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The Best of Catherine, Caffeinated: Caffeine-Infused Self-Publishing Advice
Coffee addict and bestselling self-published author CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD has been blogging about her adventures in self-publishing (or self-printing, as she likes to call it) on her popular blog, Catherine, Caffeinated, since November 2009. Now all of her caffeine-infused advice, information, tips and tricks —all 120,000 words of it—have been compiled in this e-book title. Learn everything Catherine did in the order she learned it, or use the category listings to navigate the posts by specific topic.
The ideal companion to any self-publishing/printing adventure, THE BEST OF CATHERINE,CAFFEINATED is best enjoyed with the highly caffeinated beverage of your choice.
A note to the potential in case you were wondering, the cover—like Catherine's blog design—is pink and girly, but the advice inside is anything but.
The ideal companion to any self-publishing/printing adventure, THE BEST OF CATHERINE,CAFFEINATED is best enjoyed with the highly caffeinated beverage of your choice.
A note to the potential in case you were wondering, the cover—like Catherine's blog design—is pink and girly, but the advice inside is anything but.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2012
2 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Ryan Howard
19 books4,256 followersCatherine Ryan Howard is an internationally bestselling crime writer from Cork, Ireland. Her debut novel, DISTRESS SIGNALS, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey/New Blood Dagger. THE LIAR'S GIRL (2018) was shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. REWIND (2019) was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year and is currently being developed for screen by Clerkenwell Films (Misfits, Lovesick, The End of the F***ing World.) THE NOTHING MAN was a no. 1 Irish Times bestseller and a no. 1 Kindle bestseller (UK) and was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year. Her latest novel, 56 DAYS, was published in August 2021. It is a thriller set in lockdown that Catherine wrote while she was in lockdown.
Prior to writing full-time, Catherine worked as a campsite courier in France and a front desk agent in Walt Disney World, Florida. She still wants to be an astronaut when she grows up.
Prior to writing full-time, Catherine worked as a campsite courier in France and a front desk agent in Walt Disney World, Florida. She still wants to be an astronaut when she grows up.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 27, 2022
This is a collection of some of the blog posts from a blog once run by Catherine Ryan Howard, giving information on her self-publishing endeavours. I did purchase this some years ago when I was following her blog, in preparation for self publishing my own novels, so I would not penalise this for being out of date - the posts are from 2010 to around 2012 or so. However, in many places, it is clear that the original post contained a link to another site, but the 'here' in the text is now just that - text - which does limit the usefulness of the advice.
The author's rather OTT cheeful humour is a bit wearing in places as are the diatribes against other self publishers who she says had an embittered attitude towards the traditional publishing industry. Her advice on places to find help also omits out any of the standard forums such as KBoards and doesn't refer to other well known bloggers on self publishing with the exception of David Gaughran. The book would have benefited from more careful proofreading as there are a lot of places where words are missed out and there is also an odd use of the verb avail unless that is a feature of the author's Irish origin, but it did rather jump out everywhere it occurred.
When I went online to see if I could find one or two of the posts with links in them to follow up the referenced information, I discovered that her site is now a slick, corporate looking website. The only reference that she ever self published anything is buried in the 'about' feature (EDIT 27/1/22: but see below).
To be fair to the author, she did make it clear in a number of posts that she only self published her non fiction for some income while waiting to gain representation and secure publication of her novels, but I still found it strange that her books page only lists her traditionally published novels. Being curious, I checked on Amazon and the only copies of the non fiction there are secondhand paperbacks - all the ebook versions have been pulled. Considering how she often talked in her blog of how she enjoyed blogging and making connections with other self publishers, I found this a little bit odd. It was as if she had disowned the whole thing. (EDIT 27/1/22 I discovered when reviewing another book of hers that the single reference to self publication in the 'About' page on her website has now been removed, so she really does want to disown her self published past.)
Given the various issues, I would rate this at 3 stars.
