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[ecourse] Launch Your Book To Bestseller - day 1 of 8

launch your book to bestseller

- day 1 -

102 Billion Reasons to Start Publishing Today

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Hey, Tom Morkes here.

Tom Morkes

Just wanted to start by saying thank you for signing up for my free course:

"Launch Your Book to Bestseller (aka: Zero to Bestseller: Learn How to Launch A Bestselling Book)"

If you haven't had a chance yet, I love to connect with and say hi to new students.

If you want to say hi, LEAVE A COMMENT at the bottom of the page (I try to read and reply to every comment!).

This course has been a long time coming, and I’m excited to share a lot of great things I’ve learned over the past decade as an author, publisher, and marketer who has launched multiple bestsellers, and helped dozens of authors create, package, and monetize* their writing.

*I say monetizing because launching a book to bestseller is just one way to make money from book publishing, but there are many other ways beyond book sales...but we'll talk about that more later.

Before I get to the meat of today’s article (and the 102 billion reasons you should start publishing), I wanted to share my story with you, because I think you’ll find that if I can do it, anyone can do it.

So here goes.

From War to Publishing

I spent my entire adult life (until recently) in the U.S. Army.

In high school, I applied and was accepted into The United States Military Academy at West Point. After 4 years of grueling training (at least for me), I was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

tom army - [ecourse] Launch Your Book To Bestseller - day 1 of 8

For the next 5 years, I served in the Army, including 12 months as a convoy security platoon leader in Iraq.

While I was proud of my service, I knew I wanted something more out of life…

In my last year in the Army, I started thinking hard about what was next.

I knew I didn’t want a corporate job, which would have basically been the same work I was doing, minus the boots and guns…

And I also knew that I wanted to pursue something creative…where I could really get my hands dirty in fun projects that really make a difference in the world.

I’ve also always had a passion for books and storytelling…

Naturally, I decided to start a blog and start writing publicly (or at least to the 10 people who followed my work).

Over the course of my last year in the Army, I wrote and published 2 books. The first, The Art of Instigating, I gave away for free.

notes from seth godins revolution conference

The second, Notes From Seth Godin’s Revolution Conference, I decided to give away for free…with a twist: I made it pay what you want.

This meant people could grab it for free or they could put some money in the tip jar, so to speak…

Within 30 days of sharing my book with my small audience of 166 subscribers I made $500.

To say I was blown away is an understatement.

This single project taught me 3 important lessons:

  1. It’s possible to make money from creative work
  2. People will pay for books – you just have to write a good book and find the right people to share it with
  3. People will pay even when they don’t have to

In this email course, we’re going to talk about 1 and 2 in depth (#3 I talk about in a different course I created, you can check it out here).

After this experiment, I left the Army and doubled down on writing.

The Complete Guide to Pay What You Want Pricing - [ecourse] Launch Your Book To Bestseller - day 1 of 8

My next book, The Complete Guide to Pay What You Want Pricing, explored the topic I was so fascinated by after my foray into generosity-based pricing.

At launch, I made $1,000…and since then, I've earned over $10,000+ from this single book.

This book still makes money for me today with no effort on my part (this is an advanced strategy that I’ll touch on later in this course).

With my next book, COLLABORATE, I decided to try something a bit different – crowdfunding.

collaborate-front-cover-mockup-merged-no-shadow-800px

Crowdfunding lets readers commit money to a project before it launches. If it doesn’t fund, it doesn’t happen.

My minimum funding goal: $7,500.

To be honest with you, I wasn’t sure if I would hit my minimum funding goal. I actually thought I was a bit of an idiot to even attempt something like this.

Who am I, after all, to ask for people to pay money for something that didn’t exist yet?

As it turns out, a lot of people wanted to support me.

I ended up raising $12,979.00.

That’s 174% of my original funding goal.

$12,979.00 BEFORE I wrote one word of my book.

4 Massive Launches That Anyone Can Pull Off...

I don’t share these numbers to brag, but to show you that you can make money from your writing even if you’re starting from nothing.

Now some of you might be thinking: “Well, Tom, so what? That’s not that much money and all those launches could just be luck.”

Okay, guy who sounds like me, fair enough.

The good news is, I don’t just write and sell my own books - I also publish and market OTHER people's books.

And today, I want to share a few examples of books that I’ve helped launch to even bigger success using the same framework I’m going to teach you in this free course:

#1. 12,000 Downloads in 1 Week (and top seller ever since)

7 Day Startup - [ecourse] Launch Your Book To Bestseller - day 1 of 8

Dan Norris is the author of The 7 Day Startup and co-founder of WPcurve.com. We used this framework to launch Dan’s book, which broke Amazon’s top 100, hit #1  in Startups and #1 in Small Business categories (paid), and stayed there quite a while. Years later and you’ll still see Dan hovering next to books by Eric Ries and Peter Thiel – startup royalty, if you’re not familiar.

Because Dan is very generous and transparent, he has shared some statistics with us. In the first 1 to 2 years:

  1. The book has been downloaded over 20,000 times
  2. The book has over 200 5-star reviews
  3. The book is being translated into 3 languages
  4. The book sells about 40 – 60 books a day on average
  5. $100,000+ from book monetization since launch

If you do the math for that last one, that means about $5,000 in sales a month from a single book that Dan doesn’t actively promote at all.

All because we launched the book the right way, using the right framework…

#2. From No Audience to #1 Bestseller

416ePY4gSOL. BO2,204,203,200 PIsitb sticker v3 big,TopRight,0, 55 SX278 SY278 PIkin4,BottomRight,1,22 AA300 SH20 OU01 - [ecourse] Launch Your Book To Bestseller - day 1 of 8

David Nihill is an entrepreneur turned standup comic turned author of Do You Talk Funny?

I worked with David to launch his first book Do You Talk Funny?

During our first call, when I asked David about his email list he told me in his thick, Irish accent: “I have no list. I don’t even know what a list is.”

Over the next 30 days, we built David’s list up to 300+ and launched his book to #1 in the hyper-competitive Public Speaking category.

More than a month later it’s still #1 and selling great, and has landed him media appearances in Inc., Art of Manliness, and many other major media outlets.

All of this we did starting with NO AUDIENCE.

#3. The $5,000 / Month Sales Funnel

book cover stacked - [ecourse] Launch Your Book To Bestseller - day 1 of 8

Liam Veitch is the founder of Freelancelift.com and the author of Stop Thinking Like a Freelancer.

Liam’s situation was a bit different than both David and Dan. Instead of just focusing on book sales, we made a concerted effort to turn the book into a lead generator for his premium mastermind program.

After all, if people enjoy Liam’s book, there’s a high likelihood they’d like to work with him in some capacity.

The tricky part was moving readers of his book over to his website….

Well, we figured out a solution, and when Liam launched to bestseller (using the framework I’m teaching you in this course), it immediately drew in hundreds of subscribers to his blog and dozens of new paid members to his mastermind program.

Note: this is an advanced technique I’ll teach you later in this course.

#4. One Book that Brought in $10,000 in New Client Work

Cas McCullough is a content marketer, entrepreneur, and author of Your Brilliant Uncareer.

Cas came to me looking to expand her client business through her new book.

Our strategy was to get her to the top of the charts in Women in Business category, giving her name (and therefore, business and services) more reach, as well as helping her build her authority brand in the content marketing space (books are GREAT for this).

After hitting #1 in the Women in Business category during launch, Cas received wonderful feedback about her book.

Even better: several people who read the book immediately asked to work with Cas, generating over $10,000 in new client work.

Not bad for a first try, right?

How Would it Feel If This Were You?

  • How would you feel if you had a book bringing in $5,000 a month passively for you?
  • How would you feel if you went from no audience to an email list of thousands with a single book launch?
  • How would you feel getting $10,000 or more in new client work from one book launch?

These aren’t rhetorical questions.

This is a snapshot of the revenue I made from one book launch.
This is a snapshot of the revenue I made from one book launch.

The examples I’ve shared with you are real results from real people…and they’re not exclusive to these authors.

The worldwide publishing industry is a $102,000,000,000 industry (that’s billions, annually).

If you could tap into a fraction of a fraction of this, say one one-hundredth of a percent, you'd make $102,000.00 this year.

And many people are doing just that...

The good news is: anyone can generate similar results to myself and the authors mentioned, as long as they have:

  1. a good* book
  2. the right strategy

In this course, I’m going to give you that strategy, wrapped in an easy to follow framework (you’re responsible for the quality of your book, though).

*note: these strategies are powerful and can even work for bad books, but I don’t believe the world needs more of those. As with anything of great power: tread carefully and use wisely.

Next Lesson (important!)

In the next lesson, I’m going to share something very powerful with you...

It’s a tool that will single-handedly set your book up for success and help you reach bestseller status (if that’s your goal).

This is not hyperbole – I mean it.

The tool is something that Silicon Valley tech startups use to get traction, customers, and crazy growth, and it’s something I’ve adopted for the book publishing world. I don’t know of a single other author or publisher teaching this stuff, but I promise you – they all will be soon.

And next lesson, I’m going to walk you through exactly how to use this tool.

I’ll see you next lesson.

- Tom Morkes
CEO, Insurgent Publishing
Creator of PublishersEmpire.com

p.s. keep your eye open in your inbox for an email titled:  [Day 2] What Every Bestselling Book Has in Common

(in the next lesson I'm going to show you a tool that Silicon Valley tech startups use to generate millions in revenue and I'm going to show you how to apply it to book marketing...stay tuned)

Your Turn - Share Your Book and Join the Conversation!

For  your homework, I need you to do only one thing...

In the comments below, please let me know:

What type of book are you working on (or what type of book do you want to start working on)?....And what is your biggest insight from today's lesson?

  • Are you excited to publish a bestselling book?
  • Would you like to drive $10,000+ in new client revenue to your existing business?
  • Do you want to be a thought-leader or even a highly respected storyteller (and get paid for it)?

Share in the comments below (I read and respond to all of them).

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409 comments on “[ecourse] Launch Your Book To Bestseller - day 1 of 8”

  1. Start the conversation...what type of book are you working on?

    And what is your biggest insight from today's lesson?

    Looking forward to hearing from you!

    1. Hey Tom,

      I'm looking forward to implementing your techniques. I'm just finishing up my second novel. I write military fiction (Navy). I was a diver on fast-attack submarines. My first novel had no launch, I was learning as I went. At the time, four years ago, self publishing on Kindle was fairly new and there weren't a ton of resources. I wrote the first book to entertain the guys I had spent my time with in the service. It was a slow burn at first, but it picked up steam and I've sold 30,000 copies over the last four years. These days, I'm only selling about 2 dozen a month but I had hit #1 in the war fiction category back in 2011. (#172 overall). I really would like to have a strong launch this time around. Thanks for the resource.

      1. Tim, that is awesome man. Love seeing vets taking advantage of their backgrounds to do great things. What is your book title? I'm going to dig for it in Amazon.

        Excited for your feedback on the course as you go - sounds like I could learn a thing or two about long term sales from you (any tips or advice would be great).

        Thanks for being a part of the course Tim!

        1. The book title is Hot Run. My author name is T. Steven Sullivan. I don't know that I have any big tips or tricks. The one thing I did at first, but pulled back from, was putting my book on every platform I could. The higher the rank it got on Amazon the more it showed up on other book's pages in the "People who bought this, also bought this..." I realized, that any sales I had going through expanded distributors, or even other channels, which many indie authors use, took away from my rankings. So I focused primarily on Amazon and BN. Maybe once I get a bigger catalog under my belt I will expand the markets, but for now, I focus all my energies into climbing as high as I can on just a few sources, thus getting the maximum exposure. But again, it's been four years, so it isn't selling near what it used too. Hopefully a new book will give it some fresh life.

          Again, thank you for the courses. I'm on to the next one.

          1. Awesome Tim!

            I actually think you hit on some gold there in regards to focusing on a particular platform.

            I sell 99% of books either on Amazon exclusively, through author's platforms exclusively, or a combo of those two....rarely do I tap into Apple / Google / Barnes and Noble, etc.

            For the exact same reason - Amazon has a great network effect in action, and focusing sales there can drive many more sales...and every sale on a different platform doesn't necessarily help visibility at all.

            Definitely food for thought.

            Will be in touch (would love to interview you for PublishersEmpire.com)

    2. Working on publishing about 5 different books I've been working on for over a year now. 2 on working for yourself, 1 social commentary called Corporate Revolution and a philosophy book. I plan on offering them as PWYW following your example I learned in your other course. These are all primarily aimed at those interested in full time RVing while still working. Looking forward to learning some strategies to make my book launches successful. Love your stuff.

      1. Awesome Keith.

        So the principles you'll learn here are the same for PWYW or fixed price books. The one big caveat is not to give your book away for free if you're using PWYW, but to incentivize people to opt in and contribute generously by offering bonuses.

        Happy to share more on this later in the course, just let me know what particular questions you have!

    3. I want to use this exercise to finally launch my 80% complete ..but stalled Get It Out Of Me book. It's hook line is ...1 mans 43 year Pregnancy trying to give birth to true creativity. ?.. (Or close to those words)
      This lesson insight wise Tom ..nothing new. I've seen all this info previously in other stuff of yours. I look forward to the next lessons. And ideally this will lead us to some active colabing !! I'd love to see if Insurgent could be the publisher for a series of real Thought Leaders who I can bring to the fold.
      Enjoy real QoL Mark Layder, #BizHippy

    4. Hi Tom:

      I don't know if I've ever thought about "Pay What You Want" pricing. That's pretty awesome.

      I'm a new author. My books will always deal with the human condition in some way. I'll explore subjects on education, leadership, and personal development mostly. My first book is slated to be released May 2015. It's a book for gifted students--helping them prepare for life after graduation.

      I look forward to learning from you and others in this space.

    5. Heya Tom,

      Thanks for asking!

      I'm working on a book called "Side Effect -- Autism" (for some reason I can't type a colon in your window here, so substituted a dash). It's partly biographical, and partly an exposé of what happens to the human species when living too far outside optimal ranges of tolerance.

      Essentially, we've over 60 years of data on what causes autism, and how to recover maximum degrees of health and function. However, our global economic structure is keeping us pegged into beliefs and behaviours that prevent this autism turnaround.

      You can probably imagine just how gleeful I am to have found a PWYW mechanism to democratize the flow of this information...

      And what is your biggest insight from today’s lesson?
      No real insights yet, just relief that some guidance is on its way, and anticipation of more direction and hope.

      Appreciation, Jackie

      1. Jackie, great stuff!

        Sorry about the colon...I may need to get that fixed (it's the particular font I use that makes it awkward).

        Looking forward to helping you along your journey ;D

    6. Hi Tom,

      Long-time writer and thought leader in the home performance/building science arena, a couple of books under my belt on passive solar design in cold climates. I want to take content of my online training program and move it into a book...all resources and content are there, just need to reformat it.

      That's one book, that I can pull off quickly and easily and immediately.

      Then, there's:

      Marketing home performance, that incorporates the concepts of the metaphysics of quality (MoQ -- think Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) to encourage contractors to get past the drive to the bottom line, talk to their clients in ways that get them past the bottom dollar comparison, and increase revenues from value-added services. Have some blogging done on this already and am actively researching case studies and examples.

      More esoterically, I want to explore the confluence between MoQ, triple bottom line accounting, genuine progress indexing, and theories of social ecology, social justice and social enterprise and how we can benefit from a new economic model. I'll have to search out case studies and do a whack of interviewing for this.

    7. Hello Tom. So great to have joined you. Published a children's ebook on Amazon about one month ago. It has received 20 five stars reviews and two four stars. But sales disastrous, next to nothing. Have reached number one ranking on its category on Amazon.com.uk and recently number 7 on Amazon.com but ranking changes a lot, have fiddled with keywords to no end, exhausting. Tried to buil email list got 4 names so far! Don't really have a marketing strategy. But greatest insight from lesson one is to learn from people who know what they are doing. I think I have a good book just don't know how to get in front of the right people.Very keen to learn. Cheers. Yara

      1. Yara, thanks for joining! I think you will get a LOT out of this course, especially since you've already had decent success in the Amazon bookstore (the strategies here should 10x your results)

    8. My research focuses on how people LEARN how to negotiate Herculean tasks, i.e. the Ironman triathlon. I am going to write a book to educate people how to follow this process.

    9. Dude, Tom, I love your email funnel.

      The way you link to a bite-sized blog post, rather than one of those 50+ page ebooklets that nobody ever reads. And the way you build up the next installment, making people eager to open your next email.

      It's all totally epic.

      I've recently been working on building my own email funnel, and I'll definitely be taking a page out of your book, so to speak. 😉

      Thanks, my man, for this awesome post.

      Keep rockin' it!

      1. Mark, sincerely appreciate the kind words. This stuff takes a ridiculous amount of time to put together, but it's worth it...plus I prefer the interactive nature of courses over ebooks ;D

    10. Tom, I'm just published my second book on amazon, Yanks in the Outback! about my time a a young AF officer stationed in outback Australia during the First Gulf War. My first book, Working my BUT off! is about my journey from the JOB world to financial independence via property investing; published Jan 2014.

      The idea that struck me most in lesson one is "letting people decide what to pay." I discovered this aspect of human nature - where people tend to give more when you let them decide - when I was heading up the CFC (Federal Gov donations drive) as a 2nd LT. I told my team to approach everyone personally and ask them if they'd like to give; no pressure/discussion of amount. We blew the $$$ goal off the map. The General at Lowry was flabbergasted; he couldn't believe it. The year before, he was strong arming everyone into giving and they couldn't reach the goal. I was very concerned that we wouldn't hit the goal and was preparing for a chewing out by the general. But, my quite accidental strategy worked. So I'm on-board with your concept of letting people make the decision on how much to pay.

      1. Dave, I love that story. I'm going to be showcasing several PWYW case study success stories in the near future and would love to highlight your work. Just shoot me an email and I'll send you a questionnaire if you're interested 😀

        Hope you love the rest of the training!

