For information on how to view recorded webinars, contact the FHLCW VP.
January 2023
Selling Books by the Truckload on Amazon, with Penny Sansevieri
Amazon is a great place to sell books, but most authors (and publishers) underutilize the free tools that Amazon offers. Metadata, keywords, Editorial Reviews, Author Videos and Amazon’s backend systems are also something that are often misunderstood, and underused. This deep dive class will dig into all of the pieces that Amazon has to help you sell more books.
Mastering Amazon: Ads, Your Backlist, and the Perfect Book Launch, with Penny Sansevieri
This class will focus on key elements authors need to know to maximize Amazon to fully support not just their current title, but how to leverage backlist titles, and plan better for future book launches.
Penny Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. (AME) and Adjunct Professor at NYU, is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns.
February 2023
Search Engine Optimization, with Denise M. Colby
Have you ever asked yourself: What is SEO and how does it work? How do I know if what I’m doing is even working? Every website needs SEO, but the art behind it can be a bit confusing. Join Denise M. Colby as she breaks down the fundamentals and shares both the how and the why to help you build stronger SEO for your website and blog.
Denise M. Colby loves to write words that encourage, enrich, and engage her readers. She treasures the written word and the messages that can be conveyed when certain words are strung together. With over 30+ years’ experience in marketing, she is currently an E-commerce Content Marketing Manager for a national drainage company and enjoys using her knowledge on brand and SEO to help other authors. An avid journal writer, she usually can be found with a pen and notepad whenever she’s reading God’s word. Denise lives in Southern California with her husband and three sons and writes historical Christian romance.
April 2023
Sarah Sundin: “No Missed Deadlines: Strategies to Keep You on Track”
Writing for publication means deadlines—not only for manuscripts, but for publisher’s title questionnaires, blog interviews, endorsement requests, and more. Without a system of organization, things can fall through the cracks, tainting our professional reputation. In this workshop, we’ll explore practical ways to track assignments and manage goals, using calendars and charts and files.
May 2023
Robin Lee Hatcher: “My Journey from Traditional to Indie Publishing”
Robin Lee Hatcher wrote her first novel in 1981, and it was published in February 1984. Over the course of the next 38+ years, she wrote books for eleven different publishers that released 85 novels and novellas. But in early 2021, she made the decision to go indie. There were a number of factors that played into that decision, but once it was made, she began a crash course in indie publishing. Should she go wide or stick with KDP Select? What about copyright registration? How does an author find a good editor? What about beta readers? What marketing is best? She is still learning as she goes, and she is so grateful for the writers who have shared their knowledge to help her on her way. She would like to do the same for others. Join Robin as she shares her new adventure thus far.
June 2023
Thomas Umstattd: “Platform Boosting Email Newsletters”
The number of email subscribers you have is a key component publishers look at to measure your platform. In this class you will learn how to attract subscribers, design beautiful emails and create content that gets forwarded around the web.
July 2023
“KDP Select AND Multiple Streams of Income: How to have your cake and eat it too” with Misty Beller
Though Amazon’s KDP Select program is often profitable enough to lure authors into the ebook exclusivity it requires, it IS possible to use that program and build enough other streams of income so all your eggs are not in the Kindle Unlimited basket. Misty will share the revenue streams and advertising drivers she’s used to build income of more than $350k/year—over half of which is not from KU page reads—then we’ll brainstorm other ways to diversify income streams while maximizing revenue from KDP Select.
August 2023
“Keeping Fiction Facts Straight: Historical Research and Organization” with Mesu Andrews
Never again lose a key piece of information or source you worked so hard to find! Whether writing fiction or non-fiction, writing mainstream or Christian market, every author must either create or adopt an effective system to retrieve information the moment it’s needed at every stage of publication—research, (plotting), rough draft, editing, publishing, and marketing. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to assess research source authenticity, discover how to store research that’s easy to find when you need it, and uncover simple organizational tricks that increase time efficiency and make the marketing process more effective.
September 2023
Bookbrush with Kathleen Sweeney
Are you ready to take your book marketing to the next level? With the incredible Book Brush tools, you can create eye-catching graphics and professional-looking ads that will take your social media presence, book covers, and more to a whole new level! Join Kathleen Sweeney as she shares some favorite Book Brush tips and tricks to make your marketing efforts fun and easy. Discover how to transform simple images into stunning, attention-grabbing graphics that will help you stand out from the competition. We’ll also look at options to hire Book Brush as your VA for projects you dread. At Book Brush, we want to serve authors however we can!
Don’t miss this chance to learn how Book Brush can help you unleash your creative potential and step up your book marketing endeavors!
October 2023
“Red Hot Squeaky Clean Romance” with Hallee Bridgeman
As a successful best-selling romance author, Hallee will use favorite movie examples to make your page sizzle with heat while staying squeaky clean.
November 2023
“Plotting with History” with Karen Witemeyer
Immersing your reader in a historical setting requires a delicate balance between research and storytelling. Inserting too many research details can bog down the plot and bore your reader. Too few can jerk your reader out of the story and leave them disappointed. Historical readers are savvy. You must do more than put your characters in period costumes. You must create an authentic story world true to your era. This workshop will help authors learn to create stories that feel authentic to a specific time period without reading like a history text.