Book marketing. Ugh.
Whether your novel has been released by a major publisher or your own indie-publishing company, it’s a grudging fact of life for most authors.
I envy those authors who tackle their marketing plans with enthusiasm and endless energy. I’m one of those who has an “attitude” about it. Suffering from an inferiority complex about marketing savvy and a daunting allergy to algorithms and gross impressions, I often feel outdated, as if I’m stuck in the fifteenth century in which I set my Gypsy novels. 
It’s autumn, and learning is in the air. In addition to the outstanding educational opportunities offered by RMFW, there are many helpful courses on the Internet—for free! I’ve been looking at many of them. Because they’re free, most of them are of short duration, so they may fit nicely in your busy fall schedule.
Here are three freebie courses that may help amp up your marketing savvy this fall.
Graphic Design Mini-Course by Kristin, Apple Cart Lane
To get this and other free courses, you’ll need to supply an email address. For purposes of this blog, I complied. (I maintain free email addresses for just this purpose. If, after providing this email, I should become deluged with tons of emails and have difficulty ridding myself of them, I just close the email account.)
Your marketing tasks may include bookmarks, postcards, Facebook ads, website elements and more. There are ten video segments in this course in which Kristin demonstrates important graphic principles. Tip: You can click and drag on the video timeline so you don’t have to listen to her intro in each segment.
Build a Brand Style Guide by Sarah Crosley, The Creative Boss
This short course uses templates. Photoshop is one and, if you don’t have Photoshop, Sarah has created a separate template. The Style Guide is a document that contains all your visual branding elements. This course is good at highlighting the importance of consistent branding elements.
How to Build an Email List that Sells More Books by Chris Syme, Smart Marketing for Authors
This 40-minute video course is a good nuts-and-bolts primer on why authors need to connect with readers, and it explains the purposes and strengths of various types of email communications. Chris addresses the deep-seated resistance authors feel for email marketing.
Too many options can be paralyzing. I know from personal experience that if I’m given too many doors to consider opening, I’ll probably defer a decision and not open any of them. With this thought in mind, I’ll stop at three freebie courses.
Look for my next blog on this topic, in which you’ll find more free online courses that may be helpful.
Thanks for the info. I can always use some new classes, and the on-line ones (especially free) mean I can watch when I have the time or the need.
You’re welcome, Terri. Both the market and marketing techniques seem to be changing daily, so it’s a challenge to know where to place our time and attention. These mini classes help.