    11. Hai Tom, i have had each time postponed my calling. I know i want to go Creative . I started on the Biography of my girlfriend who is an Artist . The Book is about THE Story of a Young Lady Who neiherVisited nor StudiedArtwork , Turned out to be a GREAT Artist, whose style of Art carries a deep rooted AfricanAccent.

      I am so pleased with your lessons, my Problem is that i have no blog ,no audience and i do not know how to go about this. Will Need help and encouragement to be successful.

      looking Forward to Hearing from you. Thanks once more.

    12. Hi Mark,

      I'm really enjoying your bite-sized course morsels that are easy to fit into a day. Between writing, parenting, life, the universe and everything it's hard to find time for professional development.
      My older daughter and I write sci-fi and fantasy. We've self-published three books and are 51,000 words into number four. It's a heck of a ride and we're loving it!
      Our two goals are to write kick-ass books that make a reader run round the room with his hair on fire and to earn enough money to support ourselves while doing this.
      We pursue these goals by learning through experience (write, write, write some more, then publish) and by studying. Your course is perfect for learning more about marketing our work.
      We're both rather shy and our marketing is sad to non-existent. We really need to up-skill here - so thanks for your help.
      Our penname is a combination of our middle names - Casey Lea. (Lea is pronounced Lee). The books we've got out are IceFlight, Frostbite and Love Struck.

      Best wishes,
      Shelley.

      1. Shelley, this is awesome. Do you guys have a website?? You really should - a place where people can come and find out about you (as much as you choose to share), read your books, read what OTHERS are saying about your books, etc. Sounds like you guys are doing it right...now it's time to up the ante w/ some marketing 😀

    13. Hi, Tom: I'm writing a spiritual-fantasy-thriller-novel, modeled after Dan Brown's "Deception Point". I've read a lot of plans for launching and selling books already, but haven't found one I really like or think I could actually do. Hope to find out more in Lesson 2! Patricia

      1. Patricia, awesome! I **HOPE** this one helps...it's definitely geared toward nonfiction as that's what I primarily work with, but my hope is you'll see that the fundamentals are the same (finding and connecting with your target readership wherever they are). Looking forward to your thoughts 🙂

    14. I am in the process of self-publishing my first novel, 'AMERICAN FEMALE: a true tale of adventure'. It takes place around the globe and is best described as 'Devil Wears Prada' meets 'Eat Pray Love' while 'On the Road'.
      My biggest insight from today's lesson is the fact that I can build an email list even though I may not have one right now. I am working towards it but definitely need to focus attention in that area.
      I am incredibly excited to publish my book and make it a bestseller! Sharing my story via AMERICAN FEMALE is my passion and I can't wait to publish the Next Great American Novel! Thanks for all of your help. Looking forward to the next lesson.

    15. Greetings Tom,

      Thank you for the golden nuggets.

      I'm a four times published fiction author. My novels were published with a major publishing company. Now it's my desire to self-publish both fiction/non-fiction. My first project is a book to supplement my Coaching/Counseling business.
      From lesson one I'm now convinced with the right strategy I too can become a best-selling author!

    16. I am writing a How to book about creating a business model based on what you love to do. Example I am into Prepping and have helped create a magazine, Podcast, website, videos and also go to Preparedness expos. The book will be a guide on how I set the business up and how I am going about improving it. Am interested in your input on if I should break the book into different books (Example how to setup podcasts on the subject you love) versus one large book. Kind of a guide on how to write your business plan. I would say I am 40% of where I want to be with this business model. The other model I am working on is a website based on Non-Profits and businesses which focus on helping Veterans, think a Google for Veterans looking for help in all areas of life.
      What I learned:
      That there are other Veterans out there pursing their dream of being a writer. That I should go for it and maximize networking with people like you.

      1. It's tough to say....depends if you have enough content to warrant multiple books. dig through the rest of this program and make sure to do your own book marketing canvas - that will help you get clarity.

    17. Hi Tom,
      I'm writing a non-fiction book about how people (specifically women for this book) can acknowledge some struggles and battles they have in the workplace and replace the "boulder-sized" chip on their shoulder with a more positive attitude first about themselves, realize they do have choices and then change the lens through which they see the world. One example (might seem a bit silly) is I woke up one day in my corporate job and saw that I had what felt like lead boots on my feet - I felt stuck, trapped, etc. It was that day when I realized that I could change my "shoes" or my outlook and attitude about myself, recognize my accomplishments to date and essentially build the shoes I wanted to wear, that fit my personality and style and comfort - and not be trapped in the ones I always felt I had to fight for.

      I have taken away many lessons - not only from this first post but also from your interview on the AuthConf (which is where I found you) and mostly just that it's possible. So thank you!

      With a Smile,

      Amy

    18. Writing a series of books about addiction specifically alcoholism, how to recognise it, how to deal with a relative who has it, How to get sober, How to dtay sober , How to rebuild your life.etc
      I'm in recovery and have been a few years - so sharing my experience and showing others that there are many ways to do so and the rewards you can have.

    19. I'm writing what will be YA Space Opera. I cut my teeth on E.E. "Doc" Smith and other classic Sci-Fi masters, and I wanted to bring that sort sort of book to today's readers. I'm trying to keep careful track of the details an author needs to keep track of, but a casual reader needs to see; like the full list of characters, glossary, settings index, etc. In any work that gets a lot of interest that sort of reference is eventually released, but if someone is interested in my book, at the end I could put in a link where they could poke around these lists, and make them available to the obsessive types.

    20. Hi Tom,
      Thank you so much for developing this course and sharing it with us! I have always wanted to write books (for years), and just recently took some action and wrote a rough draft. It's a how to for job searching. I started with a topic I am very familiar with and thought I could publish fairly quickly through KDP. But I have hit a road block. I am stuck at needing to add some more content, then get it proofread and edited and a cover created. This is all new to me, and now I am doubting myself. Is the book good enough? Will anyone want to read this? I have no support on this journey, either. I'm doing it all on my own! One of the reasons I signed up for the class is to hopefully gain momentum once again, and learn more about what I can do to make it a success. This is only the beginning for me. I have a ton of books in my head that I know I just need to write!

    21. Hi Tom
      Thanks for sharing such insight with us. I would love to publish my book with your company, but right now i have not started writing anything. But i would love to write on any topic related to share market, bach flower remedy, children - parent relations, etc. I am planning to write my first book on options trading. i also don't have any list.
      Thanks again

    22. Hi Tom, I'm writing a biography about a pilots life - a look behind the scenes if you like. I'm just about to publish, so your course has come along at the right time. Looking forward to working through it.

    23. Hi,
      I am a swedish Writer writing science fiction, fantasy and horror. I've published six books and participated in six anthologies (one in english Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep).
      I am citronklyfta working on an urban fantasy taking place in the swedish city Jönköping.
      I want to take my sales to the next lever. Today's insight is that it is possible... 😉

    24. Hi Tom,
      I'm writing a metaphysical thriller, in 2 parts. I am also starting of with a small audience and am doing the best I can to learn how to launch these books so they become best sellers. The biggest thing I am learning is that it definitely is not enough to just hit 'publish' and hope for the best!

    25. Write Action/Adventure - Marcus Wrath a cross between James Bond and the American Warlock. Merlin the Director of NOLE, sends in his top problem solver Marcus Wrath on heart pounding adventures. Only the POTUS knows of this clandestine agency's existence. Wrote three books. http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Andersen/e/B0120IKLHQ/ No reviews, no purchases, they just download for free. Merlin 2035 a crazed specter taking over the world, 68 free downloads. Giganteus Rex as in Octopus Giganteus Rex, the three demons of chaos, Leviathan, Behemoth and Ziz, the worst sea monster in history. The third book, Merlin's Wish, Wrath is infected with evil cells converting to the Essence of all Evil and he fights the Marquis of Hell. Also wrote four shorts pieces which point to the three novels. Giganteus Rex, 22 downloads free and no reviews. One single five star review on Goodreads from a reader on a alpaca farm in Texas. ARRRRGH! Do my works suck? Booklife refused a review. They must suck..... http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Andersen/e/B0120IKLHQ/

      Thanks for reading.
      Lee

    26. Hi Tom!

      Thanks for lesson 1. I have published some short stories online and in several group anthologies, and am currently editing a novel. My fiction covers a wide range from stories about families, growth, overcoming adversity, etc. and are written in various settings including low-fantasy, contemporary, historical etc.

      The first lesson made me wonder if the plan was centered on non-fiction and/or self-help books, or if it worked with fiction as well. What I took away from it was that I have loads to learn.

      I tend to shy away from marketing and sales, which is a problem. I write because I love getting the story down and then shaping it into something with something to say. I sort of wish that was all I had to do, and a fairy godparent would take care of all the other business: marketing, sales, distribution, etc. Maybe you and this course will turn into my new fairy godparent.

    27. Hi Tom,

      Thanks for letting me in on your course, and I am looking forward to learn and implement the lessons you will be providing.

      I have been planning to write a book for almost two years now but could never really get started just because of fear of rejection and uncertainty over what should be my first book.

      I have decided however, (and I am writing this at the penultimate week of 2015), that I will make 2016 my year. My first book will be on personal development. It's working title is currently, "Believing Is Seeing: How You Can Achieve Whatever You Want By Seeing Yourself For What You Really Are"

    28. Hi Tom. Mine is a book on wellness. Not your traditional yo yo diet but how to truly get your weight and health under control.

      My biggest take away after today's lesson is that "I CAN DO THIS!" The stories you shared were inspirational. Looking forward to lesson 2.

      Crystal

    29. Hello Tom and everyone.
      I am very excited to start this course and I can already tell from just day one that I am going to learn a lot of valuable information. I am almost finish writing my book and in a way it is a self help book with a twist. Instead of a self help book that outlines how someone should do something it set up in a story type mode. Where fictional characters are the ones going through and dealing with issues.
      Today I learned some great ways to market my book. These ways were something I never knew of and never even though of. Thank you so much for putting together this course!

    30. Hello! I'm a clinical psychologist writing a book about eating disorder recovery, my area of specialization. The book is already written. Now, I'm trying to be smart about the launch which I hope to do this summer.

      My biggest takeaway from the lesson is that there are actual strategies to use that can help you book to rank as a bestseller in its category rather than the spaghetti method of throwing all possible marketing techniques out into the world and seeing what sticks.

    31. Hello...!the book i want to write is an(Avanture Book)in french languge.
      And so happy for your cours.it's verry interesting for me and other one to be with you.you are helping poor peoples to get money,and makes there lifes betters.

    32. Hi Tom,
      Awesome info!
      I am working on a book that is about un blocking your blessings.
      I just became certified as an advanced law of attraction coach. I plan to use this short book to launch a program / course.
      I also have 3 young adult romance books coming out from Tate Publishing and just finished a Children's book.
      Very excited to have found you!
      Sara

    33. Let me start with a "Thank you" for your service. Next, thank you for your response to me earlier regarding, "start writing". I'm a creative and that's been something that has both served me well, and been my Achilles heel at times (lots of ideas).

      What I am working on are three things: (1) a children's book that I have been working on with my grandchildren, 4, 7, and 8 yrs., researching, taking notes and laughing my head off because they are too much. (2) writing about Surviving a stroke in 2014 and the importance of giving ourselves self care in and through adversity. (3) Decision Making for parents of adult children who aren't making good ones.

      AND....there is my background working over 25+ yrs. in the nonprofit arena (12 1/2 yrs. in one and 13 1/2 with a faith based nonprofit). See, Achilles heel.

      What I got out of today's session, is encouragement and growing belief that I can do this. I'm eager to try.

      Bea Smith

    34. 1. I'm working on a series of Kindle books that brings Content Marketing tools and strategies to HR.

      2. Kindle self-publishing is still a viable source of income.

    35. Have self-published 3 of a 4-novel series over last three years as both e-book and paperback. A family and friendship saga involving five generations over the twentieth century. Includes humanitarian aid work in South Sudan. Fourth book not started. Low sales, few reviews, no proper email list.
      Insight - need to carve out time from caring commitments to invest in learning about promotion, marketing etc.

    36. Hi Tom. I am working on children's books at the moment with other ideas in the pipeline. I am one of those people who has always written a bit and wanted to write 'properly' and publish, but has somehow never done it! I have got myself in gear due to a particular pressing need - for decent books for my little one. New to all this, especially the marketing side, so any advice and info is welcome. I take away from your first lesson, and discussing with other writers recently, including the one who recommended this course, that it is a realistic prospect to self publish and find readers. When I started looking into it properly I wasn't really expecting it to be as do-able as it seems to be. I know that huge success isn't guaranteed at all but there is more potential there than I realised. I was thinking I might just produce something for family and friends without realising that even unknowns can reach out to readers these days. I feel I can't lose really as my main motivation is to give some of the books to my little one that I think she would like, needs and deserves - having found them a bit thin on the ground. So, I suppose if she doesn't take to them I have still at least fulfilled the ambition of completing and publishing books. If she does like them then that is the main priority taken care of and a real result. If other kids and parents like them then that is a great bonus, for satisfaction and for the bank balance. If it helps me provide for the family in any way of course that will be welcome. Looking forward to hearing more from you.

    37. Above is my third book and my best friend tells me I still need to write better and I'm still trying.
      Felt I have to get a better book before doing what I have been trying to learn at same time, learn to market, since I am retired and have to live on Social Security.
      The Book Title I'm working on now is "God is Mother as Well as Father".
      Looking for a Publisher or Agent who sees the value for all of us to support God's Word of "Equality", given to me over 40 years ago.

      We are coming out of an unbalanced primarily male-only rule and control, that has kept us in one war after another for hundreds, thousands of years.
      Yet God is our Mother as well as Father, most Theologians and Pastors will admit if asked!
      For what is a Father without a Mother?
      Our world needs this "Equality" or equal respect of both, for the raising of children, and for the best kind of relationship towards each other.
      An unabridged Webster College Dictionary will define "Father" when used for God, includes the female qualities of Mother.

      In Scriptures, such stories as "Genesis"="Our Beginnings" says both male and female are created in The Image of God according to two of the three collected, orally told stories at campfires of desert tribesmen, found in Genesis chapters 1:27 and 5:1, written between 1000-500 BC as the Book of Genesis was finalized by scribes on scrolls.
      The second story in Genesis is not a Priestly version but a different tribes story that starts in Ch. 2:4 after ~or with a similar ~ sign of starting a new story, in most translated versions.
      This one is a different or parable kind of a story, of an evil talking snake with a reverse order of creation that also separates it from being the same as the other two stories where both male and female were created in God's Image.
      Other descriptions of the feminine nature of God can also be found in both The Old and the New Testaments, or the Jewish and Christian Covenants of the Bible.
      The word Jesus used for God "ABBA" as well as male pronouns were translated from the originals into patriarchal translations, as just "Father" yet means "Heavenly Parent" and includes the Mother, and misleads many!
      Maybe being the purpose, certainly the result of patriarchal language and another reason an inclusive non-sexist translation of Scriptures are needed!
      "AB"=Dad, "BA"=Mom, in the language of Jesus time. Yet after a lifetime of sermons, I did not find this out until being led by God to live for seven months in the Old City of Jerusalem and finding a room I could afford across an alley from the Armenian Monastery Library where they have some of the original dictionaries, from those times.
      Where a kind Librarian would help me understand the word Jesus used for God, "ABBA" includes the female nature, as humans have all been created in God's Image, this makes sense, since we all have both male and female hormones and even equivalent physical components, all much more alike than we are different.
      Viva our differences!
      We need to know and use inclusive language that includes the female half of God's nature or these male only words will continue to be misunderstood and misused by negative forces, to keep the female half in inequality, and our world unbalanced by wars, greed, and selfishness from a belief in inequality, favoring "might makes right" by males's more aggressive nature.
      This is not right or good, unless you want nuclear wars and terrorism having as long as 4-500 years left before the potential prophetic times for evil to end in this world, according to the third and last vision of St. John in Revelations Chapters 12-22.
      One of the main reasons for Prophecy given is to change the worse from happening, possible only by working with God. Creating Equality or Equal Rights, Opportunity, Equal Respect even for your enemies is one of the few ways to Love One Another, or to practice not just believe in, The Golden Rule of treating all others equally fair and just!
      Scriptures have been patriarchally translated from those original ones inspired by God, by males in control maybe partly to keep their control of religion and politics, and continue to perpetuate a false worship of God as male only. One of the original sins of Idolatry!
      This has kept females in an unequal bondage for 5000 years that hurts all in so many ways, even those who enslave, as well as perpetuating this sin of Idolatry, of a limited definition of God, and the worship of a false Image of God.
      In 1965 the largest group of Christians Bishops and Theologians, met in Rome at Vatican II, to listen to God's Holy Spirit speak to The Church, to help bring us closer to the fullness of Truth for our times, as Jesus taught those who would follow God's Holy Spirit to do.
      During their five years of asking for God's Will, they concluded in Vatican II's Pastoral Constitution Article 29 + others in similar places such passages, to help end inequality:
      "It is not God's Will that there be any more discrimination in regards to race or sex...within the Church".
      Vatican Councils are meant to be the basis of the canon law of the Church, these happen only about every 100 years.

