Write. Publish. Repeat.

by Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant

Write. Publish. Repeat. The No-Luck-Required Guide to Publishing

In 2013, Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt published 1.5 million words and made their full-time livings as indie authors. In Write. Publish. Repeat., they tell you exactly how they did it: how they created over 15 independent franchises across 50+ published works, how they turned their art into a logical, sustainable business, and how any independent author can do the same to build a sustainable, profitable career with their writing.

Write. Publish. Repeat. explains the current self-publishing landscape and covers the truths and myths about what it means to be an indie author now and in the foreseeable future. It explains how to create books your readers will love and will want to return to again and again. Write. Publish. Repeat. details expert methods for building story worlds, characters, and plots, understanding your market (right down to your ideal reader), using the best tools possible to capture your draft, and explains proven best practices for editing. The book also discusses covers, titles, formatting, pricing, and publishing to multiple platforms, plus a bit on getting your books into print (and why that might not be a good idea!). But most importantly, Write. Publish. Repeat. details the psychology-driven marketing plan that Sean and Johnny built to shape their stories into "products" that readers couldn't help but be drawn into -- thus almost automatically generating sales -- and explores ways that smart, business-minded writers can do the same to future-proof their careers.

This book is not a formula with an easy path to follow. It is a guidebook that will help you build a successful indie publishing career, no matter what type of writer you are ... so long as you're the type who's willing to do the work.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Reference, Audiobook, Crafts

479 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 8, 2013

About the author

Sean loves writing books, even more than reading them. He is co-founder of Collective Inkwell and Realm & Sands imprints, writes for children under the name Guy Incognito, and has more than his share of nose.

Together with co-authors David Wright and Johnny B. Truant, Sean has written the series Yesterdays Gone, WhiteSpace, ForNevermore, Available Darkness, Dark Crossings, Unicorn Western, The Beam, Namaste, Robot Proletariat, Cursed, Greens, Space Shuttle, and Everyone Gets Divorced. He also co-wrote the how-to indie book, Write. Publish. Repeat.

With Collective Inkwell
Yesterday's Gone: Post Apocalyptic - LOST by way of The Stand
WhiteSpace: Paranoid thriller on fictitious Hamilton Island
ForNevermore: YA horror that reads nothing like YA Horror
Available Darkness: A new breed of vampire thriller
Dark Crossings: Short stories, killer endings

With 47North
Z 2134: The Walking Dead meets The Hunger Games
Monstrous: Beauty and the Beast meets The Punisher

With Realm & Sands
Unicorn Western: The best story to ever come from a stupid idea
The Beam: Smart sci-fi to make you wonder exactly who we are
Namaste: A revenge thriller like nothing you've ever read
Robot Proletariat: The revolution starts here
Cursed: The old werewolf legend turned upside down
Greens: Retail noir comedy
Space Shuttle: Over the top comedy with all your favorite sci-fi characters
Everyone Gets Divorced: Like "Always Sunny" and "How I Met Your Mother" had a baby on your Kindle

Sean lives in Austin, TX with his wife, daughter, and son.
Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/seanplatt
 (say hi so he can follow you back!)

Reviews

[J.F. Penn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot of books about writing, and this one stands out as being both practical and aspirational. Sean & Johnny have written millions of words, and created books that their readers love - but they've also created a viable business from their fiction. You'll learn about how to create a product funnel, with entry level books that lead into other books, taking your customer on a journey through your work. You'll also learn how to write faster and trust your ideas. Highly recommended for any author who wants to take their business to a new level.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where I got the book: purchased on Kindle. This was part of an Indie Power Pack bundle offered on Joanna Penn’s website.

When this book started out with a whole lot of blather about the authors, I was a bit worried. Was this just going to be an ego trip with not much good advice? But like one of those novels that starts slow with lots of description, by the time I got to the meat of the book (which took a little while) I was part of their world and could relate to the real-life examples they gave.

This is the book to read when you’re at the full-in commitment point of your career as an indie writer. When you’ve dipped your toe in the water and found it’s not too bad, and you’re ready to start doing the high volume writing and sheer hard work that’s going to eventually bring in an income. This is NOT the book for you if you’re looking for shortcuts or clever tricks, because the advice can be pretty much summed up in the title: Write. Publish. Repeat. Write a lot; get it to market; do it again. The formula for indie success in this book is based on a consistently high output of words, and if you’re still struggling with writing daily and finishing projects, this book isn’t for you. If you’ve just got one book in you and you’re counting on it to be a bestseller, this book isn’t for you, although the explanation of why you can’t just write one book and expect that to work for you might be.

