The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Marketing a Bestselling Book - on a Shoestring Budget by Dee Blick

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The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Marketing a Bestselling Book - on a Shoestring Budget by Dee Blick

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Buy The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Marketing a Bestselling Book - on a Shoestring Budget by Dee Blick at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Category: Reference
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Reviewed by Sue Magee
Summary: If you've got the idea for a book then you need this book to turn it into reality. Highly recommended. Dee Blick popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us.
Buy? Yes Borrow? Yes
Pages: 432 Date: November 2014
Publisher: Filament Publishing
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-1910125045

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I've always thought that NANOWRIMO is a brilliant idea. The nights are longer, the weather uninspiring: what better time to get the first draft of your novel written with support from a lot of other people who are all trying to do the same thing? There is a downside for reviewers though: far too many people think that this is the end of their labours and the fledgling manuscript is uploaded onto Kindle and there's disappointment when the book is either not well received or doesn't sell - or sometimes both. Knowing which book it is that you have in you is a great start - but after that you need a structured plan of action and sound advice as to what you need to do to turn your work into a bestseller.

I've seen a number of books which give advice, but never one which is as comprehensive as The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Marketing a Bestselling Book. All you need is the idea for your book - there are no details of the next Harry Potter type plot in the book for you to lift - and you can then work your way through all the stages from the discipline of writing regularly to marketing your book successfully. A lot of what you are told is common sense - but that's easily forgotten when you're caught up in something with which you're really not familiar - but the rest of the book is devoted to the tricks and quirks of the trade with which you're really not going to know unless you're an insider.

And Dee Blick really is an insider. This is her fourth book and I credit her third book - The 15 Essential Marketing Masterclasses for Your Small Business with having improved Bookbag's fortunes. Did it cost me a lot of money? Not a penny - I simply implemented some simple procedures which increased the flow of business. Dee's a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and really knows what she's talking about.

I expected that the chapters on marketing your book would outshine those on getting through to that point and whilst they're perhaps stronger, the advice on getting your book to publication is gold dust. Traditionally-published books go through a lot of processes and many people cast their eyes over the manuscript before publication. Unfortunately too many self-publishing authors think that they can short circuit the process, but there are few who can pull this off successfully. Dee gives a clear explanation of the need for an editor, copy editing, proofreading and jacket design and she's prepared to tell you where she made mistakes, so that you don't have to.

Dee also calls on experts to supplement her own knowledge and there are discussions with a publicist, networking experts, a publisher, an editor, a social media expert and a lawyer. I'd like to point out that I made a small contribution to the book, but I have no financial interest in its success and felt it was an honour to be included.

I'd like to thank Dee for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.

Do have a look at Dee's earlier book if you're interested in business marketing. If you want to know more about publishing then Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century by John B Thompson will probably tell you more than you need to know.

This book was a Top Ten Self-Published Books 2014.

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Buy The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Marketing a Bestselling Book - on a Shoestring Budget by Dee Blick at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Marketing a Bestselling Book - on a Shoestring Budget by Dee Blick at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
Buy The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Marketing a Bestselling Book - on a Shoestring Budget by Dee Blick at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Marketing a Bestselling Book - on a Shoestring Budget by Dee Blick at Amazon.com.

Bookinterviews.jpg Dee Blick was kind enough to be interviewed by Bookbag.

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