AS A SERIOUS AUTHOR, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE WORK ISN’T FINISHED WHEN YOU TYPE THE END.
There’s that little thing called marketing to consider – in other words, how you’re going to get your words into the hands of people who want to read them. Even traditionally published authors are responsible for a great deal of their own marketing these days, as publishers reduce the amount of time, money, and energy they invest in developing their lists. And if you’re self publishing, of course, the marketing is entirely up to you.
SOUND SCARY?OVERWHELMING?expensive?
It doesn’t have to be. In fact, marketing can be simple and (dare I say it?) even A FUN PART OF YOUR BUSINESS AS AN INDIE AUTHOR – if you go about it the right way.
The problem is that most authors don’t think of marketing the same way they think of crafting their books. Authors love to read all about craft, spend hours plotting and creating outlines, write reams on character backstory that may or may not ever make it into the book…
Yet when it comes to marketing and selling – if they’re doing marketing at all – they’re willing to just throw something together, post to Facebook once in a while when they remember (or when they’re procrastinating…), and maybe even dabble in Facebook ads here and there.
But marketing is just like writing – you have to know where you’re going and you’ll need a plan to get there.
If you want a successful, lucrative career as an indie author, you must create marketing systems that reach new audiences, sell for you, and leave you time to write and create.
That’s why I created the Self Publishing Formula’s Ads for Authors course.
It’s a full marketing system for authors that can be set up quickly and with a minimal budget. And then it will run in the background, working hard on your behalf to get your books into the hands of readers and pushing you up the sales charts. It will gather new readers, build your sales rank and add to your bottom line. All the while, you’ll have the time to concentrate on your writing, secure in the knowledge that your career is being developed. And you’ll be ready to market your next book when it’s ready.
meet the author: cecelia mecca
As soon as I saw Mark I knew 100% he could communicate information. I think he's a wonderful instructor. Knowing your information and being able to convey it are two different things; Mark does a fantastic job of conveying information - he's a great teacher.
Six years ago, when I independently published my third novel, I believed a lot of things about self publishing that I found out later were, well, just wrong. I thought that:
- Self publishing is free. You don’t need to invest anything to be successful.
- You can do your own marketing entirely on social media – again, for FREE.
- I don’t want to bother people, so I don’t need a way to collect their email address (why would they even want emails from me?)
- Advertising and marketing online seem pretty technical – and I’m not a technical person.
- (And maybe worst of all...) I’m a writer, not a marketer.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
I really had no idea what I was doing. I mean, I was the writer who managed to get 
over the course of a weekend but didn’t have another book to sell.
Even worse, I was the writer who didn’t even have a mailing list where I could communicate with those readers when I DID eventually have something else to sell.
I could have tried and tried and tried, keeping that same mindset and getting nowhere. But I didn’t. I forced myself to sit down and learn from those who had gone before me. I absorbed all the knowledge I could and then I looked beyond self publishing into the broader world of internet marketing (because, let’s be honest, a book is a piece of digital content and the rules for selling on the internet apply to books as much as they do to other online assets).
I surrounded myself with brilliant people and learned as much as I could from them. And what I learned changed my perspective, my business, and my life.
Now? things are a bit different
- I hit the bestseller lists everywhere I choose to sell.
- I have systems that take care of the marketing for me, leaving me time to write.
- I easily make five figures in sales each month with simple ads and since 2018 have secured a seven-figure annual income for myself.
- I have a list of more than 80,000 fans eager to buy my next book.
- And I have created a repeatable way to launch every single book I write – and make a profit – from here on out.
AND I WANT TO SHARE MY SYSTEMS WITH YOU:
The successful indie author is someone who understands that making a decent living from writing is not just writing a book - or even multiple books - but about embracing the power of new digital marketing techniques to create repeatable systems that get those books into the hands of readers over and over again.
WANT TO KNOW HOW I DID IT?
Of course, back before I figured these systems out, I was the guy who thought exactly what you may be thinking:
“it’s too technical.”
