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How to Write, Format, Publish and Promote your Book
Let me be the first to admit this book is not remarkably life-changing. It is also true that much of the material in this book is freely available online (I know, because I put it there). So why publish this book? A) Free material is useless if nobody finds it. B) Organizing and making sense of online content takes time and effort. I'm reaching out to you through Kindle to share some publishing tools I've made that will save you time and money, while increasing the quality of your finished book. If you don't think that's worth the price of this book - ask for a refund (or better yet, don't buy it). Publishing a book, but not sure where to start? DEREK MURPHY has been a book cover designer, writing coach and publishing consultant for almost a decade, helping thousands of authors put their books out into the world. In WRITE, FORMAT, PUBLISH, PROMOTE Derek reveals the free or low-cost tools, tips and strategies that successful authors can use to get an edge - drastically cutting costs from the expenses of book publishing. Learn how to... WRITE faster and finish more books EDIT your book by identifying common errors FORMAT for print and eBook, with free templates PUBLISH your book and put it up for sale PROMOTE your book with powerful marketing tricks ALL WITHOUT SPENDING ANY MONEY! (The screenshots were made on a Windows PC, although MAC users can still download the free templates and tools, the workflow will be different).
214 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2014
43 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Derek Murphy
54 books405 followersI wrote my MA thesis on Harry Potter and my PhD thesis on Paradise Lost. Now I write YA fantasy novels and design book covers. I blog about self-publishing, book design and book marketing, and was featured in CNN for renting castles.
www.urbanepics.com
www.theyashelf.com
www.creativindie.com
www.imlovingbooks.com
www.urbanepics.com
www.theyashelf.com
www.creativindie.com
www.imlovingbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 24, 2016
I disagree with the author that writing in the first person is easy, it may be more natural, but it’s not easy to do well. Writing in the first person only gives one person’s perspective and you have to show other characters through that filter.
He talks about the need to write something that the public wants to read. It also takes discipline and organisation if you’re working at the same time. A typical book is 80 - 120,000 words and this takes time and so you need to be in it for the long haul. The book suggests you write an outline of the story and identify the characters, as this will give you a structure and make writing quicker.
The book recommends a good editor and if you can afford it, another pair of eyes is always worth it. However he does give some tips about commonly confused words and mistakes. Like all writing books he suggests you write simply with common words and not too many adverbs. There is also a web address for a tool which will highlight if you are over using certain words.
The section on formatting is quite technical, referring to both printed and e-book formats. I found the part about how to include name and book title in the header also page numbers in the footer particularly interesting, as this is something I struggle with.
I would also recommend Createspace and KDP as they are cost effective and easy to use. If you want to make your book available on different platforms then I personally would use Smashwords, but be careful, if you don’t sell many books, you reduce your royalty on KDP by doing this.
An interesting image is that promotion is like a leaking bucket. It is no good putting more water (readers) into it, unless you have the right cover, description and key words. I have read of this approach adopted for non-fiction, but I’m not sure it translates into fiction. I think the other arm of his strategy; relationships, guest blogs and networking would be more effective.
Again even as an experienced writer, I learned new things from this book and it has given me more things to try and put into practice.
He talks about the need to write something that the public wants to read. It also takes discipline and organisation if you’re working at the same time. A typical book is 80 - 120,000 words and this takes time and so you need to be in it for the long haul. The book suggests you write an outline of the story and identify the characters, as this will give you a structure and make writing quicker.
The book recommends a good editor and if you can afford it, another pair of eyes is always worth it. However he does give some tips about commonly confused words and mistakes. Like all writing books he suggests you write simply with common words and not too many adverbs. There is also a web address for a tool which will highlight if you are over using certain words.
The section on formatting is quite technical, referring to both printed and e-book formats. I found the part about how to include name and book title in the header also page numbers in the footer particularly interesting, as this is something I struggle with.
I would also recommend Createspace and KDP as they are cost effective and easy to use. If you want to make your book available on different platforms then I personally would use Smashwords, but be careful, if you don’t sell many books, you reduce your royalty on KDP by doing this.
