I talk SO MUCH about book cover design, but I thought it would be easier to just see all the important stuff in one simple book cover design checklist. So before you publish (or if you see someone’s hideous cover and want to gentle encourage them to make a better one) please share and use The 3 secrets to book marketing, and a haunted...
Today someone involved with a prestigious writing retreat requested to join my Facebook group, then immediately spammed us with a last chance offer to join an expensive online writing course. Technically, she was offering something that could have appealed to writers, so I felt bad for deleting the post, but on the other hand… you The...
A common question I see on Facebook or in writing groups from newbie authors is, “How much can I expect to earn publishing my book?” This is a pretty easy question to answer, but it might discourage you. Update: in this video I talk about the #publishingpaidme hashtag on Twitter which has now received national The 3 secrets to...
For a couple years I’ve been telling authors to publish like a business: put out a “minimal viable novel” and get some feedback before betting the farm. Finish 5 chapters before writing the whole book. If you can’t get real readers to love the first 5 chapters, writing the rest is a waste of time. The 3 secrets to...
I have something to say and I feel it needs to be said, though I’m not sure what exactly it is. On the eve of publishing my first fiction, I’m coming to terms with the potentiality of failure, and it’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever known. Maybe it’s because I just watched Me The 3 secrets to book...
It’s a new year! In 2015 I decided to focus on my writing, and this month I’m gearing up to launch my first fiction. I’ve been posting a lot of advanced Amazon hacking and guerrilla book marketing stuff on my blog, but I realized that’s too much for people who are still struggling to finish The 3 secrets to book...
I’ve learned so much about self-publishing in the last few years, and now – as I begin to focus on publishing more books of my own – I wanted to share my appreciation for some of the amazing people who keep me inspired. I started this list awhile back thinking I could get pictures with The 3 secrets to book marketing, and a...
Today I saw that Hugh Howey had posted an article on book cover design. “That’s cool,” I think. Hugh Howey is one of the most successful self-publishing authors in the world. He started out with pretty unprofessional book covers that embody the design tastes of most indie authors (they focus on scenes and symbolism and The...
This isn’t my first book conference, but I’m definitely an outsider here. The London Book Fair is the first book fair I’ve been to that’s firmly for publishing professionals. As a concession to the self-publishing authors who have won themselves a piece of the publishing pie, the London Book Fair has provided a whole...
I was chatting with friends at the London Book Fair when one of them reminded me of a presentation on book cover design; which I felt duty bound to attend. Frankly, I wasn’t expecting much, since I consider the cover design strategies I recommend for indie authors to be avant garde and not mainstream. But Damien Horner The 3...
Recently I posted an article/video called “The #1 Thing Indie Authors are Doing Wrong” – I didn’t expect much traffic but actually people have been sharing it quite a lot. So I watched my own video and I heard a lot of negativity. It’s frustrating, for me, and anybody who works in the publishing industry, The 3...
This month I published over 100 YouTube videos. I’m getting a little more confident, though I tend to ramble. In this one I discuss common self-publishing mistakes you should avoid that I see most indie authors screwing up. Here are some of the things I talk about. Ugly website Ugly book cover Spamming people Overprotective The 3...