The author's rather OTT cheeful humour is a bit wearing in places as are the diatribes against other self publishers who she says had an embittered attitude towards the traditional publishing industry. Her advice on places to find help also omits out any of the standard forums such as KBoards and doesn't refer to other well known bloggers on self publishing with the exception of David Gaughran. The book would have benefited from more careful proofreading as there are a lot of places where words are missed out and there is also an odd use of the verb avail unless that is a feature of the author's Irish origin, but it did rather jump out everywhere it occurred.
When I went online to see if I could find one or two of the posts with links in them to follow up the referenced information, I discovered that her site is now a slick, corporate looking website. The only reference that she ever self published anything is buried in the 'about' feature (EDIT 27/1/22: but see below).
To be fair to the author, she did make it clear in a number of posts that she only self published her non fiction for some income while waiting to gain representation and secure publication of her novels, but I still found it strange that her books page only lists her traditionally published novels. Being curious, I checked on Amazon and the only copies of the non fiction there are secondhand paperbacks - all the ebook versions have been pulled. Considering how she often talked in her blog of how she enjoyed blogging and making connections with other self publishers, I found this a little bit odd. It was as if she had disowned the whole thing. (EDIT 27/1/22 I discovered when reviewing another book of hers that the single reference to self publication in the 'About' page on her website has now been removed, so she really does want to disown her self published past.)
Given the various issues, I would rate this at 3 stars.
June 16, 2012
Catherine, Caffeinated has lots of great advice for indie publishers like you and me. Her blog offers free advice on a weekly basis, and it's always useful and timely info. I'm a little pissed (at myself, not at Catherine!) that I hadn't read her post about changing prices on Smashwords before I went and did a free month, since I am still waiting for certain retailers (coughcough*Apple*cough) to correct my prices, but on the other hand, I never would've even know there was a problem if I hadn't read this ebook!
So if you are just starting out in the wonderful world of ebook publication and want some advice from someone who's been there, done that, and sold enough copies to be respectable but not inspire your mad jealousy over her best-seller status because, let's face it, we are not the next Amanda Hocking and THAT'S OKAY... then pick up a copy of Catherine's book and read it from cover to cover. Trust me, you'll thank me when you're NOT dealing with a bunch of online retailers who won't change your ebook pricing because they're all in a price-setting gang. (Oh, wait, didn't someone just bust up that gang? Well, whatever.)
Practical advice for the not-insane writer looking to make a respectable living as an author.
So if you are just starting out in the wonderful world of ebook publication and want some advice from someone who's been there, done that, and sold enough copies to be respectable but not inspire your mad jealousy over her best-seller status because, let's face it, we are not the next Amanda Hocking and THAT'S OKAY... then pick up a copy of Catherine's book and read it from cover to cover. Trust me, you'll thank me when you're NOT dealing with a bunch of online retailers who won't change your ebook pricing because they're all in a price-setting gang. (Oh, wait, didn't someone just bust up that gang? Well, whatever.)
Practical advice for the not-insane writer looking to make a respectable living as an author.
June 28, 2012
This is a fun read. It is jam packed with advice on self publishing, marketing, blogging, and all the other skills needed to take a book from final draft to selling world wide. Much of it I have read elsewhere, and if you are already widely read on the subject you might not learn anything new, but will certainly get another writer's perspective. I learned enough to make the price point a no-brainer. Very promising read if you are still new to the game.
In any case, it's well written, very humorous and entertaining, packed with her personal anecdotes.
It is (and doesn't try to hide the fact) a dump of her blog over a period of several years, but the posts are long and there is tons of material. If you've read her blog end to end, you might just want this as a convenient reference guide. Except...
My one complaint about the book was that she didn't go back and hotlink most of her in-article links. Kind of annoying, but I imagine that would ave taken forever to do. You have to go to the real blog article to get the actual link.
In any case, it's well written, very humorous and entertaining, packed with her personal anecdotes.
