If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the rapid changes in the publishing world especially regarding Artificial Intelligence you are not alone. In a recent episode of the Wish I’d Known Then podcast, we talked about everything from the importance of physical health to the specific AI tools that can save you hours of work.

Here is an episode summary generated by Gemini 3 Pro:

The Novel Marketing Conference: A Different Kind of Gathering

Thomas kicked things off by discussing his upcoming Novel Marketing Conference, which stands out in a sea of writer events for one specific reason: no recordings.

Unlike many conferences where sessions are recorded for later viewing, Thomas designed this event to be fully immersive and interactive. He describes it as “almost more of a workshop than a conference,” where attendees work in small “writer’s groups” and leave with a physical, actionable plan for selling more books in the coming year. The goal is to create a space for honest, unrecorded conversation and deep work, rather than just passive listening.

The Foundation of Creativity: Your Health

One of the more surprising but vital topics discussed was the role of physical health in an author’s career. Thomas shared his personal journey of prioritizing health, noting that “your body is the machine that your brain lives in”.

He pointed out that many authors try to optimize their time but neglect their energy levels. You might carve out an hour to write, but if you are exhausted or brain-fogged, that hour won’t be productive. By treating health as a business asset, authors can improve not just their longevity but the quality of their creative output.

Navigating the AI Revolution

The centerpiece of the conversation was AI. Thomas offered a refreshing, balanced perspective that avoids both the “doom and gloom” and the “blind hype” often seen online. He noted that people tend to oscillate between thinking AI is “the end of humanity” or that it “creates nothing but slop”.

His philosophy is simple: Don’t give AI the work you enjoy; give it the drudgery.

A Practical Dictation Workflow

For authors looking to speed up their drafting or note-taking, Thomas shared a specific workflow he uses to capture ideas while on the go:

1. Hardware: He uses AirPods, which isolate his voice from background noise.
2. App: He records using an app called “Just Press Record” on his Apple Watch or phone.
3. Processing: He uses a tool called “Chapterize” to transcribe the audio.
4. AI Cleanup: He then feeds that transcript into an AI tool (like ChatGPT or Claude) with a prompt to clean up the grammar and remove “umms” and “ahhs.”

This stack allows him to dictate high-quality content while walking or driving, turning “dead time” into productive writing time.

The Author Toolbox

Thomas has developed a suite of tools specifically for writers, available at AuthorMedia.com. Some of the standout tools mentioned include:

• Book Cover Analyzer: Helps determine if your cover fits your genre conventions.
• Design Brief Generator: Creates a professional brief to send to cover designers.
• Character Namer: Tools that generate culturally and historically accurate names for characters (e.g., Victorian era names).
• Fact Checkers: Specialized tools for checking historical facts or checking medical facts without getting lost in a Google research rabbit hole.

These tools are designed to work within “guardrails,” using pre-written prompts to ensure the AI gives you exactly what you need without requiring you to become a “prompt engineering” expert.

Optimizing for the Future of Search

A crucial insight Thomas shared is the shift from optimizing for search engines (SEO) to optimizing for AI.

In the past, authors focused on getting their websites to rank on Google. Today, readers are increasingly asking tools like ChatGPT for book recommendations. Thomas explained that these AI models “read” the internet, including sites like Goodreads and Amazon. To ensure your book is recommended, you need to provide content that helps the AI understand who your book is for.

He suggested adding “Director’s Commentary” or “Behind the Scenes” content to your book pages on your own website. This unique content differentiates your site from Amazon and gives the AI more context to recommend your book to the right readers.

The Art of Pruning: Easiness, Joy, and Revenue

Finally, the group discussed the challenge of having too much to do. Thomas introduced a framework he used in a mastermind group to decide what tasks to cut. He lists all his activities in a spreadsheet with three columns:

1. Easiness: How easy is this task to do?
2. Joy: How much joy does it bring me?
3. Revenue: How much money does it make?

By scoring activities on these metrics, it becomes clear which ones should be “sunsetted” or pruned. Just as the Texas legislature creates agencies with an expiration date (“sunsetting”), authors should regularly review their commitments and kill off the ones that are difficult, joyless, and unprofitable.

Conclusion

This episode was a reminder that while technology changes, the core needs of an author—health, focus, and connection with readers—remain the same. Whether you are using AI to write blurbs or auditing your schedule to find more joy, the goal is to build a sustainable and fulfilling writing career.

For more from Thomas, you can check out the Novel Marketing Podcast or visit AuthorMedia.com to access the tools mentioned in this post.

