Free Self-Publishing Courses
April 26, 2018 by IngramSpark Staff You can write the absolute best book in the world, have top-of-the-line book distribution and quality, but another essential part to being a successful publisher is taking the time to invest in expanding your publishing knowledge and expertise, because, at the end of the day, your book’s success needs your input.
Take IngramSpark’s FREE Online Self-Publishing Courses
IngramSpark Academy
We now offer free online self-publishing courses on topics that are most beneficial to your success as a publisher or published author. There aren’t authors or publishers in the world who are publishing a book intended for sales that hope they won’t sell any copies. If you’ve done the work to write and publish a brilliant book, then readers should know about it! There also isn’t an author or publisher anywhere who knows all there is to know about publishing. There’s always more to learn as the publishing landscape changes constantly and so do readers and how they consume your content. Traditional publishers are required to adapt to the market as well, but your advantage as an indie publisher is that you’re more versatile than they’ll ever be. Even if you get just one piece of inspiration from seeking out more information, that’s a piece you didn’t have before and weren’t applying to your book’s potential success, so as an indie publisher, one of our best pieces of advice is to never stop learning and looking for opportunity.
Where to Learn How to Self-Publish
The resources are out there! In an IngramSpark podcast spotlight episode (releasing May 1) we interviewed Jason Pinter, New York Times bestselling author and indie publisher, and he said:
“There’s a responsibility that comes with [indie publishing] because there’s too much information available to you to not be knowledgeable.”
There’s no need to publish a book and simply hope for the best when it’s well within your grasp to actually be the best publisher you can be.
IngramSpark helps close the gap between independent publishing and traditional publishing by allowing authors and publishers access to the same global book distribution and quality enjoyed by traditional publishers at prices self-publishers can afford. But why stop there? Offering access to the information and best practices utilized by traditional publishers to make their books more successful is something you, as an indie publisher, can personalize and optimize on a much different level than even traditional publishers can. So yes, IngramSpark helps you print and distribute your print books and ebooks, but we also offer you the educational aspects to help you and your book succeed – of which IngramSpark Academy is one.
Free Online Self-Publishing Courses
Our online self-publishing courses are on areas of the publishing process that most affect your publishing success and on which you and your fellow authors have indicated you’d love to know more.
How to Build an Author Platform
Building your author platform is essential. There’s a reason why this is one of the main reasons authors are acquired by traditional publishers. Having an author platform ensures that an author has a built-in audience for a publication. Every good book needs an audience and every great author deserves fans. This course offers you a better understanding of how and why people buy books and tips on how to find your audience, target your audience, and how to engage with them.
Take the Author Platform Course
How to Increase Book Sales Potential: Metadata for Books
We can’t stress enough how important your book metadata is to your book’s online discoverability, not only to readers, but also to retailers and librarians. This course offers helpful tips in regards to your book’s most essential metadata such as: keywords, title, book description, author bio, subject codes, trim size, ISBN, price, and publication date.
What’s Next for IngramSpark Academy
We’ve already had an incredible response to our first two online self-publishing courses with hundreds enrolled and several 5-star reviews, and we have more planned! Our next two courses to be released will be Social Media Marketing and How to Self-Publish. While not live just yet, you’re welcome to sign up to be notified when they’re available.
We hope you’ll take the opportunity to invest in your publisher education, whether it be through our free courses, podcast, blog, or downloadable resources, or by getting involved in a publishing association or attending a conference. It’s your content. Do more with it!