220 pages

Writing Reference.

This is the 4^th Edition.

This manual guides writers through the process of publishing a book in digital form. But it’s so much more than that.

David Gaughran has been writing about writing and publishing for some years. He bases his advice on personal experience combined with much research. He knows what he’s talking about.

This book aims to help those, like me, with an aversion to promotion and marketing. This is not an uncommon quality among writers; we tend to be ‘delicate’, sensitive souls for whom the commercial world is about as attractive as last year’s rotting food waste pile.

What David does here is to debunk all the useless, often expensive, stuff that the unscrupulous try to sell to authors. He explains what actually works. He gives examples of how to achieve exposure. But he makes it clear that the process involves commitment and some hard work, as well as an acceptance that some of your cherished ideas about writing may well have to be ditched.

As a ‘creative’ rather than a ‘commercial’ writer, I’ve always faced great barriers to sales, whilst remaining eager to increase my share of readers. But I steer clear of overdoing the free stuff: so many free books are seen as of poor quality, and some as worthless, so such promotion must be done judiciously.

David’s book details what you, the writer, need to do to increase your share of the market, to attract, and keep, the sort of readers you want.

There is more on offer here than the book, which is in itself an excellent guide. There is an offer of another title, completely free, and the opportunity to take part in an online marketing course, again free. I’ve enrolled and begun this course. All details are given in the book, along with links.

If you’re a newbie in the writing world, or an established writer who attracts few book sales, I fully recommend this book. It might be the book that turns your writing into the career you’ve been seeking.

[Any review is a personal opinion. No reviewer can represent the view of anyone else. The best we can manage is an honest reaction to any given book.]