An interesting image is that promotion is like a leaking bucket. It is no good putting more water (readers) into it, unless you have the right cover, description and key words. I have read of this approach adopted for non-fiction, but I’m not sure it translates into fiction. I think the other arm of his strategy; relationships, guest blogs and networking would be more effective.
Again even as an experienced writer, I learned new things from this book and it has given me more things to try and put into practice.
March 21, 2021
Murphy has provided a wonderful resource for writers, especially for those just starting out. The Internet and social media have allowed publishing a book, growing your reader audience and becoming a successful author to not just be a distant dream, but a reality. This book is literally packed with information like a crown studded with gems of every variety. Murphy wants to help writers in their craft, made obvious with all the free resources he provides, this book being one of them.
It’s a practical guide for writers so they can traverse specific publishing related barriers with targeted solutions. If writers have a limited budget, Murphy shows in easy steps how they can produce a cool product without paying through the teeth. He doesn’t beat around the bush or pad the pages with empty fluff either. He does, however, provide loads of free tools to assist in DIY publishing.
I really liked the way he interspersed the book with quotes by other notable people and the advice at the conclusion from literary notables to encourage writers. He tells you the advantages of tools such as Scrivener, as well as giving handy hints on how to self-edit your own writing, what sort of cover to choose, and then he wades through the complex (and challenging) sections of formatting your own book. My own brain isn’t wired to understand it all, but he goes into simplified steps on designing and formatting with loads of graphics.
Publishing, although can be free, has its own complexities involving keywords, categories, blurbs and so on, with which Murphy provides assistance to writers. Promoting has its own section of wonderful advice and free tools as well, making this book one of the best on every point for new as well as established writers. Derek Murphy is generous to a fault and offers loads of tips and great ideas. This book is among the best out there and I highly recommend it to anyone just starting out on the journey of publishing their first, or
twentieth, book. And it’s free!
It’s a practical guide for writers so they can traverse specific publishing related barriers with targeted solutions. If writers have a limited budget, Murphy shows in easy steps how they can produce a cool product without paying through the teeth. He doesn’t beat around the bush or pad the pages with empty fluff either. He does, however, provide loads of free tools to assist in DIY publishing.
I really liked the way he interspersed the book with quotes by other notable people and the advice at the conclusion from literary notables to encourage writers. He tells you the advantages of tools such as Scrivener, as well as giving handy hints on how to self-edit your own writing, what sort of cover to choose, and then he wades through the complex (and challenging) sections of formatting your own book. My own brain isn’t wired to understand it all, but he goes into simplified steps on designing and formatting with loads of graphics.
Publishing, although can be free, has its own complexities involving keywords, categories, blurbs and so on, with which Murphy provides assistance to writers. Promoting has its own section of wonderful advice and free tools as well, making this book one of the best on every point for new as well as established writers. Derek Murphy is generous to a fault and offers loads of tips and great ideas. This book is among the best out there and I highly recommend it to anyone just starting out on the journey of publishing their first, or
twentieth, book. And it’s free!
December 24, 2014
I wasn't able to read this cover-to-cover like I wanted to. This guy is just so pessimistic. Yes, I understand that some authors get lost in the fantasy that they're going to be the next Stephen King, but the reality is that the authors who think are almost certainly NOT going to be the next Stephen King. I got tired of reading his condescending tone throughout the book that I need to believe his almighty knowledge of indie publishing simply because he's worked with authors on book designs and plans to write fiction in the future. Guess what? If you're reading this book you're planning on writing a book in the future!
The saving grace for this book was the marketing tips, but again, take it with a grain of salt because what works for one author doesn't necessarily work for another. The bits of advice from other indie authors was great (maybe because Derek Murphy was no longer writing?) because it showed the wide variety of ways people can be successful (whatever your idea of success is) in indie publishing.
I need to point out that I skipped the part on formatting. He discusses formatting in Word and I plan on formatting in Scrivener so that section was basically useless to me.
The saving grace for this book was the marketing tips, but again, take it with a grain of salt because what works for one author doesn't necessarily work for another. The bits of advice from other indie authors was great (maybe because Derek Murphy was no longer writing?) because it showed the wide variety of ways people can be successful (whatever your idea of success is) in indie publishing.
I need to point out that I skipped the part on formatting. He discusses formatting in Word and I plan on formatting in Scrivener so that section was basically useless to me.
March 22, 2019
In this book, Derek Murphy shares on how to write, format, publish and promote your book at minimal or no cost. He highlights different resources you can use to make this happen.
He identifies the most important aspects to the successful marketing and sale of your book as having a great cover, sales pitch (product description), number of reviews (on your Amazon or other distributor page), a great book itself, and a platform to market the book before the kind of audience it deserves. Any lag in sales he says is because of one of these.
Derek shows you how you can produce and market your book at little to no cost, but he still advises that you use professional help (which might be expensive in some instances) for the parts of your book's production or marketing process where your skillset is wanting. It helps you come out with a much better product. He recommends cheap sources as well for these services.
This is a great resource for anyone planning to publish a great book at little to no cost. It will help you save on a lot of things.
He identifies the most important aspects to the successful marketing and sale of your book as having a great cover, sales pitch (product description), number of reviews (on your Amazon or other distributor page), a great book itself, and a platform to market the book before the kind of audience it deserves. Any lag in sales he says is because of one of these.
Derek shows you how you can produce and market your book at little to no cost, but he still advises that you use professional help (which might be expensive in some instances) for the parts of your book's production or marketing process where your skillset is wanting. It helps you come out with a much better product. He recommends cheap sources as well for these services.
This is a great resource for anyone planning to publish a great book at little to no cost. It will help you save on a lot of things.
March 22, 2018
Really helpful
This is the second Derek Murphy book I've read and I was not disappointed. I just self-published my first collection of poetry (Wilting Daisies) and I've been searching far and wide for advice. This book and 100 Common Publishing Questions Answered have been quite helpful.
This is the second Derek Murphy book I've read and I was not disappointed. I just self-published my first collection of poetry (Wilting Daisies) and I've been searching far and wide for advice. This book and 100 Common Publishing Questions Answered have been quite helpful.
May 14, 2018
Solid read for anybody interested in self-publishing. Some of the specifics are out-of-date, but that's the life of using software tools and the inevitable updates that happen within a few years of publication.
December 4, 2018
Awesome!
I really enjoyed this book. I received great advice on self-publishing and free resources that can help me. Thank you.
I really enjoyed this book. I received great advice on self-publishing and free resources that can help me. Thank you.
December 29, 2020
Derek is one of the few non-sharks out there helping writers. If you want to learn rather than be sold to, he's your guy.
March 6, 2017
A great general writing craft book. There's a little bit of something for everyone in here.
May 9, 2014
If your a writer or like me a writer just starting their journey then this is a must read. I have been reading blogs, articles, and books on all the objectives covered in this book and I have to say that it was fantastic to have it all in one place. It was well written, contained oodles of free tools but best of all actionable information instead of vague non-committal statements and antidotes.
I have been exclusively reading e-books for the last 4 years using the Kindle app on my PC and phone. I have read 100's of books. I tell you this so you understand how much I have used the program so when I tell you that this is the FIRST book I have used the highlight feature that should give you an idea of how valuable this book is and I used it a lot.
I did not agree with some of the advice but that is to be expected with any advice book but I would say that 85% was very useful for me. Included in that 15% is also the information about printing a book which for me is not where I am living. I am living in the digital world and there was tons of good advice that I knew I had to be aware of but did not really understand how important some items are to be successful.
Last but not least a great cover!
I have been exclusively reading e-books for the last 4 years using the Kindle app on my PC and phone. I have read 100's of books. I tell you this so you understand how much I have used the program so when I tell you that this is the FIRST book I have used the highlight feature that should give you an idea of how valuable this book is and I used it a lot.
I did not agree with some of the advice but that is to be expected with any advice book but I would say that 85% was very useful for me. Included in that 15% is also the information about printing a book which for me is not where I am living. I am living in the digital world and there was tons of good advice that I knew I had to be aware of but did not really understand how important some items are to be successful.
Last but not least a great cover!
August 11, 2014
Derek Murphy is clearly someone who has invested his time and intelligence into his indie author career, and who genuinely wants to grow and become successful by helping others do the same. Here he's sharing the benefits of all that work and what he's learned from it, and it's definitely worth reading.
His ebook, How to... Without Spending Any Money, starts out with some personal philosophies about having a successful career as an author that feel a bit soapboxish at times, but after that settles into quite a bit of helpful information, full of useful overviews and specifics. It does stray from the book's proposed topic of how to publish for almost no money, sometimes suggesting steps with definite costs but not addressing the amount of money involved, but at the same time he talks about many ways to do things for cheap or free and goes beyond that to discuss when to do it cheaply versus spending more money in a way make a lot of sense. He really knows how to pull people into his websites, and get people connected and engaged with them, and that is an incredibly valuable skill for self-promotion. The ebook shares some of his thinking in this area, which I found particularly helpful.
His ebook, How to... Without Spending Any Money, starts out with some personal philosophies about having a successful career as an author that feel a bit soapboxish at times, but after that settles into quite a bit of helpful information, full of useful overviews and specifics. It does stray from the book's proposed topic of how to publish for almost no money, sometimes suggesting steps with definite costs but not addressing the amount of money involved, but at the same time he talks about many ways to do things for cheap or free and goes beyond that to discuss when to do it cheaply versus spending more money in a way make a lot of sense. He really knows how to pull people into his websites, and get people connected and engaged with them, and that is an incredibly valuable skill for self-promotion. The ebook shares some of his thinking in this area, which I found particularly helpful.
June 16, 2014
I have enjoyed Derek Murphy's newsletter for a while and appreciated the free content and resources he shares online. When this book came along, I was eager to check it out.
The topics Derek covers surprised me a little at the beginning. He doesn't just assume that you already know what you want to write and you've done your homework about whether it's a good idea. He presents some thoughtful, probing questions about what book you plan to write and offers some high level rules of thumb to get you rolling.
I was very pleased to see current trends and resources mentioned frequently. This book is very up-to-date in terms of what's going on in publishing right now almost halfway into the year 2014. Links to resources and names you can look up for more info are very helpful.
When it comes to the formatting part, he gets into step-by-step detail and offers free template downloads to get you started. That's invaluable. He also covers the pros and cons of hiring such work out to experts.
Overall, a great resource for anyone who hasn't done this yet or who knows they need to improve their game in self-publishing.
The topics Derek covers surprised me a little at the beginning. He doesn't just assume that you already know what you want to write and you've done your homework about whether it's a good idea. He presents some thoughtful, probing questions about what book you plan to write and offers some high level rules of thumb to get you rolling.
I was very pleased to see current trends and resources mentioned frequently. This book is very up-to-date in terms of what's going on in publishing right now almost halfway into the year 2014. Links to resources and names you can look up for more info are very helpful.
When it comes to the formatting part, he gets into step-by-step detail and offers free template downloads to get you started. That's invaluable. He also covers the pros and cons of hiring such work out to experts.
Overall, a great resource for anyone who hasn't done this yet or who knows they need to improve their game in self-publishing.
October 15, 2014
This guide is an excellent tool for authors who are looking to self-publish. As Murphy says, a lot of this information is already available for free online, but it's very handy to have it all in one place you can easily access rather than bookmarking dozens of sites. Murphy does a great job of condensing self-publishing tips ranging from writing your book to graphic design work on the cover and it's written out in an easy to follow conversational style. You'll fly through the book in a day if you're a slow reader and in one sitting if you're speedy. All in all, this is a wonderful book to add to my indie author resources and I highly recommend it!
