Last Updated
Nov 2022
Level
Students
Course includes:
Who is this course for?
Authors (beginner to intermediate level) who want to learn how to self-publish and establish a foundation for their indie author career.
Overview
Self Publishing Launchpad is an extensive course with everything you need to know from the moment you type THE END on your manuscript. Over thirty hours of straightforward video guides take all the guesswork out of publishing your book and getting it into the hands of new readers. Join thousands of other students and give yourself (and your book!) the best possible start, no matter what genre you write in.
Suitable for beginner to intermediate levels.
What You'll Learn
How to build a solid author platform (website, mailing list).
How to get your book ready for publication (formatting, blurb, metadata and much more).
Whether to go exclusive with Amazon or publish wide (and how to best launch a book for each approach).
How to launch a book, build an Advance Team of superfans, and get reviews.
How to generate paid and organic traffic for your books.
Course Content
We'll look at the essentials: crafting a website from scratch, putting together a mailing list, establishing yourself on social media, and learning how to communicate with readers.
We get into the weeds. I'll show you what you need - and don't need - in the front and back of your book. I'll show you how to format your book for all of the relevant platforms. My own genius cover designer, Stuart Bache, (he's worked for John Le Carré and Stephen King), will explain what you should be looking for when it comes to your cover. Bryan Cohen, the man I go to for my blurbs, will teach you everything you need to craft killer hooks that will have readers dying to read more. We'll look at metadata to help make your book more visible in searches, and examine pricing strategies. I'll show you how to build your Amazon Author Page, and how to make your book's Product Page sing. I'll teach you about the incentives you'll need to offer to get readers onto your mailing list, and then I'll show you the landing page that you'll need to make sure they sign up. I'll show you how to automate a series of emails that will greet your new subscribers as they join your mailing list, and I'll throw in my own copy that you can use as a jumping-off point.
Amazon is the biggest single platform, but by going exclusive you'll be leaving readers behind. I'll lay out the pros and cons of exclusivity and tell you what I would do if I was starting again.
I'll show you how to use the tools that Amazon makes available in exchange for exclusivity and I'll share some thoughts that will help you to optimize your book for the retailer's powerful algorithm.
We'll look at a powerful model that you can deploy if you have (or will shortly have) more than one book ready to sell. And we'll look at the merchandising opportunities available at the other retailers – and how you can get them to sit up and take notice.
I'll teach you the equation that underpins my business – how to take a browser and turn them into a reader, then a fan, then finally a friend. I'll show you tried and tested methods of driving traffic to your page and the best tools you can deploy to turn readers into buyers and subscribers to your mailing list. This module also includes a session from BookBub on how to use their Deals and Ads platforms to add rocket fuel to your career.
The question I'm asked most often by other authors is this: "How do you launch your books so successfully?". I'll break it down for you, with timings and email copy for you to run with. I'll also show you how to establish an advance team – the powerful group of superfans who will provide you with advice, reviews and motivation.
"How can I get reviews if I can't get sales? How can I get sales if I don't have reviews?" It's the ultimate chicken and egg question, and I'll show you how I answer it.
Every single technical process that you'll need to master is broken down for you. Want to know how to build a WordPress site yourself? We have a fifty-minute video that will take you from A to Z, with a clear focus on the content a writer should consider. Want to set up a Prolific Works promotion to blow up your mailing list? We worked with Prolific Works to produce a detailed video. Want to deliver your books to your advanced readers so that they can provide reviews, but avoid the headaches of teaching them how to sideload the files to their Kindles? A session from market-leading specialists BookFunnel will help. Want to format books for yourself? I'll show you how. And on and on and on. We've got you covered.
About the instructor
Mark Dawson
Mark Dawson is the author of several fiction and non-fiction titles and has worked as a lawyer and in the London film industry. He is currently writing three series of books, including the John Milton books, which have made the USA Today and Audible bestseller lists. He currently lives in Wiltshire, U.K, with his wife and two children.
Learn more about MarkReviews
I was a publishing newbie and never would have launched my first book at #66 on Amazon without this info.
It's a great course for an overall picture of the things that need to be considered for marketing.
It is NOT a course on how to write books.
I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn the basics of book marketing.
Mark Dawson gives back to the community. The amount of free training he provides in really quite astonishing. Once you enroll in a class, you're in, you're in. You can return and refresh your knowledge as often as you want and there is no end date, and you any updates to the course are included in your registration.
Highly recommended!
Excellent course for the beginning indie!