I'm not a particularly technical kind of guy. I'm not great with websites and data and all the stuff I thought I'd need to know to make advertising work. You'll be able to get ads up and running very quickly. Better still, I'll guide you through the whole process, teaching you the trickier concepts, explaining the jargon and then presenting you with hours of detailed videos that allow you to look over my shoulder as I set up and monitor my ads. I will demystify the process and show you how easy it is.
“i don’t have time!”
I won't lie to you: advertising on Facebook, Amazon and BookBub takes a bit of time to learn and set up, but I'm going to cut your set up time by way more than half, because I'll show you everything you need to know. And once you have your systems set up, it takes almost no time to maintain. I monitor my ads every day at 2pm. It takes 10 minutes - that's all. The system that I teach finds new readers for you while you write the new material that they are going to love.
“i’m not a marketer.”
Successful writers know that you need to wear lots of different hats. The days when you could just write and leave someone else to get your books into the hands of new readers are long gone. And that’s GREAT. I bet you’re exactly like me – you want people to love your stuff, and you want to be paid enough so that you can do what you love as your full-time job. Why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of the most efficient strategy I have discovered in the last five years to make that a reality?
“i’m not ready to launch...”
All you need is a finished book that's ready to be delivered to readers. THAT'S ALL. I'll show you how to leverage that book to drive sign-ups to your mailing list (the #1 most powerful marketing strategy that a writer can have). And then I'll show you how to sell it. There is a perception in the indie community that too many authors are advertising and it isn't as effective as it once was. I don't agree. This course will show you how to make your ads as effective as possible - and what's working right now.
“it’ll be too expensive.”
I thought it would cost too much to make a campaign work as it should, and it is one of the most frequent concerns that I hear from other authors. It's not true. You can run simple list building ads on Facebook for as little as $5 a day. And that's an investment that should result in a tidy return - the goal is to make a profit as new readers buy your books.
meet the author: Garrett robinson
The difference for me before I did Ads for Authors and after was before I did it, I didn't have a career, and after I did it, I had one. That was the straight-up difference. Before, I was not anywhere close to making a living from my writing, and afterwards, not only was I suddenly making a living from my writing, but my wife got to quit her job in order to work for me as well. So, I'd say it worked pretty good.
at a certain stage in life – or your business – you’re not interested in just doing what you’ve been doing. It isn’t working. You’re not getting the results you want. And that’s frustrating. You’re ready to take things to an entirely different level.
The problem is this: it’s not something you can do on your own. It’s not going to be you sitting in a coffee shop, figuring out how to make your books sell in the intervals between writing new stuff.
You need help. I need it, you need it, we all need it. Ads for Authors is designed to be the guidance that helps you ditch the status quo. I want to drive you to new levels that you might previously have thought were unattainable.
in fact, when you’ve completed this course, you’ll be able to:
- Find your perfect readers and hit them with beautiful, well-crafted ads that convert them into buyers and fans.
- Build an automated email sequence that introduces new readers to your writing and encourages them to move on to your paid books.
- Grow your email list exponentially with readers who have signed up because they are eager to know more about you and your writing.
- Turn some of those readers in to fans, and then into superfans (and members of your Street Team – selling more books for you!).
- Write engaging emails to your readers that build strong lasting relationships.
- Start growing the core posse of 1,000 true fans any creative artist needs to build a sustainable and reliable business doing the things that you love.
- And – I almost forgot – SELL BOOKS.
OF COURSE, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO WOULD PREFER I KEEP ALL THIS A SECRET.
When I mentioned that I was going to put together a course setting all this down, I was contacted by more than one successful indie author who suggested that I keep it to myself. Why? Because they were using ads very successfully and wanted to keep their strategies to themselves.
Not cool!
I created this course because I hate the idea of writers sitting on manuscripts, worried about self publishing, because they think it’s going to be prohibitively expensive, when that’s just not the case.
And now that I’ve been teaching students how to do this for a while, the results have been astounding.
I’ve proven that the ads work in any genre, for any kind of writer. I’ve seen romance authors make FIVE times their investment on ads. I’ve seen writers from niche genres ADD THOUSANDS of emails (yes, literally) to their mailing lists.
it can be done - and you could be next.