      There is an alloted time for evil in our world. How much power he exerts in the world is determined by how much information such as this is known, and the people's Will, God given Free Will, to be free of evil control! For God is always willing to help us but only if we are willing to walk with God's Hand in ours, and be guided by God's Holy Spirit.
      It must be our daily choice to trust in God's most righteous way and for our only hope for eternal life. We are but dust until and without God's Breath of life!
      Yet the first elected Pope after this last Vatican II, John Paul I, died after only one month in office, and only three days after promising over 100 Religious Women, who had come to Rome to ask him to end discrimination for the female half, after learning of Vatican II's Pastoral Constitution and he told them he would do what he could for their equal rights in the Church, as well as look into the Vatican bank suspected mismanagement. This only three days before his untimely death!
      At the time this was unknown to me, being raised a Protestant since my Mothers womb I had not even heard about Vatican II, and only many years later felt God wanting me to learn more about the Catholic Church, even to later join in 1976, this largest group of Christians, who call themselves Catholic meaning Universal Christians, or followers of Christ, which I felt a part of in that regard, after five years converted and later began to pray and fast for, as well as with them.
      Yet it was ten years after Vatican II, before God gave me the word of "Equality". The Word was clearly heard while experiencing the Presence of God, for only the second time as an obvious experience of God, 25 years after the first time when I had seen The Hand of God, at only 5 years old. Such experiences are as real as any and more so, as they remain vivid in one's memory, quite a surprise Birthday present that was!
      I think, it was so I would never consider it being from any merit of my own, and even now recalling it so many years later, still puts the awe of God within me.
      This second time, so many years later when again felt the unmistakable presence of God, and heard distinctly the one word of "Equality" but not until after much praying for this Spiritual "Rebirth", Jesus taught we would need to enter heaven here, as well as after this life, by repenting and rededicating myself to doing God's Will instead of just my own, for in comparison ours is usually more selfish, and not as knowable as God's Better and more Loving Will is for All, and we in this physical state will easily choose if not committed, and why we need to daily seek God's Better Will.
      In the forty years since trying to do God's Will for "Equality", I have been led to witness 3 times, for three months in Rome, to the first two Popes after the untimely death of Pope John I in person, and by mail to our now Pope Francis, about the unbalanced nature of our world, because of The Church continuing in inequality and discrimination to the female half of God's Image against God's Will.
      The last time of being able to go to Rome was in 2012, but God has not led me to go since, and I have not felt strong enough yet, still I would like to go one more time to stand again at the fountain under the Pope's Office in St. Peter's Square, to pray and say the Rosary for "Equality".
      Not only did Moses see God's Hand, but also it was seen in Daniel's time and over 200 times have I counted The Hand of God mentioned in the Bible, when God chose to act in our world, to help stop so many evils.
      Now I think God wants to help us in such as our present Inequality, the discriminations against the female half, and the idolatry of worshiping a false image of God as male only, still so prevalent in our world.
      Those of you who can hear or listen to God's Holy Spirit need to confirm for yourself, and to learn God's Will for you being here at this time, even being the one reading this. You do have a Godly purpose and you will be used by the forces of good or evil!
      I can only pray you will use God's Goodness that wants to live within you, for not just self, but for the good of all.
      After doing Peace Vigils and Marches, since Viet Nam days with only 8-10 people sometimes, it was so thrilling to get to see Jan. 20th 2017 the thousands who walked across the Cumberland River Bridge, for Equal Rights, Peace, and Goodwill, to be able to march with them non-violently For Peace and Joyfully walking up 2nd Ave. here in my homestate of Tennessee. So many women, children, and many men too, who joined as one, to help end inequality.
      May God give you too the courage you need to witness for and help Equal Rights and Respect, to work for International Laws of "Peace and Goodwill" needed in our world, rather than more destruction, we are surely headed for, without laws to benefit all the people, rather than the gods of profits and those few who follow them, who have in the past used force and violence to enslave many people, physically and economic poverty in this country, and still do in some other countries.
      May God's Holy Spirit be with you daily, for Peace, and Joy within,
      as well as without!

      Betty C. Dudney
      email: equality4peace@yahoo.com

    38. Hi Tom,

      I've been writing erotica in my spare time for 3 years now but stopped completely in the past year. I got 100 short stories which I have made into collections. I sell through osmora.com a distributor in Canada. My main objective is to learn your techniques and start writing full-time. For three years I have managed only about $2,500. Since I began writing full-time I got 23 fresh new novella I've written waiting to launch. I can't wait for lesson number two.
      Thanks

      Jasper.

  2. Nearly finished a ebook on combining kettlebells and paleo for results. I've previously written a book a kettlebells which still has consistent sales ($50/mth) and a book and sleep hacking which did well off the launch but has died off slowly 6 months on. I was interested by your ability to maintain sales over time with your book; The Complete Guide to Pay What You Want Pricing. Looking forward to the next lesson.

    1. Awesome Fergus. Honestly, for books on those topics, robots will help a lot....what I mean by that is - you should seriously consider setting up an automated sales funnel on both topics. Those are evergreen subjects and lend themselves to an automated sales funnel (which is what I did with PWYW pricing and continues to generate about $100 a week).

  3. I'm working on a book about Kindle Gold Rush. I want to teach readers how to avoid shoddy content publishers on Amazon.

    My biggest take-away: not anyone could have made those 4 Massive Launches. They all were entrepreneurs with existing audience (if not list) and years of experience which were distilled into a book. That's some substance.
    That doesn't apply to ordinary mortals. I hadn't have that when I started on Kindle.
    I'm more impressed by your launches Tom, you've started from the rock bottom.

    1. Michal, always appreciate your no punches pulled commentary 🙂

      It's true, pretty much everyone I've worked with has had some traction before they started (some much more than others)...but I think anyone with a compelling background can generate similar results. It's simply a matter of storytelling, packaging, and promotion (and trust / time is an important element of building ANY kind of platform).

      Looking forward to your feedback as you make it through the course 🙂

  4. Hi Tom,
    First, thanks for your service! Also, thank you for this course, I am certain it's going to be immensely helpful. My latest book launches in about 24 hours it's a step by step guide on how indie authors can format their own books for Kindle.
    I also have fiction books that I am going to re-launch in the coming months with some of the strategies I've learned in the last few months and (I'm sure) the ones I'm going to learn from you. Thank you again, and all the best.

    1. Hugh, great stuff!

      Sounds like you won't be able to finish the course before this new book launches, but I hope it helps with your others (and any relaunches you do).

  5. Hi Tom,

    Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. The working title of my book is ''How To Never Pay For A Parking Ticket'' . In the book I am sharing my knowledge and experience of how I avoided paying for 27 parking tickets. I hope people can learn from my experience and avoid paying for their parking tickets.
    My biggest insight in today's lesson is marketing , how to market the book without a list.

    Kind regards

    1. Ade, that sounds pretty stellar. Can I buy and advance copy?! 🙂

      I think you'll have the most success publishing a book like that from your personal platform, because I'm sure MANY people would pay $50 - $100 for a guide that got them out of paying for a $500 ticket (California....ugh).

      Excited for you to go through this course and to see where it takes you 🙂

    1. Derek, I love your work man. Humbled that you're taking my little course when you've already done so much great work. Looking forward to your feedback as we go through it!

  6. Tom,
    Nice to meet a fellow Army officer. I've published dozens of books but I'm always open to learning new things and the crowdsourcing aspect is intriguing. I'm working right now on a book that tells the tale of the 99 cent book revolution (and, more broadly, how cheap books are revolutionizing the way we read). I hope to use the book to launch my dollarbooks.net site.
    George

    1. George, what's going on? Haha, always great to connect with other vets doing big things. I'm going to be digging into your website here...I think we could synergize (do people still use that term?) in big ways.

      Keep me posted on what you think of the course - always looking for feedback to improve what I create 🙂

      1. I think "synergize" is an Army term!

        Stoked about the lessons and today's lesson was VERY valuable in terms of the structure for book writing. We (my business partner Jason Jordan and I) wrote the #1 Amazon BestSeller "How To Write A Book" and your lesson is very complementary to our book. Kudos to you for the color-coded file to help people out--its awesome! You're probably covering this in the future lessons, but overcoming the traditional stumbling blocks with writing (writer's block, etc) is key; our book focuses on those aspects and people have given solid feedback that our strategies are helpful.

        I have a fair number of people that come to my Gutenberg Reloaded website (we are a small publishing company too) and they don't know how to launch their book--this could be a "synergize" moment perhaps?

  7. I've written a few books on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Food Therapy and am thinking of ways to improve them. Hope to making at least one book to best sellers this month with your methods.

    And I'm currently writing another book on fermented foods. Aim to launch the book this month as well.

    I am committed to writing health-eating-related books this year;)

    Look forward to what's coming up!

    1. Tracy, awesome!

      I think you're going to get a lot of value out of this course because your subject matter mirrors a lot of the launches that I've done up to this point (nonfiction / how-to ish).

      As you go through the course, make sure to do the homework every day - since you're so close to a launch, I'm excited to see what this course can do for you 🙂

  8. Hi, Tom, I've spoken with you previously when I was just beginning to consider leaving the traditional route after 13 years. The traditional route has warranted three published books, four contest winnings, some articles and newsletters. I write, because it’s my passion, and I want to inspire others; however, it is a catch 22 when you do not ‘monetize’ on it, as that day (and night) job is still required to pay the bills, leaving very little time for writing. For the past year, for the first time, I have not held another job, and what I found was, in 10 months’ time, I’ve written, edited, and finalized 6 novels. I have five more in the works. That’s not counting the ideas I have. Where are they sitting but in dozens and dozens of agents’ inboxes. I can’t count on two hands how many have told me they are interested in my work, BUT their workload is so significant they can’t take on any new clients. I’ve been doing a substantial amount of research and reading, as of late. My biggest insight from today’s lesson is that I’ve been slaving away for 13 years, for what? For a traditional publishing industry that is overwhelmed with . . . publishing the same stuff over and over and over again, because once-upon-a-time they made money off of it? I am now ready to board the train to publishing in the 21st century. I am ready to listen and to learn and finally to do. Thank you for everything you do.

    1. Bam. Great stuff Almondie - that means a lot.

      For the record, I think there is still value in traditional publishing, but not for the reasons that most people attribute to it (like the myth that a traditional publisher will actually get your book sold, for example).

      Excited for you to go through this course and to get your feedback as you go...happy to help in any way I can.

      Also excited for you to get those 6 novels out!

      Let me know if I can help with that in any way 😀

  9. Hey Tom, I'm really enjoying what you're writing here! I'm currently working on two book projects, one a non-fiction collaboration about the fear of starting as an entrepreneur and the other is a fiction collaboration about a teen witch who is the last white witch set 100 years in the future, it's going to be a YA novella! Both are very different and both just as exciting! I'm keen to hear more about your strategy!

    1. Awesome Lise, love it.

      Definitely scope out tomorrow's lesson where we'll dig into The Book Marketing Canvas (I think you'll find a LOT of value in this for both collaborations!)

  10. Another brilliant article Tom! I have recently published my first Amazon book (massive learning curve), and I am currently writing the next book in the 3-part series on holistic healing. I am still unsure as to whether this was the right launch platform or something else? There are so many ways to publish a book these days, I would love to know which avenue suits each case.

  11. Thanks for putting this together Tom!

    Right now I'm currently working on a book for husbands who want to take responsibility for improving their marriages.

    Husband On Purpose: a 30 Day Action Plan to Become a Better Man and Build a Marriage Your Wife Wants

    The biggest insight for me today was you were able to take David's list from 0 to 300+ in 30 days and his book to a #1 seller. I'm interested to learn about the strategies used in that scenario along with all the other case studies you mentioned above.

    Looking forward to learning more!

    1. Great stuff Conrad. And thanks for the feedback re: David's list. I will definitely make sure to add this to one of the lessons as I know this is something a lot of new writers struggle with.

      But just to answer your question briefly here - David made his email optin bribe a free copy of his book (when it launches). We did an Amazon promotion giveaway ANYWAY, so this was a brilliant technique to go from 0 to 300 relatively quickly (promoting the free promo on his Udemy course and other areas where he was active).

  12. I'm working on a sci-fi thriller that is 20 years in the making. My current project at work is basically babysitting, so if I can limit my procrastinating, I should be able to get the draft finished by the end of the month. If not, I'm giving myself a hard deadline of by the time my first child is born in early July.
    Monetizing books is one of those things that I feel is a non-fiction thing as opposed to fiction. IF I develop a cult following, merchandizing is a distinct possibility (goodness knows my wife has spent enough money on Dr Who and Game of Thrones merch), so I'm keeping the idea on my back pocket but I'm not counting on it.

    1. Edward, a few ways to monetize include:
      1. book sales (of course)
      2. royalties for merchandizing (like you mentioned) or movies / tv shows / etc.
      3. sponsors (this might not be viable in the first book you launch, but if you build a platform around your work, you could very well sponsor individual books)
      4. affiliates (perhaps you can sell other books or products or services, or make your book an affiliate product, and let OTHERS sell it)

      Those are just a few ways to make money off of a book.

      I think the important thing is to start asking the question - beyond selling books, how can I profit off of this?

      (although the first question should definitely be - how do I write a great book and get it into as many hands as possible)

  13. I'm on the fence between two projects, bouncing back and forth--which means nothing really gets done. In one corner, I have a YA fantasy book that was rewritten during NaNoWriMo and needs extensive edits. In the other corner, transcripts from a workshop I did on the publishing process that are begging to be edited.

    I publish other peoples' books for a living (both as a publisher and freelance consultant), but can't seem to get my act together to publish my own work.

    The biggest insight for me is that while I "know" these things are possible, I really need to "see" them and approach my projects with a beginner's mind. That I, the publishing pro, might need help.

    The 80+ books I've already pubbed (and my ego) are getting in my way.

  14. Thanks for the course Tom.

    Right now I'm working on several different ideas and using my blog as a testing ground. I'm looking into writing about dealing with and overcoming distraction, or how leadership principles can be applied within the family.

    My biggest insight from today's lesson is how you were able to launch with virtually no audience or list. I'm excited about this possibility.

  15. Hey Tom! I'm grateful to have stumbled upon you via Lisa Stiefel! I'm energized by your perspective and work that you present here! I don't consider myself to be an author but have found myself in the position of a few writing projects (I made an eWorkbook out of one of my online workshops, I'm working on a guidebook about art collaboration with another artist, I was invited to write a chapter for a book that will be published in the UK called "Demanufacturing Education" and I have this nagging thought that perhaps I need to write a lifestyle book about self-agency, system dependency and freedom (something like that, I don't even know what's emerging). It seems very clear to me that writing is part of my picture even though I don't feel like it comes naturally or even that I have a lot to say. Would you recommend a writing coach? Or do you think that just by being open to what seems to be coming and to continue to meet it along the road that I can flow with it and make it smoother than it feels? Thanks Tom ... will be working with the Canvas tool today. Best to you!

  16. Hey Tom, how r ya buddy?

    This was an awesome intro.. You have really kicks some amazing goals wit h your approach.. Very excited to be working on my book "Authority Marketing" with you.

    Excellent value your providing here my friend.. Sensational..

    Josh

  17. Thanks Tom, this is great. Something I've need as I recently realize that writing is the scariest thing I've been avoiding to do for a long time.

    I've started working on a couple ideas based around what I already do. I help people take their ideas and make them a reality. I start a lot of side projects. I also have some short stories partly developed.

    Really looking forward to going through this as I know it will help me launch my own things plus those who I help.

  18. Hi Tom,

    I LOVE your writing style! Thanks for creating and offering this awesome course.
    I wish I had known about you when I wrote and self published my first book in 2013!
    I did run a successful crowd funding campaign to get it published after a 40 day online experiment, which was based on pay what you want. The result: Money and Miracles - 40 Days to the perfect relationship between who you are and what you make.
    I'm coauthor in 'Inspiration for a Woman's Soul: Choosing Happiness' and that became international bestseller in Feb this year. Seeing how much was going on behind the scenes, I am really looking forward to the rest of your course to discover how to get my next book to bestseller as well. Yay!
    Will you cover self publishing and publisher options including your own?

    joyful blessings, Tina

    1. Tina - THANK YOU ;D

      Love hearing about your success...excited for your next book launch (hopefully this course helps!)

      I don't actually talk about my publishing company's services in this training...just the techniques and strategies we use to sell books. If you're interested though, shoot me an email!!

  19. Hi, Tom.
    I am rewriting a chrime/action-book, written in Norwegian.

    The publishing houses did not want it in its original incarnation. Yet, nearly 20 Norwegian Mensans loved the book when I let them read it.

    I am also working on a TV-script for a chrime-series. It will be dark and bloody.

    Regards,
    Haakon

    1. I have zero idea about the Norwegian book market, but love that you're doing this (as I can only imagine there is quite a bit LESS competition there than in the english speaking world).

      Let me know what questions you have as you go through the course!

  20. Hi Tom,

    I have dozens of ideas. I have always wanted to be a writer/author because I always feel this great need to let out the ideas in my head. Of course I hope that my books does not fade away without ever reaching their readers.

    Here are some of the ideas,
    > Outsmart the Inner Critic - To make your inner critic a friend rather than a foe.
    > Hindsight is Always 20-20. Great! - Cases studies of successes and failures
    > My Strength is Laziness - Why is it good to be lazy?
    > An Affirmation A Day Keeps the Doctor Away
    > Storytelling My Way to Success
    > Talk Yourself into Confidence - Step by step pivoting to move into positivity
    > The Reluctant Manager - Introvert's way to leadership
    > Keep Calm and Love Anyway - How to stay loving in a crazy world
    > Find Your Center - Discover Your Own Lighthouse
    > Self Help to Self Help - Know Yourself and Find What You Need
    > De-construct Your Limiting Beliefs
    > Read Between the Lines - How Marketing Influences You
    ...

    These are just some of the ideas I have in mind.

    The feeling I have after reading your article...
    I believe all is true and achievable yet there's still a nagging voice inside of me saying, "Yeah, but not for you!"
    The major problems I have is that I still feel I have nothing to show to be the 'authority' in above subjects. I know I'm a work-in-progress. Yet I also know my ideas are 'enough' to be published.

    Someday... soon... I'll have my books published.

    Thanks Tom.

    1. Victor - you want authority?

      Take it.

      Start a blog.

      Every item you listed could make a compelling blog post. Some of those blog posts could blow up (lots of sharing / comments), which would indicate which one to turn into a full book.

