January 2025 Workshop: Self-Publishing
Instructor: Meredith Bond
Start Date: Monday, January 20, 2025
End Date: Friday, January 31, 2025
Duration: 2 Weeks
Type: Groups.io
USD Fee: A2P Member – $10; Non-A2P Member – $25
Class Description
Day One: Introduction; A: Anyone can self-publish
Day Two: B: Building a schedule; E: Enlisting the help of others
Day Three: D: Deciding what goes in: all the pretty pieces
Day Four: F: Formatting, an introduction; I: Ideas for making your book look professional; L: Layout
Day Five: G: Getting started formatting; H: Formatting with HTML; J: Formatting with Jutoh; O: Other Programs that can be used for formatting
Day Six: S: Formatting for Smashwords; P: Print-on-Demand Formatting
Day Seven: C: Your cover
Day Eight: U: Uploading your masterpiece
Day Nine: M: Beginning marketing; Y: You; V: Your virtual presence
Day Ten: Live Zoom Meeting Q: All questions answered (to the best of my ability). Existential questions such as “What is the meaning of life” and “Why?” will be answered, but I should remind you, I am a writer of fiction. –Meredith Bond
Meredith Bond is an award-winning romance author. She has been both traditionally and self-published, and has written forty books including three works of non-fiction. After teaching writing and self-publishing since 2005 both in person and online, she now owns and runs her own formatting and coaching business, Anessa Books, where she not only makes the words of her clients look beautiful on page and screen, but guides authors through the sometimes complicated process of writing and self-publishing.
February 2025 Workshop 1:
Social Media for Authors: The Budget Edition
Instructor: Lisa Rabey
Start Date: Sunday, February 2, 2025
End Date: Friday, February 28, 2025
Duration: 4 Weeks
Type: Groups.io
USD Fee: A2P Member – $10; Non-A2P Member – $25
Class Description
How are you to write your best novel ever if you spend all your time promoting yourself online? Even worse, creating and maintaining your online presence can be overwhelming, time consuming, and sometimes expensive. Social Media for Authors: The Budget Edition solves that problem for you. Lisa Rabey will walk you through tips, tricks, and tools, from creating a content calendar to doing a social media audit so you’ll always be ahead of the game. You’ll be spending more time writing your best novel ever while keeping your community engaged.
Lisa Rabey is Nerd Girl Industries. She has taught classes from information literacy to social media for nearly 20 years. Lisa is dedicated to creating a better online experience for everyone. NGI offers social media management, content creation and strategy, tailored research, website management, instruction, and so much more! Lisa is also a writer, bookseller, and librarian. Her work is published in Backward Trajectory, tiny wren lit, 50-Word Stories, the drabble, and others.
February 2025 Workshop 2:
Facebook AD Basics for Beginners
Instructor: L. Mad Hildebrandt
Start Date: Monday, February 3, 2025
End Date: Friday, February 14, 2025
Duration: 2 Weeks
Type: Groups.io
USD Fee: A2P Member – $10; Non-A2P Member – $25
Class Description
Are you an author looking to boost your book sales and grow your audience? Discover how to create and launch your very first ad—even if you have no prior experience! The workshop features hands-on learning and simplified marketing concepts designed specifically for authors. You’ll learn the basics of marketing and branding for authors, how to set up your Facebook Business Manager and Ad Account, and the step-by-step process of creating an ad, from visuals to copywriting. You’ll also explore audience targeting to connect with the right readers, learn how to set a budget that works for you, and track your ad’s success. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a live ad tailored to your author goals and audience.
L. Mad Hildebrandt, award-winning author, history enthusiast, and marketing mentor for authors! With a talent for creating engaging cozy mysteries and romantic thrillers, Mad has captivated readers across multiple genres. Beyond her writing career, she’s taught college history at Humboldt State University, the University of Maine, and Rowan College at Burlington County, making her an expert at delivering practical, engaging lessons. As an author herself, Mad understands the challenges of marketing and is excited to guide you through the ad creation process with her fun and approachable teaching style.
March 2025 Workshop
Enrich Your Writing with Sensory Language
Instructor: Zara West
Start Date: Monday, March 3, 2025
End Date: Monday, March 31, 2025
Duration: 4 Weeks
Type: Groups.io
USD Fee: A2P Member – $10; Non-A2P Member – $25
Class Description
This course covers using sensory language to enrich emotion and action. For every sense, I cover not only normal processing, but ways people who have conditions that affect their senses—like limited vision, hearing, or balance issues—can be described and represented through sensory language. I also cover cultural sensitivity issues and language.
Zara West loves all things mysterious, adventurous, and heart-stopping, as long as they lead to true love. Born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Zara West spends winters in New York where the streets hum with life, summers in the Maritimes where the sea meets the shore, and the rest of the year anywhere inspiration for tales of adventure and love are plentiful. An award-winning author of both fiction and non-fiction, Zara West has published the award-winning romantic thriller series, The Skin Quartet and Tide Harbor Suspense. She is also the author of the Write for Success series of writing craft books for every writer and teaches numerous online courses.