Wow, I Am Surprised…
Time of Great Forgetting and an American Holiday…
Got all that. But I guess I am wrong. Two classes I thought we would get a lot of people signing up for, and being excited to take, and no one. Crickets… At least so far.
First off, having Kris talk for almost four hours about writing and the business of writing and surviving in the business for thirty years in the Interview Classes. She talks about ten of her major series over four hours of me asking her questions about the series and publishing and writing.
The people who got it free on the Kickstarter are signing up, but not one other person. Not one. Imagining myself as an early stage writer, I would have killed to find that class, but seems I am wrong on that. Surprising. Actually shocks me, to be honest. Guess the time of great forgetting is much worse than I even thought this year.
And I asked way back about the Media Kit Workshop starting in the July Regular Workshops on Wednesday next week. A few people have signed up. Two. Actually. Others I am sure will take it with the lifetime subscription, which is fine.
So anyhow, I am surprised at both. I thought both of those classes were total winners, especially the interview class.
Working on the Quick Solutions series tonight. Kris and I have at least ten workshops planned out. So a lot of recording to do on those over the next week or so to get all ten up.
QUICK SOLUTIONS CLASSES are going to start with…
#1… How to Make More Than Coffee Money
#2… Advanced Writing into the Dark (must have regular Writing into the Dark class.)
#3…Advanced Teams (Must have regular Teams class first.)
(and so on up to ten to start.)
All of them will be just like a classic workshop, with three assignments. $150.00 fee. Three weeks worth of videos that you can take on your own speed. A short story assignment at the end of each five-video class to do on your own time as well, like a classic workshop. First class I hope to have available tomorrow and then one a day or so for a while over the next week or so. Again, they are like Pop-Ups and Classic Workshops, take them at your own pace.
And by the way, if you missed it a while back, we are no longer doing sales.
But on the first page on Teachable, you can get three of things for half price, like three workshops, three Pop-Ups, three lectures, or three Classic Workshops. But got to buy three and then write me for the code you want when you want it.
And remember, POWER WORDS and MAKING A LIVING WITH NOVELS are going to Classic Workshop status in August. Last time these are available.
Here is the full list of July Regular Six-Week Workshops… Get them on Teachable.
Class #1… July 5th … Covers 101
Class #2… July 5th … Heinlein’s Rules
Class #3… July 5th … Writing with Speed
Class #4… July 5th… Writing Into the Dark
Class #5… July 5th … Writing Sales Copy
Class #6… July 6th … Depth in Writing
Class #7… July 6th … Writing Short Stories
Class #8… July 6th … Killing the Critical Voice
Class #9… July 6th … Approaching Pulp Speed
Class #10… July 6th … Advanced Depth
Class #11… July 6th … Writing Teams
Class #12… July 6th … Writing with Power Words
Class #13… July 6th … Media Kit
Class #14… July 6th … Making a Living with Novels
Now, after all that workshop stuff update, this weekend I will talk about my challenge reset. It has been an interesting first year of writing, that’s for sure. (grin)
22 Comments
Adrienne
I’m one of the lifetimers, and I’m really looking forward to the Media Kit class. This quarter I’m working on systematizing how I approach publishing (since I’m also in the short story challenge–whoa, do I need a system!), and your intro video for the class is incredibly exciting. It sounds like exactly what I need. I hope the class happens at some point, but on the other hand, I understand the need for it to be worth your time.
My schedule is full enough (my “day job” is homeschooling our two kids) that I do the homework for the live classes too late to turn in. Even if you do the Media class now, it might not look like I’m partcipating, but I always do the homework, as well as for the classic workshops too. It’s incredibly, incredibly helpful, and I always learn a ton. Thanks so much for doing these classes–I couldn’t imagine how long it would take for me to figure it all out on my own.
dwsmith
Adrienne, you are welcome. And you are right about doing the assignments. Kris and I work to figure out what assignment would add into the class at that point and help the learning, so very valuable to do them, even in the classics workshops. And so many are awareness assignments. You just aren’t aware of how it works until you do the assignment. So spot on there.