It is (and doesn't try to hide the fact) a dump of her blog over a period of several years, but the posts are long and there is tons of material. If you've read her blog end to end, you might just want this as a convenient reference guide. Except...
My one complaint about the book was that she didn't go back and hotlink most of her in-article links. Kind of annoying, but I imagine that would ave taken forever to do. You have to go to the real blog article to get the actual link.
March 22, 2013
I enjoyed this book and the advice in it. Will be following the blog as I appreciate Catherine's humour. Had previously read her book about Backpacking and really liked that one too. I have a couple of little niggles with this one, there are a lot of typos and missing words throughout the book, which at times was distracting. I know that these are blog posts, however Catherine frequently drums into our heads the importance of making sure any work you publish is polished and professional as people are paying their hard earned money so deserve the best you have to offer. If I hadn't read Catherine's other book first I may have been turned off from reading anything else of hers. There's also some other advice in this book that Catherine fails to follow. It's a minor niggle though. Also I felt a bit ripped off when the book suddenly ended and I found pages of adverts for her books and the first chapters of a book I had already paid for and read.
Her advice is sound though, and she dispenses it with wonderful humour. I recommend it to anyone interested in self publishing.
Her advice is sound though, and she dispenses it with wonderful humour. I recommend it to anyone interested in self publishing.
August 12, 2012
Not a bad book for a collection of blog post. It's a bit out of date for many of the tips, but a good starting place.
The two biggest issues I had was the number of typos and repetition of information. I realize when you put together a book from your blog posts, it's difficult to organized the information and a bit of repetition is expected as the author learns things about themselves and about their topic. I think this would have been a four star if Catherine had taken the time to edit.
I did enjoy the funny approach she used to share the information. And, I do follow her blog to this day.
The two biggest issues I had was the number of typos and repetition of information. I realize when you put together a book from your blog posts, it's difficult to organized the information and a bit of repetition is expected as the author learns things about themselves and about their topic. I think this would have been a four star if Catherine had taken the time to edit.
I did enjoy the funny approach she used to share the information. And, I do follow her blog to this day.
October 17, 2012
Excellent guide to self-publishing. Yes, all the information is on her blog, but this puts it all together in an easily accessible place. I like her sarcastic commentary on the publishing "wars" and her encouragement for people aiming to self-publish (even if she doesn't entertain reading self-published books). The best part is her advice on mailing lists and how not to embarrass yourself on social media (I cringed in a couple of places, but she is a good corrective).
Overall, a cracking, entertaining, and informative read.
October 27, 2012
This is an engaging, entertaining and often-useful collection of blog posts about the world of self-publishing, both hardcopy and digital.
Because of the nature of the book and the speed in which the industry changes, some of the material is out of date. And if you've already got some experience in self-publishing, a number of these essays/posts won't tell you anything new.
But almost any reader will find something in here that's worthwhile, and it's a good signpost to lead you to regularly reading Catherine's blog.
Because of the nature of the book and the speed in which the industry changes, some of the material is out of date. And if you've already got some experience in self-publishing, a number of these essays/posts won't tell you anything new.
But almost any reader will find something in here that's worthwhile, and it's a good signpost to lead you to regularly reading Catherine's blog.
November 27, 2012
This is a great collection of blog posts and would be very beneficial to someone planning to self publish or, like me, planning to keep self publishing as a back up plan for the future.
Lots of valuable information, and seeing Catherine learn through her progressive posts helps us to see the value in putting every effort into producing a quality product, researching options thoroughly AND building an online presence.
A very refreshing way of viewing self publishing.
Lots of valuable information, and seeing Catherine learn through her progressive posts helps us to see the value in putting every effort into producing a quality product, researching options thoroughly AND building an online presence.
A very refreshing way of viewing self publishing.
July 12, 2012
Overall a great book, but occasionally I did find myself skipping over some bits as they were a bit 'slow'
September 5, 2012
Great to have so many helpful blog posts in one place.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews