reviewed by Denis Betchleder (Bellevue, WA USA)
****

great motivation for the wanna-be author

Edward Patterson has put together an encouraging little guide to getting your novel written and revised. Then he walks you through the necessary steps for getting published on Kindle and CreateSpace, and gives some good advice on promoting your newly-published work.

At least three audiences will enjoy this book: those who have been talking for years about writing that book but need some encouragement to get off their duffs and get it done; those who have recently published and are looking for new ways to promote; and those who want to see what's happening inside an author's head.

I belong to the third category: I met Edward on an Amazon thriller "Shameless self-promtion" discussion thread, and I've had the pleasure of reading many of his little gems of wisdom as they were birthed in discussion posts. This book strings those gems together and presents them, giving us an insight into how Patterson can actually crank out eight novels a year.

Patterson's advice comes sprinkled with personal stories and lessons he learned. He writes directly to you the author, sometimes praising and other times damning you for your writing sins. In all cases, his sense of humor and personal accomplishments shine through.

If you're thinking of writing a book, if you're tired of the traditional publisher slush-piles, if you want to improve your writing or your promotions, or if you want to see how wacky authors think, get this book and learn. You won't be sorry.

reviewed by L.C. Evans "Author" (North Carolina, USA)
*****

Publish Your Book

Great advice and step by step instructions for getting a book published without going through traditional publishers' gatekeepers. Edward C. Patterson gives invaluable tips for determining whether a book is actually ready to publish, then he tells exactly how to get the manuscript formatted for ebook and POD. The second half of the book is filled with writing tips that prospective authors can use to polish their work before publishing.

You can't go wrong with this book. Buy it today and get your manuscript in print in a matter of weeks, not years.

reviewed by Jeffry S Hepple (Waco, Texas)

*****

Must read for would-be indie authors

Mr. Patterson's friendly, author-to-author writing style makes this little book a treasure for anyone interested in self publishing. The step-by-step instructions, tips and tricks will save you hours and perhaps even days of heartburn.

If you're thinking about self publishing or new to the business, do yourself a favor and read "Are You Still Submitting Your Work to a Traditional Publisher?" before you step onto that lonely path alone.

Review by Michael J. Mcfadden (Philadelphia, PA)

*****

Excellent Introduction!

Edward Patterson does a truly excellent job of opening up the world of electronic publishing to those who are interested but afraid to stick their toes in the water.

He introduces the concept by showing how and why such publication is not only a valid alternative to the "Dead Tree" publishers, but may even be the preferred medium for certain books. Then, in a very carefully and clearly written style reminiscent of the "Complete Idiots' Guides" he lays out the step-by-step details of how one can dip those toes in and then dive in and swim without fear of drowning. If I had read this book earlier it would have saved me untold hours of Googling and worrying about my first attempts at navigating the intricacies of Amazon's Kindle submission system and would have resulted in a far better setup with regard to such important niceties as using the various search fields to best effect.

I would recommend this book without a moment's hesitation to ANYONE who is new to the field of electronic publication as well as to those who are already in the swim but would like to check to see what they may be missing in the details.

Michael J. McFadden
Author of Dissecting Antismokers' Brains

Review by: Norma Beishir
*****
Having been on both sides of the publishing fence, I would recommend this book to anyone who's contemplating pursuit of publication. Edward Patterson writes with intelligence, humor and considerable knowledge of the industry. This is a must read for all authors, the aspiring and the already published.

Review by Chris Wood (UK)

****

Very useful guide to the small / self publisher

This is a easily accessible guide for the writer with a project ready to go or close to completion. It's a well written guide put together by someone who knows the turf well, having publishing a mighty number of his own books.

One of the first things I noticed was the intimacy of tone. The writer addresses the reader in a conversational fashion - this is readily acceptable and helps make his advice clear.

The most up to date technology is included, most notably Kindle. As this way of downloading books is daunting to the less technically inclined (such as myself) his step by step approach is practical and takes away the more intimidating aspects technology can bring.

