You Are an Author: So Write Your Book Already

by Matt Rudnitsky

"Matt's guide is my Writer's Bible." - Trudy Hylant, author of The Day My Twin and I Died98% of self-published books suck. But among the 2% are The Martian, 50 Shades of Grey, and — wait for it — A Christmas Carol. When Matt Rudnitsky's first self-published book earned $14,000 in profits and an offer from Simon & Schuster ... he was shocked. But Matt quickly realized "getting published" is a glorified scam, and you can reach the same audience (and earn ~5x the profits) by self-publishing.If you know what you're doing, that is.Matt insists that anyone can equal or surpass his success (and self-publish a true "classic") ... if they follow the steps in this book.This isn't your ordinary "book about writing books." It's real, no-BS advice from someone who's done it — and has learned from the dozens of successes and failures of himself and his clients — from self-help to memoir to business, and everything in between. It demystifies every single step of the book writing process, from ideation to validation to outlining to writing habits, publishing and marketing.

Genres: Writing

218 pages, ebook

Published September 20, 2016

Reviews

[Lora Shouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was better than I thought it was going to be at first.

It is intended to be a self-help manual and guide for new authors. It starts off kind of slow with a lot of the ‘you can do it’ sort of encouragement you find in a lot of books and courses aimed at new authors. But after a chapter on trying to figure out whether writing a book will be worth your time, he gets to some very good advice for the rank beginner.

Like many people offering advice to new writers, his approach is most useful to those wishing to write non-fiction and establish themselves as experts in some field or other, but there is some good stuff in here for fiction writers too.

He uses abundant quotes from the likes of Steven Pressfield and Seth Godin.

If you are easily offended by four letter words, you probably won’t like it though.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book.

[Donna Owczarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started out writing non-fiction, but then I swung to fiction for a while...one of the reasons being that I was told I needed a platform before I could get a publisher to pick up a memoir. Recently I decided to set aside the fiction for a bit and revisit the memoirs I wanted to write in the first place, and I found this book not long after making my decision.

"You Are an Author" helped confirm that I'm on the right path. What could it hurt write the stories I want to share with others and self publish them? As Matt says...What do I have to lose? Along with being encouraging, this book had a lot of information about self publishing, which will be very handy once I've finished writing and revising. Thanks Matt! I really enjoyed the read.

[Little House · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had a lot of good advice but also a lot of profanity (but then what did I expect, it is even in the title). I will use a lot of the ideas in this book, but I won't be recommending it to others. I just can't recommend a book that has so much profanity in it.

[Carlos Augusto Méndez Alvarado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Matt, I found this to be an easy and fun read that resonated with me. It provides practical and useful specific advice. It inspired and motivated me. One star minus ‘cause of the annoying insistence to take the test and sign up for other services you offer. It makes the book feel more like an infomercial and diminishes your credibility. Also, as one of your mean reviewers said, there are a lot of typos, or sentences that don’t connect. You still can make this book more professional. Do it! You are a talented writer.

[Rob Clifton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical advice, no BS

Need convincing that the book you have in your head can become a reality? Need a kick in the butt to make it happen? This book gives out simple suggestions that give you the confidence that you can do it. Makes writing and publishing your first book seem much less intimidating than you might think. You'll come away inspired.

[Kristie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Rudnitsky does a great job of wrapping useful tips and advice for writing a book into a hilarious and easy-to-read package. I read the book cover to cover, as it was as interesting as it was funny. I even earmarked a few pages for future reference as I journey forward to write my own book. Most importantly, this book gave me the kick in the a** I needed to start writing.

[Abi Olvera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, to the point, useful. Sums up the best publishing, marketing, planning, and productivity tips specifically for people wanting to write a short book. Talks a lot about the psychology behind what keeps people from actually writing: fear, perfectionism, lack of consistency, distractions, etc. I feel a lot more prepared to get into book writing.

[Meaghan Vogt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I resonated with lots of what Matt was sharing in these chapters. My first publishing journey was full of the ups and downs, frustration and hidden loopholes. All of what Matt shares in these pages.

Anyone can write a book. On any topic they want. It’s the process they take to get it published that matters most.

[Bridget Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want Matt to be my best friend. This is probably the first “how to be an author” book that felt genuine and authentic. I also highlighted about 70% of this book. Seriously, such a well paced, fun, and validating read for anyone in the process of writing or publishing a book. I’ll be going back to reference this book regularly as I continue writing my book series.

[Asger Lindholdt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

The book is easy and inspirational to read. I will finish my book due this book. Much good information. Many good practical tips, but also mindset things related writing and publishing.

