Mentorships and Fall Writing Festival Starting

All Kinds of Great Learning…

KICKSTARTER MENTORSHIP…

That’s right, one-on-one, I will help you build and launch a book kickstarter in the next three or four months that will fund, and get you readers for your books, then I will continue to help you with how to fulfill the campaign.

You can start any time you want with this. Even into next year, but need to sign up now. I will cut this off after a few.

And then in the following six months after the first one is done, I will help you with a second campaign. You will have two successful campaigns from this and have the confidence to keep doing more. (I will of course be around to answer questions.)

You will make more in those two campaigns than this will cost, plus get a bunch of new readers and know what to do with them, plus you will know how to do successful Kickstarter campaigns.

So afraid of doing a Kickstarter? Can’t pull the trigger? Or just want to do it right?

I have done 56 of them successfully and will work with you personally, one-on-one to help you launch a campaign that will fund. And then fulfill and launch a second one, fund, and fulfill.

Basically I will be your private Kickstarter instructor. I plan on learning a lot and having a blast, and helping you realize how much fun campaigns are as well.

Cost is $1,000 fee for my mentorship.

Simply send the fee to PayPal and use the email on PayPal dean@wmgpublishingstore.com. We can start with your first one any time you would like, Even next year.

Questions, just write me. And note, this fee will also include the Indie Writers Kickstarter Design class that is just starting on The WMG Writer Store. $500 value. (No, I will not discount my mentorship fee if you are already in the class. Sorry.)

PERSONAL SALES HELP MENTORING…

I still have room for two more writers. And you can start now or next year, either is fine.

Here is why I am going to do this. To put it bluntly, many writers are simply creating stories that won’t sell for one reason or another, often having nothing to do with craft.

Sometimes learning this stuff early helps before you get to twenty or more major titles published, but often a writer gets to that discoverability threshold of 20 books and still does not see an increase in sales. That means something is off in the product. (At that point, the story is a product.)

Getting a reader to spend money for a book comes in four steps.

1… Cover and author name. Branded name and cover branded to a genre.
2… Sales copy.
3… Opening that makes a reader want to buy.
4… Ending, validation that make readers want to look up more work by the same author.

(The endings also includes back matter.)

We have done cover workshops, and in varied ways I have worked with writers on sales copy, mostly just saying it is good or bad. We have done the Depth workshop to help with openings, but not in a way that focuses on sales. And we have an endings workshop that also does not focus on sales.

But in any kind of class structure, this would be impossible. To get a writer on the correct path will take time and very much one-on-one help.

And often the right path to selling might be just more ways of exposing good books to readers But first you got to get them to buy the book and that is where I can really help you.

So taking the pattern from what Kris did with the craft writers she worked with, I am going to help a few writers make sure all elements are working to help in sales.

Here is the structure of the Personal Sales Help I am going to do.

1… I will give a short story assignment for a brand new short story that is due in two weeks.
2… You will need to also send me the cover for that new story and the sales copy for the story on the due date.
3… I will read the story, with a focus on the opening pulling readers in, and a focus on the ending getting readers to want more of your work. Then I will help with the cover and the sales copy so the entire package works together. The focus will be sales.
4… This will last for six months only, or 12 assignments, whatever comes first. Later assignments will include back matter.
5… I will work with any writer at any point in their career, but you must be able to complete a short story and do your own cover and sales copy. I will not read a work in progress or a novel.
6… Fee is $2,000 and needs to be sent to PayPal to dean@wmgpublishingstore.com (Note… that is a dead email and is only a PayPal address.)

The goal is to get your stories, your covers, your sales copy to professional sales levels and increase the amount of readers and thus over time the sales you have going into the future.

This does not include any of the mentorships or coaching I have done in the past. This is a focused thing for six months.

Questions, write me. Subject Line “Personal Sales Help.”

Again, this is for sales, and I will read your short stories and look at your covers and sales copy with that focus completely.

FALL INDIE WRITING FESTIVAL…

Online October 20th through November 14th

We will have a minimum of five videos a day, often over ten when we do special focus things. There will be between 150 and 200 learning videos in the four weeks you can do on your own time. No assignments at all.

But staying up with the videos as they go along also allows you to ask questions, which is an important part of this. Kris and I will answer the questions either in an email if personal, or in a video each day for all to learn from.

With our regular workshops and classes and such, there are so many gaps of large areas we are missing that we want to cover. Really important gaps to indie writers and publishers.

So this last summer in our INDIE WRITING CAMP, we did our best in an orderly fashion that we hoped helped writers of all levels make sense of this new indie world.

But wow did we miss a lot, sometimes entire areas, sometimes only scratching the surface of the topic. Just not enough time and too many topics.

So now here in the fall, we are doing to do the FALL INDIE WRITING FESTIVAL to add even more information, and fill in some gaps.

You do not have to have taken the Indie Writing Camp, but it will help and is now available on Teachable for enrollment. Taking both we hope will help you have a pretty full picture of indie publishing.

Instructors for FALL INDIE WRITING FESTIVAL…

Dean Wesley Smith… New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer of 200 novels, over 800 books, and 500 plus short stories.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch… New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer of 200 novels and over 400 plus short stories. Winner of more awards in science fiction, fantasy, and mystery than any author alive today.

Stephanie Writt… Design expert for covers, Kickstarter art, and promotion and one of the best fiction-cover designers working today. Plus she works with VAs on so many publishing aspects that are critical.

FOUNDATION OF HOW THIS WILL WORK…

— The basis will be 5 recorded videos per day five days per week (Mon-Fri) for the entire time. 100 core videos.
— Extra videos regularly such as quick craft exercises and craft reminders from Kris.
— Extra videos regularly such as design tips from Steph as well as listing and Shopify tips and SEO tips.
— Extra videos regularly such as business tips from Dean on setting up your business, taxes, and corps.
— Extra videos on tips on doing Kickstarter and Book Videos from Kris.
— Questions each day will be answered in extra videos the next day.
— Lots of varied add-ons for specific topics with instructors. Add-ons will have small fees and will be offered ahead of time and as we go along or upon request.

DETAILS

— Cost is $600.
— TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT… Pay through PayPal to dean@wmgpublishingstore.com and then write me directly (not that address)
— Limited to about 25 writers. Still room to sign up.
— Four Weeks Long… Monday October 20th to Friday, November 14th. No assignments, just videos and your questions answered each day. The videos will be available into the future to go back over, or take the entire thing at your own pace.
— This is not a Teachable or a Writer Store or an In-Person class. This a one-time stand-alone class. No subscriptions or credits can be used.

GENERAL TOPICS TO BE COVERED

Each Week Has 25 or more videos, 5 per day minimum.

Week #1… Acquiring More Readers and Fans…
Week #2… Work and Life Balance…
Week #3… Getting Help… Expanding Past Just Yourself…
Week #4… Controlling Your Own IP and Handling the Indie Author Work Load…

Extra Focus Areas… Estates, Corporations, Kickstarter Design, Handling Money, Mailing Lists, Shopify Stores, and much more. It will be far more than 100 videos and packed with information and answers to questions.

Write me if you need more information.