THE WRITER'S FIELD MANUAL FOR UNCASUAL LIVING

Writers, poets, touring authors, venue hosts, publishers, comics, new authors, and vintage writers - anyone ready to stop treating words like a hobby and start building a creative career that pays the bills.

Mission Status: You're not a hobby writer anymore.

Howdy, word-slingers.

If you're here, you're done treating writing like a weekend activity between Netflix binges. You want to make words work as a life, not just something you do when the muse whispers sweet and tasty poems in your ear at 2 AM. Good. That's exactly why I built this field manual.

Derrick Brown, former 82nd Airborne paratrooper turned poet, publisher, and professional purveyor of sweet and tasty poems.

Field Experience: • 30 years performing poetry across all 50 states (yes, even Alaska) • 800,000+ miles driven to shows (my Subie has PTSD) • Founded Write Bloody Publishing (100+ books published, 0 bestsellers about vampires, 21 years running) • Award-winning poet, comedian, novelist, screenwriter • Commander of LA Poetry Club (fancy title for "guy who brings the folding chairs") • Instructor at Your River is Waiting Poetry School

I've made every mistake possible in the creative business. Lost money on bad book deals. Bombed on stage in front of crowds so hostile they made boot camp look like a hug fest. Driven 14 hours for a $50 gig in Arkansas and a stale sandwich. Been rejected more times than a telemarketer at dinnertime.

The good news? You don't have to repeat my failures. Unless you enjoy eating ramen for artistic integrity. (Spoiler: it gets old.)

Every week, you'll get field-tested strategies in four operational areas:

📋 MISSION BRIEFINGS - Industry intel and business strategy (how not to go broke)
🎯 FIELD REPORTS - Real stories from the road with tactical takeaways (and questionable motel reviews)
🔧 EQUIPMENT CHECK - Craft, editing, and creative problem-solving (making your poems less terrible)
💰 SUPPLY LINES - How to actually make money with words (revolutionary concept, I know)

This isn't therapy. I'm here to help you build a sustainable creative career.

No participation trophies. The advice here works, but only if you deploy it.

Mission first. Every strategy I share has been road dog tested - on stages, in publishing meetings, during broke months when rent was due and my diet consisted entirely of gas station chimichangas.

Free subscribers get the stories and basic tactics (plus my questionable life choices).
Paid subscribers ($5/month) get the complete operational manual - detailed PDF strategies, revenue breakdowns, industry contacts, cool spots to submit, my favorite venues, my favorite places to hit up when travelling, and direct access for questions about why your manuscript keeps getting rejected.

Think of it this way: Free gets you the war stories and some tips and laughs. Paid gets you the battle plans and the keys to the kingdom.

DROP A TIP FOR DERRICK, FOR THE SALSA

"The $3,000 Mistake That Taught Me Everything About the Publishing Business (And How 1,847 Poetry Books Became Very Expensive Garage Decorations)"

Welcome to base camp, writer. Time to get uncasual about your craft and start writing poems so sweet and tasty that people actually pay money for them.

Ready to deploy? Hit subscribe and let's build your writing career into something that actually pays the bills.

Howdy and happy writing,
Derrick

Questions? Intel to share? Sweet and tasty poems to workshop? Hit reply - I read every message between my third and fourth cup of coffee.