August 9, 2019
Derek Murphy ,as usual, provides the reader with the gist of the topic. In this book, he tackled four topics writing, formatting, publishing ,and promoting. I think that one of the best parts that you will benefit from is the last one, where many writers gave their pieces of advice in the aforementioned topics.
June 5, 2018
This had all of the hard advice that I didn’t want to hear about publishing but genuinely needed to hear. Murphy taught me how to think of publishing a book as a five year plan, because hitting it big the first time you self publish isn’t a realistic goal without a platform. However, instead of feeling discouraged, I am so inspired to put in even more work and make my platform work for me so I can focus on writing.
September 6, 2015
Quick informative read
I sat down and read this book in about an hour and a half. (I skipped the portion on Adobe InDesign as I don't use it.) the part I enjoyed the most was when he asked others what their best advice was. It gave me some other insights and made me more likely to buy another book from him because he understands that he is not perfect.
I sat down and read this book in about an hour and a half. (I skipped the portion on Adobe InDesign as I don't use it.) the part I enjoyed the most was when he asked others what their best advice was. It gave me some other insights and made me more likely to buy another book from him because he understands that he is not perfect.
July 8, 2014
This guy was talkin' my language: concise, pragmatic, realistic, smarmy. If nothing else, illuminating me to a quote by Ernest Hemingway - "The first draft of anything is $#!+" - that I have fully incorporated into all of my writing, where before I was stubborn to the thought.
February 22, 2016
Awesome book
This is an awesome book to keep handy for reference for any author, New or experienced. I especially enjoyed the marketing tips from the authors. They were candid and informative.
This is an awesome book to keep handy for reference for any author, New or experienced. I especially enjoyed the marketing tips from the authors. They were candid and informative.
August 16, 2015
Derek Murphy is a national treasure for all Indie writers. I cannot believe how helpful this guy's books are. Another I borrowed through KU, then immediately bought my own copy.
January 2, 2016
Derek writes a very handy book on the complete writing process.
January 24, 2016
A great book with a lot of useful advice.
March 26, 2017
Good practical, information that a writer can take action on now!
April 17, 2017
Quality of Content
Since this is a nonfiction book, the actual quality of the content lies in how well the book is put together, and how valid the information is. I have an older copy – from 2014 – which means some of the information is a touch dated. Keeping that in mind, I will say that most of the information remains valid and highly usable. It is geared toward brand new authors who haven’t done much, except maybe dabble in writing anything longer than a flash fiction piece, or possibly a short story. However, there is a TON of good information in here for authors who have been running the marathon of publishing who just can’t seem to get anywhere in the game.Each section is well defined, and definitely on point. There were a few sections that I read through, and felt myself tuning out – specifically about how to structure the writing project. Derek is what is known as a “plotter” – someone who outlines their project to some degree. In the first section, writers known as “pansters” – those who write by the seat of their pants without an outline or other type of pre-story structuring – may find things a bit hard to swallow. However, persevering through the section gets into material useful to every type of author.There are a couple of places where Derek gets on a soap box about what to pay for and what not to pay for, then he promptly explains how to do the work yourself (with many caveats about how difficult it can be.) This brings me to the second spot I skimmed – the section on using Scrivner for writing and/or formatting your final book file. I use Word exclusively, so this section didn’t apply to me. It will probably apply to others, while the section on Word won’t. The layout makes skimming these two sections easy, so you can focus on the writing program of your choice.
