Out of Your Head

As an indie author, a speaker and creativity coach, with a sales and marketing background. I spend quite a bit of time in writer’s forums, and almost every time posts pop up like this ‘so I published my book, but only sold two copies this year, I don’t know why I bothered…’

This comment and many, many others like made me realise that people are writing books, paying to publish them, and have no knowledge of how to sell books they have created! As you can imagine this leads to some pretty frustrated people, who have spent a lot of money to publish their book, only to discover that whatever the publishing company said they were going to do to get sales doesn’t help market their work, and they don’t sell.

Essentially these poor people have bought a service they didn’t fully understand, so couldn’t know it wasn’t right for them, and unscrupulous companies are never going to say, this won’t work for you, but can we have your money anyway? they paid a lot of money for something they could have got for free, let’s just take that in for a moment shall me.

Realising that writers need help to understand the differences between independent publishing, traditional publishing and vanity publishing; so they can make a choice that they and their wallet can be comfortable with.  That they need to know how to, and why to, create an author brand. To find out who their ideal reader is, and where to find them, and how to market to them. Whether they need a website, a mailing list, how to ‘do’ social media effectively, and that’s without being able to choose an appropriate enticing cover and knowing what type of editor they need.

I knew that my experiences and mistakes would help, and was inspired to create Out Of Your Head and Onto The Page, to make the book you always dreamt of writing into a reality. This series of sessions that you can take at your own pace, will unravel the mysteries of becoming a successful author.  Each session suitable for absolute beginners, and those who have started and now feel a bit lost. The sessions are designed to be viewed in order, as they build on the last like a ladder, to help elevate your skills and career.

During Out of your Head and Onto the Page you will be building the knowledge that will last and be used throughout your whole writing career, and that’s priceless.

Knock Your (Writer’s) Block Off This session deals with the infamous writer’s block, and how to banish it once and for all using various stimulating exercises. This session is also suitable for new writers and bloggers, who need to get into good writing habits. By the end of this course you will have five techniques that will relieve and prevent writer’s block…Forever!

Which Route Will You Take To Market? This session looks at the routes to becoming published, discusses Traditional, Self and Vanity publishing; and allows you to understand the differences, benefits and pitfalls. It will also help you identify what success really means for you. By the end of this course you will have the facts you need to make the choice that is right for you, and the career that you want to have.

Who is Your Ideal Reader? This session will help you understand your genre, and who is reading it, to create a picture of your ideal reader. If you just answered “That’s everyone!” we need to work it out quickly, so any marketing efforts you make won’t be wasted. And we cannot have you wasting the time and energy you’ll need for other steps. By the end of this course you will have a clear description of who your ideal reader is, ready for creating your marketing strategy.

Where to Find Your Ideal Reader? Having found out who your ideal reader is, this session creates a plan of where your ideal reader can be found. Using all the information we found out about them in Who is Your Ideal Reader? and a little bit of creative thinking! By the end of the course you will have a comprehensive list of the places where your ideal reader will, and won’t be, to enable targeted branding and marketing.

Brand New, Brand You, What do you stand for? I’m not a brand I’m a free person! by the end of this session you will understand how to be both. Will have worked out what you stand for; the image you want to present to your ideal customers, how to do this, and why it is so important.

Cover Your Design This session looks at what you want your cover to convey, what will appeal to your ideal reader and how to stand out in an overcrowded market. Focus group and beta reader feedback. The benefits of handing cover design over to a professional, and what to be aware, and beware of.

Interior Designing This session has nothing whatsoever to do with soft furnishings and furniture placement, instead we will be thinking about the types of editors there are, and which one(s) you need, what you want your book to look like, what will appeal to your ideal reader, and how to get what you want.

Marketing not Sales This session explains the difference between marketing your brand and selling. Invaluable lessons that will stop you becoming part of the white noise in the market place. We also cover how to reach the places where your ideal reader/customer will be without spending much, or in some cases anything.

Social Media Now you know who your ideal reader is and where to find them, we will look at how to place the brand you created in Brand New, Brand You throughout your social media presence. Where to focus your online energy, and where to avoid. By the end of this course you will have a clear idea of where to post, and how to reach your audience.

How, Where, When to Market Following on from Who is Your Ideal Reader? and Where to Find your Ideal Reader, and Marketing not Sales sessions, we will use all the information we have discovered and put together to create a clear plan of action of what marketing to target, when and how. By the end of this session you will know what your plan needs to be to make best use of your ideal customers buying times.

Having your own website is easier than you think and it really is! in this course we will go through the basics of why you need an author website, what you will need to include, and how avoid the pitfalls of having a site that doesn’t do what you need it to. All without spending a fortune, or in some cases anything at all.

Dealing With Critics This session shares techniques in how to react and respond to critics in a professional way (based on the brand that you created in Brand New, Brand You, earlier).  And how to manage your own feelings about others opinions. A must for every professional.

Approaching Bookshops During this course we will look at the holy grail of book selling – getting stocked in physical book shops. It can be done, but there are procedures to follow, and good etiquette that you’ll need to use if you want to make it happen and stay on brand.

Launching your book online and off This course is all about how to plan and achieve the launch you’d like whether that’s a online or physical launch.  I’ll share not just what you need to include in your event, and how to go about the organisation. the pitfalls to avoid and the benefits you could reap, besides putting your beloved work into the world.  To help you with the timescales for your event I’ve included the breakdown of what you need to do on a week by week basis, so you get everything you need to done without turning into a stressed out wreak! By the end of the course you will be confident enough to plan and host your very own launch for your book.

I don’t need a mailing list! This course explains why you do need an email list, sometimes called a mailing list. How to go about setting one up for free, and the do’s and don’ts including the law around GDPR; how to get people on the list, and what to do with this magical list once you have built it. This is a vital part of your author business, and is missed out at your peril, and by the end of this course you’ll understand why.

Talk to me! Covers all the tricky areas of how to get interviews, what to say, and not say when you get them! How, why and when to refuse them. By the end of this course you will have a clear idea of  how to source potential interviews, and a list of your responses to the ten most likely author interview questions that you will be asked.