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SELF-PUBLISHING: IT AIN’T ROCKET SCIENCE: A Practical Guide to Writing. Publishing, and Promoting a Book
Helping You to Write a Novel, Overcome Writer’s Block and Publish Your Book.
If you’re like I was a few short years ago and want to write a novel and get it published, you probably have spent, or are spending, a lot of time and energy reading books on writing and publishing. Do you really want to spend that time and energy reading, or would you rather spend it actually writing the novel and making sure the book gets published? Want a very short guide with quick, easy, practical and common sense tips for writers?

When the last two editions were new, it was acclaimed as one of the most practical, down to earth and succinct resources for writers. A Practical Guide to Writing & Publishing a Novel offered nuts and bolts tips for writing and publishing fiction that seem to have slipped through the cracks of most other books on writing a novel.
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But this book, the first half of which is essentially the updated 3rd edition of the earlier one, has a bunch more (and current) resources. Much more than that, I asked my good friend, Loyd Auerbach, author and adjunct professor at John F. Kennedy University (teaching “Publishing and Media”) to add a section on book and author promotion. He did that by doubling the size of the short book with lots of great advice and resources of his own, directed at both fiction and nonfiction authors.

Not a come-on for other books, this is a short, inexpensive treatise that includes detail after detail which will enable you to start your book, write your book, punctuate your book, edit your book, and publish your book, and promote your book, using specific and included sources in a way no other guide book does.

If you’re looking for a book to help you develop characters, write dialogue, formulate your plot or outline your story, this is not it. If you want help overcoming writer’s block or other obstacles authors run into when considering how to start writing a novel, continuing the writing process without anxiety, practical and effective tips to keep on track to finish the book, and ways to improve your writing along the way – and you want it in as succinct a package as possible, this is the short and succinct book for you. If you want to learn the ins and outs of promoting your books and yourself to the media, and the basics of social media for authors, this, too, is the short and succinct book for you (it bears repeating).

If you’re writing your first book, the advice here is pure gold. It may be platinum, if you’ve already published and had hiccups in the process.

But more than covering tips for writing a book or how to become a novelist, the booklet answers the questions “Now that I’ve written a novel, how do I get it published?” and “Now that I’ve written a book, how do I get people to know about it and buy it?”

Based on his own extensive research and experience with his first and second novels, Richard Wren provides you with tips on getting published and resources to get you through the process of publishing your novel. He addresses questions and issues such as:

Where do I get my book published?
  • What’s the difference between self-publishing and going through a publishing company?
  • How much or how little will it cost to self-publish or go through an internet-based publisher (i.e. CreateSpace)?
  • How do I choose a publisher who helps authors print on demand or otherwise do self-publishing?
  • Are there publishing companies that take advantage of new authors, and if so, how do I avoid them?
  • How to get an e-book published
  • What resources are there for new and established writers to help them in the publishing process?

And based on his own extensive experience with the Media and more recently, Social Media, Loyd Auerbach provides the basics of:
  • The current spread and depth of the Media, from print (yes there still is print) to broadcast to cable to web-based
  • Publicity resources
  • How to assess interview requests
  • How to prep for an interview
  • How to be an expert interviewee
  • What’s the best social media to use, and how to use it
Wren and Auerbach’s Self-Publishing: It Ain’t Rocket Science provides answers to those writing and publishing questions and actual citation to websites that can help guide you through publishing a novel (or publishing a nonfiction book for that matter) as well as help you choose which publishing service works the best, and what to avoid, as well as some of the best author-publicity resources and websites available.

This guide has been adopted by a university graduate level publishing course for use as required reading.

Click on the cover to purchase the book on Amazon.com
Reviews for the previous edition:

Efficient, fun and informative! If you are looking for a good and clear book about publishing i will recommend to buy his book. Richard Wren made this book easy and fun to read. He offers great tips and honest answers regarding the publishing world. After reading his book, I felt inspired and encouraged to write. I think it is a good start for writers who are seeking guidance and inspiration.      Marie Auclair, on Amazon.com

Title says it all — Great guide! I read this book as part of a class assignment and I was immediately motivated to sit down and write. For the first time, I gave myself a word limit to write each day and in 12 days I had 12,000 words! As Richard says, “just start.” Anyone who wants to write and publish a book should read this – especially those of us who experience blocks along the way.    Ellen, on Amazon.com

 
Read on for a bit of background from the author on his KISS Way and listen to a brief interview with Richard Wren about his guide.

​At age 82 I started writing my first novel. Three Years later it was done – and published in 2011. Now at 86, I’ve finished my second, and am well into writing my third novel. My first book is available as both an e-book and a paperback through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and at your favorite book store. Watch for my second novel in June, 2012.

How did I do my second and third books so quickly? I ignored a lot of conventional advice and developed my own faster and much more effective method of writing a novel, and a cheap and convenient way of publishing. Finally, I common-sensed my own plan. It worked. In 6 months, I have written, edited, proof-read and published my second book, on my own. I became my own publisher (Poor Richard Publishers), though I worked through a wonderful publishing service (CreateSpace). My plan is down to earth, gritty, effective and specific. I even give you a specific beginning for your first chapter if “first pageitis” is your problem.

I distilled what I learned and developed down into my practical tip-based booklet, which I’m proud to say was recently accepted for use at university level writing and publishing courses.

My plan to help you write and publish a novel is now available in paperback or as a download, which you can order by clicking the cover image above.
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IN HIS NEW CAREER AS AN AUTHOR, RICHARD DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS TALL, DARK, HANDSOME AND A LIAR. A FOURTH GENERATION CALIFORNIAN, A SAILOR, FATHER OF FOUR BEAUTIFUL AND SUPPORTIVE DAUGHTERS, AND HUSBAND TO ONE OF THE BEST WIVES OF ALL TIME. [MORE]

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  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Casey's Slip
    • Murder Made Legal
    • Joshua's Revenge
    • Justice for Joshua
    • Self-Publishing...
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