MEET THE AUTHORS
LUCY SCORE, ROMANCE
If you’re on the fence about it, do it. The course will pay for itself with your first launch. We hit over three quarters of a million last year - and we already beat that this year.
RYAN SCHOW, DYSTOPIAN
The modules are fantastic. Even if you’re not technology-savvy, it’s very easy to do. It’s seamless. I became a full-time author 3 months ago. I’ve strived for it for a long time. This is the avenue that’s allowed me to do that.
MICHELLE MADOW, FANTASY
I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to take the course earlier so that I could be even further along than I am now. This course really makes a huge difference and will change your career. And your life.
SHAYNE SILVERS, URBAN FANTASY
I knew how to write but I didn’t know how to treat it like a business. Within two to three months of doing the Ads for Authors course, I made five figures in a month. Six months after that I was able to quit my job and do this full time.
MARC REKLAU, NON-FICTION
A year ago things weren’t so bright. I was really struggling. Six months after taking the course, the money my books made quadrupled. And the more books you sell, the more organic opportunities come along like audiobooks and foreign rights deals. Mark showed me what’s possible.
EXACTLY WHAT YOU’LL LEARN INSIDE ADS FOR AUTHORS:
This course will show you everything you need to know to create ads for list building and sales.
I will show you the exact strategy that I have deployed to add thousands of readers to my mailing list and increase the sales of all my books - and one $6.99 box set by 500%. You don’t need a degree in computer science to pull this off. Apart from the modest budget for ads, you don’t need to buy anything else.
You’ve got this.
FACEBOOK ADS FOR AUTHORS
The original and the largest of the courses within Ads for Authors, my flagship Facebook Ads for Authors covers everything you need to know in order to navigate the world’s largest social media ads platform. In this course you will learn:
- General Principles: How to navigate the Facebook Ads interface, and how to create a campaign and target readers;
- How to use Facebook Ads to build a mailing list of superfans;
- And how to use the ads platform to drive sales of your books. You’ll also get access to Advanced Facebook Ads for Authors – a steadily updated curriculum of high-level ninja tips and tricks.
AMAZON ADS FOR AUTHORS
First delivered in 2020: our revised Amazon Ads for Authors course. Janet Margot recently left the Amazon Ads team after working there for eight years, so there’s nobody better suited to teach authors how to effectively target readers through the largest online retailer in the world. In this premium course you will learn:
- Why Amazon Ads should form part of your marketing strategy;
- The different types of Amazon Ads;
- How to develop the right advertising strategy for your books;
- How to expand your reach to an international audience;
- And all the tactics and strategies I’ve used to make my ads work like gangbusters.
BookBub Ads for Authors
You’ve probably heard how effective BookBub’s Featured Deals are, right? Take a deep dive into the platform with an up-to-date and expansive module delivered by the BookBub team themselves, and learn everything from setting up an account to building an audience to creating ads with cheap CPCs… and much more!
TIKTOK FOR AUTHORS
Let established indie authors Lila Dubois and Jayne Rylon take you by the hand and show you how to tap into the awesome marketing potential of the popular platform in this specially commissioned module. BookTok is very much a thing!
BONUS! Advanced Facebook Ads for Authors
An additional course with pro ninja tips galore to take your Facebook ads marketing to the next level.
BONUS!How to Write Better, Simpler Ads
In this guest module from author and author trainer, Bryan Cohen, you’ll learn how to create hooks to draw in readers and master the art of crafting compelling ads for your books – including how to fine-tune them to maximise their performance.
BONUS!Ad Design for Authors
Stuart Bache, professional book cover designer for bestsellers (including me), shows how to get the very best out of design tools Photoshop and Canva to create high-converting covers for your books.
SPF University
Access insightful and useful webinars on all things self-publishing, with fresh content added on a regular basis.
Plus: signing up for the course provides you with a host of fantastic additional services worth hundreds of dollars!
