This book took me a long time to read and review because it just didn't hook me, which is ironic in a book about the importance of having a hook to succeed. I have self published myself and have a couple of fairly successful books, so perhaps I am not novice enough for her audience. There was some good advice but it did feel very padded. I suppose the point was to make readers feel that they were getting a lot of book, but it ended up leaving me bored again and again, and leading to me putting down the book many times. Still worth a look, especially to those brand new to the industry.

What a great detailed book on publishing while ensuring it's not boring. The author walks you through the steps you need to succeed. Really enjoyed reading this resource book.

My thanks to NetGalley for a cpr of this book in exchange for my honest review.

So far, I've been dipping into and out of this brilliant book. I'm working on my debut novel, and with no experience of the industry. Without this book, I would still be completely clueless.

I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone thinking of going down the self-publishing route.

Some very helpful advice on how to self-publish. I know a lot of people who tried to self-publish and failed so it's great to have some hand-holding through it all. Will definitely consult this book again when I'm ready to publish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Stick Horse Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Although this book was technically intended for nonfiction writers who are pursuing self-publishing (hence the title), this ended up being an incredible resource for nonfiction writers in general. My ultimate goal is to someday publish a nonfiction self-help book, and I found the information in Broad’s book to be invaluable. I will be investing in this book so that I am able to refer back to it as needed. An easy, breezy read filled with humor, stories, and useful tools I can apply to my writing.

This was a very helpful and entertaining book on self publishing and as I am getting ready to self publish my own book, it was very timely.
I realize the book is offered in part through BookLaunchers, a self publishing group but the handy hints and tips are applicable to any person and any choice of publisher.
4 stars!

This was an ARC copy granted to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a great read for aspiring writers of non-fiction. It had an easy flow and covered all the topics needed to delve into self-publishing. It has nice tips throughout that really can be a blueprint of how to write the book and then how to sell it. From making sure it has a great cover to where to sell it. I would definitely recommend this as a guide for those who are researching how to publish their own non-fiction book!

This is exactly what you hope for in a how-to book of this nature. Self-publishing as a topic can be a scary proposition, and with so many different companies and avenues owning the paths to publishing, there's a lot for the beginning reader to face with some trepidation. There's a lot for experienced, published authors to face with some trepidation as well. For any traditionally published author, self-publishing may have been playing its siren call for years, and now the seasoned author has a chance to enter the realm with a solid, sound guide in-hand. What we all hope for is an engaging, honest, multi-faceted, funny and inspiring book full of action steps and warnings. That's what you have here.

This is an excellent book for those aspiring to publish a non-fiction book— but maybe don't know where to start or those who tried another way and are now looking for a solid framework for how to approach the process. Julie covers the self-publishing process from ideation to selection of a topic that will actually sell to publishing and promo, making this a fantastic primer for authors. Especially useful are all the aspects of DIY public relations and marketing that she goes over— this is important for authors whether they're self-published or with a traditional publisher.

Bottom line though, anyone looking to pick this up should understand that this is a framework and blueprint— you still need to put in the work. Great book - absolutely recommend for anyone even thinking of writing a non-fiction book, now or in the future. If nothing else, you'll come away with a holistic understanding of all the work that goes into making a book a success.

Even though I've been self-publishing fiction for seven years, I know there is always more to learn. I didn't read the subtitle of this book but quickly learned that this is for non-fiction, but it didn't stop me from absorbing the information. I've always thought of writing non-fiction books and essays too, so I will consider this guide again if I accomplish that goal. This is a comprehensive self-publishing business book for authors. While it's not new information for me, I think the novice would appreciate the content.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Self-Publish and Succeed: The ‘No boring books’ way to write a non-fiction book that sells by Julie Broad

Thanks to Netgalley for my preview copy of this book

When reading a self-help book, it is always gratifying to see that the author has taken their own advice in the production of their book. Julie Broad is that author.

Whether it’s making the chapter titles interesting (tick), knowing your hook (tick) or even the important subject of choosing the right title and subtitle (tick, tick) Julie Broad has an opinion on all of these matters, and more importantly, she uses her own self-help book to prove why they are important.

Every chapter has something of value to the reader. Every chapter contains interesting nuggets of information and every chapter helps to build a full picture relating to the subject of the book. Julie shares stories of her first self-publishing venture and her second. By the third, she has learned a great deal and is able to share her wisdom to the benefit of non-fiction authors everywhere.

Not only did I find this book readable, helpful and interesting, but I found that what it had to say about self-publishing would also apply to fiction books in a lot of ways. Fiction books also need a good hook to keep the reader reading, an intriguing title and a ‘try me’ front cover. Any aspiring author will learn a great deal from picking up this book and reading it from cover to cover. The book also links with Julie’s website and business, so it helps to plug her business while demonstrating her knowledge of the subject matter.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes, I would. More importantly I would actually consider buying my own copy, I found it that helpful. Highly commended. Thank you, Julie.

I was granted complimentary eARC access to Self-Publish & Succeed by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

I'm going to admit something before we dive in. I saw the main title and, as an aspiring author who is open to the idea of self-publishing, jumped at the chance to read a potentially invaluable resource. I didn't read the subtitle and realize that this is specifically for non-fiction writers and was surprised when the first point of advice talks about how non-fiction is about the author, not the reader. After I got over that surprise, though, I continued reading and discovered that this is still a great resource, even if you're not trying to publish non-fiction. The advice that is given about making non-fiction interesting also applies to fiction, and everything else about succeeding in self-publishing is very much the same. (Possible exception or surprisingly helpful advice, depending on the fiction writer: the section on hiring and working with a ghostwriter.) Who you market to may be different, when and what type of editing services you avail of may be different, etc. but the bones of the process are the same, and as such this book will shed light on the process for all hopeful authors.

There's advice in here I haven't yet come across in all the other reading and listening I've done on this topic, and for that reason alone I would encourage aspiring authors or experienced authors new to self-publishing and self-marketing to pick up this book and read it cover to cover as early in your journey as possible. Perhaps it's because I haven't been listening to the non-fiction publishing educators before now, but I've never considered the "look inside" preview before. It seems to be that everyone else doling out publishing advice is focused on cover and synopsis and forgets about everything else that greets the potential customer when they come across a book's listing. I very much appreciate the fact that this book includes a section on beta readers, as well. This is a concept I didn't fully understand until I volunteered as a beta reader for a friend I met on a ARC review team. It's not something I normally see mentioned in resources like this.

Having reading this book, I will definitely be looking at their online resources and perhaps seeking out other publications and services this company has to offer when it's my turn to publish. This is a great tool that I feel can help authors of all genres and categories, though it has clearly been carefully curated for non-fiction authors.

Great book to guide you through the journey of writing a book: starting from your own book idea and target audience to publishing and getting ranks on selling. The book is great by not providing a receipy for "sweet cookies" and how easy things are but to telling the truth that only hard work pays off. The book is a very well designed step by step guide to publishing world.

This book didn’t tell me much that I didn’t know already to be honest – it’s probably best suited to those people who haven’t written or self-published a book before. But it was easy to read and fairly enjoyable. It had more of a “self-help” tone than I was expecting. I thought it would be more practical advice – some of it was – but a lot of it was more “You can do this!” I must admit to finding this slightly irritating! It also – like a lot of self-help books – felt a bit padded out. You could get the same information across in far less words.
However, lots of links to interesting articles to read online and a few useful points to try to remember going forwards.

I collect knowledge, I think many of us that read nonfiction do. This was anotherBook of knowledge filled with tidbits some I knew some I didn't. It's an easy read and relatively basic for somebody looking to self-publish. The ideas are new and fresh and not outdated and I highly recommend it for anybody looking to try self-publishing.

This book was received as an ARC from Book Launchers - Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have been waiting for this EXACT book for a long time. As a librarian and an inspiring author, I have been wanting to learn how to self-publish for a long time. I have a book in progress but never got that right stuff to pursue self publishing until now. I love the language and point of view Julie Broad brought to this book and I immediately connected with her. Thanks to this book, I finally gained the confidence I need to continue with my book and now self-publish it and see the success it will bring. I also felt a rush of relief of how she says a requirement for success is to experience failure and hardship and that just brought a smile on my face because I know what it is like to struggle and fail and now I have a whole new direction to add to my book.

We will consider adding this title to our Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

The author makes a lot of points that I have never considered before. I believe that this is a valuable book, the many hints and tips for success are excellent. Full marks and highly recommended, thank you netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advance copy of this book.