Here is an AI summary:

In the rapidly evolving landscape of book marketing, authors have long been told to master Search Engine Optimization (SEO). But as we move deeper into the age of artificial intelligence, a new, perhaps more critical, strategy has emerged: AI Optimization (AIO), sometimes called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

In a recent episode of Before the Bestseller, host Alex Strathdee sat down with the legendary Thomas Umstattd Jr.—host of the Novel Marketing Podcast and a self-described “book marketing hero”—to uncover the strategies, struggles, and secrets behind getting AI to recommend your book over the competition.

This isn’t just about keywords anymore; it’s about training the digital brain of the internet to recognize your authority. Here is a deep dive into the insights Thomas shared on how authors can navigate this new frontier.

The Rainforest Cafe Lesson: Why AI Recommendations Matter

To understand the power—and the quirks—of AI optimization, Thomas shared a telling anecdote from a recent family trip to San Antonio, Texas. When planning the trip, he didn’t turn to Google or Yelp; he asked an AI to build an itinerary for his family, specifically requesting fun activities for children.

The AI recommended the Rainforest Cafe on the famous Riverwalk. While the Riverwalk is known for authentic Tex-Mex, the AI prioritized the Rainforest Cafe because it offered “animatronic animals,” fitting the specific prompt for “fun activities for kids”.

When Thomas arrived, there was a 40-minute wait, while better, more authentic restaurants nearby were actively soliciting customers. The food at the Rainforest Cafe was, in Thomas’s words, “awful,” but the establishment was thriving because it was the kind of place ChatGPT would recommend.

The lesson for authors is stark but valuable: The goal isn’t to trick AI into selling a bad product, but to realize that AI recommendations can drive massive traffic. If you want your book to be the one readers find when they ask ChatGPT, “What should I read next?”, you need to understand how the AI thinks.

How Does AI Know About Your Book?

If you ask an AI model to recommend a book based on a photo of your bookshelf, it can do so with shocking accuracy because it analyzes the books in its Large Language Model (LLM). But how does your specific book get into that model?

According to Thomas, one major source is piracy. Recent court cases have revealed that AI companies often train their models on massive datasets downloaded from pirate websites. While this sounds alarming, the courts have generally ruled this as “fair use” because the AI’s reading of the text is considered transformative.

Thomas offers a controversial take for nonfiction authors: piracy might actually be beneficial. If pirated copies lead to a million people reading your book and establishing you as a thought leader, you will likely make more money in the long run through speaking engagements and podcast invites than you would have from book sales alone. In the world of nonfiction, the idea itself is often less valuable than the execution and the authority of the author.

However, AI training data usually cuts off at the top 7 million most popular books. If your book is new or hasn’t reached that threshold, the AI might not “know” it exists in its core training data. In these cases, the AI relies on external sources it can read, such as Goodreads.

The Sycophancy Problem

A major pitfall for authors testing their AI visibility is the “sycophancy” of current models. If you ask ChatGPT about your own book, it will often flatter you, telling you exactly what it thinks you want to hear. It might even hallucinate that your book is a bestseller when it isn’t.

To combat this, Thomas developed a suite of “AI Knowledge Checkers” in his Patron Toolbox. These tools are designed to blind the AI from the live web, forcing it to answer only from its internal context window. This reveals whether the AI actually knows who you are or if it’s just quickly Googling you to be polite.

The Foundation of AIO: Your Author Website

If you want to rank in AI recommendations, you must stop relying solely on Amazon or social media. You need a robust author website. Thomas emphasizes that the principles of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and AIO are nearly identical. If you have been ignoring your website, you are already behind.

Thomas highlighted three specific areas of your website that need to be optimized:

1. The Homepage Your homepage needs to be technically sound and content-rich. Thomas’s toolbox includes a scanner that acts like a “curmudgeonly webmaster,” giving you a brutally honest score on your homepage’s effectiveness.

2. The Book Page A common mistake authors make is having a single page listing all their books. For AIO, every single book needs its own dedicated, robust page. This page shouldn’t just be a sales link; it should be a service center for the book. It needs to include:

• Discussion guides.
• Sample chapters.
• Links to podcast interviews about the book.
• High-resolution maps (for fantasy authors).
• Editorial reviews.

3. The About Page Most authors write about pages that are too short and written in the first person (e.g., “I started writing when…”). AI struggles to rank the word “I.” Thomas advises rewriting your bio in the third person to create a narrative the AI can easily ingest and cite. A robust About page also protects your reputation, ensuring your website is the primary source of your life story rather than a third-party article.