- BONUS MODULE: Write Simpler, Better Ads by Bryan Cohen
- BONUS MODULE: Facebook Messenger Bots by Mark Dawson
- BONUS MODULE: Ad Design for Authors by Stuart Bache
- BONUS MODULE: SPF University
- BONUS MODULE: Advanced Facebook Ads for Authors
- $75 OFF the standard price of our popular craft courses: HOW TO WRITE A BESTSELLER, HOW TO REVISE YOUR BOOK and COVER DESIGN FOR AUTHORS
- PRO BOOK COVER DESIGNS by Stuart Bache: discount worth over $400 for ebook design, Facebook ad images and 3D packshot package
- Work smarter and faster when plotting your books with the popular book planning software, PLOTTR (15% discount)
- Discounted membership for an annual plan with BOOKFUNNEL, the popular eBook distribution service (worth $50)
- Discount (30%) worth $120 for PROWRITINGAID, the premium grammar checker and style editor
- A FREE month of access to PROLIFIC WORKS, the ace book giveaway service (Plus Plan - worth $20)
- A FREE month of HEY BETA! The new service that makes managing multiple beta readers simple and easy (worth $7 on the Rising Star Plan)
- Get $10 OFF a Book of the Day ad with BOOKSENDS
- Secure a nifty $5 OFF your first book promotion with HELLO BOOKS
- BOOK BRUSH: 15% DISCOUNT on the ANNUAL PLAN FOR LIFE! This amazing service makes creating professional ad and social media images for your book campaigns an absolute breeze - worth $15 a year for as long as you subscribe
- SWIPE COPY – precise Launch Team Recruitment copy as PDF (worth $25)
- TWO great offers from the team at PUBLISHDRIVE with 50% off the first two months of their ebook distribution service (worth up to $100) and a free month (worth $7) with ABACUS, their ace royalty-splitting tool
We also have FOUR fantastic options to create a professionally produced, engaging and marketable AUTHOR WEBSITE at DEEPLY DISCOUNTED PRICES:
- DIGITAL AUTHORS TOOLKIT are offering SPF students the opportunity to receive a $150 discount (that's nearly 20% off!) on a custom-built author website using the popular Wix platform
- Get 15% (worth $90) off an Elementor for Writers theme installation, a powerful and easy-to-use WordPress theme built for writers and offered exclusively by the team at GOCREATE
- Save up to $90 on NRDLY, the all-in-one, done-for-you author website based on the Wordpress platform with everything you need for the perfect author website
- A huge 25% discount (worth $1000) on a SUPER PREMIUM WORDPRESS website for the ‘authorpreneurs’ out there who require something more advanced and customised – from the crack team that’s put together multiple sites for the global self-publishing community
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PLATFORMS COVERED IN THE COURSE SUDDENLY CHANGE?
Don’t worry! Once you’ve bought the course you’ll have lifetime access to all future updates of the platforms covered as well as any new modules that are introduced. We do our best to make the course as up to date and future-proof as possible.
WHAT IF I NEED EXTRA SUPPORT AFTER STARTING THE COURSE?
As a student of this course, you’ll gain immediate access to a hugely supportive Facebook community made up of indie authors at various stages of their careers. Whether it’s feedback or insight that you’re after, this is a fantastic place to start. For technical and payment queries, our online support team will aim to respond to your query as quickly as possible.
WHY DOES THE COURSE COST MORE WHEN PAYING BY INSTALLMENT?
We offer a payment plan for authors wanting immediate access to the course but who prefer the benefit of spreading the cost of purchase over 12 months. Administration of the scheme does require extra resources which are covered by the additional cost of the payment plan option.
money back guarantee
If the course isn’t for you, that’s not a problem. All you need to do is email me within 30 days of purchase to receive a full refund.
meet the author: ORLANDO A. SANCHEZ
It really does work for you! I was lost in the marketing/ads world. I did the course and went from making $56 in my first year to making well over six figures a year now. I’ve been able to live off my writing, which is fantastic. It’s a dream.
whether or not you become a successful indie author has much more to do with your marketing systems than anything else.
The good news is, the tactics you need to know to market your book are not difficult to master. I’ve done the hard work of putting all the information together into one hub and system you can use to find readers, introduce them to your work, and create fans and readers for life.
The only thing left for you to do is make it happen.