What I appreciated in this book was the authors’ approach to how to make high volume writing work for you. How to organize books into marketing funnels, how to apply the 80/20 rule to your writing business, how to use free effectively rather than in a random manner, how to engage and sell to your fans, and so on. The other thing I appreciate is that their approach is highly ethical, and from that point of view I could see myself recommending this book to new authors who want to see the big picture about the future structure and strategy of their business.

I feel like I’ve got to take off a star for the slightly rambly style of the book, because I would have preferred something with a more obvious structure. The structure’s there, but I did spend the first chapter or two wondering what on earth I was reading.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I'm recommending a book on self-publishing, I'm going to tell people to go for Let's Get Digital, Let's Get Visible, and The Naked Truth About Self-Publishing first, and pick up this one if they're specifically interested in publishing serials. The authors are just so full of themselves. They claim to be the first to come up with the idea of likening serial books to TV seasons, apparently having never heard of Shadow Unit or the long history of TV show fanfic in which the authors mimic the narrative structure of the show. Later, when discussing how great their friend's work is, they mention that her best novel is the one they collaborated on. I doubt the authors intended to come off as jerks, but their attitude left such a bad taste in my mouth that I rated this book much lower than I otherwise would have.

[Dan Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are considering self-publishing, read this book. I cannot recommend it enough. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darn close. No, really, stop reading this review and go buy it. Now.

You’re still here? OK, let me tell you why you should go read this book.

First of all, it lays bare some of the ugly truths about self-publishing. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s a lot of hard work. In the beginning, you won’t sell much of anything at all. Friends and family will look at you funny and talk in concerned whispers behind your back. Bills will pile up. You’ll fly in faith of the awful-sounding Yog’s Law. But for some us, it’s the best thing ever.

Their title pretty much sums up the recipe for success. Write. Keep writing. Never stop. Publish that writing. Get it in shape. Make it awesome. Put on a cover that does not look like it was made by your 3-year-old master de crayon. And then do it again, again, again, and once more... again.

The talk a little about productivity techniques, about how writing faster does not mean writing crud, and how a lot of time, it’s just about putting your butt in the chair and writing instead of being out and about talking about how someday soon, you’re going to write.

They also talk about doing the publishing side of. It’s not a step-by-step guide to filling out the forms on Amazon or Kobo. Rather, they talk about the things to look for, the things to watch out for, and how to think about your publishing goals. Ultimately, they encourage you to establish a direct connection to your readers to help you survive any disruption for any particular vendor.

And on the repeat side? It’s more than just a commandment to go at it again. They talk about why it’s important to build up a large collection of books to sell and how to best leverage that growing inventory into increased sales. They give ideas of how to cast a wide net and funnel those readers into successive purchases of your extra books, as well as how those extra books can help you those readers find you in the first place.

Mostly, the book is about strategies that should work for the next five, ten, heck, even twenty years. These are not the latest tricks for gaming the Amazon ranking algorithms. These are plans for the long haul of building a career.

I only have two quibbles, both relatively minor. They push Scrivener as though it’s a must have. It isn’t. It makes something easier. It makes other things harder – at least, for me. Find the tool that works best for you. Second, they are mostly geared towards writing shorter novellas linked into series, i.e. each “book” is about 20-30,000 words long. I find I can’t write that short. That does not invalidate any of their strategies, however. It just means it takes longer to implement them.

So yes, if you’re thinking about self-publishing, read this book.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I love best about this book is that it doesn't make false promises. Instead, the authors repeat (because it bears repeating) the fact that making a living off of writing, and, in particular self-publishing is a LOT of work, a lot of hard work. And that it takes time. And patience. And that, as illustrated through the authors' own examples (plenty of which are used throughout the book), the volume and unit sales required to sustain a living only come with a larger catalog of titles.

I have followed the authors on their Self-Publishing Podcast from the very first episode and enjoyed the experience of observing their continued growth as writers and advocates for the self-publishing and author community. I have also enjoyed their various fiction projects, benefited from the transparent sharing they offer on their podcast, and feel this book is an excellent representation of the multitude of learnings they have captured in their author journey.