Off-Page Optimization: Earning the “Vote”

Just like Google uses hyperlinks as “votes” of authority to rank websites, AI models determine what is true and important based on citations and links from reputable sources. This is “Off-Page AIO.”

Podcasts as Backlinks For nonfiction authors, being a guest on podcasts is the most organic way to generate these authority signals. Every time you appear on a show, the show notes link back to your website. These non-reciprocal links are high-value currency for AI algorithms.

Local Media and Journalism Don’t overlook local news. Local TV stations often publish articles without paywalls, making them easy for AI bots to scrape and index. Furthermore, major publications like The Wall Street Journal constitute high-authority sources because they have signed licensing deals with AI companies. Getting mentioned in these “legacy” media outlets tells the AI that you are a figure of importance.

The “Timothy” Principle: Don’t Lose the Human

Amidst all the talk of algorithms, scanners, and bots, Thomas ended the conversation with a vital reminder: AI does not buy books. Humans do.

Thomas advises against creating corporate-style “customer personas.” Instead, he advocates for the “Timothy” strategy—identifying a specific, actual human being who represents your target reader. When you focus on thrilling that one real person, you avoid the trap of writing for a stereotype. You can talk to “Timothy,” ask him for feedback, and ensure your marketing actually resonates.

Ultimately, the best marketing strategy is to love and serve your reader. If you do that, the algorithms—and the sales—will follow.

Next Steps for Authors

To help authors navigate this technical landscape, Thomas has made his suite of tools available at PatronToolbox.com. These include the website scanners, the AI knowledge checkers, and even a “hook identifier” that helps you find news angles for your book PR.

As we look toward 2025, the authors who succeed will be those who balance technical optimization with genuine human connection.

Tune in next week to Before the Bestseller when we are joined by Veronica Yager to discuss what it takes to make a book thrive in the coming year, including high-impact calls to action and the secrets of Kindle Unlimited.

We explored AI tools’ good sides. We covered bad and ugly sides too. I shared how these technologies democratize writing. They are like the typewriter or word processor. They boost productivity.

We discussed Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Scrivener, ChatGPT, and the Patron Toolbox.

Of course, we didn’t shy away from the downsides: the risks of over-reliance on AI for generating entire books, potential ethical issues in authorship.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience being on the show and I came away energized by the discussion on how authors can adapt to this productivity boosting tech without losing their voice. If you’re an author curious about AI, I highly recommend checking out the episode. It’s packed with actionable tips and resources to get you started

• How authors can benefit from AI optimization
• Principles authors need to keep in mind as search is changing
• Different AI models and their capabilities
• Making your author website LLM-friendly
• How to utilize Goodreads to improve your GEO
• The future of AI agents in book buying
• Staying positive and curious in the ever-changing AI landscape

In this episode, we explore:

• The fascinating parallels between Solomon Kane and modern heroic characters
• How biblical archetypes influence fantasy and western storytelling
• The historical foundations of King Arthur legends and their cultural impact
• Strategies for finding your target audience as an author
• The importance of moral clarity in storytelling

Key takeaway: “Having the courage to say ‘I’m not for everyone, but I am for this group of people’ and making something they absolutely love—if you have that creative courage, commercial success is a lot easier to find.”

Whether you’re a writer looking to improve your marketing strategy, a reader interested in literary traditions, or simply love great storytelling, this conversation offers something for everyone!

Follow Ryan Gutierrez here.

YouTube Version

We explored the similarities between marketing novels and creative projects like board games. We talked about Kickstarter strategies, email lists, engaging newsletters, and more.

I asked ChatGPT to write a summary of the episode and here is what it said:

In a recent episode of the Axe to Grind podcast, Alexander McCreese hosted Thomas Umstead, a marketing expert and founder of Author Media, to discuss the secrets of marketing for indie creators. The conversation bridged the world of indie novelists and creators in gaming, board games, and Kickstarter campaigns. Here’s a comprehensive recap of the insights they shared.

Marketing Across Industries: Lessons from Novels and Games

Thomas Umstead began by highlighting the parallels between marketing indie novels and other creative products. He explained that Kickstarter has been a transformative platform for creators, starting with its roots in the board game community. Stretch goals, a common feature of crowdfunding, originated in board game campaigns and have become a standard across industries. However, the most successful Kickstarter projects today are often books, thanks to innovative approaches adopted by authors.

For creators launching their first Kickstarter, Umstead suggested leveraging their personal networks—the same people who would attend a wedding or baby shower. These early supporters create momentum and establish credibility. The second Kickstarter, however, relies on fans rather than friends. At this stage, creators must build a dedicated email list, a strategy long perfected by authors.