I'm taking a star away because this doesn't look at all the options open to self publishers, but that's a bit of a minor point given that this information is available elsewhere.

Overall, highly recommended.

Chris Wood, author, "Sherlock Holmes and the Underpants of Death."

Review by Laurie Foston (Southaven, Ms)

It's Cut to the Chase
*****

This how-to-publish through Amazon is a very direct and clearly worded set of instructions that anyone can follow. From start to finish the author keeps the reader grinning with his elbow-in-the-ribs style of nurturing the new author into evaluating, editing, formatting and selecting the best venue of testing the viability of their work and break them into the self-publishing world.

Everything he covers will challenge the reader to explore their own reasons for publishing and give them a realistic view point of what they can expect when and if they decide to publish, then lays out the steps 1,2 and 3.

This book points out that if you are going round and round publishing houses or agents with no results then you need to see if you have some valid talent and act on it yourself if you do; prepare it the very best way you can and move on with getting your work out there.

His experience in the field of marketing is validated through his work history and this, along with a long list of titles that he published through this shared knowledge, makes this book credible for someone to learn and not just another book to buy to search for some clue as to how to get your work out to the public.

Review by Tracy Laurel Carr "book girl" (Global)

Tons of Useful Info

*****

I'm really glad I didn't try to self-publish anything (not that I have yet) without reading this book first. I bought it and read it in a day. The detailed instructions on "how to" publish using CreateSpace and other platforms really opened my eyes. For example, I had no idea that CreateSpace offered POD (publish on demand). There is also a thorough section on marketing, as well as a great "keeper" on the craft of writing. I can't even count the number of pages I bookmarked on my Kindle. I'll reference this book repeatedly. BUY IT. It could be your best investment ever.

Review by C. Jo Allan "www.CampingandRVing.com" (Dallas, TX USA)

*****

Should be required reading for any who want to self-publish at Amazon

In "Are You Still Submitting Your Work To a Traditional Publisher?", Edward C. Patterson not only gives us the benefit of his years of experience and the publishing of a dozen (and counting) books, but he outlines specific steps and techniques to take advantage of today's opportunities for self-publishers.

But first, he gives some of the best advice to writers I've ever read, when he gets right to the heart of a problem that threatens all writers: Too many believe their work is golden, that it springs forth from their heads ready for publication, without need of rewriting, editing, or revision.

"In fact", Mr. Patterson says, "most writers think they are perfection - first draft is magic, immaculate - eat your heart out, Stephen King."

The result is that too many books are published before they are ready; contributing to the ever-growing public perception that self-published equals poor quality.

If your work is poor, mediocre, or even just good, don't publish, Mr. Patterson says, because the first readers will proclaim your stuff "crap", and you will have blown your best opportunity. It also hurts all other authors when some think they are ready for prime time when they are not.

Any who doubt the truth of that statement, should take a look at reviews of self-published books right here on Amazon, which, far too often, downgrade, and sometimes even declare a book unreadable, because of errors and poor editing.

If you are about to independently publish, Mr. Patterson says, you should get your mind in order. You will no longer get rejection notices (as with a traditional publisher), but without the proper mindset, you'll still get rejection... public rejection.

It isn't easy, he agrees, to take off your writer's hat and look at your own work objectively, but it must be done. He then proceeds to tell us how to do it... and how to find editors and beta readers to help.

He spells out names and discussion groups, and tells us how and where to get involved to get the help we need.

Some of the editing techniques he describes are things we learned in school - or should have - others are his own, born of his experiences, and others are made possible by today's technology... such as putting your work on a Kindle, looking at it in different type sizes, and having it read your own words back to you.

When we have done all the above, and our work is really and truly ready for publication, he gives names and contacts for several different self-publishing plans and programs, explains their ups and downs, and gives advice on how to decide among them.

He also tells how to write a Press Release and where to get it published, and how to get the best publicity of all... good reviews of our books.

Then we get to real gold... the part that's worth the price of this book many times over even if you are an excellent writer with a flawless manuscript.