[N.E. Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first third is a sales pitch for the idea of self publishing, if you need convincing then I guess go ahead but otherwise just skip to the middle where it gets good. The last bit also has some solid advice when self publishing.

Not an amazing read but useful.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I wanted to give it a 5 and sometimes less than the 3 stars I have settled on. Considering this is a book about not writing too much and filling a book with fluff, I think it is too long with too much fluff in.

However, I did like it in parts.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you need to be reminded to just write your book already, this book tells you just that. So put the book down and go write already!

[Chris Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can get past the very casual nature of writing and the smattering of profanity, this is a very solid book on becoming an author

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few really useful nuggets near the end, but it took way too long to get there, and I didn't enjoy his sense of humor.

[Lindsay Ferraro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Matt, for giving md the inspiration I have needed!

[Brett Manders · Rating 5 out of 5]

great tips

[Eileen Sauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote a first edition book years ago, recently resumed brewing on a second edition and got stuck on scalability issues and how to increase word of mouth. I've also taken courses steeped in details on marketing and launching. Matt's book demonstrates his ability to follow his minimum viable product rules, but the thing I most care about is that his quick-read distillation did more to unblock me than anything else I read. If you want "show, don't tell" and actionable results, this is it.

Note: I read a digital version of this which looks different than the cover displayed here, so specific details here may or may not be relevant to the version you're reading. This will be short because after reading his book and hiking yesterday at Superstition Mountains in Arizona, I woke up this morning with a brain full of ideas so I need to get back to work.

How does he "show, don't tell?"
1. The version I read has little mistakes here and there, like a beginning quote but no end quote, or a typo. I didn't care. This book unblocked me. So it's all about results, about helping people, not about his ego. It's a subtle way of showing people how important this is. Don't be the maladaptive perfectionist terrified of failing, such that you don't help the people you were placed on this earth to help. A renegade thought did occur to me: that those missing end quotes and typos are there not just to "show, don't tell", but also elicit responses from people. Maybe he finds a standout editor he can partner with. I once inadvertently edited a friend's book; she had an editor and publisher, yet I kept sending her email after email of corrections for her new release. She was furious and also grateful.
2. He curses and says fart. That demonstrates several things. The old days of needing a publisher are gone. You can publish whatever the heck you want. You can be who you want to be, preferably your best self. If what you say is provocative in an ethical way, you will get attention, both good and bad.

Enough for now.

[Harold · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are serious about writing, read this.

You Are An Author Now so write your f***ing book, review.
This is the first time I have written this word in my life. O’ I have thought it and read it and said it but never written it. Why do I discuss it? The first thing and often the last thing one does with a book is read the title. Many titles do not attract people long enough to make them buy the book. This title will appeal to a percentage of readers but a significant percent of people will be turned off and not buy. They will have missed an otherwise great book.
Matt Rudnitsky is humorous, witty, intelligent, knowledgeable and hard working even if he claims otherwise. Occasionally I became irritated by his repetition of an important point but then remembered that my great grandchildren seem so smart because they practice repetition constantly.
Having written and self published one book, Coping With Life, available on Amazon.com, I can better evaluate and verify the advice given by Matt.
His most important/difficult advice is to form a writing habit. I have several books in me now but have not yet developed the habit to get up early and write for an hour or more daily.
If you have a “book in you” go to Amazon, buy You Are An Author Now, study it, write daily, practice Matt’s advice, except watch your language. You will be quoted, you can expect!

[Alain Burrese · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You Are An Author” by Matt Rudnitsky is two things. First, it is a good kick in the pants to get to writing and write your book. Second, it is full of tips and advice to write and publish your book. The chapters are short and easy to digest, but they contain some genuine pearls of wisdom.

Having already published books both with a traditional publisher and through self-publishing channels, there were a number of things in this book that I was already familiar with. That didn't mean a reminder wasn't a good thing, and some things change so it is good to stay on top of stuff.

The motivational aspect of the book with its blunt advice to get to writing and quit making excuses is good for anyone who might be procrastinating with their writing. I know I enjoyed the message and it helped make me want to get to the keyboard and work on my next project.

Sure, Rudnitsky uses a few four-letter words in his text, but you can figure that out by reading the subtitle. Don't let that keep you from the message the book contains. As I said, it's blunt and direct motivation, not la la and purple unicorns.

If you are thinking about writing a book but don't know where to start, “You Are An Author” isn't a bad place to begin. Read it and then write your book!