Out of Your Head

 

As an indie author with a sales and marketing background, I have been lucky enough to know what steps I needed to take along my author journey. Part of that was connecting with other writer’s – and then I got quite a shock.

Almost every day there are posts like ‘my book has only sold two copies this year, I don’t know why I bothered…’and ‘my nephew has offered to design my book cover, he was very good at art when he did his GCSE’s’.

Not to mention those who spend thousands on publishing, hundreds on advertising in the wrong place to the wrong people. Unsurprisingly this leads to some pretty frustrated people.

Realising that writers need help to navigate the author journey and really understand what they needed to do, and when, to have any chance of having a writing career I decided to help!

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 audio sessions with companion worksheets that can be done at your own pace, will unravel the mysteries of becoming a successful author.

Each session suitable for absolute beginners, and those who have started their journey and now feel a bit lost. They are designed to be listened to 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 build the priceless knowledge to last throughout your whole writing career.

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? Looks at the routes to becoming published, discusses Traditional, Self and Vanity publishing; making sure that you to understand the differences, benefits and pitfalls of each. 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? helps you understand your genre, and who is reading it, and to create a picture of your ideal reader. If you may have just answered “That’s everyone!” and if you did STOP! do do any marketing or adverting until you have completed this session. 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? Now you know Who is Your Ideal Reader? we can create a plan of where they can be found. 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 What does your cover need to convey? what will appeal to your ideal reader? and how to stand out in an overcrowded market. You’ll also learnt how to get reliable focus group and beta reader feedback, and what are the benefits of handing cover design over to a professional; what to be aware, and beware of.

Interior Designing This 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 They aren’t the same thing at all, here you’ll learn the difference between marketing your brand and selling. An invaluable lesson 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! we will look at 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.

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. You need to know this!

Launching your book online and off 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. As a bonus 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.

And a very special bonus course for those following ‘Out of Your Head and Onto the Page as a package – Dealing With Critics shares the 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.