Book review: Publish, Promote, Repeat by Lucinda Moebius

Publish Promote Repeat: Preparing to Launch your Book Workbook by Dr. Lucinda Moebius

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free pre-release copy of this book.

This is a good book for writers at various stages of their careers. It offers basic advice for people thinking about writing, right up to established authors with published books. Dr. Moebius has a number of years of experience in writers groups, where she has offered advice and encouragement. She also has a number of published books, so she is aware of many pitfalls that open up for a writer, regardless of their experience.

For people just starting out with only a hazy idea of the whole process of writing a book (and the book covers fiction, non-fiction and self-help) it provides good basic outlines. More experienced writers may find the earlier chapters somewhat basic and repetitive.

The advice on social platforms needed some updating, as there is no mention of Instagram. However, her personal experience with social media problems is a very useful lesson for anyone in the public eye. The book makes the valuable point that once you are published, people will search out all your platforms and internet mentions. The book guides the reader through the ways of both avoiding problem people, and dealing with trolls. It also discusses ways of managing the amount of time that social media can absorb, and gives the necessary reminder to keep on writing.

Reviews are always keenly sought by authors. The reasons for this are clearly explained, and a detailed campaign for getting reviews is mapped out. This section will be of great interest to all authors.

The book is full of checklists for many different aspects of writing, publishing and promoting. This has the advantage that a reader can select the most useful for various stages, indeed the whole process could be managed with these forms within a spreadsheet. From beginner to experienced, the checklists provide a good way of making sure all aspects of each process are completed.

Some areas covered in this book and neglected by others in the area include reviewing results and organisation. The section on reviewing the results of your promotions guides writers in targeting and refining future promotions. There is also an emphasis on recording contacts and general organisation of details. These are both simplified by the provided checklists.

So, Publish, Promote, Repeat provides some valuable guidance for beginners, and also some excellent reminders for more experienced writers.