The Power of Email Lists

Umstead emphasized that an email list is one of the most powerful tools for indie creators. Authors meticulously cultivate these lists, keeping fans engaged through newsletters. A good email list converts superfans into backers who eagerly preorder new products. He encouraged creators to incentivize sign-ups by integrating invitations and QR codes into their existing content, like board game rulebooks.

When asked about the ideal size for an email list, Umstead noted that 500 engaged subscribers could make a significant impact for indie authors or creators. He also stressed the importance of sending regular updates, at least quarterly, to keep lists active and avoid spam filters. The key, he said, is balancing quality and quantity—an engaged list of superfans is far more valuable than a large, disinterested audience.

Creating Content Fans Want

McCreese shared his struggle to consistently generate newsletter content. Umstead advised against weekly newsletters unless inspiration strikes regularly. Monthly updates often suffice, with more frequent emails before and after a launch. Content ideas include reviews and recommendations of books, games, or media that align with the creator’s niche. These insights demonstrate shared tastes and build trust.

For example, a writer of military science fiction could review similar books from a unique perspective, such as a former military member’s take on authenticity. This approach resonates with fans and cements the creator’s authority in their genre. Reviews don’t need to be groundbreaking—honest opinions can be enough to spark engagement.

Building a Brand: Personality vs. Product

A recurring theme in the conversation was the balance between marketing the creator and marketing the product. Umstead explained that human connection drives loyalty. Fans are more likely to follow and support a person than a faceless brand. This doesn’t mean overexposing oneself on social media. Instead, creators should strategically reveal aspects of their personality that align with their audience’s values and interests.

McCreese reflected on his experiences managing multiple brands under his name. Umstead recommended creating a central hub, like a personal website, that links to all projects. This simplifies the discovery process for new fans and strengthens the creator’s overall brand.

Advertising and Platform Strategies

The conversation also touched on paid advertising. Umstead noted that ads can be highly effective when executed well. However, advertising amplifies existing strengths and weaknesses. A great product with poor advertising will underperform, and vice versa. He suggested creators focus on three key elements before investing in ads: an appealing product, a clear pitch, and professional presentation.

While platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and BoardGameGeek offer ad opportunities, Umstead cautioned against relying solely on them. Creators must own their audience through email lists and personal websites to mitigate the risks of algorithmic changes or deplatforming.

Understanding Your Audience

Knowing the target audience is fundamental to any successful campaign. Umstead advised creators to focus on specific individuals rather than broad demographics. By identifying and engaging with one real-life “Timothy,” creators can gain valuable insights into preferences and motivations. This approach ensures that products resonate deeply with a niche audience, which is often the key to success in indie spaces.

Marketing to Men vs. Women

The discussion also explored differences in marketing to men versus women. Umstead observed that content designed for men often attracts women as well, while the reverse is less common. He encouraged creators to focus on thrilling their core audience rather than diluting their message to appeal to everyone. Authenticity and specificity, he said, are inherently inviting.

Navigating Political Divides

In today’s polarized environment, creators must also navigate political divides. Umstead acknowledged that marketing efforts might resonate more with one side of the political spectrum than the other. He advised creators to embrace this reality and focus on building a loyal audience rather than attempting to appease everyone.

Direct Selling and Cancel-Proof Strategies

The podcast concluded with a discussion on direct selling and cancel-proofing one’s platform. Umstead championed direct sales as a viable option for creators with an engaged audience. By owning email lists, websites, and other platforms, creators can safeguard their businesses against deplatforming and algorithm changes. He warned against relying on social media as the sole means of reaching fans, likening it to being a chicken in a coop controlled by others.

Final Thoughts

The episode offered a wealth of actionable advice for indie creators. Whether you’re an author, board game designer, or content creator, the principles of knowing your audience, building an email list, and presenting a clear, engaging brand are universal. As Umstead succinctly put it, “Great marketing can’t save a bad product, but it can help a good one reach its potential.”

In this episode of Writing of Social Sandy, Mary K. and I talk about what kind of marketing actually works for authors.

About Writing off Social

Sandy and Mary believe that creativity flourishes when writers are free to choose their own path. They spent years feeling trapped by social media, believing it was the only way to grow their audience and share their work. But not anymore. They have discovered countless ways to connect to and nurture their audience—ways that offer a better return on their investment of time, and that don’t drain their energy.

As they have become more vocal about their decision to leave social media, writers like you are emerging from behind your computer screens to say, “Hey there! Social media isn’t working for me either.”

They see you and are glad you’re here.

If they call you Hitler, explaining how you can make the trains run on time won’t win you the election. 

The 1990s Were 30 Years Ago

In 1992, Bill Clinton won the election with a single line: “It’s About the Economy, Stupid.” Back then, the American people didn’t care about Clinton’s affairs, alleged rapes, or sordid morality. They cared about the economy, and Bill Clinton promised a good economy. He won in 1992. Clinton wouldn’t win today.

People change. Culture changes. Even you change. The commercials that made us cry back in the day now make us cringe.

One shift among voters is they’ve become more morally motivated, which surprisingly has hurt Republicans. Culture’s ethical code has shifting away from traditional values.

Republicans celebrate that the American people think Biden is terrible with the economy. They revel in the failure of Bidenomics. They think voters will vote their pocketbooks. Don’t bet the future of the country on that.

Why?

Because most Americans stopped going to church.

And, since most Americans don’t go to church, they can’t draw a sense of moral superiority from feeling like they go to the right kind of church. There are few feelings in the world as intoxicating as moral superiority. So if they can’t find moral superiority from church, where will they get it? The ballot box.

In 1991, 44% of Americans went to church every Sunday. In 2023, that number dropped to 31%. That is around 35 million Americans who used to attend church and have since stopped. 35m extra voters is all you need to win an election.

The Democrats say if you vote for them, you will be a virtuous and inclusive person. And many voters, longing for moral validation, accept this line. Voters have traded the confession booth for the ballot box as the path to virtue. 

You are suspicious of this idea, and I understand. Let me flip things around to make my point.

Flip #1: Brexit

Voters in the UK wanted to live under their own laws. The media and their leaders (from all three parties!) told them it would be bad for their economy if they left the EU. Voting “leave” would mean Brits would lose jobs, and everyone would be poorer. The voters said, “We don’t care about the economy. Our sovereignty is more important than our economy. We want our country back.” This moral argument is the reason there is no push to rejoin the EU despite economic turbulence in the UK. 

Flip #2: Argentina

In 2023, Javier Milei won presidential election in Argentina as a libertarian. How? He was willing to call his socialist opponent evil, decadent, and stupid. Decadence is a powerful concept because it conveys a moral judgement on economic behavior. “Decadent democrats feasting while the people starve” is a more persuasive image than pointing out how Marxist economic theory is flawed.  

Pointing out how the opponent is stupid is not enough to win in 2024. Remember, people need a moral reason to vote. Milei’s moral arguments for his economic positions resulted in a landslide in a country historically run by socialists. Libertarians typically lose because they get lost in the numbers.

Why do people vote? I think for most people, they vote to feel good about themselves, to feel virtuous. In the ballot box for this kind of voter, moral arguments beat economic arguments.

Moral Victories in Elections

So, let’s take the last few presidential races and look at them through a moral lens.

2008 Election: Obama: Vote for me & prove you’re not racist.

The pitch for Obama was an invitation to prove to yourself and others that you were not racist. Oh, and the other guy is Hitler. Sure, John McCain and Mitt Romney were pretty milquetoast and not very Hitlerish, but according to the media, they were Hitler!

2016 Election Trump: Vote for me and drain the swamp. Also, I’m not a corrupt murderer. 

2016 was an interesting year. Trump would have lost the moral authority to just about anyone. Anyone, that is, except for Hillary Clinton. Hilary suiciding her close confidants is a meme that is hard to shake. Of the two, Trump looked like the more moral choice. Hillary failed to make voters feel virtuous voting for her. 

2020 Election Biden: Vote for me. I’m not Hitler.

In the 2020 election, the Democrats painted Trump as a science-denying, grandma-murdering Neo-Nazi. Biden was a kindly old grandpa who felt your pain. When given the choice between Hitler and Grandpa, the American people chose Grandpa. 

Making it Make Sense

Now that we understand this moral approach to politics, it explains a few things.

Why does The Left fear QAnon?

What motivated the incredible media backlash to the QAnon conspiracy? Seriously, why all the attention and censorship for a fringe theory most voters have never heard of? QAnon was an existential threat to Democrats because it threatened the left’s moral superiority. The QAnon conspiracy claims that Democrat elites were raping, murdering, child trafficking pedophiles. Voting for a murdering pedophile does not give voters a feeling of moral superiority. 

Why is Biden’s approval falling?

The economy has been bad for a while. But Biden’s popularity is not tracking with the economy. Biden’s numbers are the lowest they have ever been, even though the economy is better than last year.

So, what is hurting Biden’s numbers?

The bribery scandal and the Israel conflict. 

