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Self-Publishing: It Ain't Rocket Science: A Practical Guide to Writing, Publishing and Promoting a Book

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WRITING, PUBLISHING AND PROMOTION DYNAMITE! Big tips in a small book. Now in updated 3rd Edition. More actual, usable information in these short pages than any other "how to" book of any size. All the gritty stuff you REALLY need to write and publish easily, fast, and cheaply. This book provides extremely simple steps to indie publishing by someone who's done it multiple times. More than that, the 3rd edition includes a section on book and author promotion in practical and easily adapted terms and steps, including how to utilize both mainstream media and social media. Chosen by University writing and publishing courses as the most down to earth, practical guide for writing and publishing available. Shows you how it's possible to have a finished, high quality book available for sale on Amazon for a TOTAL cost of zero (or next to nothing if you want to do US Copyright or purchase a few copies). That's not a typo. The book includes resource lists of sites on the web related to the topics in the book on publishing, editing, publicity and more. No need to look them up. It's all here. Covered in the book are practical topics such as: Basic writing tips Beating Writer's Block Editing tips (and working with an editor) Publishing easily and cheaply ISBNs & Copyright Formatting tips Getting reviews Promoting books and yourself through traditional media Promoting books and yourself through social media

86 pages, Paperback

Published November 12, 2015

253 people want to read

About the author

Richard L. Wren

17 books22 followers
Can you start a writing and publishing career at any age? Even in your 80s?

You bet! Richard L. Wren did it!

A fourth generation Californian and Oakland resident for over 80 years–though recently moved to Lafayette, CA, novelist Richard L. Wren took a leap late in life, publishing his first mystery novel at age 84: CASEY’S SLIP (Poor Richard Publishers, 2010), available from Amazon.com, through your favorite bookstore, and as an ebook. Wren is currently working on a sequel.

His second book, released in 2012 (at age 86), is entitled JOSHUA’S REVENGE (Poor Richard Publishers).

November 2014 -- and age 88 -- saw the release of Wren’s third novel, JUSTICE FOR JOSHUA (Poor Richard Publishers).

The latest, published in January 2016 on his 90th birthday, is MURDER MADE LEGAL: A Casey Alton Mystery (Poor Richard Publishers).

For those wanting to publish their own work, Wren has composed a short booklet of some of the most practical advice (in a short form) you can find anywhere for writing and publishing a novel — also applicable to non-fiction books. Based on what he learned after extensive research and practical experience,he produced a booklet which is now in its third incarnation.

Short, practical and to the point, SELF-PUBLISHING: IT AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE (Nov, 2015) can help writers kick-start their process as well as finish up and publish their novels. In this latest edition of the book, he's teamed up with author/university professor Loyd Auerbach to add a significant section on book/author promotion, and as with previous versions, has been adopted as required reading by at least one professor teaching a graduate level course (and for non-academic courses).

Wren had a 61 year career with New York Life Insurance Co., specializing in Estate Tax planning for business owners. Throughout that career, he was a nationally recognized speaker on the use of life insurance in estate planning.

Born in Watsonville, CA, his family moved to Oakland when he was three, and he’s lived there ever since. He is a graduate of Oakland Technical High School and holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Armstrong College, Berkeley, CA (1949). Additionally, he has a post graduate degree of CLU from Wharton. (similar to CPA in accounting.)

Richard Wren and his wife Betty – his high school sweetheart – are about to celebrate their 65th Anniversary. They’ve raised four children and have nine grandchildren. He’s been quite active in the Oakland community, having served in the past on the Board of the Oakland Symphony, and currently on the Board of Directors of the Woodminster Theater (for 35+ years).

He started writing “Casey’s Slip” at age 82. “I’ve always been a story teller since my 4 daughters were small children,” said Richard. “Every night I’d challenge them to give me a word and I’d make up a story. Example: They give me ‘Hamburger,’ and I make up a story about a hamburger that dreamed of becoming a New York steak. I still use that technique. My stories are designed for pure entertainment. I do not have a whole story in mind when I start. I let the story develop itself, just as life does. “

As with many other fiction writers, he draws from his own personal experiences, people he’s met and places he knows. “My wife and I have owned four sailboats and sailed the California Coast as far south as the Mexican border. I have a friend that has been a well-known Hell’s Angel for many years. I have a son-in-law that was an Oakland detective, a daughter that’s approaching a black belt in Chinese Martial Arts, and a friend that was a top FBI agent. I also have a friend that was an unlicensed sailboat deliverer on the West Coast and an acquaintance that owns a very famous Chinese Restaurant in San Francisco.”

Basing characters on people he knows, and locations in his books on places he has spent time in gives his stories a sense of reality. “In my secong book (Joshua’s Revenge) the opening takes place in Yosemite. I’v

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792 reviews5 followers
September 21, 2016
This is really a pamphlet/booklet that in a nutshell states that it is easy to self-publish. The author is a big fan of createspace.com and to tell you to just write it (which is great advice). This is helpful for the writer starting out and doesn’t know where to look; otherwise the info is available elsewhere online.
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