2019 Preview: OCC/RWA Online Classes
December 23, 2018 by Linda McLaughlin in category Online Classes tagged as OCC/RWA Online ClassOCC/RWA’s online classes resume in February, so today I’m posting a preview of some of our upcoming 2019 classes.
Feb. 11 – Mar. 8 – Pin It! Why Romance Authors Shouldn’t Ignore Pinterest for Marketing, Elena Dillon
Mar. 11 – Apr. 5 – Self-Publishing with Rebekah Ganiere
April – no class
May 13 – June 7 – The Chunky Method with Allie Pleiter
June 10 – 21 Self-Editing with Linda Carroll-Bradd (2-week class)
July – no class
Aug. 12 – Sep. 6 – to be determined
Sept. 16 – Oct. 11 – Deep POV: Going Deep and Staying Put with Suzanne Johnson
Linda McLaughlin, OCC/RWA Online Class Coordinator
Getting Down to the Business of Writing & Publishing Romance With Mary Castillo #onlineclass @A_SliceofOrange #OCCRWA
October 23, 2018 by Linda McLaughlin in category Online Classes tagged as business, Getting Down to the Business of Writing & Publishing Romance, Mary Castillo, Online Class, romance, writing
About the Class:
The moment you start writing a book with the intention of publishing it – self or traditional – you are in business. And if you’ve never run a business before, you may need this class. Scratch that. You need this class. Trust me.
I’m Mary Castillo and once upon a time, I dedicated my life to writing and publishing novels. But I didn’t know how one got paid. Or, that I’d have to pay taxes on that income in quarterly payments, or that my writing career would go one way and then quickly head another way and through it all, a mission statement I wrote in a moment of frustration would keep me focused when the road got rough.
What you’ll learn in this workshop are some of the things I learned the hard way, and some of the things I did right without knowing that they were the right things to do!
Our sessions will uncover sound practices in business planning, finance and marketing that will sustain you through your career. You will learn:
- How to create a business plan
- Why numbers are important on deciding what to write next
- How you can start to identify your readers and help them find your books
- How your creative author brain makes you a powerful authorprenuer
- Who are the leading experts in today’s publishing world and why you might want to follow them
About the Instructor:
It is no wonder that Mary Castillo is a paranormal mystery and romance author. She grew up in a haunted house.
Her mom once found her in the closet talking to the nicest lady who had a daughter and two sons. Mary was the only person in the closet and the more questions her mom asked, the plainer it was that her then three-year-old child described the previous (and deceased) resident of their house!
Fast forward many years later, Mary now writes the books she loves to read—chilling, paranormal mysteries in creepy old houses with a sexy hero and kick-butt psychic heroine, Dori O. The first book in the series, Lost in the Light was a Daphne Du Maurier Award finalist and the audiobook title won the 2018 Audiobook Review Listener’s Choice Award in Mystery. It was then followed up with Girl in the Mist and Lost in Whispers (a Maggie finalist!). Mary serves as vice president of communications for OCC RWA and at the moment, does not live in a haunted house. To learn more about her and her books visit: www.marycastillo.com.
Enrollment Information:
This is a 4-week online course that uses email and Groups.io. The class is open to anyone wishing to participate. The cost is $30.00 per person or, if you are a member of OCCRWA, $20.00 per person.
To sign up or for more information, go to the class page at the OCC/RWA website: http://occrwa.org/classes/online-class-three/.
Linda McLaughlin
OCC/RWA Online Class Coordinator
Seriously Creative with Laura Gates-Lupton OCC/RWA Online Class @A_SliceofOrange
September 23, 2018 by Linda McLaughlin in category Online Classes, Writing tagged as creativity, Laura Gates-Lupton, OCC/RWA Online Class, Seriously Creative, writingOCC/RWA Online Class:
Seriously Creative: A Life Coach’s Approach to Productive Writing Success
October 15-November 9, 2018
About the Class:
Does your internal dialogue sound anything like this?
“I should be more disciplined. I need to be tougher on myself. I said I was going to really focus on my manuscript this week, and I haven’t even looked at it. I need to get up early (or stay up late, or skip my lunch hour) and write. (Insert famously productive writer’s name here) writes ten hours a day, cranks out five bestsellers a year, and still has time to tour. I can’t even manage an hour. I’m such a failure.”
If bullying yourself into submission (pun intended) isn’t working, then this four week course is for you.
Seriously Creative will incorporate the tools and techniques I use with my writer and illustrator clients to help them achieve higher levels of productivity and success without negative self-talk. Using these methods, you will be able to:
-Figure out what’s really getting in your way (hint: it isn’t a lack of discipline)
-Work effectively with the time you have, whether it’s too much or not enough
-Use two types of goals for increased motivation and keeping your work on track
-Create unique habits that work for you and your particular situation
-Understand the number one fear that holds people back from achievement, and how to dissolve it
-Conquer your inner bully, and shut down negative self-talk
By the conclusion of this course you will have a specific plan of action for getting and keeping your writing on track right now, as well as new strategies and techniques that will work for you in all the stages ahead.
About the Instructor:
Laura Gates-Lupton holds a master’s degree in clinical social work and is a Certified Professional Coach. She has been helping people create healthier, happier, more productive lives for over 27 years. She works with clients from all over the US and abroad, and loves seeing her writer clients get their work out into the world. Laura is the mother of three amazing teens (whom she homeschooled, alongside her hardworking husband, until last year), and manages to do a bit of writing and freelance editing on the side. Her mysteries have appeared in Woman’s World, Highlights and Rainbow Rumpus. You can find Laura on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Enrollment Information:
This is a 4-week online course that uses email and Groupsio. The class is open to anyone wishing to participate. The cost is $30.00 per person or, if you are a member of OCCRWA, $20.00 per person.