Everything you need to publish your first book is here. The course may be a bit expensive, but that price includes updates for life. Even after publishing four books, I still find myself referring back to it.
I had published a book five years ago and needed a refresher before starting a pen name. This course was the ticket. Most of this stuff you can pick up by being on Kboards, listening to podcasts, and mingling with authors in Facebook groups, but what's great about the course is that it's ALL IN ONE PLACE. And it's in a helpful, linear order. There were only a few small occasions where I noticed the advice provided was in contrast to what I've heard more recently from other author sources in Facebook groups and the like, but I imagine it's insanely difficult to keep a course like this current. Yet the team makes every effort to do so!
What's in it? You've got pre-pub modules to consider (everything from the blurb and metadata to setting up a mailing list with a reader magnet), the eternal consideration of whether to go wide or exclusive to KU, ways of generating traffic to your book, how to build an advance reader team and launch a book, and how to get reviews. You also get the tech library showing you step by step how to use stuff like Draft2Digital, Ingram Spark, etc. And you'll get bonuses from time to time, like discounts for other author services like BookBrush. It's really chock full of value. Whether the price makes sense is up to you and your business cash flow.
I can't even imagine how hard it would've been to figure all this stuff out on my own. Take this course before you make any decisions about how to build your website, which e-mail service to use, how to format your book... Pretty much before you do anything. They walk you through the steps using each service, so you can figure out what you like best before you commit.
I already had one book on Amazon and knew a little bit about most things self-publishing when I took this course. It was incredibly helpful in (1) verifying what I was already doing right, (2) showing what I could be doing better. and (3) revealing techniques new to me and guiding me into those processes step-by-step. I highly recommend this to any author who is either just starting out or not seeing the sales results they want. You will definitely learn explicitly helpful steps to improve your position.
Don't self-publish without having taken this course! It is excellent.
Mark does an excellent job of breaking down all of the aspects of self-publishing in this course. And he does his best to keep the videos current and up-to-date with all of the changes that happen on a regular basis.
The course might seem a little pricey at first glance, but it really is a comprehensive guide to starting and growing your author platform. So, it is well worth the investment.
I have been with SPF for a bit over two years. It really gave me a solid foundation on which to begin building my writing career. I cannot imagine trying to scrape together all the information Mark Dawson and his crew have managed to amass in this one course. It's a definite for me and well worth the price.
Absolutely fantastic course which delivers everything it promises, and more. The step by step process is clearly outlined and explained. Questions are always answered promptly and in detail, even if it's a question you submit long after the course is "done". The team at SPF stays on top of changes in the market and the publishing process and this is always reflected in their courses, with free updates included in the one-time price.
Comprehensive. Everything you need to know, which means you do not need any other course. I did take a different course in addition to this, but it was the same material and ideas presented in a less impressive manner.
I did this course as an intermediate/advanced indie author (in my 5th year of publishing) and I *still* found things to learn. Wish I'd known about it when I started off! Definitely worth the money and the time invested.
I took this course. Followed it to a T. Had a best seller. Simple as that.
An informative and detailed course about self publishing. It is totally worth the price for all the information and guidance you get. Mark Dawson is a successful author who is actively writing and publishing fiction on Amazon and the other platforms. He definitely knows what he's talking about, and the course reflects his years of experience through his own trial and error journey.
I also love that the course is kept new and fresh with updates and other items that help you maneuver twists and turns on the publishing road.
This course is a must for anyone who wants to get on the indie fast track. If you're a novice, it will show you everything you need to know about self-publishing to get started. If you've been doing it for a while, it will help you focus on where you should be focused. The best thing about the course is that when they release updates and new modules you get them free, so you are always up-to-date.
I highly rate everything done by Mark Dawson and his team. They give top-quality information, no fluff, don't waste your time with unnecessary verbiage, and source other experts for different specialty components of their courses (not just this one).
Because they are constantly updating their material, which is available for every purchaser without extra charge, the value is immeasurable. Indie publishing is such a complex field that you can't take it all in on the first pass through a topic. Having the facility to go back and revise, knowing that the information is completely up-to-date, is not only highly useful but also an enormous timesaver.
This was the one course I wanted to buy and I finally decided to take the plunge and fork over the money - I'm so glad I did! I was finally ready to take my writing career seriously and felt like I was on a hamster wheel not knowing what to do to take it to the next level and being stressed over my inability to figure out a solid plan. This class set me on the right path with the skills and knowledge I needed to develop a working plan that I could scale up in small phases. I finally know where to start - but that's not all - there's so much information that there's room to grow as a successful author because there are so many components that are presented in a way that lets me take it at my own pace. It has been the best investment I made so far!
