(click here for up-coming events)
Past event – 2012 – October 13
Introduction to Creating Ebooks –
with Peggy Richardson
Workshop topics: The advantages of eBooks for authors; Choosing the right kind of eBook for your audience; Choosing the right platform to sell your eBook (PDF or portable reader?); How to setup an automatic customer download; How to setup an eBook for sale on Kindle or iTunes; Characteristics of attractive eBook covers (and technical considerations); How eBooks can be automatic lead-generators and follow-up tools; and common eBook formatting problems and how to avoid them. Peggy offers eBook formatting and coaching services for authors and has worked on writing, training, and digital publishing projects in Canada and the US since 1994. Her renaissance approach to self-publishing includes audio & video production, podcasting, marketing, publicity events & interactive ebooks. Peggy also teaches workshops at Simon Fraser University.
Past event – 2012 – June 9
DAMMIT JIM I’M A WRITER NOT A PROMOTER! (See video from event)
Writers, memoirists & self-publishers: Learn how successful authors create income for themselves while remaining true to who they are. With Author Coach Matthew Ashdown and Special Guests Grant McKenzie suspense novelist and Rebecca Kennel, self-published author of Victoria Bench by Bench.
Workshop topics: Success: Getting clear on what being successful means to you; Trust: Selling your art without selling out; Publishing Plan of Action: choosing a path that works for you; Control: identifying what you have control over, and what you don’t; Sales fails: what are the common reasons why authors don’t make sales; Goals: the difference between performance and outcome related goals; Blocks: when you know what you should be doing, but aren’t, and what to do about it; Resistance to selling – how to overcome it; Rejection: Develop immunity and feel good promoting yourself; Tips, tools and techniques to stay on track with your plans and vision.
“Selling has become what people resist the most, but whether you go through traditional publishing channels or self-publishing, you have to sell yourself. The trick is becoming the kind of person that people trust and want to buy from, versus the person that people cross the street to avoid.” – Matthew Ashdown
Past event – 2012 – March 10
Getting Down To Business for
Writers: How to organize and approach writing & self-publishing as a business
(See event video – Bernice Lever)
(See event video – Joyce Sandilands)
Speakers: Bernice Lever (Canadian Author Association), Joyce Sandilands (Whitlands Publishing) and Matthew Ashdown (Friesen Press). Co-Sponsored by Friesen Press
Past event – 2011 – November 4
Book Promotion for Writers
Speakers from Friesen Press
Topics: How to battle self-promotion shyness; learn common barriers to being your own sales and PR hero/cheerleader; social media tips and pitfalls for authors. Matthew Ashdown, Author Coach and “Director of Inspiration” at Friesen Press, is also one of the “GratiDudes” from the Gratitude Dance now seen by 400,000+ people on youtube and ABC’s Good Morning America. Also speaking is the Friesen Press Social Media Team who will share tips on using social media for book promotion.
Past Event – 2011 – Oct. 15
Promoting your Self-Published Book
Presenters: Bruce Batchelor
and Rebecca Kennel
The workshop will focus on effective book promotion for people who are thinking about writing a book, those ready to publish, and those who have already self-published their book and want more strategies and ideas for promoting their book. About Bruce: In 1995, Bruce invented print-on-demand (POD) publishing; he was CEO of Trafford Publishing for 11 years and is now owner/publisher at Agio Publishing and author of of BOOK MARKETING DEMYSTIFIED.
Rebecca Kennel self-published Victoria Bench by Bench and is on her second printing of this successful book. (Summary of her March 16th presentation). See video of Rebecca’s talk from Oct. 15th
Past Event – 2011 – March 26
Write your Memoirs Self-Publishing Workshop.
Co-Sponsored by First Choice Books
With Rebecca Kennel (author of Victoria Bench by Bench) and Harry Leslie Smith (author of 1923: A Memoir). (2016 update, Harry is now famous in the UK)
Summary of Rebecca’s presentation
Summary of Harry’s presentation
Past Event – 2010 – October 16
Self-Publishing Workshop for Parents
How to Publish Your Child’s Work
Topics: Learn step-by-step with examples of what you need to do to publish your child’s book including creation, drafts & revisions; learn various publishing options and what different Print-on-Demand and self-publishing companies can offer.
Child-authored book examples:
- Billy, Cuddles and Funny Bunny Adventure in Victoria
- Billy’s and Johnnie’s Fishing Experience
- William Blake’s Poetical Sketches
- 10 more historical examples here
Have an idea for a workshop? Send an email.