The more Biden looks like a liar, a rapist, and Hamas terrorist loving, crime lord, the more his support among Americans drops. For the Democrats to win, their candidate must be the virtuous choice. Especially with a bad economy. This is why the left fights so hard to define what virtue is. 

The Path to Electoral Victory is the Moral Path

Stop calling Biden an old man. That makes him look benign. Voters long for benign. And, Biden is not benign. Biden is a tyrant who takes bribes, perverts justice, and backstabs our allies. When Biden is lucid, he is dangerous. When he is not lucid, the people around him turn him into an evil puppet. 

If Republicans want to win in 2024, voters must see them as the more virtuous choice. Democrats must be shown for the corrupt, censoring tyrants that they are. Remember, when you give Democrats power, they use it to kill babies, castrate children, and take voters rights away. 

Make The Left Nazis Again

The Far Left has given Republicans a fantastic opportunity. When the Far Left calls for Jews to be purged “from the river to the sea,” they sound a lot like Nazis. Republicans can’t let them get away with this kind of rhetoric, not only for the sake of the Jews who need a homeland to be safe but for the sake of winning in November. 

The more Republicans call the Far Left “Antisemitic Nazis” the worse the Far Left will look. Plus, when the Far Left inevitably call the Republican nominee a Nazi (which they do every cycle), it will ring hollow. Eventually, voters will start enforcing Godwin’s law, but until they do, the other side must be Hitler. 

Make “Communist” a Meaningful Slur

Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill to turn November 7 into Victims of Communism Day. This is how you achieve moral victory. Few Americans know that communism killed more people in one century than all of the religious wars throughout all of history combined. Communism is not a harmless move toward fairness. It is death, destruction, and evil. Those who call for communism call for evil. Those who vote for communists do evil.  Good virtuous people don’t vote for communists. 

Stand Strong for Life

Moral victory on abortion is critical to long-term success. If Republicans want to win, start calling pro-abortion candidates baby killers. Stop equivocating. Our lack of moral conviction is killing our electability. If Republicans lose, pro-life candidates become rapists telling innocent women what they can do with their bodies. No one wants to vote for a rapist. If Republicans wimp out on abortion, they will sacrifice the moral high ground and any chance for victory long term. Democrats are either baby killers or Republicans are rapists.  There’s no middle ground.

You either win, or you lose. It’s time to start winning.

About Writing off Social

Sandy and Mary believe that creativity flourishes when writers are free to choose their own path. They spent years feeling trapped by social media, believing it was the only way to grow their audience and share their work. But not anymore. They have discovered countless ways to connect to and nurture their audience—ways that offer a better return on their investment of time, and that don’t drain their energy.

As they have become more vocal about their decision to leave social media, writers like you are emerging from behind your computer screens to say, “Hey there! Social media isn’t working for me either.”

They see you and are glad you’re here.

In this episode, Kent Sanders and I discuss:

• Non-book related ways to monetize your author platform.
• How to diversify your income stream.
• The role of Patreon in his business.
• And more!

Last week, the blog version of an episode of Christian Publishing Show went viral, or at least it sparked a lot of discussion. Mostly here and here. In that episode, I talked about how Morality is key to making a book sell across both culture and time. Muddled morality is why newer superhero movies are failing, where the films of the last decade sold like crazy. I had a lot more to say than that and you can listen to the episode here.

The guys at the Fantastical Truth Podcast wanted to talk to me about the topic. So you can think of this as a sequel episode where we give many more examples or morality in fiction and get deeper into the theology. You can find the blog version of the episode here.

There is also a video version you can find here:

In this episode of Cary and Cooper Have Words, we talk about the process of writing a novel, how to do it, and what pitfalls to look out for.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The fundamentals of marketing fiction
• Content marketing for fiction
• Utilizing the nonfiction themes beneath your fiction for marketing
• The hallmarks and history of Christian publishing
• Why readers choose certain genres
• Tips for pitching a podcast

You can find the blog version of the interview here. If you don’t yet listen to the Creative Penn podcast, you should check it out. It is one of the best publishing podcasts out there.

In this episode you will learn:

• Advice for authors who worry “if I start talking about my book NOW, no one will buy it when it releases LATER”
• How to maximize the back of your book to build your email list and sell more books
• How podcast hosts can collaborate on one episode to air and market on both shows (see below for example)
• Using a Guestcast to share your own guest interviews (see Thomas’ linked below)
• His podcast host directory (with email addresses) for his Patreon members
• & more!

In this episode of Fantastical Truth, E. Stephen Burnett, Zackary Russell, and I talk with me about how Christian authors can and should navigate secular publishing markets.