Connor whiteley
I really recommend the interview class because it’s interesting to see how it all works in Kris’s mind, and the cats become a secondary plot line basically towards the end. And it really reminds us newer writers how lucky we are to be indie and not stuck in stupid trad. I mean cancelling books before they’re even published is stupid, pathetic and not a real business choice.
Also I really encourage other writers sign up for the media kit workshop. I’m really excited because after hearing all the utter rubbish and guru nonsense in the indie space about promotion. I really want to find out how pros market their books. Since that’s an area I definetly need to work on to some extent.
And as always Dean and Kris, thanks for taking the time to share knowledge. I really appreciate it.
dwsmith
Connor, wow, all the way through all four hours of it, huh? That’s amazing all by itself. And traditional publishing is still out there, just dumber than ever, and so many writers are still heading that way it stuns me, to be honest. They willingly give away all their IP in exchange for little money and that kind of treatment. We got real lucky this new world came about in publishing.
Connor Whiteley
I’ve got the tailend of COVID at the moment so isolating in my room whilst I recover fully, and I listen to things at 2x anyway. Anything less is a bit slow for me.
Defintely agree with Cora’s comment, Lifetime subscriptions are the best purchase a writer can make.
(And buying them through Kickstarters is a great way to avoid VAT, european authors!)
Ed
Planning on taking Media Kit through lifetime.
Aniket Gore
Hi Dean,
Those quick solutions classes looks great. Any plan for three things for half with those?
dwsmith
Aniket, more than likely, but it will be a ways down the road, more than likely when we have about twenty of the classes available. So a ways. (grin)
Cora
I’m surprised at the crickets too. And my lifetime subscription was the best purchase I ever made in my life (partially funded by family as a Christmas gift). I love new workshops at this time of year. I take them and then as soon as I’ve done an assignment I take that boost and write a bit extra on my own stuff. It works tremendously as an incentive to not fall off the map during the summer months. Thanks for the help. Those two new workshops look fantastic.
Denise Gaskins
I will definitely have that Media Kit workshop on my to-do list, but recent browser updates have broken Teachable for me. Frustrating!
dwsmith
Denise, have you written teachable to see if they can help? They can be very responsive at times.
Denise Gaskins
Thanks, I’ll give that a try!
dwsmith
If they can’t help, write me directly and we’ll see if we can get it worked out. (Unless it is a computer issue on your side… I can’t help with that. (grin))
topaz
Teachable recently broke for me too.
My solution: reduce the brower security level (turn off the third party ban) for the website.
As far as I understood, they are now streaming from another source URL or so … (My technical understanding might be wrong.)
dwsmith
Wow, we never got warned about that. But they are constantly doing upgrades of one type or another.
Denise Gaskins
I found a solution: click on the little shield on the address bar and turn off “Enhanced Tracking Protection.” Then everything started working just fine.
Before I did this, the page would load except that the videos were invisible. So I’m guessing there’s some sort of tracking embedded in the video player. Or maybe it has to do with the third-party thing that Topax mentioned.
dwsmith
Cool, thanks!!
Wenda Morrone
Dean, I think the media kit is a powerful idea. I look forward to taking it. But this is a very medical summer for my household, and I cannot commit to it for the next few months. There may be many others in my position. Please schedule it again . . . and again . . . and again.
dwsmith
Take care of yourself and your family. And as long as it has a few people taking it, it will be every month.
Wenda Morrone
Thanks, Dean.
Em
I’m finishing the Interviews class this weekend; great info about how series start and build over time. The trad publishing info in there–it gives me chills, especially as I am also reading Lessons from the Fey. I keep hearing writers talk about trad as if it is the Holy Grail and it seems to me that–even achieved, it would be an albatross instead. Shivers.
I start the Many Genres class on Tuesday. I want to do the Media Kit and some of the Quick Solutions classes and the update on Heinlein as well as picking my way through some of the lectures in the Lifetime subscription. Looking forward to those.
Lorri Moulton
I wish I could take some of the classes you and Kris offer. The KS class is great! And so much wonderful information from your posts and articles! But we have horses, so hay comes first. If we have any money left, I might be back in the fall.