Mark Dawson – Self Publishing 101

If you’ve ever dreamed of being a full-time author, you’re in the right place self Publishing 101 will teach you how to:

Format your books and get great covers so that they are indistinguishable from your traditionally published rivals.Upload your books to all the major platforms.Understand metadata so that your books show up in searches.Find your perfect readers and add them to your mailing list.Build an automation sequence that introduces new readers to your writing, and encourages them to move on to your paid books.Craft straightforward and simple to learn Facebook Ad campaigns that work, require minimal maintenance, and won’t leave you broke.Turn your readers into fans, and then into superfans (and members of your crack Street Team)

HERE’S JUST SOME OF WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

how to upload your books to the various sales platforms;how to package your book: cover design, blurb writing, metadata;how to create your website and mailing list and then flood them with eager readers.Self-Publishing 101 will also provide you with an easy-to-set-up automated system that runs in the background, getting your books into the hands of readers and pushing you up the sales charts.It will allow you to sit back and watch as new readers find out about your work.It will build your sales rank and add to your bottom line.And most of all, it will give you the time to focus on your writing, secure in the knowledge that your career is being developed: when your next book is ready to publish, the market will be ready and waiting.The full course will show you EVERYTHING you need to know to build the foundation for your successful career as an independently published author.I will show you the precise strategy that I have deployed to sell hundreds of thousands of books and to add thousands of readers to my mailing list. You don’t need a degree in computer science to pull this off.

MODULE #1 -BUILD YOUR PLATFORM

We’ll look at the essentials: website, mailing list, social media and how to communicate with readers.

MODULE #2- PRE-PUBLICATION

We get into the weeds. I’ll show you what you need – and don’t need – in the front and back of your book.I’ll show you how to format your book for all of the relevant platforms.My own genius cover designer, Stuart Bache, (he’s worked for John Le Carré and Stephen King), will explain what you should be looking for when it comes to your cover.Bryan Cohen, the man I go to for my blurbs, will teach you everything you need to craft killer hooks that will have readers dying to read more.We’ll look at metadata to help make your book more visible in search, and examine pricing strategies.I’ll show you how to build your Amazon Author Page, and how to make your book’s Product Page sing.I’ll teach you about the incentives you’ll need to offer to get readers onto your mailing list, and then I’ll show you the landing page that you’ll need to make sure they sign up.I’ll show you how to automate a series of emails that will greet your new subscribers as they join your mailing list, and I’ll throw in my own copy that you can use as a jumping-off point.

MODULE #3- AMAZON? OR EVERYWHERE?

Amazon is the biggest single platform, but by going exclusive you’ll be leaving readers behind.I’ll lay out the pros and cons of exclusivity and tell you what I would do if I was starting again.

MODULE #4 -AMAZON EXCLUSIVE

I’ll show you how to use the tools that Amazon makes available in exchange for exclusivity and I’ll share some thoughts that will help you to optimize your book for the retailer’s powerful algorithm.

MODULE #5- GOING WIDE

We’ll look at a powerful model that you can deploy if you have (or will shortly have) more than one book ready to sell.And we’ll look at the merchandising opportunities available at the other retailers – and how you can get them to sit up and take notice.

MODULE #6 -GENERATING TRAFFIC

I’ll teach you the equation that underpins my business – how to take a browser and turn them into a reader, then a fan, then finally a friend. I’ll show you tried and tested methods of driving traffic to your page and the best tools you can deploy to turn readers into buyers and subscribers to your mailing list. This module also includes a session from BookBub on how to use their Deals and Ads platforms to add rocket fuel to your career.

MODULE #7 -READY TO LAUNCH?

The question I’m asked most often by other authors is this: “How do you launch your books so successfully?”. I’ll break it down for you, with timings and email copy for you to run with. I’ll also show you how to establish an advance team – the powerful group of superfans who will provide you with advice, reviews and motivation.

MODULE #8- GETTING REVIEWS

“How can I get reviews if I can’t get sales? How can I get sales if I don’t have reviews?”It’s the ultimate chicken and egg question, and I’ll show you how I answer it.

TECH LIBRARY -WANT A TRUSTED GUIDE?

Every single technical process that you’ll need to master is broken down for you. Want to know how to build a WordPress site yourself? We have a fifty-minute video that will take you from A to Z, which a clear focus on the content a writer should consider. Want to set up an instaFreebie promotion to blow up your mailing list? We worked with instaFreebie to produce a detailed video. Want to deliver your books to your advance readers so that they can provide reviews, but avoid the headaches of teaching them how to sideload the files to their Kindles? A session from market-leading specialists BookFunnel will help. Want to format books for yourself? I’ll show you how.