Usefulness of Content
No, this isn’t a repetition of the above section. As time passes, and information becomes dated, the usefulness of the information can begin to decline. However, the way this book is put together, along with the simple definitions Derek uses means almost all the information provided remains valid. About the only thing I saw as I read through that wasn’t valid any more was under promotions, when Derek talked about paid reviews – especially on Amazon. With the changes Amazon is making with the way reviews are/are not accepted, the push to use paid review sites will lead readers down a very toxic path. (I’m not sure if this has been updated in the newer edition, or not. I hope so, since Derek continues to do well in all of his marketing projects.)There were several things later in the book, which were not only new to me, but also excellent tips and meaningful advice. Derek really manages to make his point about how/when to market, and then how to get back to what writers do best – write. For someone who has no idea what to do in the marketing game, not only were these pieces eye opening, they seemed to also manage to turn on the “Ah, so THAT’S what everyone is talking about!” light bulb. Now, I get to see if I can figure out how to actually apply the concepts. Too many times, the ones that appear simple are deceptively so, and much harder to put into practice.
Readability
Most nonfiction that I’ve come across – from class text books to informative blog posts – tend to be dry, boring, and leave me guzzling my drink as if I had just come out of the Sahara Desert. While that may be changing slowly, Derek is far ahead of the curve. Not only is this book informative, it’s presented in a chatty, “Glad to meet you” tone. Not quite like reading a fiction book, but very close. Many of the ideas (short of the actual how to sections) had personal observations and/or stories relevant to the material (something Derek highly recommends for ALL nonfiction, by the way) which made this a fun read.
Since this is a nonfiction book, the actual quality of the content lies in how well the book is put together, and how valid the information is. I have an older copy – from 2014 – which means some of the information is a touch dated. Keeping that in mind, I will say that most of the information remains valid and highly usable. It is geared toward brand new authors who haven’t done much, except maybe dabble in writing anything longer than a flash fiction piece, or possibly a short story. However, there is a TON of good information in here for authors who have been running the marathon of publishing who just can’t seem to get anywhere in the game.Each section is well defined, and definitely on point. There were a few sections that I read through, and felt myself tuning out – specifically about how to structure the writing project. Derek is what is known as a “plotter” – someone who outlines their project to some degree. In the first section, writers known as “pansters” – those who write by the seat of their pants without an outline or other type of pre-story structuring – may find things a bit hard to swallow. However, persevering through the section gets into material useful to every type of author.There are a couple of places where Derek gets on a soap box about what to pay for and what not to pay for, then he promptly explains how to do the work yourself (with many caveats about how difficult it can be.) This brings me to the second spot I skimmed – the section on using Scrivner for writing and/or formatting your final book file. I use Word exclusively, so this section didn’t apply to me. It will probably apply to others, while the section on Word won’t. The layout makes skimming these two sections easy, so you can focus on the writing program of your choice.
Usefulness of Content
No, this isn’t a repetition of the above section. As time passes, and information becomes dated, the usefulness of the information can begin to decline. However, the way this book is put together, along with the simple definitions Derek uses means almost all the information provided remains valid. About the only thing I saw as I read through that wasn’t valid any more was under promotions, when Derek talked about paid reviews – especially on Amazon. With the changes Amazon is making with the way reviews are/are not accepted, the push to use paid review sites will lead readers down a very toxic path. (I’m not sure if this has been updated in the newer edition, or not. I hope so, since Derek continues to do well in all of his marketing projects.)There were several things later in the book, which were not only new to me, but also excellent tips and meaningful advice. Derek really manages to make his point about how/when to market, and then how to get back to what writers do best – write. For someone who has no idea what to do in the marketing game, not only were these pieces eye opening, they seemed to also manage to turn on the “Ah, so THAT’S what everyone is talking about!” light bulb. Now, I get to see if I can figure out how to actually apply the concepts. Too many times, the ones that appear simple are deceptively so, and much harder to put into practice.
Readability
Most nonfiction that I’ve come across – from class text books to informative blog posts – tend to be dry, boring, and leave me guzzling my drink as if I had just come out of the Sahara Desert. While that may be changing slowly, Derek is far ahead of the curve. Not only is this book informative, it’s presented in a chatty, “Glad to meet you” tone. Not quite like reading a fiction book, but very close. Many of the ideas (short of the actual how to sections) had personal observations and/or stories relevant to the material (something Derek highly recommends for ALL nonfiction, by the way) which made this a fun read.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews