About Mike Grist

I've self-published 17 novels, 4 box sets, 2 short story collections, a non-fiction book of photography and 3 audiobooks (see all my books here).

I've sold some 20,000 books, given away 0ver 100,000, made 10s of thousands of pounds and spent probably half that back on covers, edits, formatting and ads.

I've rewritten blurbs until I've gone literally (not literally) mad. For the past five years I've been getting fresh covers on one series opener just because I believe in it so much (read that story).

I've had movie options come and go. I've been trad-published in audio. I've been a No.1 Amazon bestseller plenty of times. I've made both Facebook and Amazon ads work.

Basically, I've been there. Whatever you're doing, or looking to do, or struggling to do, I've done it. I've listened to all the podcasts, imbibed the best practises and can help you save some time and money in costly mistakes with expert one-to-one guidance.

"Mike’s presentation on self-publishing for the Tufnell Park Writers was brilliant. Some of us are complete beginners, others know more about the topic, a few have self-published – but everyone found the session a complete eye-opener.

We all gained a new appreciation about the wealth of digital technologies and services out there, and how to make them work for you as an author. I appreciated Mike’s easy-going, clear, and jargon-free teaching approach, but especially his openness: he was unflinching in answering questions about money (e.g. “How much did that cover design cost you?”), generous with details about some of his mistakes along the way, and candid about the pros and cons of different service providers.

Probably the best session our group has had since it started."

- Andrew Wilson, author of Translators on Translating: Inside the Invisible Art

"Michael Grist is a powerhouse of knowledge and energy when it comes to indie publishing, and in particular to marketing. His knowledge comes from his own experience as an indie author and in our one-hour session he was able to lead me carefully through the process of setting up an email list, together with reader magnet and landing page and all that jazz.

He is patient and understanding especially when it comes to techie stuff. There is nothing like a one-to-one tutorial as we are all at different stages when it comes to marketing and IT expertise, and Michael seems to understand algorithms as much as they are humanly understandable. He also makes sure he keeps up to date with the latest goings-on at Amazon etc."

- Patsy Trench, author, playwright and journalist.

"I’m a self-published author and I was lucky enough to attend a talk given by Michael Grist to the Society of Authors recently.  The talk was brilliant, full of insights and advice on how to manage the complex world of publishing your own work. 

The audience was captivated and Michael went on for much longer than planned – at the audience’s insistence.  I had the good fortune to spend an hour chatting to Michael a few days later and his wisdom and experience has led to major changes in my approach to selling my book.

Anyone out there who is looking for tuition in this area should beat a path to Michael’s door.  You won’t regret it."

- David Gluckman, inventor of Baileys Irish Cream and author of That s*it will never sell!