I’ve used and re-used this course and every time I find something new to improve my writing world. Highly recommended.
Mark and his team have done an excellent job laying out all the ground work for information every newbie author needs to know. This course is comprehensive and constantly updated to reflect changes happening in the industry. WORTH EVERY PENNY! Do yourself a favor and get the "one course to rule them all."
I went through this course step-by-step as I launched my first book, and it was a fantastic guide. Thanks to using it I wrote a novella, which I used as a reader magnet and started my mailing list. This was the absolutely best thing I could have done.
I learned so much by doing this course - absolutely the best for getting the ground work right. Everything is laid out to be easily understandable, and you can work through it at your own pace. You get lifetime access, and free updates as well, so it's always current.
Mark Dawson's courses are excellent and worth every penny. They do cost a little more than others, but in Mark's case you certainly get what you pay for -- comprehensive, detailed, practical, honest content.
Just as valuable as the course material itself is the access provided to the closed Facebook group of other authors taking the course. Mark and his team actively engage with the Facebook group, and so not only can you learn from other authors as they head down the self-publishing path, but Mark and his team will also step in to offer their opinion where necessary.
Provided that your personal budget allows to purchase this course (and I believe that instalment payment options are also available for those unable to fork out the course fee all at once), then you really can't go wrong with Mark Dawson.
An excellent course taught by a successful and working fiction author, along with a team of experienced users. The great thing about the instruction has been that it's a one-time pay that includes not only updates, but additional items that add to the experience you obtain following the instruction, guidelines and suggestions. Always there, always on, always growing.
Review This
About the instructor
Mark Dawson
Mark Dawson is the author of several fiction and non-fiction titles and has worked as a lawyer and in the London film industry. He is currently writing three series of books, including the John Milton books, which have made the USA Today and Audible bestseller lists. He currently lives in Wiltshire, U.K, with his wife and two children.
Learn more about MarkSimilar Courses
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I was a publishing newbie and never would have launched my first book at #66 on Amazon without this info.
It’s a great course for an overall picture of the things that need to be considered for marketing.
It is NOT a course on how to write books.
I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn the basics of book marketing.
Mark Dawson gives back to the community. The amount of free training he provides in really quite astonishing. Once you enroll in a class, you’re in, you’re in. You can return and refresh your knowledge as often as you want and there is no end date, and you any updates to the course are included in your registration.
Highly recommended!
Excellent course for the beginning indie!
Everything you need to publish your first book is here. The course may be a bit expensive, but that price includes updates for life. Even after publishing four books, I still find myself referring back to it.
I had published a book five years ago and needed a refresher before starting a pen name. This course was the ticket. Most of this stuff you can pick up by being on Kboards, listening to podcasts, and mingling with authors in Facebook groups, but what’s great about the course is that it’s ALL IN ONE PLACE. And it’s in a helpful, linear order. There were only a few small occasions where I noticed the advice provided was in contrast to what I’ve heard more recently from other author sources in Facebook groups and the like, but I imagine it’s insanely difficult to keep a course like this current. Yet the team makes every effort to do so!
What’s in it? You’ve got pre-pub modules to consider (everything from the blurb and metadata to setting up a mailing list with a reader magnet), the eternal consideration of whether to go wide or exclusive to KU, ways of generating traffic to your book, how to build an advance reader team and launch a book, and how to get reviews. You also get the tech library showing you step by step how to use stuff like Draft2Digital, Ingram Spark, etc. And you’ll get bonuses from time to time, like discounts for other author services like BookBrush. It’s really chock full of value. Whether the price makes sense is up to you and your business cash flow.
I can’t even imagine how hard it would’ve been to figure all this stuff out on my own. Take this course before you make any decisions about how to build your website, which e-mail service to use, how to format your book… Pretty much before you do anything. They walk you through the steps using each service, so you can figure out what you like best before you commit.
I already had one book on Amazon and knew a little bit about most things self-publishing when I took this course. It was incredibly helpful in (1) verifying what I was already doing right, (2) showing what I could be doing better. and (3) revealing techniques new to me and guiding me into those processes step-by-step. I highly recommend this to any author who is either just starting out or not seeing the sales results they want. You will definitely learn explicitly helpful steps to improve your position.