The book beautifully summarizes and captures the spirit of their podcast, but puts it into a more focused format (much more tightly focused, if you're at all familiar with the rabbit-holes they often wander down during their podcast discussions, you'll know exactly what I mean), providing a book that I think every author considering the realm of self-publishing would be well-advised to read.

[artofstu · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a hilarious section near the end of this book where the authors talk about how they originally thought this book would total 50,000 words, but as they were planning it, they upped the total several times. Ultimately, the books tops out at over 100,000 words. What's funny is that they state that this word count was necessary to say everything they needed to say about their system for self-publishing. But this is absolutely false. Based on the information actually contained in Write. Publish. Repeat. and how much of it is repeated ad nauseam, this book could have easily been accomplished in 50,000 words.

But I finished it anyway. Read every word. So, am I a self-publishing expert now? Hardly. I'm not saying there isn't any useful advice in this book. There is. But it mostly deals with broad strokes and is light on specifics. I'm sure the authors would disagree with me, but that's honestly what I thought about it.

Now, if you emulate the authors system, I have no doubt that you can make a living at being a writer, if you are at least a passably skilled writer. But that is if you want to be the kind of writer who spews a large volume of work in a short amount of time, i.e. write short serials that you can then sell as bundles. If you want to just write books, you know, like most actual authors out there, then this might not as easily work for you. By their own admission, and in their own words:

"Nothing in this book works if you don’t have at least a few books and/ or keep producing more. Nothing happens if your work sucks, or if you get mired in indecision and analysis paralysis and refuse to push the “publish” button."

Platt, Sean; Truant, Johnny B. (2014-01-01). Write. Publish. Repeat. (The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success) (pp. 415-416). Sterling & Stone. Kindle Edition.

Kind of already knew that, guys, but thanks.

Really, there's so much I could say about this book, but I really don't want to waste much time on it. I will say just leave it by saying, at first, I thought these guys might be on to something (and, in a way, I suppose they are), but this book is just too long-winded and isn't specific enough. Basically, I can sum up the majority of their advice with this: WRITE A LOT OF REALLY GOOD STUFF. Well, to be fair, there's more to it than that, but what's missing from this book is how to actually implement a lot of their advice. They write a lot of stuff really quickly, but in 100,000 plus words, they can't even tell us how they actually accomplish this. That's going to be in the next book.

[Sandy Maguire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite it's dismissal of using tactics over strategy, this book is essentially a book of tactics and mindsets. There is very little actionable advice (although the advice that is there IS good), especially for people who haven't actually written 5 books yet.

The end of the book makes a nod to talking about the actual mechanics behind which the authors were able to publish 1.5 million words in a year, and then falls completely short saying "oh actually we don't want this book to be any longer". That's why I bought the book, you bastards.

[Ksenia Anske · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book, this is my new to-do list. This is how many things I'll have to do, to take my self-publishing to the next level (to the top of the mountain strewn with raw diamonds the size of human heads). And if you're a writer, I suggest you buy this book immediately, read it, then do the things it tells you to do, and you shall see a golden whale come whistling at you from the sky (though if you live to enjoy your newly found riches remains a big question). So. Get on it. I know I will. LET'S RACE.

[Susan Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this to every indie author wanting to make a career with their words.

[Hákon Gunnarsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Write. Publish. Repeat. That is a short, but actually a pretty good advice. The book is a bit longer than that though, perhaps a little too long if anything, and a few things already sound a little dated. The main advice is very good though. Things like the pricing may change, the usefulness of sites may change, but importance of building up a relationship with readers will not change that much in my view.

It’s not all good though. The book has a certain bias. It is a bit too critical about traditional publishing, but that is perhaps not surprising in a book on self publishing. It centers around genre writing, and again perhaps not surprising as the writers write in that field. But it still has some good advice to other kinds of writers.

The best thing about it, apart from the pretty good advice, is that it is written with fair amount of humor. The authors use their own work quite a bit to show what they are talking about. This does sometime come off like a advertising for their books rather than nonfiction about writing, but on the other hand it does show they have done things in this business that gives the advice more weight.

So over all pretty good, though a little on the longer side, book on the subject.

