Thanks for purchasing this book! If you need help with anything, feel free to get in touch. A short review on Amazon would be hugely appreciated. Sincerely, Derek Murphy www.creativindie.com Twitter: @creativindie | Facebook.com/creativindie “For books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them.” —John Milton, Areopagitica “This is the cusp of an age at least as exciting and as brimful of potential as the early days of the printing press.” — Sara Sheridan “Only a few short years ago, the average stay- at-home mom spent her relaxation time reading Jackie Collins and staring at the pool boy. Now, half of them are outselling Jackie Collins writing porn about the pool boy.” —Pete Morin, Surviving in the Amazon Jungle TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome What this book isn’t about Can I really do it for FREE? My Story Part 1 WRITE EDIT COVER Part 2 FORMAT Part 3 PUBLISH Part 4 PROMOTE LAST WORDS FREE POSTER THANKS ABOUT THE AUTHOR WELCOME So you want to publish a book, eh? That’s great! There’s never been a better time. The Internet and the rise of social media have made publishing a book, growing your audience and becoming a successful author a possibility for anybody. Getting an agent or publishing through a mainstream company is no longer required (and in some cases, disadvantageous). You really can self- publish, connect with readers, inspire hundreds of thousands of downloads and make a lot of money. But it isn’t easy. For a first time author, writing and publishing a book can be a daunting prospect. There’s so much to learn: how to finish writing the book and get it ready for publication; how to format it for print and ebook; how and where to publish the book and distribute it to online and offline bookstores; how to get your book noticed amidst hundreds of thousands of others. For many authors, the entire process of writing and publishing is such a steep learning curve, with so many confusing variables, that it can lead to frustration and stagnation, which is sometimes overcome by throwing money at whoever promises to do everything for you. Unfortunately, many author publishing services and small presses know how to manage the publishing process, but don’t have the talent or skill required to make your book look good and ultimately find success. Therefore, DIY publishing is not just about saving money; it’s also about making sure you end up with a well-designed product that sells. However, if you don’t have much experience with book design, marketing or sales, making the right design choices can be difficult. I hope this book will help with that, and inspire you to make smarter publishing choices, no matter your budget. Does the world really need another guide to publishing and formatting? There are dozens of books like this popping up, how is mine different? For starters, I think most guides are written by authors who have learned these skills to publish their own books. While they may be valuable, a lot are saying the same things; and although they know how to publish (the mechanics) they aren’t really versed on the art (the aesthetics). As a book designer who’s helped publish over 1000 books, I focus my attention on making products that sell. It’s not enough to just put your book out there. If you want it to be successful, it has to look and feel professional, powerful, and captivating. It needs an air of authority. It has to be a thing of beauty. To that end, I’ve spent the past several months building free tools and resources that will help you take more control over your publishing and create a beautiful book. This should make the DIY publishing journey much easier, should you choose to brave it. What follows is a guide to using those resources, which as an added bonus, should drastically reduce publishing, formatting and marketing costs. WHAT THIS BOOK ISN’T ABOUT There are other books that are more in-depth about writing and publishing, and much longer. However, many of them seem padded with personal biography and plugs for the author’s books and services. Others are heavy on inspiration and motivation, which may leave you pumped up about writing, but in no way ensure that energy translates into publishing success. I’ve been told my writing is pessimistic; I prefer to call it pragmatic. In my experience, optimistic, positively charged authors are not necessarily better writers, nor more successful authors. Too much empty enthusiasm can even be demotivating, if not supported by the right skills and a lot of elbow grease. Because I don’t base my books on a prerequisite word count (a pre-planned decision to make a book a certain length) this book contains no padding or fluff. I get straight to the point. This is a practical guide meant to traverse specific publishing related barriers with targeted solutions. That way it’ll be easily referenced and utilized; so you can spend less time reading and more time writing more books. That said, the purpose of this book is mainly to introduce you to some free tools I’ve made to assist you in DIY publishing. Parts of it are very technical and possibly a little boring. If you aren’t happy with it, please ask for a refund.