Don’t self-publish without having taken this course! It is excellent.
Mark does an excellent job of breaking down all of the aspects of self-publishing in this course. And he does his best to keep the videos current and up-to-date with all of the changes that happen on a regular basis.
The course might seem a little pricey at first glance, but it really is a comprehensive guide to starting and growing your author platform. So, it is well worth the investment.
I have been with SPF for a bit over two years. It really gave me a solid foundation on which to begin building my writing career. I cannot imagine trying to scrape together all the information Mark Dawson and his crew have managed to amass in this one course. It’s a definite for me and well worth the price.
Absolutely fantastic course which delivers everything it promises, and more. The step by step process is clearly outlined and explained. Questions are always answered promptly and in detail, even if it’s a question you submit long after the course is “done”. The team at SPF stays on top of changes in the market and the publishing process and this is always reflected in their courses, with free updates included in the one-time price.
Comprehensive. Everything you need to know, which means you do not need any other course. I did take a different course in addition to this, but it was the same material and ideas presented in a less impressive manner.
I did this course as an intermediate/advanced indie author (in my 5th year of publishing) and I *still* found things to learn. Wish I’d known about it when I started off! Definitely worth the money and the time invested.
I took this course. Followed it to a T. Had a best seller. Simple as that.
An informative and detailed course about self publishing. It is totally worth the price for all the information and guidance you get. Mark Dawson is a successful author who is actively writing and publishing fiction on Amazon and the other platforms. He definitely knows what he’s talking about, and the course reflects his years of experience through his own trial and error journey.
I also love that the course is kept new and fresh with updates and other items that help you maneuver twists and turns on the publishing road.
This course is a must for anyone who wants to get on the indie fast track. If you’re a novice, it will show you everything you need to know about self-publishing to get started. If you’ve been doing it for a while, it will help you focus on where you should be focused. The best thing about the course is that when they release updates and new modules you get them free, so you are always up-to-date.
I highly rate everything done by Mark Dawson and his team. They give top-quality information, no fluff, don’t waste your time with unnecessary verbiage, and source other experts for different specialty components of their courses (not just this one).
Because they are constantly updating their material, which is available for every purchaser without extra charge, the value is immeasurable. Indie publishing is such a complex field that you can’t take it all in on the first pass through a topic. Having the facility to go back and revise, knowing that the information is completely up-to-date, is not only highly useful but also an enormous timesaver.
This was the one course I wanted to buy and I finally decided to take the plunge and fork over the money – I’m so glad I did! I was finally ready to take my writing career seriously and felt like I was on a hamster wheel not knowing what to do to take it to the next level and being stressed over my inability to figure out a solid plan. This class set me on the right path with the skills and knowledge I needed to develop a working plan that I could scale up in small phases. I finally know where to start – but that’s not all – there’s so much information that there’s room to grow as a successful author because there are so many components that are presented in a way that lets me take it at my own pace. It has been the best investment I made so far!
I’ve used and re-used this course and every time I find something new to improve my writing world. Highly recommended.
Mark and his team have done an excellent job laying out all the ground work for information every newbie author needs to know. This course is comprehensive and constantly updated to reflect changes happening in the industry. WORTH EVERY PENNY! Do yourself a favor and get the “one course to rule them all.”
I went through this course step-by-step as I launched my first book, and it was a fantastic guide. Thanks to using it I wrote a novella, which I used as a reader magnet and started my mailing list. This was the absolutely best thing I could have done.
I learned so much by doing this course – absolutely the best for getting the ground work right. Everything is laid out to be easily understandable, and you can work through it at your own pace. You get lifetime access, and free updates as well, so it’s always current.
Mark Dawson’s courses are excellent and worth every penny. They do cost a little more than others, but in Mark’s case you certainly get what you pay for — comprehensive, detailed, practical, honest content.
Just as valuable as the course material itself is the access provided to the closed Facebook group of other authors taking the course. Mark and his team actively engage with the Facebook group, and so not only can you learn from other authors as they head down the self-publishing path, but Mark and his team will also step in to offer their opinion where necessary.
Provided that your personal budget allows to purchase this course (and I believe that instalment payment options are also available for those unable to fork out the course fee all at once), then you really can’t go wrong with Mark Dawson.
An excellent course taught by a successful and working fiction author, along with a team of experienced users. The great thing about the instruction has been that it’s a one-time pay that includes not only updates, but additional items that add to the experience you obtain following the instruction, guidelines and suggestions. Always there, always on, always growing.