This post has taken me six years to write. If I sound defensive, it’s because people keep calling me names. I get attacked because I write books that sell, and I do it on purpose. Writing is one of the only professions where people think if you consistently produce high quality work that readers love – and make a living from …

Several years ago I published a book on “how to write, format, publish and promote your book without spending any money.” Download the book: PDF VERSION | KINDLE At a book conference recently, one of the most popular talks was on the same subject. I’ve put together tons of resources to help authors publish on the cheap, but it’s worth pointing …

I talk a LOT about best practices for author websites and your Amazon page, but people keep ignoring me. I know this because I review author platforms and websites almost daily, to help authors find places they can improve conversion. Conversion is IMPORTANT. Amazon and Google are keeping track of how long people stay on your page, and whether or …

This week I’m launching my new program, Guerrilla Publishing – which I’ve built over the last year while travelling full-time. I made a free “Bookselling Bootcamp” challenge while staying at the 5 star Regent Hotel Montenegro (I wanted to be comfortable going into Nanowrimo, and I also did a 2-week sugar fast). But I realized I hadn’t published anything on my …

I’m working through the material for my next course, Guerrilla Publishing, but this part is too important not to share for everyone. I keep saying, if you’re not selling books, it’s almost always because of your cover, blurbs or # of reviews. I’ve made tons of videos (and a free course) on cover design, and I recently posted a video on …

Recently I realized my whole process for publishing bestselling books is completely backwards. At a party in Medellin recently, a guy said “wow, you’ve hacked publishing!”  I don’t like being called a hack because there’s an assumption that it means I’m putting out poor quality books to trick or fool readers.  (Steven Pressfield calls anyone who writes for an audience the …

I’m doing a lot of things right with my book marketing, but it’s hard to do everything perfectly. Plus, I know that sales are limited by demand – so the fact that one of my books sells 10x better than another one hasn’t bothered me too much. I figured mermaids (Shearwater) just weren’t as popular as dark fantasy (Scarlet Thread …

Don’t Hire Me… I’m aware that most authors don’t want to take a course, build their author platform, figure out advertising or book promotion. They’d much rather buy a book launch package that includes a bunch of guaranteed metrics or results, with a clear, simple checklist and price. In the past, I’ve tried to offer packages like this to authors, but …

UPDATE: after several months of work, we just launched a brand new 3D book cover mockup tool, and it’s amazing. Go check it out! 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 graphics and 3D mockups. I’m still trying to find …

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 said, “But that’s what book …