To sign up or for more information, go to the class page at the OCC/RWA website: http://occrwa.org/classes/online-class-two/.
Linda McLaughlin
OCC/RWA Online Class Coordinator
The Secrets to Selling More Books with Penny Sansivieri OCC/RWA Online Class @Bookgal
July 23, 2018 by Linda McLaughlin in category Online Classes tagged as Amazon Marketing, business, Marketing, OCC/RWA, Online Classes, Penny Sanseviere, street teams, The Secrets to Selling More BooksOCC/RWA Online Class:
August 13-24, 2018
About the Class:
https://www.asliceoforange.net/7765-2/
Week 1: How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon
Amazon is a great place to sell books, but most authors don’t realize that Amazon has an internal sales machine that will actually help you market your book, for free, if you trigger it? It’s called their internal algorithm and, not that dissimilar from ranking on Google, once Amazon’s algorithm kicks in, you could see a boatload of free promotion come your way from Amazon. Here’s what the session will cover:
- Optimize your Amazon page: what you must do to start showing up in more searches
- Understanding categories/themes and how to rank consistently #1 in your category.
- Kindle Unlimited: How some authors are making a fortune here and how you can, too
- How to quadruple the reviews you get on Amazon.
- Why having a free book will help you sell more
Week 2: Super Fans & Street Teams- The Secrets to Selling More Books
At the end of the day, for all of the marketing we do, for all of the Tweeting, Facebook-ing, and blogging we really just want to know if it’s paying off. Does any of this sell books?
Have you ever asked yourself:
- How do I know if they are the right things to market my book?
- I don’t want to spend my life marketing, how can I get the most out of my efforts?
- Does giving away my book actually help sell it?
- Will any of this help me sell more books?
You will learn how to:
- Identify and reach your exact right market
- Turn fans into SUPER FANS and STREET TEAMS
- Ignite your fans so they promote your book
- Use free to sell more books
- Find and use the right social media for your book
About the Instructor:
Penny Sansevieri
Penny C. Sansevieri, Founder and CEO Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an Adjunct Professor teaching Self-Publishing for NYU.
Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most innovative Social Media/Internet book marketing campaigns. She is the author of eighteen books, including How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon, 5 Minute Book Marketing, and Red Hot Internet Publicity, which has been called the “leading guide to everything Internet.”
AME has had dozens of books top bestseller lists, including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal.
Enrollment Information
This is a 2-week online course that uses email and Groups.io. The class is open to anyone wishing to participate. The cost is $15.00 per person or, if you are a member of OCCRWA, $10.00 per person.
To sign up or for more information, go to the class page at the OCC/RWA website: http://occrwa.org/classes/online-class-four/.
Linda McLaughlin
OCC/RWA Online Class Coordinator
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Quilting 101 with @Suzanne_Johnson June @OCCRWA Online Class #plotting
May 29, 2018 by Linda McLaughlin in category Online Classes tagged as OCC/RWA, Online Class, Plotting, Quilting 101, Suzanne JohnsonOCC/RWA Online Class:
June 11 – July 6, 2018
About the Class:
Do storyboards, sticky notes, spreadsheets and index cards give you hives? Does your manuscript wander in circles – yet you’re afraid a detailed outline will suck the heart and soul out of your writing?
All you need is a simple word-processing program to stitch together the perfect quilt of a plot to keep your novel on track and moving in the right direction – while still giving your muse room to play. We’ll use a step-by-step technique to plot a novel from start to finish, and give you a huge head-start on your first draft (and the dreaded synopsis).
This will be a working course! Bring your best idea (the one that’s been bubbling in your brain for six months) or a manuscript that’s wandering in the desert, and we’ll shape it up and get it moving. We’ll also be deconstructing one of my own novels as part of this class as well as using examples from a variety of books in different genres.
About the Instructor:
Suzanne Johnson is the author of more than twenty published works, including the award-winning Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series, of which book six, FRENCHMEN STREET, will be out on July 17. Writing as Susannah Sandlin, she is author of the Amazon top-selling Penton Legacy paranormal romance series, as well as The Collectors and the Wilds of the Bayou, both romantic suspense series. A displaced New Orleanian, she currently lives in Auburn, Alabama. Suzanne loves SEC football, fried gator on a stick, New Orleans, all things Cajun, and (hangs head) reality TV. She writes full-time along with running her own developmental and copy-editing business and dabbling in mixed-media art.
For more information about Suzanne, please visit her website: http://www.suzannejohnsonauthor.com/. Click on the “Newsletter” tab for updates, release news, sneak peeks and special giveaways: http://suzannejohnsonauthor.com/newsletter.
Enrollment Information
This is a 4-week online course that uses email and Groups.io. The class is open to anyone wishing to participate. The cost is $30.00 per person or, if you are a member of OCCRWA, $20.00 per person.
For more information, check the class page at the OCC/RWA website: http://occrwa.org/classes/june-online-class/
Note: I took Suzanne’s class on Monster Revisions last year and can personally attest that she’s a wonderful teacher, and yes, the class was a working course.
Linda McLaughlin
OCC/RWA Online Class Coordinator
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