[Emil Petersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out like shit; it got pretty good in the middle; in the end it was shit again.
The authors warned me, though. I have tried reading this before, but I had to stop because of all the ruthless self-promotion and salesmanship. I never made it through the first few chapters. Now that I tried again it worked out better. When you get used to the references to own products on every page and get over the first few chapters about the authors and their books, you actually get good and sound advice. Of course there are nuances, but the basic gist is: work your ass off and write A LOT. The rest is detail. They have good advice on Amazon, ratings, prices, covers etc. and I really liked the middle 10 chapters. In the end, though, it fell back into commercials and podcast links and fellow author's books. The last 40 pages are interviews with authors who talk about their books on how to marketing. I'm sorry, but it's horrific. 1 star for the first part. 4 stars for the middle. 1 star for the final part. Adds up to an overall of 2 stars. It was OK.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

sound advice in this book. I feel more confident and oriented in the world of self-publishing and e-publishing.

So why the low score?

Well:
In no way is a person dismissively judging a self published book akin to racial prejudice.
and
In no way is being sold to by a salesperson, akin to any kind of assault.

I couldn't really get past the authors' casual use of this kind of language, attitudes or unacknowledged privilege. Sorry not sorry.

[Stuart Aken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded this book as part of a package of 3, offered for a very silly price, by which I mean, cheap, very cheap!

It’s the best few pence I’ve ever spent. I’d have happily paid a hundred times more. This is the first book in the package and it speaks to me. Oh, how it speaks to me. All the way through, as I read, I was saying (sometimes aloud, to the annoyance of my patient and wonderful wife) ‘Yes! Of course!’.

These two guys are on my wavelength. They understand what it’s like to be a pantster who refuses to be bound by genre. But they also understand that writers need to be disciplined and to have a business head to deal with writing in the modern world. I have long struggled with the concept and act of marketing and promotion. It is foreign to my nature. I am suspicious of salesmen and marketers, considering them a bunch of exploitation merchants with morals that would make a sewer rat look like a saint. What these authors do in this book is to debunk our preconceived ideas of marketing and promotion. They explain, in a friendly, chatty and frank style, the reality of writing and getting your words before the reading public.

They understand that the story choses the genre; a phrase I’ve used for years. They get that writers who see themselves as artists are okay to do that. But they also understand that we, the writers, the creators of stories, need to earn some income in order to continue with our craft. Starving in the garret is not necessary. Hiding your light under a bush is not helpful to your readers.

What these guys do, in an entertaining, informed, educational and inspiring way, is enable you, as an artist, to separate your creative self from your business self and start to actually sell you books, and to do so without compromising your ethics or your idea of yourself as a writer.

I do have a complaint about the book. It is this. It should have been written twenty years ago, when I first started writing seriously. It’s no good trying to excuse the lack or delay by complaining that self-publishing was all but non-existent then, or that digital publishing was no more than a scifi dream. If this book had been around then, I’d be a wealthy writer by now, with a string of bestsellers to my name. Give me time, and, armed with the advice in this book, I’ll become that writer.

So, I have to just say, ‘Thank You’ to Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant for their insight, their openness, their extraordinary candour and their simple ability to express these vital lessons in words that sing to me. If you’re a writer who has struggled to get your name and work noticed, this is the book for you. If you have ever self-published and thought maybe your books could do better, this book is for you. If you’ve ever thought maybe you could write a book and publish it yourself, this book is for you. Buy it. You’ve missed out on the initial insanely cheap introductory offer, but if I were you, I’d pay ten times the current price. Read it. Follow the advice. I certainly will. I heartily recommend it to all struggling writers.

[Jennifer Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended by a close friend and wonderful author, CC MacKenzie, and I am so glad I listened to her. Just the section on "funnel marketing" alone made it worth the read, but I got much more out of it. It really helped me to see a bigger picture of my career path and how to go about it. Tactics versus strategies... yep, I was stuck in the tactics game, but no more!
Thank you to Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt (and Dave, too!) for their hard work and ability to keep on going when most wouldn't.
I definitely recommend this book to any author - published or pre-published!

[Wayne Marinovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does exactly what it says on the tin. Picked up many useful tips along the way and recommend this to all indie authors, both new and seasoned.

One of those books I can see myself reading again, in a year or two

[Lise Cartwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book - really helped me figure out what to focus on from a marketing perspective. I'm non-fiction write at the moment and still found the book super helpful - thanks guys!

