Over the past few years, my writing templates and resources have gotten a few million views on YouTube, but I wanted to make higher quality materials that were more accessible. So I took some of my best resources and put them together in a Udemy Course on writing fiction. Write a novel in 3 months Best novel writing apps How …
Read More »Free novel outlining template for Scrivener
Love Scrivener but hate plotting your book? I’ve turned my advanced 24-chapter novel writing cheatsheet into a free, downloadable Scrivener template you can use for your own writing projects. This video will walk you through it. Get the Scrivener novel outlining template (download and unzip the .zip folder – then open the Scivener file and save it as a template. …
Read More »Free novel outlining template for Google docs
Need a free plotting template to help outline your novel? Want to write your book using Google docs? I’ve just created a detailed document you can copy to your own account and use to map out your book – click the link above to download now. Get the google docs novel writing template: CLICK HERE TO ACCESS Watch the video …
Read More »Are advanced reader copies (ARCs) for book reviews illegal (against Amazon’s terms?)
If you’ve been following me for awhile, you may know I’m unfortunately cavalier and careless in any regards – I like to think of myself as a pirate or a rebel, and that sometimes gets me in trouble. This year I’ve been working with a new team of writers to put out more content around my fiction brand, Urban Epics. …
Read More »Can you make art without passion? (An open letter to struggling authors)
A lot of authors – almost all I talked to – are very cautious about the money. Several writers have told me they don’t want to make money with their writing, even after publishing several novels. They don’t want to make a living with their writing, because then it would be a job; if they were getting paid to do it, they …
Read More »25 best books on writing for authors that want to master their craft
When I decided I wanted to be a writer, I got my hands on everything I could about plotting, prose, story and character development and the art of creative writing. Here’s what I learned: the majority of books from famous writers are self-reflecting memoirs with a handful of good life lessons. Inspirational, but not useful. Although – I will add – …
Read More »Book Writing Basics
I just sent out an email with a broken link; click here or on the images below to watch the first video to my book writing video and the first week’s lesson of my writing summer camp. Thanks! Derek SELL MORE BOOKS (without spam). I wrote a free book with all my best book launch and marketing tips - if …
Read More »Free online summer camp for kids: book writing for teens
I planned to spend my summer indoors quietly catching up on my backlist of YA fantasy and scifi novels and maybe doing a bit of book editing. But I’ve also been wishing I had a way to help out more and share my expertise. I practically grew up at summer camps, spending 3 months a year for almost a decade …
Read More »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 about millionaire authors like Hugh …
Read More »How to set up a Barnes & Noble book signing (15 steps used to schedule 32 successful events)
Hey this is Derek – one of the clients I work with has been having a great release – #1 in 7 categories, dozens of books sold a day, and over 12 physical book signings in Barnes & Noble. Generally, I dissuaded authors from focusing on Brick&Mortar sales because it can be a lot of work and you’ll see bigger …
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