Writing a great book and getting it into the hands of readers can be a long, challenging journey. The writing process itself can be lonely and daunting, and with so many options for publishing, distribution, and marketing, it’s easy to feel confused and overwhelmed.
The Author Learning Center (ALC) understands these challenges and wants you to know you are not alone at any point in your journey! Our one-of-kind website is designed to educate, motivate, and support you as you follow your path to becoming a published author.
In honor of our 50th “Ask Sheila” Q&A blog post, we are sharing 6 amazing ways The Author Learning Center can help you reach your goals!
The publishing industry is vast and constantly evolving, making it difficult to stay on top of trends, news, and reputable service providers. Don’t worry, the ALC has you covered! We work hard to ensure our webinars, articles, blog posts, interviews, and more cover the latest and greatest information that is available in the industry. This includes topics related to writing, editing, publishing, AND marketing your books. There are two primary ways to search for resources on the Author Learning Center website:
The Search Bar at the Top of the Homepage
The Author Learning Center’s entire catalog of content is searchable. You can type keywords or phrases into the search bar located at the top of the ALC homepage, and the website’s search engine will provide a list of related content, with the most relevant resources listed first. You can then filter this list of resources by type, category, sub-category, and more.
The Drop-Down Menu Next to the Search Bar
If you’d prefer to look for resources by category as you start your search, you can click on the three lines to the left of the search bar. This will provide a drop-down menu that includes the four categories of “Writing, Editing, Publishing, and Marketing”, along with “Live Webinars” and “Programs”.
No matter what stage you’re at in your journey, you can find valuable advice, information, and encouragement that will help you reach your goals.
The list of tasks associated with writing, editing, publishing, and marketing a book is LONG and often difficult to manage. To assist, ALC members have access to The Book Launch Tool, an exclusive tracking tool designed to help manage the tasks associated with each part of the journey. Once you set up your book project and desired book launch date in your Author Space, The Book Launch Tool allows you to track a recommended list of preset tasks and monitor your progress along the way. You can even create custom tasks as needed, or remove any that do not apply to your project. Your book project dashboard will show your upcoming tasks to help remind you of what needs to be completed and when. Use this innovative tool to set weekly word count goals, due dates for your first draft, revisions, and final draft, when to build your website and social media platforms, and so on.
Finding a group of like-minded people is so important, especially when embarking on something new like writing a book. Once you set up your book project in your Author Space, an Author Circle is created for that project. This private forum provides a safe space where you can ask questions, start discussions, conduct polls, or share your manuscript to get feedback. You can invite both ALC members and even non-members to join your Circle. The ALC will recommend fellow members to invite based on your book’s genre, so be sure to complete these sections of your book project and member profile.Family, friends, and peers can remind you of your goals or provide validation on days when your determination is waning. At one time or another, you may need to ask for help. This could be emotional support, inspiration, or guidance. By establishing a group of people that know about your writing goals and deadlines, you can get support and accountability as needed.
The ALC offers live webinar sessions each week that cover a variety of important topics presented by industry advisors, experts, and established authors. Each session includes at least 40 minutes of discussion and learning, and at least 10 minutes of Q&A at the end. You can view a list of upcoming events by clicking on the Live Webinars page. If you wish to register for an event, select the session you want and then click on the “Register” button on the event page. You will receive a confirmation and reminder emails with your direct link to join the session.Can’t make a live event? Don’t worry, all live webinars are recorded and recordings are posted to the ALC website once the live sessions have taken place. ALC members can access our archive of recorded webinars through a link at the top of the Live Webinars page and view them at their convenience.
There are many websites and service providers that offer information, tools, and assistance to authors. It’s important to understand that some of these resources are more reliable and reputable than others. You might even come across potential scams as you search for guidance or assistance.We’ve created lists of what we believe are the best writing, editing, publishing, and marketing resources available for authors outside of the ALC. These include writing group websites, directories of agents and publishers, directories of book events and conferences, online distribution platforms, marketing support, and more. ALC members can refer to these lists as needed and trust that the resources have been vetted.
You have questions, we have answers! Bi-weekly, ALC's Manager of Author Education Sheila Manna candidly weighs in on questions asked by you, the ALC community. She tackles it all — book reviews, pen names, fiction based on real life, writing obstacles, publishing options, social media, affordable marketing methods...and more!
If you’ve got a question you’ve been grappling with, CLICK HERE and submit your question for a chance to have it featured and answered in a future blog entry! Be sure to check out our previous blog posts to see if Sheila has answered a question similar to yours.
The ALC includes the most comprehensive collection of information, advice, resources, and tools related to writing, editing, publishing and marketing a book, so be sure to take advantage of all it has to offer. We’re here to help!Not a member yet? Take advantage of our 30-day FREE TRIAL to see all of these valuable assets and tools in action!
Photo credit: Goldfinch4ever via Getty Images
GO BACK TO THE MAIN BLOG PAGE
Thanks!