      Don't let fear of inexperience keep you from writing...you see how that downward spiral goes.

      Start today. Build your platform. Create your authority.

  21. Okay, I'm turning this into a commitment right now, Tom!

    I am writing the Parent Entrepreneur Power series. This will be a 3 book series with all the info for parents to power their entrepreneurial life.

    I have the outline for the series, now I will commit to the writing of the first book.

    Here we go....

    Thanks a bunch for being in the right place at the right time to help me act!

  22. I am working on a book about personal and spiritual growth which I think could go the Pay What You Want route.

    One insight is that it can actually make money! he he

    The collaboration thing is awesome, I just put that down in my mind map of ideas for future projects, yay 😉

    Thanks.

  23. Hi Tom,

    I've written "Ayahuasca: An Executive's Enlightenment" and I'm now preparing to launch the crowdfunding campaign on Publishizer. Here's a quick overview:

    Deep in the Amazon jungle, Ayahuasca: An Executive’s Enlightenment chronicles a young man’s self-transcendence to become one with the Mother of the Rainforest and the creator of the universe.

    A successful advertising executive, Michael Sanders travels to Peru on a quest for clarity and enlightenment. He partakes in three shamanistic ceremonies with the psychedelic plant medicine known as Ayahuasca. What Michael experiences shatters the paradigm of reality in which he formerly operated, and opens his mind to new ways of thinking about life and the universe.

    Ayahuasca: An Executive's Enlightenment reveals what it's like to experience Ayahuasca, and inspires readers to unlock their potential and find enlightenment.

    An insight: that becoming a bestseller is perhaps even more attainable than I thought (I already thought of it as attainable, but I like the way you've communicated the idea).

    Thanks!

    1. Michael, well done on choosing Publishizer.com

      I couldn't have been happier with my results crowdfunding my last book.

      That's definitely a compelling book idea...been to Ecuador and the Amazon jungle and heard about these rituals but never partook. That said, I have heard some crazy stories and this seems like it could make for some compelling travel literature.

      Glad to have you join us! Keep me posted on the publishizer campaign and let me know if I can help

  24. Hi Tom,

    Unlike the others here I haven't started writing a book, but I still wanted to get on board with doing the homework.
    I want to start writing, not as a means to supporting or boosting another business, but as a business of its own. I tend to suffer from paralysis by analysis.

    My interest though is in writing a series on personal development, specifically belief and thought and their impact on how we feel about our lives.

    Thanks for this opportunity, I'm really looking forward to more!

    1. Mirella, you're in the perfect position.

      You should establish your author platform on this...start blogging about your ideas, which you can then turn into your first book (this is the BEST form of content marketing out there).

  25. Hi Mentor,
    Am a secret follower of your blog for awhile now and it has been exciting all the way. You are doing a great job, please keep it up.

    I have been working on four books for some time now, in the area of relationship and personal development but my day job as been delaying the process. I wish to be a full time Writer but am scared of giving up my job. The question of 'can I really make a living as a full time writer?' is the cause of my fears.

    Your post today is giving me hope to pursue my passion as a full time writer. Please I need more coaching from you in that line even as I stay glued to this course.

    Thank you.

    1. John, thanks for the kind words.

      Pay attention to this course - it will help you turn those books into the greatest success possible.

      That said - start slow!

      Start with one website, one blog post, and work your way to one book release. It takes time, but everything in life compounds (which is why you need to start today, not tomorrow).

  26. My first book on SEO is nearing completion, and I'm hoping to see it launch very soon! So many people are being ripped off by sleezy, black-hat marketing techniques and SEO firms that aren't doing a good job. And no wonder... Many think SEO requires a techy computer genius--which simply isn't true! My book (and eventually the course and website) will hopefully guide people through the SEO process using ethical ways to make their website standout.

    I'm excited to learn from your course, Tom, so I can achieve this goal!

  27. Tom,
    We've been down this road before and hopefully this is a kick in the pants for me. It's nuts. I'm as disciplined as they come but when it comes to LAUNCHING the series of books that I have in my head I always seem to hit the wall. Hopefully with some coaching from you but more importantly some decisive action from me we can get it done.

    I've always admired your spirit and focus. Nice kickboxing video too. I think both my sons trained at the same gym for their 2 week sleep/train program.
    My book title is : Uncover Your Better - 365 Simple and Small Daily Actions to live the best year of your life.

    I didn't really get any big insights from this first lesson but raring to go for lesson 2.

    Hope you and C are doing well.
    Best,
    Alan

  28. Hi Tom--

    Thanks for making this information available. It's great stuff.

    My book is a political parody, the fake memoirs of a major political player.

    The thing that stood out to me in this lesson was how resourceful you were, trying several different strategies with your book launches. You weren't boxed in to doing the same thing again and again.

    Thanks!

    Ilana

    1. Ilana - bingo. There are lots of ways to approach book publishing...but the fundamentals are the same (in other words - how do we get our book in the hands of readers who want it?...answer that question and you'll know how to launch a bestseller).

  29. I'm the last to arrive for the first day. Still, I am on the road. I have been blogging for nearly five years, and for most of that time, I have wanted to write a book about the core issue of my blog--the challenge of being a Christian in an increasingly secular world. I am in the second rewrite of my book "Thrive! Live Christian in a Secular World." Writing is a dream come true for me, but building a list, marketing and selling things simply does not come naturally. I tend to think people should just be looking for my book and find it on their own. Silly, of course. I'm gritting my teeth, because this is hard for me.

    1. Good stuff Katherine...if it seems like you shouldn't have to build an audience, just remember people like C.S. Lewis that did radio shows, newsletters, etc. to get the word out about his message when it was 100 times harder than it is today.

      If you have a message worth spreading, you'll need to find a way to spread it 🙂

  30. Oops. Biggest insight from today's lesson: I am not sitting on prime bookselling real estate. Self-help and motivation sell a lot better. That is fine with me. I can't be somebody else. I'll try to use the material in this class to have the best sales possible for my niche.

  31. My first foray into writing, Solar on my Roof, is an owners manual for rooftop solar.
    My current project is a series of LEGO construction projects. We have used LEGO very effectively to connect with children with autism spectrum disorders. These models are the results of these interactions and great tools for communication and expression.

    Insight from this Lesson: The reason I have come here is that my first book has had a very slow start, and I was hoping this series would release with more of a bang than a fizzle.
    Reading through this first lesson, I must admit to being a little underwhelmed as it seems all classical long copy, Internet entrepreneur, material, that has obviously worked well for others, but never revved my motor.
    I sincerely hope that you deliver and that this is not simply another auto-mailer, long copy based system.
    Make me a convert.

    1. Haha, well with expectations like that, how can I win here Albert?

      Stay open minded. Understand these strategies work for anyone willing to put in the hard work necessary to make them work. You may not enjoy implementing them - or you may even struggle implementing them - but that doesn't mean they don't work.

  32. I've done "traditional" publishing for two books and am now making plans to venture into the world of self-publishing. I've written, edited, edited, re-written, edited, reorganized, edited and sat on a book that began as a letter to my kids called "Listen Up Kids" that will be published (sometime) this year. I'm working on the final steps of copy editing now and working on a launch strategy as time allows. In the meantime, I have written two ebooks - one I am giving away currently and another I will be releasing for giveaway soon. Hoping these will help boost my subscriber base so I can have a great launch on this all all future books.

    1. Chad, great stuff. I recommend looking into using Noisetrade to release your book for free to get additional readers (on top of other channels you can tap into to get traffic and readers).

  33. I'm working on the launch of my third e-book in the "On RVing Time" Series - A Grand Mexico Tour - chronicling our journey from urbanites to full-time RVers. We turned our lives upside down, sold everything we owned and bought a forty-foot fifthwheel never having spent one night in a tent. Here's the link to my author central account on Amazon:. https://www.amazon.com/author/s.a.smith. I've stuck with KDP Select to this point.. What I've read sounds interesting . Writing the books was hard enough but from what I've read in Lesson 1, no one's making any money unless you figure out a unique marketing strategy. I'm looking to put my books in front of more readers and maybe get my books into print and audio. I'm looking forward to finding out more.

    1. Bingo Sharon. A lot of people try to "hack" Amazon and it just doesn't work that way. To make real money from publishing, you need to find your audience online and get your book in front of them...this course will help with that 🙂

  34. Hey Tom, I am launching my second book soon. I did no marketing at all with my first book and it still brings in a consistent $100 a month. So I am hoping that with a little more effort on my part the next one will be a hit.

    I am a physical therapist and write about issues relating to the spine. My newest book Neck Check will be coming out soon.

    Looking forward to any ideas you can provide
    Sean

    1. Sean, that is good for no marketing...WITH marketing you should multiply that by 5 to 10 per month.

      Glad you joined the free course - let me know if you have any questions ;D

  35. Hi Tom,
    I'm really enjoying your content as well as your enthusiasm. Wondering as I read this if I can apply it to the books I have out there. Would definitely love making the kind of money you say some are making.

    I wrote and self-published my memoir, Broken:A Story of Abuse and Survival.

    After that book, children's books started bubbling out of me. Emma's Wish, The Crooked House and Lulu's Lunch.

    The edge I have with the children's books is that they are illustrated by my daughter. I have two other books near ready to publish. They are poetry books. One is illustrated with Jessica's photography. It's called, Make Believe.

    The second book is illustrated with her ink drawings and it's called StoryLines.

    And I have a third book of poetry which is grief poetry.

    I'm already doing lesson two but I wanted to come back and do assignments as well. My poetry has been in stores since 1995. I have also published articles with Christianbiblestudies.com which is an affiliate of Christianity Today and Today's Christian woman. 42 published Bible studies and about 30 articles. So because I have a lot of areas, it's making it difficult for me to zero in and narrow it down. I am committed to doing this. I've been part of Jeff Goins' launch team, which is where you and I met. I am one of the TribeWriter pioneers, so I believe my writing content is good. Marketing, forget it.

    1. Yes you can market old books just a bit tougher bc you need a compelling story to get people to share (whereas a book launch is always compelling). As for your other books...I'd recommend hitting one at a time and growing your list as you go.

  36. I'm about 7,000 words into a memoir of my time as a rescue helicopter pilot in the Air Force, but my big idea is a personal finance book for junior officers, cadets and midshipmen. While it's a pretty specific niche, I have found a big need. As I've learned through years of conversations in the squadron bar, most have no idea what to do with their money, despite being better positioned to make big financial decisions than 99% of the population.

  37. Hi Tom,
    Me coming to your website I believe is serendipity. I would like to thank you for these precious resources. I wish to write a book on how one can automate his incomes without depending on a job. I know there are some awesome books written on this subject. I have been reading them. I wish to focus on something little bit different, and make my book reach everyone who has a desire to earn money. I self published my first short story on Amazon Kindle a few days back, to understand how the Amazon Ecosystem works. I am on a sabbatical and wish to make the best out of it, as I now have very less time left. I am a workaholic person, and I am ready to put 20 hour work days to make my dream come true. I want to touch the lives of people in some way and help them through the resources in my book. I need help, and some tips. Please can you help me turn my dream into reality?

  38. Didn't see that you had answered my question so I'll ask once more. Are these things that can still be applied to the books we already have out there? My original question is in this feed about two up from here. Thanks.

    1. Yes it's just a bit more difficult. People like to share new things. when a book is old what's the draw to share it? That takes creative thinking and a compelling story. Otherwise same rules apply.

  39. Hi Tom,
    Thanks for the amazing content and your inspring stories!
    I am writing a book for recent graduates of yoga teacher trainings. I am going to interview veteran teachers, bundle their stories, successes, struggles and their advice.
    Looking forward to the next lesson!

  40. Hey Tom,

    Really interested in the PWYW side of things, as I've experimented with that in the past using Gumroad with a few of my books and an audiobook (and a Kindle formatting info product I sell), and it seems to do really well.

    Excited to dig into the course and apply it with my future books. I'm working on a Kindle book/Udemy course combo on "Podcasting for Authors" featuring my own podcast geeky insights along with interviews with folks like Joanna Penn, Bryan Cohen, and more. That's book 3 (or maybe 4) of an ongoing series (which kicked off with my recent manifesto, Write Short Kindle Books), and one of two parallel book series I'm working on for writer folks.

    Anyhow, thanks again for the free course. Stoked to dig into what's next and get it locked and loaded into my gameplan. Cheers!

    -Nathan Meunier

  41. Hi Tom,
    I'm 8,000 words into my first book, The Creative Mind- A User's Manual For Exploring and Enhancing Your Creativity (working title). I'm launching my blog next month to build my list and platform.
    Because of so much competition in the new releases of books, I am looking for new strategies to stand out from the rest at release. It looks like I might find something here. I'm trying to use every resource I can to make my first book a success, as well as a leader/booster into my next book. Thanks!

    1. Adam, you came to the right place...especially if you don't mind putting in a bit of sweat equity to get your book ranking high (this course will show you HOW but you still have to do the work...which isn't crazy hard, but I know some people want quicker fixes, so this wouldn't be for them).

      Looking forward to your responses to the homework in the next lessons!

  42. Hey Tom -
    Great chatting with you through Leah and Naz just now. My book is a simple and fun children's book - written and illustrated by me. To help busy successful mom's connect with their children and share the life lessons of 'be consistent, have fun, and enjoy the beauty along the way'. The working title is 'Caterpillar and Snail go on an Adventure'. 😉 Thanks for sharing this information, I look forward to working through it and learning great stuff along the way. Cheers.

    1. Ellen - it was great connecting!

      I love it - excited for you to work through this training course...keep me posted as you go and if I can help with anything!

  43. What type of book are you working on (or what type of book do you want to start working on)? A book about Music and Musicians

    ….And what is your biggest insight from today’s lesson? The traditional ways of publishing are obsolete!

    Are you excited to publish a bestselling book? Yes!
    Would you like to drive $10,000+ in new client revenue to your existing business? Oh yes!
    Do you want to be a thought-leader or even a highly respected storyteller (and get paid for it)? Yessir!

    Looking forward to learning more from your training course!

    Thanks for your help!

    C. Sharpe

  44. Hi Tom,
    I'm from Brazil and I'm thinking on write a book about how to publish a website without knowing anything about programming codes. I'm thinking on use the adobe Muse software as base and perhaps improve the book with some webinars and online classes. As you can see, I'm thinking a lot but far away from start doing! Hope this course helps me on it. Tks for sharing this content.

  45. I'm in the beginning stages of about to write a book. I emailed you briefly about it -- Queen's Quest -- to help inspire women to craft their stories and go on adventures. We need more female voices in the hero's journey! I can see this taking on a leg of its own and becoming a movement. Launching a book, e-magazine, podcast, etc. around this theme. So I'm really thinking of it as beyond a book and would love to see it traditionally published as well.

    Beyond that, I also want to dabble with self-published erotica under a pen name.

  46. Hey Tom,

    I am working on my 2nd children's fiction book. My book may be a little different from the ones typically written by people in this course, but I loved The Complete Guide to Pay What You Want Pricing, so I figured I could learn a thing or two from the other great resources you offer. I am very excited (with your help) to publish a best selling book!

    1. perfect - love it Adam!

      would love to hear more about the first book and how your marketing and sales were for that (i'm very interested in kids book publishing...no experience on my end just yet).

      1. Thanks Tom. Here's a link to a little more info on my first kids book - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/390596465/maury-c-moose-and-the-forest-noel. I ran a successful Kickstarter to get things going. Marketing and sales have been decent so far. The book is a Christmas book so things have been slow outside of the holiday season. My next book will contain the same characters from the first but it will not be seasonal. Hopefully this will help build on the success of the first and prevent the slow periods.

        1. Very cool! love that you ran a successful kickstarter. If you'd like to share more details on that, and you can divulge marketing details and numbers, I'd love to interview you about it and share w/ my readers / students.

          1. Yes, I would be happy to share more information about my experience with Kickstarter. I'll send you an email to get the conversation started. Thanks

  47. I have launched my book "Class Is In Session, Critiquing Culture Through A Black Gay Lens" but I'm looking for tips and guidance on monetizing it more and increasing passive income.

  48. Hello

    I've written kindle books before but I'm not currently working on one now. The next set I write I want to create a series. I learned in this lesson that's it's possible to create a large passive income without an established audience.

  49. Hey, Tom! Thanks for being generous with your insight.

    I'm working on a book to help people that grew up without a father fulfill their potential.

    In the book, I show the readers how taking action in 3 specific areas of their life will help them overcome their challenges so they can start living their dreams right away.

    The biggest thing I got out of lesson #1 is that it's possible for a first time author to write a best seller!!!

  50. Hey, Tom! I found out about this course through Jeff Goins, and I'm glad I did.
    I've been writing fiction ever since I was ten or eleven years old. Now I'm nineteen, I've written a young adult romance that I'm proud of, and I think I'm ready to enter the world of publishing.
    I already have a blog that's quite popular with my classmates (and a few silent readers from America, Russia and the UK), but I'm wondering if this course might help me increase the hits on my blog, too.
    Can't wait to see what else you have in store for us!

    1. Swati, thanks so much! Glad you found me through Jeff Goins - I had a lot of fun with that project. Hope you learn some insider secrets here ;D

  51. Hello Tom
    I heard about your e-course from Jeff Goin's article (on how he launched his bestseller). I haven't read your first lesson yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm about 2-3 months away from launching my book formatting a book in Word, and the excitement (and anxiety) is really beginning to grow.
    Thanks for this material, Tom.
    Cheers
    Colin

  52. Over 20% of the Generation Z has a desire to start their own nonprofit in their lifetime. After serving nonprofits for over 30 years, I have written a Handbook which lists and briefly describes the 17 steps that must be accomplished in order to get a nonprofit up and running. I have also written a 'How To Start a Nonprofit' Manual which walks a person through those same 17 steps.

