There are a lot of writing or book related courses out there. I’ve looked at most of them! And want to know what I noticed? They ALL leave something out.
Maybe they will teach you how to write but not how to edit. Or they teach world building but not character development. They might teach you how to market your book, but not mention what an effective cover is or how to format. And don’t get me started on those courses that promise “You can write a book! You just need to believe in yourself!” and teach you absolutely nothing other than mantras to convince yourself to write. But… they do have a point too. Motivation and confidence are a part of it.
But not one course has it all.
So that is what I decided to do when I created the Ultimate Fantasy Writer’s Guide. I wanted a course that not only covered the important aspects of writing but also targeted fantasy writers with world building and discussions on magic, including looking at how magic affects the world and the characters! Plus, it needed to be a rock solid writing course. But one that did more than throws the seven types of POV at you. Instead, why not just look at the ones people actually use and are important in today’s writing market? This isn’t a high school English class!
The Guide is about how to write awesome fantasy for today’s readers that will do well in today’s market.
But that is just the writing and we covered that yesterday. Today I wanted to look at the 6 modules that go beyond writing. Because the Guide is designed to be the ONE course you need to not only learn to write an awesome fantasy novel with a realistic world and well-developed characters, and will also step you through the parts you need to edit, publish, build a fan base, launch to reviews, and then grow your brand and career.
Why leave you hanging so that you need to buy another course or research something? No way!
What You'll Learn
Pivotal work beyond writing begins in Module 7: Building a Fan Base
It might be labeled Module 7, but the Guide advises jumping ahead to Module 7 as soon as you crack open Module 3: Writing the Beginning. Because the best time to start accumulating fans is when you start writing. This lesson gives you concrete steps to take as well as discussions on where to find fans. Because it is great to say you should build a fan base, but it is soooo much better to tell you HOW!
This module will delve into two prime methods of building a cadre of readers who love your work, including how to find and attract them as well as what you can say and show to catch interest. It includes a swipe file of emails to use to build an email list and why you should start that now (and how!).
Module 8: Finding Time & Staying Motivated solves writer problems
Busy life holding you back from writing? Lesson 1 of this module discusses how to overcome a lack of time with hacks that will help you find time, get work done, and change your mental attitude from you can’t fit in writing a book to doing it. This is another module and lesson you should jump ahead to as soon as you start writing. Who said you have to take modules in order? 😉
Lesson 2 will get you through writer’s block and the slumps that inevitably come with tackling a project that spans months. Because we all know writing has its lows as well as walls. Overcoming them is key! But sometimes those writer problems are telling you some important things about your book. We talk about those too. After all, you don’t want to ignore or miss something big!
Writing is done and it is time to perfect that first manuscript with Module 9: Editing Like a Pro
Producing a quality book is more than writing a first draft. It is about taking all those raw ideas and inspiration (and the parts you pushed through despite hating it at the moment) and refining it into something amazing. There is a method to solid editing just like there is a sequence to writing a strong book. This lesson steps you through content editing to a final polish along with two downloads to keep you organized. Because, really, why do all those writing courses fall short on editing techniques?
Put it all together into an amazing book with Module 10: Covers, Formatting, and Platforms
Covers have 5 essential parts and they work together to create one of the most important marketing tools for your novel. Learn what they are and how to use them to attract the right reader to your book in lesson 1 of this module. Of course, knowing what you need for the perfect cover is only half the game. The lesson finishes with resources for you to make your own cover, and discusses if you should, or where to buy a quality cover – and what that really means.
Then it gets really exciting with the lesson on formatting and platforms. Where should you publish? Should you use a distributor or KDP Select? Do you know the difference, the benefits, and if you can have a paperback widely distributed while still staying exclusive to Amazon? All those are questions are answered in this module.
And while those are important questions, creating a beautiful ebook and paperback are essential to presenting your finished story to readers. Bad formatting can ruin an amazing book!
Learn to format well by watching over-my-shoulder screencasts as I format both an ebook and paperback using the TWO templates the course provides. The ebook template is pre-linked for easy copy and paste formatting and is clean enough to pass the Smashwords meatgrinder with no auto-vetted errors (just used it last week)! Then create a gorgeous paperback with the paperback template! And when I say gorgeous, I mean stunning. Take a look!
Paperback formatted with the template from the Guide
Now you are ready to publish with Module 11: Launching to Fans & Getting Reviews!
Don’t just release a book and then scramble to tell the world about it. Launch with a masterful strategy by following this lesson and downloading the timed checklist to keep yourself on track. Plus, wouldn’t it be awesome to have reviews that first week your book is live? You can if you build a launch team! The second lesson in this module delves into how to build one and comes with a swipe file of what to say to your team of super fans as you prep your book for release!
Module 12: Life After Launch takes your further and builds your long-term author career
Most courses would end at release. Or only be about marketing. The Ultimate Fantasy Writer’s Guide takes you through the steps to keep growing your author platform to new areas, talks about how to build your author brand (and what that is exactly), and both free and paid marketing strategies to keep your book going well after Amazon’s new release bump dumps you!
The Ultimate Fantasy Writer’s Guide will help you write, edit, and publish your amazing fantasy novel to raving fans! And then go beyond to build your author career. The doors are only open for a few days and then closed for six months, so check it out before it is too late!
Everything is here, It’s really quite amazing to find it all in one place. I’ve gotten so used to jumping on every post I see about writing, that I’ve got tons of the same information, stacks and stacks of it. But this is a single, coordinated view. It’s a step-by-step guided-tour of the process involved in becoming an author. No more constant false starts, and trying to interweave different ‘takes’ into a single form. This says ‘start with this’, ‘then do this’ and next you’ll be able to do this, and so on, until you look in the mirror and say “OMG! There’s a writer in my mirror!