[Timothy Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you rate a writing advice book when every reader will come to it with different needs in terms of writing advice? This would be a fantastic, five star read for someone just starting writing, up through maybe someone who has a first novel done and has no idea about creating an online presence. The authors are two of the three of the cast of the Self Publishing Podcast, which is currently my favorite podcast on writing. They have something no other podcast has: a combination of watch how we're doing it, here's an expert on this week's subject, and guess what, we wrote four million (I think) words in 2014. They have a plot and polish guy (Sean Platt) and two first draft writers (Johnny B. Truant and David Wright), and with that kind of teamwork they are able to not only produce across all imaginable genres, but in their word counts can amass experience in marketing in ways that it would take one person five to ten years. They are hilarious, though may offend, but if you can roll your eyes at the ***** jokes, you'll find lovable, brilliant and superbly talented authors. I have enjoyed more of their podcasts than their fiction, but am a big fan of Yesterday's Gone: Season One and The Beam: The Complete First Season.

So, with all that said, I really enjoyed reading their thoughts on writing and their journey. The only downside for me, and the reason why I couldn't rate this a five FOR ME, was that I could have used more page time on details that they merely point you to follow up on on your own. I get that that wasn't the intent of this book, but for me, that was were I was let down. The result was I found some nuggets of wisdom I hadn't considered, but mostly it was stuff I already knew. I've been studying this market for seven years, though, and while I'm not trying to brag, I don't want my comment to make it seem like they don't have a lot to offer by way of wisdom on the market. The good news is there is a sequel in the works, and on top of that, their weekly shows give me that in depth extra knowledge on specific topics.

[Kara Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

TL; DR: Write. Publish. Repeat. is an indie author's dream in terms of a straight-forward how-to book for marketing, building an audience, and creating a writing empire.
I love Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant. This is the first of their books that I've read. I picked this one up on a recommendation from several other authors, and I am so glad I did.
Write. Publish. Repeat. is an extensive book, covering the self-publishing/publishing as an industry, how to look professional, what to do, what not to do, marketing, and probably every other topic under the sun that an indie author could want to know about.
The information is laid out in an easy to follow manner with each section of the book being devoted to a certain topic, and while the authors say there may be some back-tracking and double covering of topics, I didn't notice. The tone is conversational and most importantly common-sensical. Platt and Truant pull from their own experiences as indie authors as well as those of their friends and fellow authors to illustrate how to an author can make it in the industry by achieving certain manageable goals. The book certainly isn't a get-rich-quick scheme or a sensationalized how-to-make-millions-with-a-shitty-but-marketable-book book. Truant and Platt don't play that way, and they remind the reader of that.
Write. Publish. Repeat. relies on an author understanding a few finer points: be adaptable, work hard, and be yourself without being an asshole because no body likes those.
People who should read this book: Indie authors of any range (new, moderately successful, successful, thinking of possibly maybe publishing) and traditionally published authors who need to learn how to market their book professionally or would like to know about more publishing options or would simply like to build their brand. I'm thinking especially of authors published by small presses.
People who shouldn't read this book: people who want fame and fortune with one book, people who aren't in it for the long haul, quitters, whiners, literati types, and people who can't deal with occasional profanity.
Write. Publish. Repeat. is an indie author staple. The advice within in it is straight-forward, doable, and for the most part, painless. If you're even thinking about going indie, read it.

[Frances Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been listening to the Self-Publishing Podcast for nearly a year and have learnt huge amounts in that time. Johnny, Sean and Dave are spokespeople for the new generation of writers-publishers who are changing how we write and read stories. I applaud everything they do and will continue to support them, if only because following them gives me a regular kick up the backside to JUST GET ON WITH IT.

Gush over. I will now review Write, Publish, Repeat.

Written in Johnny (and Sean's) unapologetic no-nonsense (and yet very generous) style, the book begins with a number of disclosures and disclaimers about what the book is and isn't going to do. Take heed of these and then get stuck in to what is a rollercoaster of information and personal experience about the nitty gritty of building a business as an indie author. While there were few lightbulb moments thanks to having paid attention to the last 12 months of podcasts, there were more than a handful of quotes that I have highlighted and will return to for future inspiration/guidance/ass-kicking. You cannot underestimate the value of that to someone like me who feels so stupidly excited but also desperately scared of my future as an author-publisher.

While the boys do labour some points more than is necessary and the real magic of this book could have been delivered in half the number of words, I finished it as I began it - wishing that you could bottle their knowledge, enthusiasm and passion so the rest of us could take a sip.

