You Deserve to be a Published Author
Think about all you know. Think of how many people rely on your words, on your advice, on your content. Think of how many people already consider you an expert.
And because of that, you should have that magical title: Author
The only thing that stands between you and that title is the process. For some reason that process always seemed so mysterious, until we went through it, 3 different ways!!!
Rachel Marie Martin & Dan R Morris
Authors, Owners, Marketers
We want to teach you what we wish we'd have known
We self-published. We got a deal with a vanity publisher AND we published with a big publishing house.
And each level we captured every step of the project.
Success is in the Details
We picked the brains of all kinds of authors before we took this journey. And we learned a lot, which is easy when you know zero.
But it didn't matter. There are still things I regret that we'll never do again.
In fact you'll make lots more money if you pay attention to one line in the publishing contract. A line I didn't even know was negotiable the first time.
With the traditional publisher, you will gain marketing dollars when you understand the purpose of this meeting.
You will save time and sell more books when you understand how retailers view the size of books.
You'll find the right agent when you understand the role the agent plays in the bookstore/publisher agreement. And when you search for this one thing.
You'll sell three times as many books when you do this after the launch day.
You'll get book clubs to notice your book when you add this to your website.
Your launch team can do 100 more things than social media graphics. And they'll love you for asking.
This is how you can be paid to narrate your book for the audio version.
And you can make sure you'll get your final "Advance" payment before the book is published if you change one thing in your contract.
And so many more things we'll never regret again. . .
At the Workshop, we'll discuss with you:
Making The Decision
Let's talk about the business side of writing a book. From a plan standpoint, let's talk about writing more than one, making the "Advance" our salary? Are we writing a book with multiple authors, children's book, comic book, novel, non-fiction or serial? Are we writing a book to get leads, to make money, to win the Caldecott Award, to be a NY Times Best Seller?
Getting the Deal
This is where you want to start, and we'll tell you why. Let's try to get at least one traditionally published book. That means we need to talk about the proposal, pitching, agents, timing, getting offers, the contract and advance. Let's pay special attention to that one most important part of the contract.
Knowing Publishing Backwards and Forwards
Whether you traditionally publish or not, you need to understand the lexicon and the ins and outs of publishing . . . plus knowing the rules here will make working with a publisher or self publishing so much easier. We're talking book structure, hardback vs paperback, cover design, paper type, book size, genre, layout, pricing and editing.
Writing the Book
No book, that was "written in a weekend", has become a NY Times Best Seller. It might be something you can sell from the stage, but anything worth doing is worth doing well. So we need to talk about what you must sacrifice to write a book, how to stay focused, how to get in the flow, and how do we make money in the meantime. How do you work with an editor? How do you make sure you write the book you want.
Managing the Publishing Date
There's some magic to the publishing date and you only have one chance to maximize that. That's Goodreads, Amazon, a launch team, pre-sale bundles, book signings and launch day activities. For most author, this is the one shot at making the NY Times Bestseller List. Let's break it down.
Marketing the Book
Marketing the book is something you have to do whether you publish with a big name or self publish. You will get some help from the publisher, but unless you're Michelle Obama, you're really on your own. That means library marketing, social media, local and national media, amazon SEO, book clubs, independent book stores and non traditional marketing. (It also means writing some marketing ideas into the book itself).
Selling the Book
This is where negotiating the contract is important. You can make money but for the most part traditionally publishing a book is not about money until you're Stephen King. What's important to figure out is how you'll sell it direct. When you're selling you have to have a handle on building bundles, mailing costs (adding non-book items), writing a 2nd book, book club guides, add-ons, and managing your inventory.
The Workshop
Come spend one afternoon becoming an expert in the publishing biz. At each event you get 5 hours on learning, a companion guide, a Facebook group for follow-up questions and answers, plus the recordings from the event.
We will save you thousands of dollars. And make you thousands more.
