motivation, but the absolute best thing I can offer is long-term support. If you’ve been having trouble staying on task by yourself, my coaching program comes with built-in writing deadlines and monthly feedback. And you’ll never feel lost or stuck, because we’ll iron out plot or story events together so you always know what happens next.
$2997 (10 monthly payments)
I also have a team if you’re looking for editing and proofreading; and if you’d like me to do all the heavy lifting, my co-writing rates start at 12cents/word. Want me to write a book for you? My ghostwriting prices start at $35,000.
* These options are an extension of my writing courses; I’ll expect you to go through the materials and learn the basics. At higher levels you’ll get personal feedback and passive developmental critique (comments, not changes).
Overwhelmed already?
I get it, there’s a ton of options out there and it’s hard to know what actually works. So allow me to give you a challenge: I have tons of free material, and dozens of hours of writing tutorials on YouTube.
Start there! I’m not the greatest teacher, or the greatest writer – but I have a unique way of discovering shortcuts and practical hacks to help demystify the process and create practical writing guidelines. I promise if you go through my resources, you’ll find a magical secret key just for you that makes your writing better, and your life easier.
I’ve added some of my best resources down below, so you can always find them easily and go through them at your own pace.
My Writing Guides
Write
$4.99 $0
“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.”
★★★★★
Promote
$19.95 $5.99
“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.”
★★★★★
Improve
$12.99 $4.97
“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 turned my little Plot Dot guide into a novel-writing journal, so I recommend picking up the print version to map out your book. Then after making my courses, 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. (FYI, you’ll get these three books for free if you join my writing course bundle).
Best Books for Authors
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.
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
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
$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
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
Recommended Reading
PS. If you’re serious about writing, my writing bundle is huge discount on my writing course bundle. Other people charge (an average of) over $500 for writing courses like this; and it’s worth it – my writing tips will literally save you thousands of dollars in developmental editing. But I’ve bundled three unique courses together, so you can get the original price ($394) for just $37.
Pay it forward by learning as much as you can, and then helping out less experienced authors when they need guidance.
If you need more help, you can 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.
