Book formatting templates (Vellum vs Atticus?)

 I've had some authors ask if they should use Vellum to format and publish their books; it's an amazing software that makes things much easier, but only if you have a mac. Atticus is a newer program for PC users - but you *can* format a book in Microsoft Word if that's what you're used to. Check out my book formatting templates and tutorials to get started.

How to self-publish a book

 I've spent the last decade self-publishing and making a living with my writing, but it's gotten harder and more competitive. I have 3 free guides to self-publishing on my website, and the basics don't really change - you need a great cover, blurb and reviews - but it's gotten more competitive than ever. 

You can still profit from self-publishing on amazon, but it's going to take a lot of work, and investment of time and money. It's extremely rewarding - when you see progress - but demotivating when it feels like you're wasting time and spinning your wheels.

It doesn't have to be expensive, if you grab my DIY book design templates, but for real results you should consider paying for quality. However, don't assume you can just pay someone to make your book a success, that's something nobody else can do but you, and it often starts much earlier than publishing.

Common writing mistakes (editing for authors)

 Most people finish their book and begin looking for an editor or proofreader, but that's not always a good idea. Of course, you don't want any typos, but you can use Grammarly to catch most of them, and typos aren't your problem. To a great extent, the quality of the writing doesn't even matter that much. What really matters is the organization of the content, in an engaging fashion - which is mostly about withholding information to generate suspense and intrigue (what will happen next?) - that's pretty much the only thing you should be concerned with.

A quality developmental editor can help you tease out the main points of your story or narrative, and suggest fixes for plot holes, but they can't do everything, and they're expensive. You can do so much more on your own just by studying basics of plot and story structure, and avoiding the common writing mistakes most authors make.

Book Writing & the Author Lifestyle

 I forgot all about this blogger account I started a decade ago, and just found the login. I don't expect anyone is still reading this, but allow me to share a brief update: in the past ten years I've written 20 books, gotten a PhD in literature and been featuring in CNN for renting castles.

I'm currently updating my main blog with a huge design overhaul, to focus more on the kind of services and value I have to offer authors and writers. But mostly, I plan to get crypto-rich, buy a cabin, adopt a dozen cats and write fantasy novels until I quietly fade into the woods like a forest creature.

Where can I find a book cover designer? Creative book cover design

Hello, stray wanderer of the interweb. You've found a blog that I rarely use anymore. My name is Derek Murphy, and I do many things, including getting my PhD in Literature, Writing Books and Oil Painting. I'm in Taiwan working on developing my triple career and slowly building my credibility, skills, experience and resume.

Recently I've branched out to do book cover design as well. I'm comfortable enough with photoshop to do pretty good work. Within the price range ($100~$300) I may even be one of the best. So if you're looking for creative book cover designs or a stunning, professional cover for your book or ebook, come check it out!

http://bookcovers.creativindie.com/

Thanks, Derek Murphy

7 book publishing, book cover design, professional blogging and marketing tactics that rock.

Ok I lied. I don't have a list of 7 awesome tips for you to follow. What I'm learning is hundreds of invaluable tips for making money online, which is what I've been working on recently, that I thought I should post as I haven't updated this blog in forever (sorry for that, my two followers).

My main blog is holyblasphemy.net, which I'm struggling to make popular and successful, so that I can launch the **** out of my new book, Jesus Potter Harry Christ: The Fascinating History of the Literary Jesus. Although I'm excited with these projects and would gladly lock myself at home at eat instant noodles to work on them, unfortunately I have to go to class (for my PHD in Literature) and work part-time... and then worry about money because I'm not making enough.

Luckily some of the online marketing tips I've been getting (just bought a couple awesome packages on book marketing) have given me some great ideas. Rather than simply offering editing and proofreading services, for example, I've also put a couple packages together for affordable, professional book cover design and book cover formatting services, as well as marketing services for self-published authors.

Which, dammit, I should've been doing a long time ago. I've gotten pretty freaking comfortable with photoshop and indesign and I know a lot about book marketing and promotion (not that it's easy... but I'm learning). After I finish making my own book an amazon best seller, I'll put out an ebook about how to do the same thing and charge lots of money for it.

Oh yeah - apart from all this, soon I'll be setting up a blog devoted to learning Chinese in 90 days, which I'll do this summer. Before my next birthday (about a year) I plan to be making $3000 a month in passive income... or, at least, in service-related income.

My awesome new tattoo machines. :)