  53. Hi, I have a non-fiction book about to be published and I fiction about half done. This is a sideline for me.

  54. In looking at these books, they seem to have a niche market. Romance (my genre) is the biggest and best selling in the marketplace right now, comprising more than 50% of all books sold. How do you create visibility for a book in a genre that is flooded daily with dozens if not hundreds of new titles?

  55. I'm really looking forward to this course. Thanks, Tom! I'm working on a series of children's books related to mindfulness, yoga and leadership.

    I loved the example you gave of the author who didn't have a list. My first book was successful, but I haven't found a good way to build my community yet.

    Thanks again for your generosity in putting this together!

    1. Kristi, I really hope it helps. I have a kids book in the works....no idea if I'll ever pull the trigger on it, but I'm fascinated by the market. Hope the strategies here help!

  56. Hey Tom,

    I'm currently working on a book about the best study techniques and time management skills for college students. These are the things I've learned myself that took me from a 2.3 to a 3.5 GPA as an engineering student, while taking on a lot of extracurricular activities.

    Too many students don't have the right study skills to be successful in college, so they feel all they have time to do is study while they feel the pressures of professional development, networking, and so on... I want to change that and give college students the ability to create the best four years of their lives (to date) that college is supposed to be.

    Cheers!

    -Darryl

  57. Hi Tom,

    First thank you for this.

    I was introduced to you by a friend I get to worked with at the Small Product Lab by Gumroad and the first thing that really attracted me to your work is your GENEROSITY.

    This course, is another proof to that.

    I'll take this course until the end then take the other free resources you offer and will definitely buy your PWYW book. That's one way I can say thank you for the work you've done here.

    My main take away from today's lesson is this:

    I'm thinking about starting a new blog business. I have a personal blog but I was not able to generate money from it (only when I joined Gumroad did I make some money).

    But I don't really have a clear idea what business to start. All I know is that the only good skill I can offer the world is my writing. It's my craft.

    So after reading this lesson, I realized, you know what, I wanna be like you. I wanna help people learn how to sell digital books the right way. I wanna write digital books and do that for a living and help people do that for a living. And make sure I solve problems and give value to others.

    If there's still a place in this niche, for a newcomer like me, then I'll do my best.

    1. Great stuff Vincent. The market is always ready for a newcomer with hustle. If you need pointers (re: helping people sell digital books), shoot me an email 🙂

  58. Hi there, I am looking to devise a training and interactive system for training leaders in leadership skills, coaching individuals and teams. I am writing my first book at the moment, on another subject, but with the aim of gaining an understanding the self-publishing process. The next series of books will feed into some sort of online course. It is all very theoretical atm, but mind is buzzing with ideas!

  59. Mr Morkes, thank you for the volume of information presented yesterday afternoon. I want to accept the incredible offer presented at the end. Please let me know how to contact and do so. Thank you again, Candace Lovell

  60. I think I have realized from your lesson today the behind the scenes planning required to make the book a success independent of the actual content.

    My book is non-fiction in the subject matter of employee recognition. But I want to make it different from what's already out there and REALLY help practitioners and leaders.

    Looking forward to more insights from you.

    Roy

  61. Hi Tom,

    I've published two books on Kindle, learned a lot, and I'm working on my third, which I think has good potential. The book addresses my search for purpose in life, how I found it/defined it for myself, and how others can do it to, using the tools and process I used for myself. I appreciate the information you've shared, and look forward to more of the class!

  62. Hi Tom,

    I'm working on a series of Kindle books. They are short, actionable books about blogging.

    I think I can easily turn the series into a physical book, once done (I'm about halfway through).

    Biggest insight from today's lesson? That I need to get off my butt and finish what I started 🙂

  63. I am working on a book: Revolutionize Your Business with WordPress, it is targeted at solopreneurs who don't have the money to pay developers to work on their website but would love to get results building the website themselves. The book will be showcasing tools they can use to achieve a wide range of features and functionality using simple and easy to follow step-by-step instructions.

    My major takeaway from this lesson is this - Create *good works, I intend therefore to build a community of creative entrepreneurs, offering them actionable ideas on how to make decent living from their creative work without the 'burn-out'.

    1. Good start Adewale. I would focus on the specific target market you're after...and how your book is UNIQUE in a very competitive marketplace (competition isn't bad - but you need to differentiate yourself from the get go). To get started, answer the question: what makes my book different in a way that matters?

  64. Hi Tom,
    Since I am a native spanish speaker, I am working in a serie of books to teaching spanish (3 short books). I consider I did a great job with those books that I am formatting to make it great. I am really excited about publishing bestseller books because I love reading and I want to contribute other people reading what I can teach them that is my native language.I want to go for lesson 2 and learning more strategies from you.

    1. Frans, sounds like you'd have quite the opportunity to be a bestseller in Spanish speaking countries as well. This is a smaller market but growing. Keep me posted on the book progress! 🙂

  65. My book is about helping kids just out of high school or college get a job making over $50,000: I show these kids how to automatically set up a dream fund that grows to over $55,000 after 5 years and helps lower their yearly taxes:

    I also show them how to get their career paid for:zero debt education.

    My goal is to cover the steps they need to learn the systems that will make them the most money within the company: how to establish themselves as a leader from the start instead of a follower.

    I really believe their is a need for a very simple method to early success. My steps also create extra confidence because you can see the financial foundation that is being created every single day. You have no choice but to be successful by default.

    I learned that their is a method to success. Instead of wasting time and trying recreate a new way, it is better to emulate the systems that guarantee success.

    The best

    Alex

    1. Alex, I love this idea! This is sorely needed for college students....sounds like that will be your target market. Looking forward to your insights over the course of the next 7+ lessons 🙂

  66. Great course -- very well done and easy to follow. Thanks!

    I'm finishing a book on how to re-genius yourself-- how to get back the brilliance you gave up as you grew up. It's exciting and I have a lot to do. At 73, I am anxious to get this done and selling well. My first book, "Work with Meaning, Work with Joy," did not do well in spite of great reviews. My publisher was sold to another in the process, and by the time it came out, I had lost my big platform as a columnist on meaningful work. And then I did not know how to market and sell well. The second did better; this one I want to fly. Thanks again, Pat

  67. Hi Tom, thanks for giving us your info in Pat's FB Kindle Group. I'm about to publish my first novel under the name Diane Claire Benant - its an upbeat easy-read for women but an antidote to girl gets boy as the solution. It's what I wanted to read when I was newly single at 33 when all my friends were getting married. Today you confirmed that sticking with amazon is okay, and that making decent money is possible. I'm a marketer by trade so I'm into strategy / being clear on your goals but have never worked in the book trade and just at the stage of figuring it out. And you come endorsed by others in the group so that's reassuring as I'm very skeptical of anything that overpromises! Looking forward to day 2.

  68. Hi,

    I'm working on a historical fiction novel set in WWII - should be ready to publish at the end of this year/beginning of the next.

    I am a content and copywriter by profession so have a bit of an idea about marketing, although not in the publishing world, so there's still a lot of things I need to learn.

    I plan to continue the book I'm working on into a series and also move into nonfiction writing.

    I've also been a military wife for the last 19 years.
    I'm looking forward to learning from you.

  69. Tom,

    I have a book published called "How To Get Projects Done"(https://gumroad.com/products/FBxq) and am at the latter end of having an associated training course ready to launch.

    I am currently reading TCGTPWYWP 🙂

    The people that I am seeking to help are those who are struggling with delivering their projects - it cause people so much unnecessary heartache.

    I really enjoy your mindset and writing.

    Thanks,
    William

  70. Will your course help with fiction?

    Currently working on my 2nd fiction novel.

    The PWYW approach is something I've though of, and it gave me a few ideas already, just gotta learn how to implement them.

    1. Yes, it works with fiction. The process for selling any product or service is fundamentally the same. For fiction, you just have to get creative and analytical with your marketing (i.e. where do my ideal readers hangout online? how can i show them my book in a non-spammy way? etc.)

  71. Hi Tom,
    Stumbled into your world 'cause one of the members of my Step Into The Spotlight! group on Linkedin [www.SpotlightGroup.biz ] posted one of your links. Interesting transition from Army to Author. Sounds like you teach similar stuff to my Book Creation Workshop, which is great. Nowadays, there are SO many great reasons to step into the spotlight with a book. Good that you are encouraging your peeps to do exactly that.

    Tsufit
    Author, Step Into The Spotlight!
    http://www.SpotlightBook.com

  72. Hi Tom,

    First, thanks for making this course totally free. I have seen others charge outrageous amount for a course as this.

    I have been learning about self-publishing for a while now and luckily for me, i was put in charge of the printing department of the bookshop where I work. So I help aspiring authors to self -publish their books.

    I am also working on my own books (fiction and non-fiction). Learning that a book becoming a bestseller is absolutely doable by anybody, for me is the highlight of today's lesson.

    So looking forward to day 2!

  73. I can't say that I took a great deal away from today's class. I'm sure there will be more content in days to come.

    For novels, I write historical fantasy so far, mostly fairy tales set in different times--Snow White in the Civil War, for example.

    I have a collection of shorts that I'm looking to launch in December. It's novella length, 20k, and I'm offering it for free. That was both my way of giving back to the wonderful world of books that has given me so much, and also a way of leveling the playing field.

    The number one reason people buy a book is that they like the author's prior work--which makes all debut authors inherently screwed. I'm hoping since free books get more widely read that I'll be able to find an audience of people who like the type of novel I write. The short collection is a fair sample of what I've done.

    I've got over 2k Twitter followers, a small Facebook presence, (mostly automatic posts from my blog), 62 blog followers, and 25 people on my email list. I know these numbers won't blow anyone away, but it's the best I've been able to do thus far.

    I'm looking forward to learning how to do better in your course. Thank you so much. 🙂

  74. I have just finished an Arthurian Saga, and I would like the book to become a bestseller. I published it on Amazon but so far it has not taken off. I have stumbled upon your course and hope it will help me to become a successful author.

  75. Growing a list, revising my website with my Brand (which I'm still sorting out) and funneling for passive income to move me closer to a creative full-time job/life.

    My site needs serious work (so basically don't look at it). Working on dystopian novel, fantasy (time shifting), and short fiction. Eventually the 3rd in my prison series.

  76. Hey Tom,
    Great marketing, great writing style, looking forward to tomorrow's lesson – any way I can get it sooner? 🙂

    My first book is written. "Escaping the Transaction Box". 8,000 words. A story about a small business owner in trouble who then figures out how to succeed.

    I'm currently getting people to sign up to get a free review copy. You can read a book summary here and even read chapter 1 (I hope you sign up):
    http://www.alexglassey.com/escaping-the-transaction-box

    As of 2 seconds ago I've got 498 people signed up with 8 days to go. I'll send everyone a free review copy of the book with a link and instructions to send feedback. I'll incorporate these into the book and then be ready to publish on Amazon.

    Your course came along at the exact right time: I think I've got a winner here but want to make sure that it gets the maximum chance to succeed.

    I look forward to any/all help you can give me to make this one a winnah!

    Thanks, in advance, Tom.

    Alex

  77. HI Tom,

    I like what you are doing here. I write kid fiction and I'm a year out from launch, so it will be interesting to see if your strategy applies to fiction. So far it seems best suited for, "how to." I hope that I am wrong!

    Thank you,

    Kristian

  78. I want to put my experience as a psychotherapist and my personal experience with weight loss in my 50's into a book that will draw people into an online coaching program.

  79. Hey Tom,
    I'm working on a young adult paranormal novella. It's not the first I've started, but it will be the first I finish! If all goes according to plan, I'll have it in print to sell at a local author event in December.

    I noticed your 4 case studies are all nonfiction. I'm curious how well your framework works for fiction. I read your giant blog post about what you did for 7-Day Startup and now I'm excited to learn more.

    1. it works for fiction too. we have a few fiction authors in publishersempire.com - and i've highlighted several fiction authors, including the author of Solerversia as great examples of fiction authors doing it right (using the same fundamentals taught here).

  80. Hi Tom

    I wrote a 'tucker max' style non fiction book about my experience at university a couple of years ago. It sold with family and friends but I had no idea how to market it beyond that to et it out to an audience. I'm looking forward to learning techniques in your future lessons as after a couple of years of travelling I'm ready to push my book back out into the world as well as work on other ideas I've had since then.

    Congratulations on your success so far!

  81. I have an award winning book True Crime that is doing great with all the awards, but not selling that well. Would like to change that.

    Also, I am getting ready to launch a book especially for writers. We always have to research our subjects to find the truth before writing our stories. I am putting out an intense Rearch book that has about 1,000 research sites for different items. I want this to be a best seller!

  82. Quite a few years ago I developed a decision-making process I call CLEARthinking. The first five letters are capitalized because they represent an acronym to help folks remember the process. I turned it into an online mini-course that didn’t sell all that well. On several occasions I asked some book writing gurus if I should turn into a book. They told me nobody would be interested. Yet every time I’ve used it to coach individuals to make a decision I get rave views. I’ve also gotten very positive feedback whenever I demonstrate it in speeches or seminars. Anyway, I’ve been looking for a reason to give the book idea another shot and I’m thinking your course might get me headed in the right direction. I’ve gone through your PWYW course so I’m sure whether I end up publishing a book or not I’ll walk away with something of great value from this one

  83. I've already written a book called RECORD & RELEASE: Learn How To Podcast In Just One Day (record-and-release.com). I did the entire project in 10 days as part of a contest, with little planning and little build-up to the launch. It's made me about $1,250 since I launched it in late June.

    I want to write a new book, one that is more targeted to my primary audience of freelancers. Here's the who, what, how, and why of that:

    I'm writing a business book named 'Dealing With Difficult Clients: A Freelancers Guide to Conflict Resolution' (WHAT). It's for freelancers and consultants who have or had conflicts with difficult clients (WHO). I teach them how to probe, decalate and resolve the issues that lead to hard-to-manage clients, up to an including ways to dismiss truly incorrigible clients (HOW). This allows consultants to spend more time billing and less time acting as industrial psychologists, while maintaining a happier & more referenceable client base (WHY).

    My biggest insight from today's lesson is that these launches follow a duplicable process. I figured that making money from a book was more luck than planning. I own the 7-Day Startup and even interviewed Dan on my podcast, and I've always been impressed with both the book itself, and the economy of his operation. Before signing up here, I was contemplating how I could duplicate Dan's 7-Day Startup ecosystem!

    I'd love to position myself as a thought leader in the freelancing space, AND pull in new client work, if it's possible to serve both goals at once. But the bottom line is revenue; the book has to throw off automated (or near-automated) revenue in order to be worth doing.

  84. My second book is due for launch on 1st January. It's a dark erotica anthology based on my first book. My first book is for free and receiving regular downloads on iTunes and other sites. My pre-order's are zilch on the second book 🙁 It will only be available for sale on Amazon and I think Amazon is the hardest bookseller to crack. So, if you can increase my pre-orders, I will be your 'No.1 Fan'!

    1. how are you sending people to the preorder? what outlets have you promoted on? who have you asked to pre-order it? (this course will help, but that should get you started)

  85. I am currently working on two books. One is based on my blog about our family's 3-year battle with my husband's stage IV lung cancer. The other is a fiction novel, the first cozy mystery in a three book series.

    The cancer book has a lot of potential. My husband's Caring Bridge site, which I write, has over 40,000 views. The blog is also well received when I keep up on it. Sometimes we are too busy fighting cancer to write about it. We have begun to deal with end of life decisions.

    I have considered creating a series of Kindle Singles that correlate with the cancer book, focusing on individual topics such as: the ten best ways you can support a loved one with a cancer diagnosis, how to help your children face a parent's cancer diagnosis, and practical things to consider when you are diagnosed with a terminal illness.

    I am looking forward to learning more about marketing my books and how to maximize not only readership but monetary gain as well. Thank you.

    1. Heather, breaking the topic up could be a great idea. There are lots of 30 - 40 page books on Amazon that are #1 in their category b/c the topic is hyper specific...you won't get a giant launch out of it, but could be a good strategy for revenue through the platform (or in addition to your bigger launch)

  86. Hi, Tom!

    Thanks for the advice. As for me, I'm working on a fantasy book series... I released the first one, only to realize that the true reason I did it was so my friends and family could stop asking me what I wrote about, but it wasn't as ready as I thought it would be. I'm now working on the re-release for the first book, as well as the next two books in the series so there won't be as much of a time gap between books (at the moment it's already been a year and a half since I released the first one.)

    Being where I'm at now, both with the series itself and my general writing style improving, I'm more excited than ever to get my work out there (once it's properly finished, of course.) I used to be bogged down by fear that no one would like it, only to realize that I didn't put every effort possible into producing something that would be liked, so I'm much more focused this time around.

    As far as driving $10,000+ in new client revenue, of course that sounds lovely! I recently finished a temporary job, and now have four months left of traveling (I'm currently doing a year stint in New Zealand), and I'm going to focus solely on my writing career from this point forward until I go to America.

    As for being a thought-leader, that's exactly what I'd like to accomplish with all my books -- thought provoking, gripping, and hard to put down.

    Thanks for the post! I look forward to the rest of the series 🙂

  87. Hello, Tom,
    I am a former AF officer (USAFA 97) and currently an analyst in the homeland security profession. I have written one novella, titled Knockout, available on Amazon under the pen name Solomon Black. I am writing in the thriller genre and focus on homeland security/counter-terrorism operations. I have four more sequels scheduled to publish in March 2016. To that end, I am very excited to have a great launch for those novellas.
    While very excited to be getting into this arena, I realize that I have a lot to learn in terms of marketing and promotion (I've only sold 17 through Amazon Kindle Direct).
    I became aware of your work while listening to Justin Sloan's Military Veterans in Creative Careers. Your interview conveyed an incredible amount of energy so I thought I'd give your course a shot. My biggest insight from today is that there is a process available that can lead to success in this business. I'm all in on that.

