This four week session is a fast-paced, in-depth look into the day-to-day work of indie publishing. Wondering if indie publishing is for you? Feeling overwhelmed in the process and lost as to the next step? This class will give you a road map and clear away the mud of misinformation. Wish you had someone who could answer your questions? This class includes lectures, homework, and forum discussions with the teacher and other students. You'll be able to ask all your questions and receive clear answers that will point you on your way to publishing your own gold!

What You'll Learn:

• defining your writing identity
• marketing without getting buried alive
• understanding the changing nature of the industry
• building your platform
• creating a marketing plan
• setting goals
• evaluating their success
• basic manuscript preparation and formatting
• converting for e-readers, HTML, CSS, and EPUB
• how to hire a contractor
• rights and licenses
• distribution and discounts
• contracts and concessions
• dealing with the emotions of completing the process
• patience required for marketing
• going on to the next project

Who Should Take This Class:

• indie authors eager to take control of their business
• traditional authors questioning if becoming a hybrid is right for them

Lesson Plan

Moving to the Gold Country

• Why Be Indie?

Learning to Tell Gold from Iron Pyrite

• Who are you?
• Branding
• Defining Success

Basic Geology

• Welcome to the Business
• General Process
• Terminology
• Organization
• Marketing for Survival

Staking your Claim

• You Need a Website
• Branding Review
• Own your name
• What a website is
• Intro to Social Media
• Your Newsletter

Panning

• Why Social Media?
• Social Media Demographics
• Platform Overview
• Create a Social Media Marketing Plan
• Creating Custom Header Graphics

Filing the Claim

• Making Choices
• Distribution Choices
  • To Print or Not
  • Amazon KDP
  • Lulu
  • Blurb, BookBaby, and Others
• E-books!
  • Amazon - Kindle - Mobi format
  • Apple - IPad - EPub format
  • Barnes & Noble - Nook - EPub format
  • Generic ereaders and Smashwords - EPub format
• ISBN
• LCCN/PCN
• Copyright

Getting Dirty

• The Messy Part
• Editing
• Typesetting
• Formatting
  • Creating a Generic EPub
  • Notes for Kindle Desktop Publishing (KDP) Print
  • Notes for Smashwords
  • Print Notes

Refining

• Refining
• Cover Art
  • Create Print Cover
  • Create ePub Cover
• Files you need OTHER than your book!
• How to Hire a Contractor
• Finding Some Money
• Pricing

Heavy Equipment

• Heavy Equipment
• HTML and CSS

Rinse and Repeat

• Statistics for the Busy Writer
• Website Statistics
• Social Media Statistics
• Sales Statistics

Putting it in the Bag

• Putting it in the Bag
• Contracts
• Concessions
• Discounts
• Distribution
• Pre-sales
• Reading Sales Reports

Banking

• Taking Your Gold to the Bank

Teacher

Lisa Norman is the owner of Heart Ally Books, an independent publishing company. She also owns a website design company specializing in creating websites for authors, Deleyna’s Dynamic Designs. For over 25 years, she has worked with both indie and traditionally published writers on everything from writing through publication and marketing. She has taught students from 10 to 80, both in person, locally, and online. Her customers range all over the US, Canada, and as far away as Australia. Mostly she coaches people one-on-one, and she loves public speaking. She’s most proud of her children, adores her husband, and seems to be constantly surrounded by cats.

Lisa is the author of a series of nonfiction ebooks, Publishing Gold: Step-by-Step Guides for Success In Your Writing Career. She also writes under the pen name of Deleyna Marr.

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