That's the PATTERSON Recipe for self-publishing success.

Actually, he didn't say that... He calls it publishing without pain.

I added the last half of that sentence... because that's what I think it is.

Starting with your MS Word manuscript - it's squeaky clean now, remember? - he steps you through publishing for the Kindle; creating an eBook to be published on MobiPocket; and publishing a paperback book on Amazon's CreateSpace.

Along the way, he teaches us how to use the tools at Lulu.com, which must be the world's most efficient publishing program.

I've been around this business a long time; you can believe me when I say that this information can save you hundreds of dollars worth of time.

I liked this book so much that I purchased a second copy... the paperback edition, even though I already had the Kindle edition.

If I had my way, I'd make this book required reading for anyone who wants to self-publish on Amazon.

Review by Jess C Scott

*****
I didn't really know of the term "Indie Author", until reading this (I always thought it meant exactly the same thing as being "Self-Published", lol).

I've already gone through the whole PDF uploading onto CreateSpace (for print), as well as uploading a file onto Kindle -- if you're a newbie to all that kind of stuff, Mr. Patterson will take you through the steps in an engaging, lively writing style.

I, personally, shall have to work on the networking part [including getting onto author/reader forums, and getting some purchases/rankings/reviews going on Amazon (eventually!).

Reviewed by JJ Lair

I give you credit for your honest. There are plenty of writers that I met in groups that never got published and won't publish themselves. I also met several who published work that just wasn't ready. Your honesty about quality is refreshing. Also every non-writer I know thinks a published book means millions of dollars, you cleared that up for everyone.
This book should be read by everyone thinking about publishing.

Reviewed by Lynn Tolson

I wish the choice for CreateSpace was available when I wanted to publish. I used POD, but did spend money up-front. This article by Patterson offers a no-nonsense look into Indie publishing. Thanks!

Review by Guido Henkel
*****
This is an incredibly helpful book for both novices indie-publishers as well as for the more experienced ones. Around every corner you will find a helpful little tip, an insightful observation from Patterson's own experience, or a cool link to a helpful website you may not have known before.

Whether you're a first-time indie publisher or a writer with a number of titles under your belt, if you want to expand your exposure and bring your writing to the masses, you owe it to yourself to check out this book.

Review by J. Chambers (Georgia, USA)

Wish I had read this first!

Having recently published my first book for the Kindle and in paperback, I wish I had read "Are You Still Submitting Your Work To A Traditional Publisher?" first. Publishing digitally or for a publish-on-demand publisher isn't rocket science, but it can be a daunting and downright intimidating process for a newbie. Mr. Patterson's book would have saved me a lot of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth!

"Are You Still Submitting Your Work To A Traditional Publisher?" lays out a simple step-by-step process for both digital publishing and print-on-demand publishing. In addition, the author covers the post-publishing steps to market your book and increase sales. I recently bought a book for $15 on this subject, and Mr. Patterson's book is more thorough than that book.

The second part of the book is like a bonus, covering how to write. The author is obviously very experienced in writing, and he gives some valuable tips and examples based on his own writing.

If you're even thinking about publishing a book, this book is a must-read and a bargain for the price.

Customer Feedback:

My brother passed along a copy of your book to me, and I must say- it is the BEST publication on the topic I have seen in almost 2 years of research. I am still undecided as to how and if I will publish in print, but I plan to read your book 2 more times at least before I make any decisons!

Thank you so much!

Review by Ricky Sides (Athens, Alabama USA)
*****

Ahead of the curve

Having read Mr. Patterson's book I must admit that I was astonished. Here was a man who had boldly gone where I had here-to-fore feared to tread.

While reading his book I made mental notes of the techniques that he recommends. By the halfway point I had already decided to employ his techniques and create a printed copy of my own book because I was tired of waiting to be discovered by a big publishing house. I followed that dream for many years. I'm not exactly unvetted. The audio publishing company Books in Motion did accept and release book one in my series and will hopefully release the rest. But I've met nothing but silence from the print publishers.

I never would have believed I'd have the technical savvy to get my book in print independently. However Mr. Patterson's book took me through those technical details in such a clear and distinct manner that I managed to do just that. Yesterday my first printed book went live. I feel like a man who just had a child. For a writer, that is a good analogy.

Time will tell whether or not my book is a success, but I have a copy on my desk now which is something I wouldn't have thought possible a month ago. I wouldn't have had this experience without the mature wisdom presented in such a clear and concise manner by Mr. Patterson.

The rest is up to me. And the rest is up to you the aspiring author. Mr. Patterson isn't like so many people out there who prey on aspiring authors. He's legit. The real deal. If you seriously want to improve your craft and become a successful Indie author you simply must read this book.

Review By Shelley O'Sullivan (East Bay CA)
*****
High Powered

This was my first time buying a book like this and never would have had I not been following various comments from the memoir community. From the begining first sentence he captures your interest stimulating visual pictures of do's and don'ts making his book just as enjoyable as reading a very good novel.
Bravo Mr Patterson, and thank you for your contribution. Novice writers like me need all the help we can get.

Mandatory Reading for Authors
Review by Scott B. Williams (Mississippi, United States)

*****

This is one of the best compilations of writing advice I've come across, and I've read plenty of traditionally published titles on the subject. This is one resource that deserves to be brought to the attention of authors and wanna-be authors everywhere. Although I am a traditionally published author of a few non-fiction books such as On Island Time: Kayaking the Caribbean and the forthcoming Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It's Too Late which I have just finished and submitted to my publisher, I have also long had an interest in self-publishing those smaller, hard-to-categorize works that come to me from time to time, but that would not be suitable for most publishers.

One such work is a collection of rants and commentaries that I put together as a result of spending probably far too much time living out of a kayak and traveling alone. I first self-published a paperback edition of this little book back in 2005, using Lulu's mostly automated publishing tools. But lately, I've been more and more interested in the Kindle reader and the potential of ebooks to reach a wider audience, so I began investigating the option of making this book available for Kindle,(Most of my other traditionally-published books already are, or will be).

Enter Edward C. Patterson's comprehensive guide to this process. With his extensive experience using Amazon's tools to publish for Kindle and through CreateSpace, he has distilled his knowledge of how to do this quickly and efficiently into this excellent guide. Using this book I saved myself hours of frustration and research that could be better spent writing something else, and was able to quickly get my files formatted and uploaded into the Digital Text Platform. Astray of the Herd: Observations, Commentaries and Rants from Outside the Mainstream is now available on Kindle, and will soon be republished in paperback through CreateSpace so that I can reduce the price by a significant amount compared to the Lulu version.

Patterson's book would be worth the money if it only covered these technical aspects of self-publishing. But that is only a small part of the information packed in this little manual for authors. He also goes into great detail about the whys of publishing a book and provides insight into how to determine if your work is even worth the bother. And beyond that, the latter part of the book provides extensive information on the writing and revision process. I especially liked the advice on writing endings for novels. I find so many novels that catch my interest in the beginning, but leave me greatly disappointed with the ending. I will certainly refer back to the advice given in this book when crafting my own works of fiction in the future. I think any author can benefit from this book and I hope they will give it a look even though it is not published by a "traditional publisher." (It might be more enticing if the cover was re-designed to give a better indication of what's inside)

Well Worth the Price!, January 4, 2010
By SciFan (Declo, Id. USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This self-publishing guide is full of helpful information. It guides a person through the process of publishing on Amazon Kindle and CreateSpace as well as listing several useful resources for marketing and for creating a book cover. I used it as a blueprint for publishing Mix and Match. It also discusses how to price a book and how to do a press release.
The latter half of the book explains the novelization process and gives some do's and don'ts that I found helpful. Edward's book is well-written and easy to understand. I did have one problem with the book though. I read it after I published my first one. I could have saved a ton of money if it had been the other way around. I rate it a strong buy!