    1. Adrian, this course mostly applies to people who use their own name and want to build a platform around their writing (that's where the list building comes in and is effective). Why use a pen name? Regardless - if you want a giant launch, you need to treat the pen name like your real name and get out there and get your name known. this course should help 🙂

  88. I'm working on so much right now, it's kinda crazy. I do fiction - I have a poetry/picture book I'm compiling right now (mostly previously published pieces through my blog), I've got a novel about unearthing a tower in Antarctica that needs some revisions, a novel about a man who meets a woman through his dreams that's in revisions, and a series of short stories about the introduction of magic to the world that needs to be edited. Plus, I want to write some short stories to compliment a novella I recently released - Skye's Lure - which is about a mermaid. I'm interested to see what your lessons hold. Thanks for sharing!

  89. Hi Tom,
    I'm excited about your course. I'm currently finishing up the first (of what I hope will be many) novel. It's a classic fantasy novel about a man who's feels like he's defined by the worst parts of his past, and how he finds some freedom from that as he realizes that whatever he has chosen in the past, on this day he can still choose what path he wants to take.

    I'm really interested to see how your course applies to fiction writing. I can SO easily see how self-publishing and launching and email list building works for non-fiction, but fiction seems more slippery, for some reason. (That's probably because I'm NOT trying to market a non-fiction book!)

    Thanks!

    1. JA - this is a common fear and concern with fiction authors. Most of my examples are nonfiction at this time b/c that's what I've personally worked on and launched, but I have a couple fiction books in the works. Guess what I'm doing? The exact same stuff I teach in this course. You just have to think 1 extra step as it's not always as direct and clear marketing fiction vs. nonfiction. Stick with it though and you'll get it I promise 🙂

  90. Hi

    I am learning about book writing and marketing. I am really inspired by your writing and the way it's presented.

    Thanks

  91. I've written three books. Only one is polished enough to be presentable and publishable. All are under the religious/ teen fiction genre. The one currently readable is called "Gift of Two."
    Having honestly no idea how to go about getting my work published (not for lack of trying but for lack of understanding or having resources I find helpful), I found this entire lesson refreshingly insightful.
    Looking forward to the next one.

  92. I'm working on the fourth book in a contemporary romance series - my 23rd title - and currently looking to grow my audience for my existing sales funnels, so I'm intrigued to see how someone else has done it, albeit for non-fiction.

    Your back story reminds me of one of Jeff Walker's case studies.

  93. Hi, Tom,
    I've been studying fiction writing as a hobby for several years. Now that I'm retired(mostly), I hope to make a big move and start writing seriously. So, thanks a zillion for providing your free courses. The Goodriter deals are awesome! Again: Thanks!

  94. I've just published a book (Let It Simmer) about how to get project management and similar practices working in organizations that don't want to do it. You an see more about it at http://www.simmer-system.com. I plan to follow that up with another about risk management and one aimed at a more general reader about how to work with an organization to get their agenda done.

    I'm not sure I can point to a specific insight from today's lesson but it does appear that you're going to be following some pretty interesting trails.

  95. Hello Tom.
    I'm not a non-fiction writer. In fact, I'm in the process of writing a fantasy book and I'm looking foward to use your techniques into promoting my book so it can become a bestseller. Also, I'm Brazilian and I'm writing the book in portuguese but I intend to write a few ones in English as well in the future.

  96. Hi Tom,

    The book I'm working on is called 'Limerence', or 'Limerent Jade' perhaps. It's a memoir about how I worked through falling in love with someone who didn't love me back, and how I couldn't seem to move on, no matter how hard I tried. It was a deeply emotional journey that really shook me up, so I'm telling the story for anyone who's going through the same thing so they know they're not alone and to give them some of the strategies I've used to help make myself feel better. It should also make a blessed change from the 'girl meets boy, girl gets together with boy' plot that appears to sum up 99% of romantic stories I've encountered.

    Its also covers the aftermath of a relationship I had that was getting emotionally manipulative (eg. he started pressuring me to restrict who I was friends with), and how I struggled to decide whether the criticisms he was leveling at me were valid or not.

    I got an idea from Buck Flogging's book Kill Your Blog in the Goodriter bundle you sent to me to split my book up into smaller installments. I'm just polishing up the first 20k words of my draft and should have that out in a few weeks, definitely before the new year.

    I loved reading the success stories in your lesson, but I'm a bit hesitant about how well they'll work for me, as I don't even have a list yet, (gotta pick myself up and try again after my first attempt at building a list failed).

  97. Hi Tom,
    I've been a freelance travel writer/photographer for more than 10 years and just published my first full-length book called the Foodie Guide to Brussels, after living in Belgium for 11 years. I'm starting a new niche guide, also about Belgium, in the new year. I realise my books are relevant to a small niche but I'd like to learn better strategies to make a sustainable passive income with them. I'm looking forward to seeing what this course has to offer.

  98. I have a handful of books already out and multiple others in my head -- all how-to books in the homemaking, Christianity, and creativity categories.

    I would be THRILLED to bring in $2,000/month from ALL of my books combined, so I look forward to reading more about your launch techniques.

  99. I'm currently working on a romantic fiction genre. I've spent a lot of time learning the genre conventions, so I think that I can produce a good product which meets the expectations of the genre readers.

    The biggest thing that stood out for me was building a list from no audience, I would really like to know how to do that. I have no clue.

    One thing I was wondering was do these methods work best on non-fiction? Or do they work on fiction as well? Thanks.

    Are you excited to publish a bestselling book?
    Would you like to drive $10,000+ in new client revenue to your existing business?
    Do you want to be a thought-leader or even a highly respected storyteller (and get paid for it)?

  100. One book in final edits, about a mouse. Its sort of a children's book, but not really (like Wind in the Willows etc). (Under my real name)

    I have some science fiction I'm working on that I will publish under a different name.

    I also plan to write a series of books on the use of simulation systems for training (under my real name)

  101. I've self published two books so far - novels. I write romance, but not really into any specific genre, I like writing them all.

    Lesson I've learned from today - hmmm, I guess its that if you want something bad enough, you will find a way to do it. I want to increase my email subscribers and grow my readership.

  102. Hi Tom,
    Thanks for you wonderful training and sales letter template. My already published book is Rescue Me. It is a fundraiser for animal shelters and rescues so making $$ and raising awareness for this issue are my two paramount goals.

  103. I've been writing for about sixteen years, and I've been following online publishing since 2009, and so many different things have come and gone. First you needed to have a blog. Then you had to be on social media. Then it was free books. Now it's having a mailing list. I've tried all of them and the biggest issue I still have is getting people to leave reviews. I'll be interested to see how your strategy differs from the other ones I've tried!

  104. Thank you, Tom, for all your hard work and willingness to share. I am writing a speculative fiction series. I have published a non-fiction book as a ghostwriter and some articles.
    From this lesson, I found hope that I could create a passive income that would loosen the belt on my finances, and I can do that with no email list or active blog.
    It is said in the business world that once you get past your friends and family, you have a real business. I'd like to know how to take that step, so I look forward to future lessons. Thanks for keeping them short!
    May I make one request? Can you discuss (somewhere along here) how a person can market a book if they are using a pen name and don't want to reveal their identity? Or is there an available source of information on that topic? Appreciate your wisdom.

  105. Hi Tom,

    I'm working on a picture book for adults and an illustrated children's book. Both have been already written and now I need to get the right illustrator on board. I am excited to learn about how to get my writing out there and actually generate some sales.

    Looking forward to the rest of the course.

  106. I write fiction and have one published fantasy novel, SANYARE: THE LAST DESCENDANT, and a short story prequel to the novel, PIXIE TAMER. I'm currently working on the sequel to the novel, and am hoping to have a solid book launch and marketing plan in place in the next couple of months (I expect to release the book in fall 2016).

  107. Hi Tom, this email drip feed is a classy way to get your message out!
    Me? Five years ago I took an internet marketing course which promised to show me how to make a living on the web. It consisted of writing sales copy and submitting it for critique. After 3 lessons he asked me to quit the course and write for him and his 'friends'.
    Result?I've just spent the past five years writing for internet marketers under non disclosure agreements. Money sometimes good, most times bad. People not very nice.
    I folded my tents 2 years ago, and last year began to research my grandfathers WW1 service to put together a family

  108. Hi Tom

    I'm a non-fiction author. I recently published a short self help book entitled 'How I overcame Panic Disorder Without Drugs'. I've been giving pdf copies away free on my site and on noistrade but also have digital copies available on Amazon KDP and paperback through CreateSpace.

    I'm looking at growing my reach before I launch my next book which is a biggie (about 300 pages at this point) so will stay tuned to your course.

    Keep up the great work.
    Roxy

  109. Tom, thanks for lesson 1. I appreciate your enthusiasm for techniques that seem to have worked for you and others. I had not heard or thought about pay what you want, but it's intriguing. Looking forward to the rest of the lessons (which I am going to get to late because of scheduling). I'm self-published (one novel, "Climbing the Coliseum" on Amazon), with a second novel ("Nobody's Savior") in the final editing stage. I was a rookie with "Climbing," and didn't do much to prepare for the launch. I tend to market sporadically and without much discipline, which I'm aiming to change for "Nobody's Savior." Still without much active marketing on my part, I've sold about 350 books since "Climbing" launched. So I'm hopeful that learning from you will help the next one soar!

    Bill

  110. Hey Tom,

    Great lesson! So much gold, I don't even know where to start to tell you what insights I've gotten!

    I'm working on a few books - one is a collaboration with a handful of others and the other is my unique twist on creating massive forward momentum in life & biz (I'm a coach).

    Looking forward to the next lesson...

  111. Hi Tom. I'm excited. Biggest lesson from this for me is I NEED TO HAVE A PLAN THAT WILL WORK. I need help from someone who knows how to execute this plan. I need hope and belief in the plan. You have answered much of that. Thank you for doing this. My project is a fantasy novel or fantasy series (Yes I write Fiction). I want it to touch hearts and lives around the world. I like lofty goals. Can't wait.

  112. OK Tom, you asked, (What type of book are you working on (or what type of book do you want to start working on)? We actually have a few books. Our first book is on marriage. It's on Amazon and we sell it on our site WhenLoveStands.com It was originally released in December 2014. We want to do a relaunch to push sales. We are also working on another book for singles on sex due in March this year. That sight is 10Things4Singles.com I'm hoping your course(s) helps us to push this book to best seller status and bring in $10,000 in pre-sales and upon release. Big dreams? Yes, but still hopeful! We have 2 ebooks and we're working on more. We have a platform and lots of content, we're just working to turn all that content into a big list, published books,ebooks, ecourses and coaching packages. So we're hoping your course(s) helps us in the book selling department.We feel you're the missing link in reaching our goals in this area. We know we're close, we just need that last push of knowledge which is coming from you!

    You then asked, (….And what is your biggest insight from today’s lesson?) The PWYW! We're intrigued and look to implement this into our brand asap! Thank you!

  113. Tom,

    Very excited to be gaining some insights from someone applying startup thinking to launching a book, as most of the other investigation work I have done into it makes it sound almost accidental rather than have any science or technique involved.

    I am releasing the second part of a two part book series called 'Finance Action Hero' that is designed to get people out of the perpetual state of money worry & give them an arsenal to attack any finance mission they choose to accept. http://zaptitude.me/finance-action-hero-book-1/

    We launched the first book about 18 months ago, and I am even wondering whether I should relaunch it with the second one together?

    I am pretty excited about the prospect of launching a book with little or no list ... keep the good stuff coming!

    Thanks,

    Peita

  114. I'm outlining a book for long distance hikers; the working title is "After the Trail." It addresses reverse culture shock of going back home and restarting life after 3-7 months of living 'in the woods.'

  115. Hi Tom: I wrote and Indie published my Phd novel, The Miner's Wife, and I'm working on a memoir of my life as a miner's wife. It turns out the yarns the blokes were telling me about for my gold stealing novel were true so I can now do a non-fiction version of my novel????????...I'm interested in what you say about using my book/s to position myself as a speaker at mining conferences and I'm taking 2016 off to build my business. Thanks for all your advice to date. Mel

  116. Hi Tom,

    I'm writing a sci-fi book that introduces a new mythology. These myths are rooted in psychology and the collective consciousness. I would love to attract new client revenue as I launch my book - Dendrahlis: Universal Laws.

    My biggest insight - it is definitely possible with the right book and the right strategy. In my book I explore mind dynamics and the saying 'you become what you think about', and explore it in great detail. Creating this book is my own way of proving this theory to be true. Thanks for providing this invaluable resource!

  117. Hi. I am about to launch my 1st book in a 10 days. Its published by a publishing company. I am a Finn and wrote this book in Finnish which is a small language group and hence, a small market. But I have had some interviews so here´s hoping I will get some name.

    I am writing my second book in English. It is a self-help book of how to survive a divorce gracefully, mindfully and, well, fully : ) My approach is tongue-in-cheek spirituality. My weapon is humour. I write it to women my age (50+) who find themselves in impossible situations. I am on page 145 now and am planning to get it done next week. It needs to be edited and proof-read (I am not a native English speaker) but after I get these done, I will sell 10 000 copies of my book, following your advice 😀

    It is my plan to move to Portugal and write inspirational books for the rest of my life since it seems I am quite good in it.

    Thank you Tom for your inspiration,

    Kati, PhD, Meditation Coach, Writer

  118. I am writing a book for entrepreneurs that will help them understand intellectual property issues and will help them harness their intangible assets. I am a lawyer, and this is my second book. I am working to build a platform and to build my personal brand.

  119. Hey Tom,

    It's awesome to see all of these success stories and comments of other people looking to get published.

    I am writing a book for students as a guide to start a business before you graduate.

    I share strategies and tactics that I learned as a student, advisor and director of a startup accelerator for how students can hack their university to help them start a business.

    Things like hot to use their status as a student to connect with potential customers.

    How to get university funding to connect with thought leaders, mentors and influencers in the niche where they want to build a business.

    How to get credit to work on their business

    And more!

    I am about halfway through the draft and have begun pitching to be interviewed on podcasts and speaking at conferences to build awareness for the book.

    The biggest insight I got is that you can have a successful launch without a big audience. Though I am working on building up an audience before the launch it is encouraging to know that it is possible.

  120. Are you excited to publish a bestselling book?
    YES
    Would you like to drive $10,000+ in new client revenue to your existing business?
    AT THE VERY LEAST
    Do you want to be a thought-leader or even a highly respected storyteller (and get paid for it)?
    AT THE VERY MOST

  121. Hey Tom,

    Very excited about this course. Biggest insight so far is that there are different revenue streams and ways to go about marketing your book, all of which I'm looking forward to learning more about.

    I am a little bit of a different type of author, but I think the same concepts apply so I'm totally going to be following along. I am a cookbook author!

    My very first cookbook is going to be published in July!!!! I'm super excited, it is titled "Fast & Easy Five-Ingredient Recipes: A Cookbook For Busy People" (because hey, we're all busy, but still want to enjoy good food, right?)

    I am very much looking forward to having my cookbook be a bestseller and can't wait for tomorrows' lesson.

    Thank you for offering such great content,
    Phi

  122. G'day Tom,

    Love your work mate!!

    I've recently written a book called 'The LOVE Price: 5 Steps to Sell Your Home for More, Faster'.

    I've self-published but really need help getting it out there. Sales on Amazon have been terrible. Maybe it needs a title change, not sure? Love to get your help with it.

    People I've given it to say it's a "must read" when selling your home.

    The plan is to use it as my business card on steroids, so to speak.

    I'm looking forward to learning more from you.

    Cheers,
    Pete

  123. Hey, Tom.
    I'm a homeless guy living on a U.S. Pacific island, and I'm working on launching a career as a screenwriter (movie and TV scripts) and book author.
    I recently wrote a Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks-style full-length movie screenplay for a children's story which involves a lot of ancient native culture/folklore, but with strong elements of comedy, drama, and action. I originally intended to write it as an illustrated book, but the screenplay structure was easier to work with. So I'm about to write the book version of the movie over the next month.
    Being that an unknown, first-time screenwriter stands almost no chance at getting an animated script sold and produced, I figure that publishing a book based on the movie would be the best route to go in order to gain sales, a fanbase, and publicity to show as proof of concept to get me on the radars of agents and studios, and provide me with an income in the meantime.
    I plan to crowdfund the publishing of the book (in Amazon's digital format only, unless the demand for the paper version is big enough), and also, in a separate, but crosspromoted campaign, the funds for entering the screenplay into contests to gain exposure.
    Prior to shopping the screenplay around, I'm considering creating a comic book version of it (simply a bare-bones version of the story to fit in a single/double issue as a VERY limited edition), and use that to incentivize the crowdfund campaign.

    So basically (just off the top of my head), it goes like this:
    Setup the crowdfunding campaign to get the book published (including front/back covers, professional editing, and formatting). Have the synopsis on the campaign page, but also link to the screenplay available on a dedicated Facebook page for people to read, which gives some exposure to it while building up my list. The FB page will have already been circulated to my personal networks to announce the campaign pre-launch.
    Upon reaching the book-funding goal, immediately launch the crowdfunding campaign for the screenplay (for contest entry fees, professional feedback, illustrations for marketing, etc.), with one of the incentives being the comic book version (digital for a lower donation, and printed for a higher donation). And crosslink this back to the book campaign and FB page. This campaign will also fund the illustrations/making of the comic book.

    As for the insight: Through your writing I've read in this post and elsewhere, you've helped motivate me by showing that it's very possible to be successful with self-publishing by sticking to a well-formulated plan.

    Being homeless, I'm literally starting from the bottom.
    As long as I can afford food and the weather stays decent, I'm willing and able to push through this struggle and take this as the first step in my authentic rags-to-riches story.

  124. I am retiring as a litigator after two decades and going back to my first love: writing. I have had this idea for almost three decades. I have been researching and writing western novels using Hispanic historical figures' contributions to the Southwest as the backdrop.