Specifically, we talk about the myth that long ago, Christians and publishing companies lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when evangelicals got fearful and/or legalistic, so they chose to leave the big publishers and start their own Christian publishers.

If you want to find out what really happened, listen to this episode.

Learn the first steps an author should take before creating a course, the common mistakes course creators make, how to attract students to your course, how to help your students benefit the most from your course.

LInks:

• Author Websites Course
• Book Launch Blueprint Course
• Obscure No More Beta Course

Here is the blog version:

Welcome to Your Best Writing Life, an extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. I’m your host, Linda Goldfarb. Each week, I bring you tips and strategies from experts in the writing and publishing industry to help you excel in your craft.

Today, we’re discussing creating online courses. My industry expert is Thomas Umstattd, Jr. Thomas, the founder of Author Media and the host of the Novel Marketing Podcast. Thomas helps authors build their platforms, sell more books, and change the world with writing worth talking about. He has also been creating online courses for ten years, making him the perfect fit for today’s topic.

Why are online courses so popular now?

Linda: Online courses have recently taken off in popularity. Why is that?

Thomas: Learning online has been a part of the internet from the beginning. But online courses grew as people got faster internet connections and could listen to audio and watch videos. The real explosion came during the pandemic in 2020. People were locked down, conferences were canceled, and a lot of people tried online courses for the first time in 2020. That’s when the market took a massive step forward in terms of people’s acceptance of online courses. Their children were going to school online, and online learning became almost normalized.

Online learning is here in a big way, and it’s here to stay.

Linda: I agree it’s here to stay. It’s a new normal that has infiltrated families and homes. Everyone has a device to learn from online courses. Zoomers make this a popular new process for everyone.

Why would an author want to create a course?

Thomas: In short, the money is a lot better, and the transformation is better. If someone reads a book on dieting, they may or may not implement what they learn. However, if they take a course that includes interactive elements like coaching and community, they are much more likely to apply what they’re learning and finish the course. People buy books on various topics all the time but never finish them. Sometimes, they don’t even start reading, and if they do, they rarely put the information into practice.

That’s one of the main reasons I became interested in creating courses. I wasn’t seeing much transformation from people who only read books, partly because they weren’t as invested. A book might cost around $20, which isn’t a significant amount of money, so there’s little motivation to finish it or act on its contents. For many people, buying the book feels like enough, so they end up with bookshelves full of unread or partially read books.

By contrast, a course, particularly one that is expensive, requires a higher level of commitment. The cost itself creates a sense of investment, which makes people more determined to complete the course. And since courses tend to be interactive and offer more than just words on a page, participants are more likely to apply what they learn, which leads to the transformation they want.

How can we track our return on investment when we pay for a course?

Linda: When we talk about the financial investment of wanting to expand our knowledge by taking a course to improve our craft, how can we track the return on that investment?

Thomas: Tracking return on investment is a pretty straightforward financial calculation. You track how much money you spent on something, and then you track how much that activity brought back financially. Education is a little tricky because how can you measure the value of a high school diploma? What’s the value of a college degree?

I took some classes in business school that were invaluable. They saved me from multi-million-dollar mistakes. I also took some useless classes that cost me the same amount of money. The good professors and the bad ones were all the same overpriced amount of money. College is incredibly expensive. Even when I went to school years ago, my textbooks alone cost $300, and the price of education has only increased since then. Today, some college degrees aren’t worth the investment. Many liberal arts degrees, for example, don’t provide a return that justifies the cost. If you look at the data, degrees in engineering or nursing are still solid investments, but degrees like art history often leave graduates struggling with debt. Many art history majors never earn enough to comfortably pay off the loans they took out to finance their education. When pursuing a career-focused degree, it’s important to consider how the earning potential of that new career compares to your previous one.

When I was considering getting an MBA, the university provided information on the ROI for their programs. The ROI for the executive MBA program was significantly higher than for the regular MBA program because, in the executive MBA program, you could continue working your day job. In contrast, leaving your job for two or three years to attend a traditional MBA program increases the overall cost. Not only are you paying for tuition, but you’re also missing out on the income you would have earned during that time. That creates a lot of financial pressure.

Let’s say you take a simple course on how to build a website. You take the course, and it’s $100, and you spend $300 on building the website. Now, you’re $400 invested in the website. Hiring somebody to build the website would have cost you $2,400. So, that course had an ROI of $2,000 of saved money. But really, it’s more than that because since you’ve built your website, you now know how to make changes to it, and you have more control of it. You don’t have to call someone.