[Dana Delamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots and lots of good info in this book. Much of it isn't in any way earth-shattering, but it's presented very well and very convincingly, and the authors pull together a lot of ideas into a coherent whole that anyone new to self-publishing could follow and use to create a decent business plan. And if you've already been self-publishing and aren't seeing the results you'd like, you'd do well to study this book in search of the reasons why.

The sections on marketing and content creation were the best; I wish I'd read this book before I started out, because I certainly could have benefited from it, but of course I can still benefit from it now.

One of the main themes of the book is that publishing is a business; creativity drives the product, but it is in fact, a product--not your baby, not the book of your heart, not a priceless artwork that must remain unsullied by the filthy hands of commerce. Your book may start out that way, but once you've created it, you need to treat it like a product in order to get it into the hands of your audience. We all want to be read; otherwise, why bother going through all the sweat and the tears? I hate marketing as much as the next person, and I'd much rather not have to spend any energy on selling my stuff, but the authors give a lot of great tips for how to market your work and build a dedicated audience in a fashion that isn't annoying or obnoxious, but is effective.

[Creep Creepersin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super good book on what the hell to do as a self publisher. there are so many questions and concerns we all have and this book was really very simply written. I was reading while getting a few book launches ready and it was kinda scary actually how many times i would be having a problem with something and then magically find the answer as soon as I sat down to read it. It is a book that somehow reads your freaking mind. its like if Obi-Wan and Yoda had a baby who's only purpose in life was writing e-books and selling them online and then that baby decided to suckle from YOUR breast! Scary right? That's what this book was for me. I highly recommend it to anyone who seriously wants to have a career as an author.

[Adam Collings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is less about the craft of writing, and more about how to go from a writer to a successful author/publisher. It clearly demonstrates the mindset needed to succeed. This book emphasises having a longer-term view rather than expecting instant success. The section about product funnels was insightful.

While this book is aimed at self-publishers there is plenty here that traditionally published writers could learn as well. I would consider this book to be essential reading for anybody wanting to be an author in the modern world.

[Erica Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands-down the best book I've ever read about self-publishing. No big promises. No fancy tricks. Just the facts, along with heaps of encouragement and cursing. I would recommend this to anybody whether they're considering going indie or traditional. (Though it asserts a strong case for going indie, and boy am I glad I chose that route!) I'll owe Kellie Sheridan a lot for giving me this book -- I feel like it's going to open up a lot for me as an indie author. An easy, no-brainer five star read.

[Kellie Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, really fantastic read that also serves to make me feel a little guilty for falling so far behind on the podcast. These guys not only know what they're doing in terms of self-publishing but are also frequently at the forefront of new ideas (a place where every indie should aspire to be).

Hoping Johnny and Sean do more writing/publishing books, and soon!

[DeAnna Knippling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done, recommended. One of the best explanations of marketing that I've seen. Will be rereading.

[Benjamin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to find other folks that think like I do. Even better to know that they're doing well with those thoughts.

[Spencer Borup · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant and invaluable for anyone involved in or considering the self-publishing business. No get-rich-quick scams or unrealistic expectations. Platt and Truant (and Wright) prescribe hard work, patience, and brilliant marketing, which they lay out for the reader in great evergreen detail. I picked this up on Audible on a whim, but now I am a lifetime fan of Realm & Sands and Sterling & Stone.

Oh, and having a British guy narrate your book was fucking awesome.

[Kenneth Ching · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful book for writers learning about independent publishing. A great balance between writing and business advice. It's similar to other good how-to books: if you will learn the business and do the work you can accomplish your goal. Lots of specific examples to flesh out how independent book selling works. Nice English accent in the audio version.

[Iasmina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview on everything indie publishing. Even though this was written back in 2013, most if not all the advice in here still stands true today.

Would have liked a look into the productivity section mentioned in the end of the book though.

[V.L. GURIOLI · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides actionable advice for new writers looking to self-publish. I am someone that fits that category, and I feel that this will be a great resource. I haven't actually tried anything from this book yet, so I can't attest to anything.

Basically, this book is telling you to write a lot and make books connect with one another, so you can use your earlier works to sell your later works. Nothing too crazy in that logic. There is a lot more than that, but that is one of the key concepts.

I will say that the authors hoped to sell their own fiction books with this books, but I really don't find the concepts of "Unicorn Western" or "Fat Vampire" appealing at all.

I did really enjoy this book though and I think it offers good advice. I found it easy to get through and I was agreeing with a lot of their points on marketing, so I'm giving this a four stars rating.