  125. Tom:
    Thanks for Lesson 1 and I'm already excited about Lesson 2 coming tomorrow. I am currently working on an ebook 'B.E.S.T.O.W. Your Blessings', referring to the Law of Reciprocity.

    Today's insight (and from reading another article on your sight), along with hearing the Suitcase Entrepreneur, made me realize that crowdfunding can be used to help get the word out to the masses about your book (and hopefully get fully funded). I'm going to set that up for my book.

    The plan is to figure out how to use the book as a lead generator for a future mastermind series (also something mentioned in Lesson 1).

    1. Sherry, that's awesome.

      Quick clarification...I actually think crowdfunding is BEST to catalyze an existing audience, not build one...so when you say "get the word out to the masses" - yes, that's true, assuming you have the platform to take advantage of it.

      Hope that makes sense!

      1. Thanks for clearing that up Tom. I'm building an email list from scratch. I thought crowdfunding would be a way to get the word out to my personal email list of 'Ambassadors' and generate pre-sales of my book. I'll hold my horses and see what you have in store for us in the remaining content to come. Thanks again!

  126. Hi,

    I'm working on my third paranormal romance book. Its a prequel to my first two. At the moment I'm working on building my newsletter. I do a giveaway every 90 days and they collect subscribers for me. I haven't seen much of a difference yet in sales, I also don't know how to interact with them to build that relationship.

    I will try that, Pay what you want, method, but I am hesitant. I gave away a few free copies and I found my book on a few warez(free book) sites. I did report a few of them to google.

    It makes me not want to go down that road. I read some an article and they said not to worry about warez(free book) sites. And I honestly get what they are saying, real fans, real book buyers will spend the money and that's where your focus needs to be. What do you think?

    1. I never pay attention to those sites. I've seen my books on them too. If someone doesn't want to pay for my work, but wants my work, that's on them. these people and sites aren't really worth your time, as your audience and true fans WILL pay and will be happy to...and that's who you serve (not the freeloaders)

  127. Have a few different books - been writing for a while! Both spiritual insightful / helpful for the world we live in today and business instructional for purpose driven businesses. I've written blogs/ articles and books for long time - varying success but never really achieved what I do genuinely believe I can do. I think part of the problem has been my lack of 'readiness' to put myself out there as much as not being willing to do what's necessary. I loved your PWYW book as this concept is something I feel really positive about. So glad to be involved in this program THANK YOU

    1. thanks Angela!

      if you're nervous about putting yourself out there...i found that PWYW pricing helped me get over that fear (could be a starting point for you too!)

  128. Thanks for doing this course. I'm an author looking to build my list, get more sales, etc. I'm always looking to learn more.

  129. Tom,
    Ridiculosity - a Deployment to Afghanistan dropped in March 2016. This M*A*S*H*-style laugh out loud satirical look at life in a war zone is poised for success and with your help, we'll take it nation-wide. I'm already working on a sequel and have a third book in mind. All are creative non-fiction military based and highlight the humor and humanity of soldiers.

  130. Hi Tom,

    I write in several genres (romance, upmarket, YA). I put a romance on Amazon to see what would happen. Aside from the first few copies sold to friends and family, it has done nothing. NOTHING. It's not a shock to me, as I did nothing to encourage sales. The experience highlighted what I knew in the back of my mind: books are business, and without a business plan, the business will fail.

    The most important thing I've taken away today is that a business plan can/does exist for writers in the same way it does for any other business, and success in this field depends on more than just a good book. I am eager, now, to develop the business plan necessary for success and to take action. As the wife of a West Point grad and Army officer, you'd think I would have that action part down by now.

    Finally, I do have a question. Have you seen authors successfully merge different genres? For example, I write upmarket and romance. These are distinct genres. In your opinion, do I need to choose one?

    Many thanks in advance,
    Solana

  131. Book I'm working on: a photo-documentary children's picture book about a young farmer and the four seasons on her organic vegetable farm.

    Biggest insight: everybody starts small. Start with something manageable, proceed methodically, and learn as much as you can along the way. If you keep following this gameplan, it's inevitable that you'll accomplish something (and what you are able to accomplish may surprise you).

  132. Hi Tom,
    I'll start writing my very first book in November.

    It's about a spiritual topic (how to connect & communicate with your spirit guides) and I mainly want it to establish me as an expert in my field and build my list.

    Not saying that I don't also want to use it to make as much money with it as possible 🙂

    Anyway, thanks for this course, excited to learn more!
    Yamile

  133. Hello Tom, I'm glad we found you because it looks like you have systematized the process of funding the writing of a book and having it published. My partner in this venture is my wife Patty, who is a remarkable educator, writer and public speaker.
    We want to take her from developing and delivering programs in positive youth development, to a much larger stage, which requires her to be published. Her 1st book is Teaching 21st Century Kids®. Our website will give you more information. We have 19th century classrooms, 20th century teachers and 21 century kids. Her work bridges this disconnect between teachers and students and makes learning exciting, emotional, relational, interactive and relevant. I can't wait to dig into your material.

  134. Hey Tom,

    I want to write my first book on micro-management and how to handle it (been a victim of multiple times in my sales career). Outside of 13 years experience in outside sales, it is a topic I know well personally, and my gut tells me that writing a sales training book wouldn't be optimal as market is flooded with these already. Thoughts?

  135. Hey Tom,

    I saw above that I am not the only fiction writer in the group, which I found encouraging. I have written two Romance Novels and am about to launch the third in the series. Sales were less than stellar considering the genre and my list growing efforts have stalled. I have gotten a ton of conflicting advice about how to launch - blog/don't blog, reader magnet/no reader magnet and on and on. I am hoping you have some answers that help me clear a path to a single plan.

  136. >>Are you excited to publish a bestselling book?
    Yes!
    >>Would you like to drive $10,000+ in new client revenue to your existing business?
    Absolutely! 🙂
    >>Do you want to be a thought-leader or even a highly respected storyteller (and get paid for it)?
    Yes, I would love to give lectures (with my book as the focus). That's my main goal.

  137. Hey Tom - I just finished writing a vegetable garden planning workbook. It's in the hands of my editor right now. I'm looking forward to creating a strategy for my launch at the end of January. I'm hoping this book will open some doors for me, create some more teaching and speaking opportunities, increase my authority in my field, and help gardeners get the most from their gardens.

  138. Hi, Tom,

    So excited to learn more. My biggest takeaway is there is hope for me even though I have a very small email list. Can't wait to learn more about list building.

    My book is a called Growing Bold: How to Overcome Fear, Build Confidence, and Love the Life You Live. It's a self-help book. I have combined the story of how I've grown bold with activities to help move my readers outside of their comfort zones and into their bold.

    Thanks for offering this course.

  139. The book is "The Zen of Love – Discover Your Own Awakened Heart"
    Should be on Amazon by February 1st. Hoping to do some marketing for Valentine's Day.

  140. Almost finished a mystery novel - really interested to see how your techniques will work with fiction. Looking forward to getting deeper into the best ways to market this.

  141. I am at the back-and-forth stage with an editor on my first book to be published. She says I have enough material that I could split it and have two books to sell.

    This is day one for me on your course examination. Writing the book was fun, re-writing it was less fun, marketing is going to be no fun. Thinking I will be looking for somebody to just take the whole thing and run with it as I'm not sure I want the experience to run my life with what looks like starting a whole new business. How do I keep the writing fun, while not taking on all the hassles of a new career?

  142. The first book in a ten book series of the adventures of a Steampunk spy has been epublished. The second book is being readied for the editor. Three chapters of the third book have been written. Only a couple of sales of the first book. Got some good words about the first book from the professional editor that worked on it, but I am working hard to improve the quality of my writing and the stories. I have been blogging for three years, but I am getting very little exposure. I may be buried under the billions of other books and need a better launch/exposure strategy.

  143. Hi Tom,

    Thanks for the opportunity to benefit from your experience through this course. Just recently started writing fiction and am working on a detective mystery series. I published the first book this past November (Come What May). I knew virtually nothing about book marketing. Beyond telling friends and family members about the book, there was no real launch. I sold a few copies the first month while benefiting from the Amazon new release push but the book has since predictably sunk into obscurity. I'm writing the second book in the series now which I hope to publish in early summer. This time I'd like to learn how to do a proper launch.

    My biggest take away from this lesson was the case studies of authors you've worked with who started with no email list. I do have a website, which needs improvement. I have set up an opt-in which was poorly designed and hasn't been effective. So learning to build a list is something I'm keen to learn along with other reliable marketing information.

  144. Hey Tom, thanks for the course.
    I'm a Romance author, working on my 10th book, which will be #2 in my 3rd series. My books have done fairly well with haphazard marketing, but now I'm pinning down a specific strategy with the aim of reaching the next level quickly. My biggest challenge has been being male in a female dominated genre, but I'm slowly turning that into an advantage.

    The biggest take-away from this lesson for me is I'm taking too damn long to get everything in place to push forward.

    Looking forward to learning more. Thanks again!

  145. Hey Tom, 7 Day Startup was great, and I'm stoked that Dan shared with you, and shared you with us.

    My business partner and I are writing about Mergers & Aquisitions. He's the Subject Matter Expert, and I've come up with a framework that SME's around the world can apply, based on the methods the Multi-billion dollar companies used.

    I am also the marketer, so from your course, I really want to understand how to promote the book, and develop an online course diving deeper into the book's framework. I have my own Marketing consultancy, but not related to book publishing (at all).

    See you in the next lesson. Ian

    1. Sorry my bad Tom, I didn't read the instructions- the biggest insight I got from today's lesson was that that I'm excited, and so are you. Oh and, I can do this even though I'm not writing background.

  146. Hi Tom,

    Two Books

    Launching Step Out Step Up, Lessons from a Lifetime of Transitions on November 13th and Military Service and Warriors Code 001.

    These two books are companion books. One is my memoir and the second book is curriculum to be released January 2018.
    Here is a snapshot description of our second book.
    "I am a warrior and a fighter.

    It is unlikely that a guy like me who grew up the way I did would ever achieve anything at all.

    After not being allowed to graduate high school with my senior class, it was unlikely I would ever graduate from Officer’s School, earn a Master’s degree and later a degree in law.

    After two brief, failed marriages in a five-year period, it was unlikely I would enjoy a marriage of 21+ years.

    After experiencing homelessness and going through bankruptcy, it was unlikely I would ever own a home in Hawaii.

    After wrecking my hip jumping off the tailgate to the ground while deployed in Afghanistan and needing a new hip at age 48, it was unlikely I’d not only pass the physical to continue in the service, but be finishing a triathalon within a year of the injury.

    And most of all coming from where I came from, it was unlikely I would retire from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant Colonel.

    This book is for those who have struggled in life and need to re-engage with themselves first and reorient themselves to stay in the fight.

    If you have recently transitioned out of the military or are readying yourself for transition, you need to prepare yourself for one of the most important battles you will ever fight: the battle within.

    At different times of our lives, we have different hopes and aspirations. We all have those moments when we need to take stock and re-evaluate.

    Now is one of those moments.

    Maybe you’ve lost sight of your dreams.

    Maybe you’ve lost hope.

    Maybe you’ve been broken physically or mentally or both.

    Maybe you’ve lost yourself – who you are at your core – along the way.

    Maybe you’ve gotten so far away from who you once were that you don’t even recognize yourself anymore.

    The fact that you made it here to pick up this book is a start. It only takes that one moment. This is the seed that yields new life – renewing and reinvigorating yourself by taking care of you and taking stock of where you’ve been. Respect that your experiences are part of what got you to where you are today. Don’t minimize what you’ve gone through. Acknowledge it and then use this book as a bridge to help you connect with your future. The secrets are within.

    My goal in sharing what I’ve learned from a lifetime of transitions and 34 years of military service is to help you tap into and strengthen your resilience and grit. This book isn’t full of practical tips to ease the transition into civilian life by helping you secure a job. The military and close to 5,000 other organizations offer that. This book challenges you to face your biggest battles – the battle in your mind and in your heart – and win.

    A warrior’s spirit is about your heart. You want something that gets your heart pumping again – that something that gets you excited. Only when you identify who you are and who you aspire to be, your purpose in life – I call it my big WHY – and what gives you hope for the future can you move forward and successfully transition to your next adventure.

    When you’ve suffered traumas, disappointments, betrayals and all manner of difficulties, it’s easy to slip into just going through the motions. I’ve been in that trough myself. But that’s not really living. This is your moment to turn that around.

    I’m talking about seizing every moment and living each and every one to its fullest. To do that you must make the conscious choice to live a life filled with adventure and possibilities.

    To be a warrior means that you have a code that you live by and that guides you – especially when you are challenged and find yourself in seemingly impossible situations. We were all trained to be resilient, to take care of ourselves and our equipment. There are times when we must take care of ourselves first, that is not selfish, it is essential. A warrior’s code holds the secret to leading a triumphant life, one that you can be proud of. You can’t be an effective warrior without that code, your personal truth. Knowing and understanding the warrior’s code leads to a deeper sense of self, gratitude and resilience.

    In these pages, I will break down step-by-step how you can access and apply the warrior’s code. I love my military brothers and sisters and their families, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunities I’ve gotten thanks to the U.S. Army. Here’s to fighting the good fight."

    Lieutenant Colonel Mark E. Green USA, Retired

  147. Hi Tom!

    We (hubby and I) are working on writing a children's fiction/parable story based on Bible stories. We are hoping to launch in the fall and so I feel like now is the time to build our email list and be ready for fall that way.
    We have a website with a poor title page right now, but are hoping to get that created and uploaded soon.

    We are really excited about our book and the potential it has. It would be amazing to have a best seller right away!

  148. Thank you for this lesson. Not sure the greatest insight learned, but probably that people do crowdsourcing for new books before they write them. That's interesting. I guess that's kind of close to an advance, uh? I struggle with maintaining a mailing list because I can't think of anything I want to say to people everyday or however often one needs to keep send out emails. Moreover, because I never read the dozens of spammy emails I start getting from people whenever I sign up for something expecting free stuff, I find it hard to believe anyone else ever reads them, but I guess they do. Almost everyone I know, however, uses a fake or unused email to sign up for stuff just so that they don't get inundated with a ton of upsale follow ups to join mastermind courses, etc. I write novels and books on the entertainment industry.

  149. Hey, Tom

    Thanks for the tip on this course. I'm on it. And this is to get up to speed with my half-way written book "The 7 Steps to Self Mastery". A self-help and personal growth book. It's for the awakened outsiders of societies norms who want to grow their inner strength, understand more of life's mystics, and construct a solid character who create their own success in life.

    The biggest insight today is seeing that MINDSET + CLEVER METHODS is what makes a successful book. The tools are out there already.

  150. Howdy Tom,

    First, thanks for sharing your content, appreciated.

    I'm about half way through writing my first book, called The Fool's Journey, which is my life story told in a humorous, humble, authentic and hopefully entertaining manner. My personal stories involving travel, women, drugs, dysfunctional childhood, etc move The Fool's Journey along, cataloging my spiritual growth by showing what didn't work (looking for Peace in all the wrong places) before I stumbled upon what is working.

    Biggest insight? A system is important in selling a large number of books.

    Thanks again!

    Kyle

  151. Hello Tom,

    I am a newbie author that is currently working on several Fantasy novels. I am currently outlining 6 standalone novels and 13 novels for my first series. I wonder if that is a bit too much for starting out. I plan to outline many projects before I starting to write the first draft in the next few months.

    I notice in today's lesson that we need to have bigger goals and motivations to stay focused on reaching our dreams. I always dream to become a best-seller novelist and a famous comic artist. However, my fears keep stopping me from starting out. Do you have any guidance to get over these fears?

    Yes, I am excited to publish a bestselling book. I have been reading and researching on how to set up a plot, create marvelous characters, and reading about marketing books. But, I am still clueless on starting out. Do I need to create my website first, write three or four books first, create my newsletter first, or something? I keep getting distracting to start which part first and keep getting stuck on my progress.

    Yes! I really want to earn more than $10,000 revenue to my author business. Please be a good mentor and guide me on how to start out on this journey. I seriously have no clue on how to start on this journey.

    I am not sure if I can get a good thought-leader, but I really want to become a famous storyteller for creating tons of amazing novels. I hope that I can get paid for my works. I really loves to write stories on my free time, so I hope I can turn this hobby to a full time job.

  152. I am currently outlining several books in the fantasy genres. I am still creating the plot, the world building, and the characters arcs. I plan to write the books in the next few months.

    I noticed that we need to have strong motivations and clear goals in order to reach our dreams. I really need your guidance on this part because I do not know what to start on this journey. Do I need to create a website first, a newsletter, write the story, or plan a business plan first?

    Yes, I want to create and sell several bestselling novels. I always dream to become a famous author and comic artist. I hope that one day my dreams will come true.

    Yes, please guide me on how I can create an author business that I can sell my products in order to get more than $10,000 from new clients. I seriously need a mentor help on this strategy.

    Yes, I want to become a famous storytellers from publishing many fantastic novels to the world. I hope that I can get paid for writing my books. I loves to quit my day job and work full time on being an author.

  153. I have self-published two books and currently working on another Christian Fiction. My brother and I collaborate on these efforts. He is the writer. I am the transcriber/editor/graphic designer/publisher. I hope to learn how to perfect my current skills (or lack thereof) with funnel marketing to collect emails.

    My biggest problem right now is bad typos and grammar. I'm in need of learning how to take down the old books and relaunch the newly edited versions, as well as losing several bad reviews because of poor editing on my part. I understand that means losing the positive, but honestly, there are very few reviews anyway.

    Thanks for what you do!

    Lisa

  154. Hi Tom...

    Thanks so much for putting this out there. One of my targets for this year is to write a book focused on helping people learn to apply meditation to their daily life. Specifically, I will use my own experience subduing PTSD to show how meditation and other tools can provide a potential path out of that pit.
    As for my experience, I have none. This will be a first for me. I was inspired to do this by reading Russ Perry’s book.
    Thanks again!

