# David Gaughran

> David Gaughran is an Irish author, self-publishing strategist, and indie author advocate who turned 18 months of rejection letters into a career dismantling the gatekeeping machinery of traditional publishing. Through his 'Let's Get Publishing' series of books, a free 27-lesson course, a weekly newsletter, and relentless watchdog journalism exposing predatory vanity presses, he has helped tens of thousands of writers navigate the digital publishing revolution. A nomad by habit — Dublin, Prague, London, Lisbon, southern France — and a storyteller at heart, he writes historical adventure fiction under David M. Gaughran and was awarded the 2020 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award by SFWA for distinguished contributions to the science fiction and fantasy community.

- **Role:** Independent Author and Publishing Educator
- **Organizations:** Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) — award recipient
- **From:** Dublin, Ireland
- **Nationality:** Irish
- **Education:** Not publicly disclosed, University College Dublin (UCD)
- **Known for:** Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award (SFWA, 2020) — for distinguished contributions to the science fiction and fantasy community, Best Non-Fiction — Independent E-book Awards 2012 (for 'Let's Get Digital'), Built one of the most comprehensive free resource hubs for indie authors at davidgaughran.com

## Career timeline

- **pre-2011** — Worked in rural Peru teaching English at an underfunded primary school and ran micro-business loans programs
- **pre-2011** — Created career development workshops for disadvantaged teenagers
- **2008-2010** — Wrote first novel and spent approximately 18 months querying literary agents unsuccessfully
- **2011** — Self-published debut historical fiction novel 'A Storm Hits Valparaiso'
- **2012** — Published 'Let's Get Digital: How to Self-Publish and Why You Should' — won Best Non-Fiction at Independent E-book Awards
- **2013** — Published 'Let's Get Visible: How to Get Noticed and Sell More Books'
- **2013-2015** — Lived in Prague; continued blogging and advocacy work
- **2014** — Published historical novel 'Mercenary' (as David M. Gaughran)
- **2015-2017** — Relocated to London
- **2016** — Published historical novel 'Liberty Boy'; named #IndieHero by Indies Unlimited
- **2018** — Published 'Strangers to Superfans: A Marketing Guide to the Reader Journey'; moved to fishing village north of Lisbon, Portugal
- **2019** — Published 'BookBub Ads Expert: A Marketing Guide to Author Discovery'
- **2020** — Published 'Amazon Decoded' and 4th edition of 'Let's Get Digital' (made free); received Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award from SFWA
- **2020** — Launched free 'Starting From Zero' online course (27 lessons)
- **2021** — Published 'Following: A Marketing Guide to Author Platform' (free with newsletter signup)
- **2022** — Relocated to southern France; continued YouTube, newsletter, and blog output
- **2026** — Active with YouTube tutorials on Facebook Ads for Authors; updated comprehensive self-publishing guides

## Achievements

- Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award (SFWA, 2020) — for distinguished contributions to the science fiction and fantasy community
- Best Non-Fiction — Independent E-book Awards 2012 (for 'Let's Get Digital')
- Built one of the most comprehensive free resource hubs for indie authors at davidgaughran.com
- Over 5,400 Goodreads ratings across 11 works with 4.28 average
- 27-lesson free course 'Starting From Zero' used by thousands of new authors
- Investigative journalism exposing Author Solutions and predatory vanity press schemes
- Featured in The Guardian, Forbes, The Irish Times, Sunday Times, Newsweek Polska, Business Insider
- YouTube channel with 11,600+ subscribers and 189,000+ total views
- Facebook page with 11,880+ followers
- Made foundational publishing guide 'Let's Get Digital' (4th ed.) completely free
- BookBub Ads Expert earned 4.69 Goodreads average rating from 300+ raters

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Published 'Facebook Ads for Authors [2026] Ad Creation Tutorial' on YouTube
- **2026-03** — Updated 'The Best Book Promotion Sites in 2026,' 'How to Self-Publish a Book in 10 Steps [2026],' and '15 Rules for Advertising Books' on his blog
- **2026-01** — Updated comprehensive email marketing guide for authors
- **2025** — Continued weekly newsletter, free Starting From Zero course, and YouTube content from southern France

## Links

- Website: https://davidgaughran.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-gaughran-32b79932/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/DavidGaughran
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/davidgaughran
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidGaughranWriter

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-gaughran
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-28