Most of you have never taken an online course. Like many who have, I really like this type of education. The way my four courses are set up, you receive a lecture with information, resources and recommendations and an assignment via email each week for 6 or 8 weeks. You can, then, complete the assignments at your leisure during the week and submit them for comment, critique and direction.
Of course, the level of satisfaction and success you experience in any course, mine included, depend on your level of participation.
Here’s a FREE preview of my Book Promotion Course
Session 1:
With your help, I’ll become familiar with your project, your current promotional activities and marketing plans as well as any promotional limitations you believe you have. We’ll talk about your book’s hook and identify your target audience. Once I know something about you and your project, I can better guide you in establishing an appropriate plan.
Session 2:
This session focuses on the promotion basics that everyone should be pursuing—developing a massive mailing list, creating a website, soliciting numerous book reviews and dealing with distributors and wholesalers (if you are at liberty to do so).
Session 3:
This week, we’ll talk about bookstores, whether your book is conducive to bookstore sales and how to locate and approach bookstore managers. We’ll also cover specialty stores and discuss how to keep your books on bookstore or specialty store shelves (the secret is sales).
Session 4:
This class features personal appearances—book signings, book festivals, presentations in front of groups interested in your topic or genre, casual (or formal) presentations before organized gatherings, radio/TV and online interviews and special venues. You’ll find a most useful how-to element in this session.
Session 5:
Use the media to promote your book. I help you make your book newsworthy and I’ll teach you how to make news. We’ll also talk about library sales.
Session 6:
It’s time to reevaluate your marketing goals and make sure they are realistic. I’ll guide you in writing your short-term and long-term marketing plan based on your strengths, abilities, skills, finances, energy level, time commitments and motivation. We’ll also talk about working with a publicist, the extra services offered by your fee-based POD “self-publishing” service and attending writers/publishers conferences.
After the session, you’ll get one free email consultation.
Yup, it’s school in a bottle, more or less, but with feedback and guidance throughout. The main thing you must come to the course with is an open mind and the motivation to do what it takes to get the sales results you desire.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
• What is your best book promotion activity?
• Which activities fit into your comfort zone?
• If you were to venture outside of your comfort zone, would be more successful?
• If you spent more time in targeted promotion, would you be selling more books?
Think about where you are with your book sales and where you would like to be. If you are not satisfied—you know you could do more and gain more—and you would like some guidance through the rough book promotion road, consider signing up for my Book Promotion course.
http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookpromotion.htm
I also offer the following:
Article Writing Course
Book Proposal Workshop
Self-Publishing Workshop
http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm