Self-Publishing Workshop with Sean McNamara
over ZOOM
This workshop is being offered via Zoom. Three separate dates are available, each date is a complete workshop.
The registration buttons are at the bottom of this page. Please read the description carefully before registering.
DESCRIPTION:
Sean has written and self-published multiple books in paperback, eBook, and audiobook formats. Most of them have appeared on Amazon's "Top 100" bestseller lists in various categories.
He recognizes that traditional publishers still demand the majority of royalties from their authors, while doing little to nothing at all to market their work, expecting the author to do it all instead. Sean's intention for this workshop is to empower authors to share their writing with the world and achieve personal fulfillment while keeping 100% of their hard-earned profit instead of losing it to traditional publishers.
There's no need to waste months or years seeking out literary agents or traditional publishers. Thanks to today's print-on-demand technology available from printers like Amazon, there's also no need to spend exorbitant amounts of money to pay any publisher to print a set number of volumes. Today's authors should never pay up-front costs to any publisher, or sign away the rights to their own work.
All you need to self-publish your book and sell it on the world's largest online marketplace is knowledge and confidence.
Whether you're preparing to write your manuscript, are half-way through, or have a completed one, this workshop will teach you the steps to independently publish and sell your book. Once you have a thorough overview of the steps, you'll feel relaxed, confident, and excited to take the final steps to seeing your manuscript in its final book form, available for your audience to purchase, without having to lose most of your profit to lazy publishers.
It's the 21st century, and all the tools you need are on your laptop, and most of them are free.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN DURING THIS WORKSHOP:
Everything Sean presents will be based on his personal experience. There are various ways to self-publish, and various tools to use. He will be sharing only the processes he uses himself.
1. How to transform your Word document into the proper format for uploading and printing as paperback as well as eBook.
2. How to design and size your cover file for uploading and printing.
3. Where to get your own ISBN number and barcode, and why you should instead of using the free one from Amazon.
4. How to add your ISBN barcode to your cover file.
5. How to copyright your book. And do you really need to?
6. How to set up your Amazon/KDP author account and upload your book, complete the metadata fields, add keywords, set rights and pricing, and release for sale.
7. The single most important factor for attracting potential buyers online (it costs nothing and you are in full control of it).
8. How to choose sales categories for climbing the sales ranks.
9. How to write your book's online description and back cover for maximum attraction.
10. How to design your book's front matter to sell your other books, online courses, or advertise other resources and events.
11. Understanding the time frame from uploading to releasing for sale.
12. How to make triple-sure your book is ready for final release to the public.
13. Marketing strategies that cost nothing using social media.
14. The most important and effective marketing strategy you can do with less than $100, or for free if you involve the right people.
15. Timing your book's release announcement and avoiding last minute emergencies and disappointments.
16. How to track your book sales.
17. Publishing your eBook through other online sellers such as Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and Google Books.
18. Using clickable links in your eBook to sell other offerings or enhance the reader experience.
19. Brief overview of creating and selling your own audiobook based on your paperback, reaching even more readers/listeners.
20. A powerful release strategy utilizing pre-orders to immediately boost your sales rankings.
21. Using your ranking for marketing on social media.
22. The right way to post about your book on social media to stimulate sales.
23. The other large self-publishing platform you should avoid at all costs, but most authors find out after it's too late.
24. Sean will also show you his Amazon author account so you see exactly how much his books have earned since his first release in 2017.
25. Time permitting, Sean will answer any other questions you have about self-publishing and marketing.
In short, you'll be receiving Sean's knowledge of the self-publishing process acquired over seven years and multiple releases.
You will also receive a digital handout outlining these processes so that you don't have to concern yourself with taking copious notes during the presentation. But you should still have a pen and paper handy for some note taking.
WHAT YOU WON'T LEARN DURING THIS WORKSHOP:
1. How to write, what to write about, how to overcome writer's block, and similar topics. If you are interested in a workshop on these topics, please let Sean know by using the contact form.
2. The technical minutia of every single step. For example, this will not go in-depth into how to create a table of contents in Word, or how to re-size or download an image from the Canva app. If you are interested in a workshop on this level of detail (it would be something like a two-day workshop), please let Sean know by using the contact form.
Software, Apps, and Know-How You'll Need In Order to Apply the Knowledge Gained in this Workshop:
1. Access to and familiarity with MS Word (for paperback and eBook manuscripts).
2. Optional but recommended - Grammarly (for editing only, not for using AI to write your whole book for you)
3. Access to and familiarity with Canva (the free version is good enough).
4. For eBook creation, Mac users will need the Pages app OR Kindle Create (free). PC users will need Kindle Create (free).
5. For audiobook creation, Audacity (free) or other similar sound recording and editing apps.
6. Social media presence, such as a public Facebook or Instagram profile, and a willingness to promote yourself with it.
7. You'll need enough computer experience to know how to download files, create and organize file folders, and drag-and-drop files.
WHO SHOULD NOT ATTEND THIS WORKSHOP:
1. Anyone using AI (artificial intelligence) to compose their manuscript is NOT welcome to attend this workshop. That is not authorship. That is not writing. It is a modern combination of intellectual theft and laziness. This workshop is for humans using their natural creativity, intelligence, and life experience with integrity.
2. Writers with the primary motivation to become instantly wealthy and famous should not attend this workshop. It could happen for you, but not everyone is Stephen King or J.K. Rowling.
It's okay for money to be one of your motivations, but you'll be happiest if your primary motivation is to share yourself with your readers, fulfill your dream of being a published author, or create a tool for marketing or raising your social standing (think of your book as a powerful business card or as a reason why people should consider you a subject matter expert).
But, if the only reason you're self-publishing is to make money fast, you're likely to be disappointed for various reasons.
3. Anyone who feels uncomfortable using a computer or Zoom should not attend.
- Sunday, January 7, 2024 10:00 am - 12:00 pm MST (Colorado time) - register at the bottom of this page
- (completed) Thursday, December 14, 2023 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm MST (Colorado time)
- (registration is closed) Sunday, December 17, 2023 10:00 am - 12:00 pm MST (Colorado time)
The registration buttons are at the bottom of this page. Please read the description carefully before registering.
DESCRIPTION:
Sean has written and self-published multiple books in paperback, eBook, and audiobook formats. Most of them have appeared on Amazon's "Top 100" bestseller lists in various categories.
He recognizes that traditional publishers still demand the majority of royalties from their authors, while doing little to nothing at all to market their work, expecting the author to do it all instead. Sean's intention for this workshop is to empower authors to share their writing with the world and achieve personal fulfillment while keeping 100% of their hard-earned profit instead of losing it to traditional publishers.
There's no need to waste months or years seeking out literary agents or traditional publishers. Thanks to today's print-on-demand technology available from printers like Amazon, there's also no need to spend exorbitant amounts of money to pay any publisher to print a set number of volumes. Today's authors should never pay up-front costs to any publisher, or sign away the rights to their own work.
All you need to self-publish your book and sell it on the world's largest online marketplace is knowledge and confidence.
Whether you're preparing to write your manuscript, are half-way through, or have a completed one, this workshop will teach you the steps to independently publish and sell your book. Once you have a thorough overview of the steps, you'll feel relaxed, confident, and excited to take the final steps to seeing your manuscript in its final book form, available for your audience to purchase, without having to lose most of your profit to lazy publishers.
It's the 21st century, and all the tools you need are on your laptop, and most of them are free.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN DURING THIS WORKSHOP:
Everything Sean presents will be based on his personal experience. There are various ways to self-publish, and various tools to use. He will be sharing only the processes he uses himself.
1. How to transform your Word document into the proper format for uploading and printing as paperback as well as eBook.
2. How to design and size your cover file for uploading and printing.
3. Where to get your own ISBN number and barcode, and why you should instead of using the free one from Amazon.
4. How to add your ISBN barcode to your cover file.
5. How to copyright your book. And do you really need to?
6. How to set up your Amazon/KDP author account and upload your book, complete the metadata fields, add keywords, set rights and pricing, and release for sale.
7. The single most important factor for attracting potential buyers online (it costs nothing and you are in full control of it).
8. How to choose sales categories for climbing the sales ranks.
9. How to write your book's online description and back cover for maximum attraction.
10. How to design your book's front matter to sell your other books, online courses, or advertise other resources and events.
11. Understanding the time frame from uploading to releasing for sale.
12. How to make triple-sure your book is ready for final release to the public.
13. Marketing strategies that cost nothing using social media.
14. The most important and effective marketing strategy you can do with less than $100, or for free if you involve the right people.
15. Timing your book's release announcement and avoiding last minute emergencies and disappointments.
16. How to track your book sales.
17. Publishing your eBook through other online sellers such as Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and Google Books.
18. Using clickable links in your eBook to sell other offerings or enhance the reader experience.
19. Brief overview of creating and selling your own audiobook based on your paperback, reaching even more readers/listeners.
20. A powerful release strategy utilizing pre-orders to immediately boost your sales rankings.
21. Using your ranking for marketing on social media.
22. The right way to post about your book on social media to stimulate sales.
23. The other large self-publishing platform you should avoid at all costs, but most authors find out after it's too late.
24. Sean will also show you his Amazon author account so you see exactly how much his books have earned since his first release in 2017.
25. Time permitting, Sean will answer any other questions you have about self-publishing and marketing.
In short, you'll be receiving Sean's knowledge of the self-publishing process acquired over seven years and multiple releases.
You will also receive a digital handout outlining these processes so that you don't have to concern yourself with taking copious notes during the presentation. But you should still have a pen and paper handy for some note taking.
WHAT YOU WON'T LEARN DURING THIS WORKSHOP:
1. How to write, what to write about, how to overcome writer's block, and similar topics. If you are interested in a workshop on these topics, please let Sean know by using the contact form.
2. The technical minutia of every single step. For example, this will not go in-depth into how to create a table of contents in Word, or how to re-size or download an image from the Canva app. If you are interested in a workshop on this level of detail (it would be something like a two-day workshop), please let Sean know by using the contact form.
Software, Apps, and Know-How You'll Need In Order to Apply the Knowledge Gained in this Workshop:
1. Access to and familiarity with MS Word (for paperback and eBook manuscripts).
2. Optional but recommended - Grammarly (for editing only, not for using AI to write your whole book for you)
3. Access to and familiarity with Canva (the free version is good enough).
4. For eBook creation, Mac users will need the Pages app OR Kindle Create (free). PC users will need Kindle Create (free).
5. For audiobook creation, Audacity (free) or other similar sound recording and editing apps.
6. Social media presence, such as a public Facebook or Instagram profile, and a willingness to promote yourself with it.
7. You'll need enough computer experience to know how to download files, create and organize file folders, and drag-and-drop files.
WHO SHOULD NOT ATTEND THIS WORKSHOP:
1. Anyone using AI (artificial intelligence) to compose their manuscript is NOT welcome to attend this workshop. That is not authorship. That is not writing. It is a modern combination of intellectual theft and laziness. This workshop is for humans using their natural creativity, intelligence, and life experience with integrity.
2. Writers with the primary motivation to become instantly wealthy and famous should not attend this workshop. It could happen for you, but not everyone is Stephen King or J.K. Rowling.
It's okay for money to be one of your motivations, but you'll be happiest if your primary motivation is to share yourself with your readers, fulfill your dream of being a published author, or create a tool for marketing or raising your social standing (think of your book as a powerful business card or as a reason why people should consider you a subject matter expert).
But, if the only reason you're self-publishing is to make money fast, you're likely to be disappointed for various reasons.
3. Anyone who feels uncomfortable using a computer or Zoom should not attend.
Registration and Cancellation Policy
This workshop is being offered on three separate dates, twice in December, and once in January.
Please use the buttons below to choose the date you want to attend (unless you have already reserved and paid for your spot on the Meetup.com page). The Zoom link for the workshop will be emailed to you within 24 hours of payment, using the email address associated with your credit card.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the start of the workshop to receive a refund. No refunds will be given for cancellations less than 24 hours ahead, or for no-shows.
If you are on a smartphone, tap the left and right arrows below for different workshop dates.
** No need to pay below if you have already paid on the Meetup.com page.
Please use the buttons below to choose the date you want to attend (unless you have already reserved and paid for your spot on the Meetup.com page). The Zoom link for the workshop will be emailed to you within 24 hours of payment, using the email address associated with your credit card.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the start of the workshop to receive a refund. No refunds will be given for cancellations less than 24 hours ahead, or for no-shows.
If you are on a smartphone, tap the left and right arrows below for different workshop dates.
** No need to pay below if you have already paid on the Meetup.com page.