  155. Hi Tom,

    I'm currently working on a children's picture book. Today's lesson clearly proves that there is money to be made in publishing if the right process is used--exciting to hear! Strategic marketing is key. Looking forward to following your blueprint to generate exponential book sales. Let's get it!

  156. Hi Tom, just started following you and reading your stuff. I’ve self published several books. Even tried to do a start-up publishing company that I eventually mothballed and shut down.

    Went on to self publish my latest to Amazon kindle. Had some okay response. But hungry for more. I’m a pastor from Philly so I’m producing new content every Sunday. I pull from my weekly content to use for seed ideas for books. So I’m constantly getting new concepts and ideas to roll with.

    I write non-fiction Christian Living, inspirational, personal growth, from a memoir style (lots of personal stories and insights). I love writing and my goal is to learn how to grow into a more accomplished author by connecting with my audience and delivering content that will help and encourage.

    The book I wrote is called Unmasked: Overcoming the shame that says you’re not enough. On Amazon kindle.

    I really appreciate your work and I’m looking forward to working through the course and implementing the material. Grateful! Thank you!

  157. Hi Tom,

    Serendipity brought me to your website.
    Like most people, I also have a life defining story, which defined me and my entire life.
    I grew up not knowing who my father was. In fact this was the biggest secret in the entire family. As a child I couldn't understand why would that be? Was my father a bad man? Was my mother raped? Did he kill himself? Those were only some of the question I sued to ask my mother and pretty much everyone else for years.
    One day when yet again I asked my mother about my father, she told me she would tell me on my birthday. I believe she sincerely meant that.
    On my 10th birthday first thing I did after waking up, was to run to my mom and remind her about the promise she made. She didn’t tell me who my father was, instead told me that she would tell me for sure on my next birthday.
    11th birthday were the same and then the 12th and all the way to 15th birthday when I finally gave up on knowing this.
    By age 15 I fell down in my grades, things didn’t make sense anymore.
    Only because of my talent of being able to learn in express tempo I was able to get through high school, without any books, notes or attending classes.
    Things were going downhill for me still and by the age of 23 I was an addict and I needed help. Through some truly serendipitous chain of events I came to know a Polish psychologist Daniela Czarska who at that time, just created new method called Dekodyka, based on Hawaiian method of restoring peace, called Ho’oponopono.
    It took us some time, but I was able to turn my life around largely thanks to this method and personal help from Daniela.
    It’s been over 15 years since that first time when I asked for help and used the method, which right now is only available in Polish.
    My love life is flourishing and I have a lovely wife, despite the fact that I was unable to form any sort of relationship before due to my trust issues.
    I have a job as an interpreter in Ireland.
    I am studying now ClickFunnels and have experience in email list building.
    Quit smoking, alcohol, cannabis and everything else. I didn’t touch any of that stuff in years and not planning to ever again!

    To date I’ve learned many new methods and each new method I got to know is more powerful and simpler then the previous one.
    I would like to share those methods which helped me turn my life around with the world, but I couldn’t because of internal conflict. Basically I don’t want to charge money for this method. I don’t want money to be an obstacle to anyone who wants to learn them.

    When I came to Daniela she didn’t ask me for money, despite having thriving practice. She took her time and she helped me. It is only fair that I give back now.
    I am stoked to find your website and learn about PWYW model.
    This is exactly what I am going to do.
    Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and God bless!

    Robert Drymajlo

  158. Hi Tom,
    I've finished my first novel, which is a literary fiction story about a couple and their struggles in their marriage. It offers a glimpse into underlying and unresolved issues that can and do sabotage relationships. It's the first in a series of 3. I have no idea what my next steps are. I don't have an email list yet, and always get hung up on what to create/offer as a lead magnet.
    I also love writing non-fiction, but struggle with narrowing down a specific niche. Or, maybe it's actually that I struggle to believe I actually know what I'm talking about enough to write a whole book, especially in regards to the topics that keep popping up for me: self-sabotage and struggling to overcome low self-worth. I have a small following on Medium, (https://medium.com/@chrissyshaw) but am always mentally going back and forth as to whether I should be blogging or writing books.

  159. Nobody in the world has written a book on How to Slash Dental Bills.
    I have with about 170-180 ideas.

    You see only 40% of the population can afford to go to a dentist on a regular basis. They don’t go for the main reasons of time fear and cost of which the greatest is cost.

    15 years ago they found that not only does poor oral hygiene mean decay and gum disease but it also releases poisons and toxins which go all round the body causing increased rates of heart attacks. Diabetes, cancers, strokes , Alzheimer’s, premature births etc

    My book aims at minimise these potentially dangerous diseases as well as show people how they can get dentistry from as little as $25 / week to even totally free!

    The book can also have a potentially very high back end profit of up to $150 per reader from patient referrals to dentists, finance etc

    If interested in a JV l would be interested to talk.

    DR Jamie Harris
    61 412677007
    Brisbane Australia

  160. Hi Tom, thank you for the great initiative!
    I am working on book three of a saga about an ancient Chinese woman shaman. It is fantastic and rather gloomy while I also introduce lots of the healing experiences I accumulated from a live of being a family physician and my knowledge as a historian of Chinese Medicine. First book has been out as a freebie for my email list. The second is on preorder. Nothing much happening so far. I really do not know how to turn this around.
    To be frank: I am quite sceptic about the things you claim as they apply to me. I am bad with tech and computers and also I am writing in German which makes my audience quite small.
    Any thoughts?
    Best,
    Christine

    1. They work. Whether people can properly implement is another question, but my hope is this course makes it really simple. Go through it a few times and follow the instructions if you're new to tech - better to do it slow and right than quickly and wrong.

  161. Hi Tom,
    I write adult adventure fantasy. I have been trying off and on for years to (traditionally) publish my finished novel without much positive interest from agents. I have decided that in order to move on with other stories I want to write, I need to get this book on the way to publication, so I am beginning to set up a strategy to self-publish. I started getting together a group of book reviewers today.
    Today I learned/realized that maybe launching a successful self-published book is feasible...that should be obvious, of course, but I feel very far from the marketing world. All of this feels like I'm entering Oz.

  162. What is your biggest insight from today’s lesson?
    I studied History and literature but life took me to a different pathway. After years, I am at square one. Again and thinking. now, I have the experience, now, I do have the courage and more resistance. Now, I am doing it! I believe I can make an income from my writing! My book will be a memoir about my worldwide travel experience, from private jet flights with hight class athletes to insane Brazilian drug cartel people. It will make you laugh, cry and wonder, how the hell she survived? =)

  163. I’m building a series of monster horror novellas around a series character. Think Hellboy or The Witcher for similar stories.

    My biggest lesson today is that crowdfunding can work. I’m intrigued by the possibilities and eager to learn more.

  164. Hi, Tom ... 7 years ago I self-published my first book in paperback format - Confident Rider Confident Horse. It's a guide for horse riders who have lost their confidence. It covers three areas - mindset, understanding your horse from the ground, and riding skills.

    I didn't know how to launch a book. So it's just there on Amazon (with a PDF version available through my website). I promote it every once in a while. But it's a far cry from being a best seller.

    I'm thinking about writing another book that will focus on using positive reinforcement training with horses.

    I'm looking forward to learning from this course.

    1. Love it, Anne...you may be able to repackage and republish your original book too, if youre audience and reach has increased these past 7 years (then you aren't starting from scratch, and can launch other books off the back of that re-release)

  165. Hey Tom
    I have written this awesome book - called who's controlling you and I need to get it out into the self help market place to help people discover that they are not their thoughts.
    http://www.thedorisbook.com

    I am exited to learn strategies for getting this inspired work out there cause whilst I have a personal email list of around 5o people I have a LinkedIn list of over 5K but not sure how I can leverage either of these lists to create book purchasers.
    I am looking forward to seeing the insights you can offer in this area.
    Thanks
    Ian

  166. Hi! My name is Morgan. I am releasing my first book March 2021., Christian Living. I feel Like I relate more to Cas in #4... but to be honest I’m just trying to figure all the marketing things out!! Over read a lot of good articles with tips for book launch/marketing but am lost on processes. Excited to move forward with the course!

  167. Hello. I"m a speech therapist and social-emotional coach for kids and their parents. I have the 2nd edition of my book Make Social Social Learning Stick finished and now I'm working on the marketing and launch. It's filled with practical ideas for the busy and overwhelmed parent supporting their child with challenges and who wants to build their child's social and emotional skills.
    I also have a course that provides more support and resources along with a community.
    My website is MakeSocialLearningStick.com

  168. Hi Tom,

    Mike Watson here. I'm a digital marketing consultant and am now working with an author to develop the market for his existing book - Way Beyond A LIe' and upcoming book - Six Six Six.

    The book was already published when I got on board and has 90 reviews on Amazon with a 4.8/5.

    He was struggling for sales though and I agreed to work with him in return for a percentage of sales income.

    Publishing is a new area for me, but luckily I am able to take a risk like this, i.e. without a secure direct income for me.

    Have created his platform - website and social media profiles and now looking for ideas to expand his profile.

    Your course was recommended to me so I am looking forward to learning as much as possible!

  169. As a long time cook and foodie, I'm into writing cookbooks that span other cultures and times. My best selling works have been targeted at Filipinos who miss the foods that hey grew up on.

  170. Hi! I'm working on a book dedicated to my Mom who passed away last year. The book incorporates her prayers and journal writings exemplifying her Faith, Love, and Service. I'm encouraging others to write their stories by journaling as well.

  171. I am co-authoring a book about Covid through the eyes of children. In the process of building the website/sales page

  172. Hi Tom,

    I am the editor of a children’s book written by a good friend of mine. We are extremely excited to launch a best seller!!

    Currently, I do not own a business, but our amazing book will help me to get one going! Today’s lesson has renewed my outlook on book publishing and the profits that can be made.

  173. Non-Fiction book: Quitproof: 7 Strategies to Build Resilience and Achieve Your Life Goals.

    I want the book to have a massive impact on the readers. From a tangible perspective. I want the book to be a WSJ best seller. And I want it to be a lead magnet for speaking engagements, a 7-week online course, and an in-person mastermind. (need help building all this out)

  174. Hi! Vickie here. I'm editing a SF series for a friend and researching information about the self-publishing world. I hope to be able to help her get her first book published so she can see some revenue from her hard work.

  175. I wrote a young adult high fantasy novel that should be released next year through a small indie publisher. I have high hopes for it and my future novels!

    Just reading this lesson helped me realize anyone can be successful if they work at it, believe in themselves, and have support.

    Excited to see what else you have to share!

  176. Hello, I'm Giselle from Australia. I'm writing romantic comedies and want to publish these as an Indie Author. I'm hoping to have 2 books ready by the end of next year. My goal is to build a following of ideal readers and to grow my email list with those ideal readers. I would love to earn the cost of publishing my book back and in addition, once I have a back list of titles, to earn at least $5000 per month on the sale of my books. I am currently a full-time teacher and I'm planning to write full time in 3 years. I would also like to develop courses on the writing craft and to write and publish non-fiction books on writing craft, romance genre, indi publishing and to generate income from these. I'm also intriqued by the "Pay What You Want" model.

  177. I write fantasy novels and fairytale retellings, and am launching the next one on Oct 20th. Does this also work well for fiction? Do you have some examples?

  178. Hi Tom, I write epic fantasy with feminist elements. My newsletter list is tiny (<40), but slowly increasing. Have recently joined BookFunnel with the aim of joining multi author promotions to increase exposure. Looking forward to learning from you.

  179. Hi Tom,

    I am the worst online marketer, mostly because I have always been too busy.Now I have more time to devote to selling more books. I have self published since 2016 after an absolute nightmate with a publisher. My main customer base are readers who prefer hard copy, so my kindle efforts are minimal. I amd working on book 21, which is the finale to a 9 part saga that has proved popular in hard copy but not on kindle. The book I would like to promote even better will be the latest in my R.U.N.E series. The last one was my best seller RUNE: BENEATH LOCH NESS. I shall be starting in January is RUNE : SEADBED BANK. I would love to be a bestseller, so I am willing to listen and to implement suggestions you make. I don't think I doing too bad as I do everything myself and my kitty started at zero in 2015 and it has been as high as £22,000. Now standing at £17,000. There you go Tom, as honest as I can me. If anybody else reads this good luck and stay the course.

  180. Hey Tom,
    Its Claire Fulton from BPA. Thank you so much for offering this course! Your stuff is always so good. I decided to keep my military sci fi trilogy to self publish, so that's what I'm working on launching. Does this course work for fiction?
    Also, I will be using a new pen name, so all sales from my other books won't be there to push this one along.

  181. Thank you! I’m learning a lot of writing successfully is marketing. I have recently published my first fiction, a children’s book, about courage and truth. I have sold copies myself and would love to learn how to sell them online and via email. The idea of a revenue each month is pretty amazing! The book is When the Breeze Whispers Find Your Truth.

  182. Currently working on a book, called Walking yourself Home - a journey of self-discovery through the photographs and stories of Marlene Neumann. We're co-writing it which is definitely interesting! 😉

    Absolutely very excited to be publishing this bestselling book 🙂

    Can't wait to drive $10,000+ new revenue in our business.

    Yes to being a thought-leader and a highly respected storyteller. The book is showcasing both of those.

  183. Enjoyed getting to know your background.
    I have done some article writing for companies.
    Am now writing children’s book, from picture books to fiction books for older children.
    My goal is learning to self publish and to market my books. Am retired so wanting to supplement my SS.
    Looking forward to up coming lessons.

  184. Hello!

    I recently finished my first book, a children's book (which I would never have predicted for myself). That's the one I want to focus on publishing.
    I have a second, collaborative, project in the works that probably most comfortably fits into the urban fantasy genre. Unfinished, as yet, but getting there.

    I guess my biggest insight from this module is crowdsourcing -- that's something I'd never even considered re: self-publishing.

  185. I've written a series of hockey romance novels that haven't been overly popular. I have one more coming out this year that I would really like to succeed. Today's lesson shows me that even though my email list stands at 35, my social media presence is low, and it feels hopeless to ever really be successful in writing, that maybe I was wrong. Maybe it is possible to make an income with writing and work toward helping others find my stories so they can reach the people who need to read them.

  186. Hi Tom! My name is Naomi and I mostly write fiction for kids. I love your outside-the-box strategies and hope I’ll be able to leverage your advice for my books, since they’re not non-fiction.

  187. Hi Tom,
    Thanks for your free course.

    I have one book published in Dutch with the title: "123 there we go...into the new era with trust and confidence' about the big transformation the world is in the middle of. And what can be found about it in European mythologies, fairy tales and the bible. the conclusion: It was long foreseen and we are on schedule.

    The next book I plan to write is about the three arch fathers in the bible. About the symbolic meaning hidden in their stories. Contrasting to the traditional historical approach.

  188. I have two novels that I'm finishing. One is on the collapse of the American auto industry in 2009, and one is about a woman and her niece traveling the country to document the life of cows. Both novels contain a lot of social commentary and are aimed at book clubs. I also have three completed short stories. I have not published any of my books yet.

    I'm also a professor of English and plan to write short non-fiction books that teach various aspects of writing, including academic and creative writing.

    I had not heard of crowdfunding a book, and I found the idea interesting.
    \

  189. Hey Tom.

    Working on a non-fiction compilation of my first year's posts on Substack (taiquinnwhyte.substack.com) in the spirit of low friction.

    I write on the crossroads of philosophy, psychology, creativity, and spirituality.

    I plan to launch it PWYW.

    While I would be excited to say yes to all three questions, I have modest expectations.

  190. Hi Tom,
    Reading this information sounds quite exciting. There's just one problem for me, these are all non fiction books. I write picture books and young adult fantasy books. I doubt if people will be beating down my door to buy my books like that. I do get sales but nothing like what you're talking about. I would love to go on a podcast or two and talk about what I write and why I write what I write. I'm not sure you can do for me what you did for these authors of non fiction books. I'm taking a course now that cost me several thousands of dollars and I'm still working at it and waiting for some kind of result for all that money. I have big doubts.

  191. Hi Tom,
    I wrote a comment when I signed up for this course. I'm excited to find out what you plan to teach us. As I said in my previous comment, I'm not sure you'll be able to help me. I write picture books for 4 - 8 year olds and young adult mystery-fantasy books. My 4 books are on Amazon. I have made most of my sales from book signings in person. The books your bragging about doing so great are all non fiction. I can't imagine you being able to do the same for me but time will tell. I have already spent several thousands of dollars trying to get my books out there. I'm glad this course is for free because otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to take it. Time will tell, Tom, if you can help me. I look forward to hearing from you.

  192. Hey Tom,
    I have a published eBook on: adopted dog parenting.
    My biggest insight from today's lesson- It’s possible to make money from creative work PLUS It's better to launch the right way, using the right framework

    I am excited to promote my ebook the right way!!
    Getting revenue through new clients will be excellent!
    I sure do want to be a thought for busy executives who want to parent their dogs the right way!

  193. Howdy - I'd love my second book to be a bestseller & am hoping that what I learn here will help spur more sales for my first book, too, and subsequent books. My second book is already written - a book on spiritual growth based on the Enneagram personality model. My biggest insight is that you don't have to have thousands of people on your email list to succeed. [I have a little over 300 now]. Thanks for this class!

  194. I have completed the manuscript for a book on digital safety for people who aren't very tech-savvy and don't want to become tech gurus. I know my book is important, because it addresses pretty much all the ways we use technology. I'm just lost on how ot move forward.

  195. Hi, Tom. I have a fiction book called Love Kills A Curse. Fantasy Romance tale. I'm not sure if this is for me. I read through some of the feedback and most folks are writing non-fiction. I'm not sure if the strategy is the same or not. The people who have read my book enjoy it, but I have no email to speak of and certainly am not technical. I can do basic stuff in convertkit and canva. I am involved with BPA and learning how to do a collaboration.