Eye-opening advice for all writers
By R. E. Conary "Author of the Rachel Cord, P.I.... (North Carolina)

Before making the leap into the POD/self-published world, read this book. Patterson walks you through the process using his own experiences and gives a lot of useful advice. You might still go another way, but at least you won't be stumbling in the dark. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

I'm surprised, November 4, 2009
By Ralph L. Wahlstrom "writer, teacher - author ... (buffalo) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
The Tao Of Writing: Imagine. Create. Flow.

I bought Edward Patterson's book because he got my attention on another website. I really wasn't expecting much. I'd read a number other books on POD and ebook publishing, but this was cheap, and it put me over the $25 free shipping line. It's a great little book. It covers e-publishing realistically and, unlike so many other titles, is up to date. Patterson's treatment of formatting and CreateSpace are worth the cost alone. I've written a lot, and I've had the good fortune to publish numerous stories and articles. My book, the Tao of Writing, is doing well in the trade market. Even so, I find the process of publishing daunting, and I wouldn't mind getting my current book into more readers' hands. Edward Patterson's advice will help me do that. I'm also pleased to see that he includes chapters on producing good writing. Much of it is not new, but Patterson writes with a rare clarity and humor. He has a flair for getting his point across. If you're a writer; if you want to be a writer; if you know a writer, I recommend that you buy this book. I also recommend you buy mine. I think they complement one another nicely.

Ralph Wahlstrom

This book is full of useful information! The timing couldn't be better for me, as I will shortly be publishing my first novel. I found that I was highlighting so much info to refer back to later, that I had to change and start bookmarking pages at a time. I plan to have this book (Kindle version) by my side as I go through the process when the time comes.

Mandatory Reading for Authors, January 19, 2010
By Scott B. Williams (Mississippi, United States)

*****

This is one of the best compilations of writing advice I've come across, and I've read plenty of traditionally published titles on the subject. This is one resource that deserves to be brought to the attention of authors and wanna-be authors everywhere. Although I am a traditionally published author of a few non-fiction books such as On Island Time: Kayaking the Caribbean and the forthcoming Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It's Too Late which I have just finished and submitted to my publisher, I have also long had an interest in self-publishing those smaller, hard-to-categorize works that come to me from time to time, but that would not be suitable for most publishers.

One such work is a collection of rants and commentaries that I put together as a result of spending probably far too much time living out of a kayak and traveling alone. I first self-published a paperback edition of this little book back in 2005, using Lulu's mostly automated publishing tools. But lately, I've been more and more interested in the Kindle reader and the potential of ebooks to reach a wider audience, so I began investigating the option of making this book available for Kindle,(Most of my other traditionally-published books already are, or will be).

Enter Edward C. Patterson's comprehensive guide to this process. With his extensive experience using Amazon's tools to publish for Kindle and through CreateSpace, he has distilled his knowledge of how to do this quickly and efficiently into this excellent guide. Using this book I saved myself hours of frustration and research that could be better spent writing something else, and was able to quickly get my files formatted and uploaded into the Digital Text Platform. Astray of the Herd: Observations, Commentaries and Rants from Outside the Mainstream is now available on Kindle, and will soon be republished in paperback through CreateSpace so that I can reduce the price by a significant amount compared to the Lulu version.

Patterson's book would be worth the money if it only covered these technical aspects of self-publishing. But that is only a small part of the information packed in this little manual for authors. He also goes into great detail about the whys of publishing a book and provides insight into how to determine if your work is even worth the bother. And beyond that, the latter part of the book provides extensive information on the writing and revision process. I especially liked the advice on writing endings for novels. I find so many novels that catch my interest in the beginning, but leave me greatly disappointed with the ending. I will certainly refer back to the advice given in this book when crafting my own works of fiction in the future. I think any author can benefit from this book and I hope they will give it a look even though it is not published by a "traditional publisher." (It might be more enticing if the cover was re-designed to give a better indication of what's inside)

What you need to know to successfully independently publish
Review by By K. Raven Rozier (Fresno, CA)

Valuable information for the independent author/publisher with great tips at every stage in the process from writing to promotion.