Hello Writers of Bloglandia,

It’s time for another post in which I share with you a resource that I hope will make your writing life even more marvelous.

If you’ve missed any of the Resources for Writers posts, you can find them by clicking that category link hanging around near the title of this post. And if you want to see why and how this all started, be sure to jump over to the very first Resources for Writers post HERE.

And as ever, if you’re a writer and you’d like to contribute to Resources for Writers, don’t hesitate to contact me with the book, tool, or little-known mystery marvel you’d like to share.

This One’s a Little Different

While I’ve still got a stockpile of book reviews and promo sites in the line up for you, this is my first course recommendation. But don’t worry, it won’t be the last.

And that course is…

David Gaughran’s Starting From Zero Course

Opinion: You can’t beat this advice! Sign up NOW!!!!

Okay, well, you’re still reading. I guess you need a bit of convincing? Alrighty then…

Why Should You Trust This Strange Bearded Guy?

This course is well over five hours long. So why should you waste your precious time on advice from some guy with some very strange facial hair?

If you’re an indie author who hasn’t heard of David Gaughran, what rock have you been hiding under? David’s a historical fiction author from Ireland who has quickly become the guru of marketing advice.

I’ve covered a couple of his non-fiction books in Resources for Writers, but in case you missed those here’s one key point about David that makes his advice and this course so worthwhile…

David knows his shit and he constantly tests, adjusts, and improves it. He learns from his mistakes and he asks other authors (including those just starting out) what is working, what’s not working, and where they could use help.

He then incorporates that, boils it down to concise and easy-to-understand language (even for newbies), and then adds in a heaping helping of his humor and wit.

What’s The Course Got?

So much!!!

It’s kind of like some of the key bits of his books Following, Let’s Get Digital, Amazon Decoded, and his weekly newsletters all rolled into bite-sized chunks of video.

The course covers (among other things)…

  • Deciding what niche your book fits into
  • How and why to choose Amazon categories
  • Building your platform without going batty
  • Best practices for promo sites and book launches
  • How to take the basics and continue to grow your author business

And don’t worry, you will not be getting the same advice you hear everywhere. David’s approach is full of new insights and, well, approachable. He does make you feel as if you can make this work, if you put in the effort.

Designed for Easy Digestibility

You’re an author. You likely have a life and job outside of your writing. So do you have time for this?

Yes!

First off, most videos in the course are only around 20 to 30 minutes. Some are shorter. So those should be easy to fit in during a lunch break.

Now, a couple segments are around 90 minutes. Eek! But this is the Interwebs and the course portal allows you to pick up right where you left off, so if you want to break those longer portions down into break-sized bits, no problem.

Plus, once you sing up, you’ll get access to a Resources page on David’s website that is absolutely chock-full of more tips on email providers, ads platforms, and web hosting providers…this saves you from having to go down a lot of rabbit holes of research.

Wait, I Forgot the Best Part!!!

Starting from Zero is absolutely FREE.

No, I’m not kidding. Especially consider that what you’ll get out of this course is super valuable (and honestly has been more useful to me than another course I paid a couple hundred bucks for…cue grumbling).

And this isn’t like some other free courses or webinars where there’s a big up-sell at the end. David’s offering this with no strings attached. He does have affiliate links scatter throughout, so if you find the info useful, be sure to use those links to say thanks.

Even better, once you’ve signed up, you can go back and redo any of the sections as needed. And the advice is so good, you’ll definitely want to go back to it again and again.

Who Is the Course For?

Um, dare I say everyone? Granted, for newbies much of the advice will be worth its weight in gold (hold on, information doesn’t have weight…maybe not the best analogy) and I highly advise doing the course to get the best start possible. It will help you jump off on the right foot and teach you some of the industry lingo.

And even experienced authors can always use fresh ideas on marketing, so I’d say sign up then pick and choose some of the segments you’re feeling weak on.

But I think the person who will benefit most from this is the author who already has a book or two under the belt and has already started to build a platform. David’s tips will keep you from getting overwhelmed, help you hone in on how to work with the books you already have, and gear you up for success with your next launch.

Why Are You Still Reading This?

Go, get out of here, sign up for the course!!!

Even If You Don’t Sign Up for the Course

I can’t recommend David’s weekly marketing newsletter strongly enough. If you sign up, you’ll get a free copy of Following (which I’ll be reviewing soon) and every Friday you’ll get some terrific tips along with plenty of Irish wit.

You can sign up by going to David’s website and on the right hand side of the home page (at least on my browser), you’ll find the sign up form. Easy peasy.

Have you taken the Starting From Zero course? If so, did you find it useful? If not, are you planning on giving it a try? Let me know in a comment!!

If you’d like to contribute to Resources for Writers, don’t hesitate to contact me.

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