On the other hand, that professional probably would have done a better job. A professional web designer has more experience because they’ve built hundreds of websites. They know how to avoid things that you didn’t learn about in that course. So, it makes it hard to judge. What’s better, spending less money and getting the experience plus control or hiring the professional? Learning about business is important because you’ll have to answer those kinds of questions, and often, there are no simple answers.

Linda: I ask because many people will hold back and wait for that perfect opportunity. Most of the time, there’s no perfect situation. But if we don’t take action—if we don’t invest in a course or take steps toward improving our lives or building that website we dream of—then we’ll stay exactly where we are. And who has time for that?

I love online courses. I may be addicted to them. I determine my return on investment by which course is applicable right now for my next best step. It narrows my field a little. I used to want to sign up for everything, especially if it had a good price on it, but I’d find I wasn’t ready to use the information. I do like courses that offer lifetime access because I can come back to the course when I’m ready for it.

What are the first steps a writer should take to create a course?

Thomas: The first step is to master your content. You need to practice presenting what you’re teaching in public. Having a podcast is the most natural first step for creating a course because it allows you to get used to creating multimedia content. A YouTube channel also is helpful because you can practice teaching via video.

Choose a method that allows you to build both your audience and your credibility. It’s tempting to jump in too quickly by creating a course before anyone knows who you are or trusts your expertise. You could develop the best course in the world, but if you don’t have an audience or a way to spread the word, no one will take it. As a result, no lives will be changed, and you won’t make any money.

The quality of your course alone isn’t what sells it; it’s the quality of your other content that drives sales. The first step is to establish yourself by blogging, podcasting, or creating YouTube videos. Focus on providing valuable content where you can begin teaching people about your topic. For example, if you have a course on parenting that includes a five-step system for building a better relationship with your children, start by creating a podcast on parenting. Share your insights, discuss your five steps, and interview parenting experts. This approach builds your authority and attracts an audience that will be more likely to invest in your course.

It’s not about keeping your knowledge secret because people don’t pay for knowledge. Some course creators offer a course on a topic for $500, and they have a book on the same topic for $20. It’s the same information, but information alone is not transformation. Don’t feel like you have to keep your information secret because somebody will always be willing to give it away cheaper. You can’t patent or copyright an idea. Ideas spread from person to person.

Another good way to practice is teaching in real life. Go to meetup groups and present on your topic. Speak at conferences. Most of my course came from material I presented at writers conferences. I presented in Hawaii and Switzerland for a week, and I put in a lot of work to teach a career’s worth of training. The live trainings had to be adapted for video, but in the live setting, especially the Q&A at the end, I learned what made sense and what resonated with the students. In Switzerland, I learned that some of my cultural references were offensive to the Europeans.

How do you balance your teaching and podcasting career with your busy home life?

Linda: You have a full life with three young children, the youngest a newborn, and you are effectively teaching in the arena where God has you. You have a couple of podcasts, you’re training and teaching authors, plus you have a busy home life. Do you ever find it a challenge to balance it all?

Thomas: For sure. In 2019, I was spread so thin that I had a mental breakdown. I couldn’t get out of bed for a whole day. I had so much to do. That breakdown led to a season of pruning where I gave up a lot of things. I stepped down as a literary agent, stopped three of my five podcasts, and cut other activities. I was forced to make a full-time job of helping authors. Most people in this industry have writing as a side hustle, and they have another primary source of income. For me, this is it. I’m the sole breadwinner. If I’m going to feed my family, the income has to come from authors I help, people who listen to the podcast and support me on Patreon, or the people who go through courses. When I talk about courses and making money, I’m not doing that in a mercenary sense. I’m doing it because I have to pay the bills. Diapers aren’t cheap, and I have three kids and diapers right now.

Linda: It’s important for writers to understand that creating an online course isn’t just a fun side project or another task to add to their list. It requires a significant investment of both time and training.

It’s also important to consider the need for networking and to plan how much time you can realistically dedicate to this effort. Creating an online course isn’t something you can just wake up and start doing tomorrow. It requires careful planning and a big-picture view. If you’re going to do it, be prepared, stay organized, and remember to maintain balance at home.

Christians want to impact the world with knowledge of the good news through writing and podcasting, but God has also given us our families as a ministry. If you have a family but don’t have that balance, at some point, you’re going to crash and be ineffective.

So don’t jump into course creation tomorrow if it’s not God’s best next step for you. But, if he’s directing you there, make sure you’re investing in yourself and the opportunity so that when it comes to fruition, it will be your best effort.

Thomas: You can create courses without making it your full-time business. For me, creating courses is my full-time day job. However, many authors write a book on a topic and start to get emails from readers saying, “That was so helpful, but I want more than what’s in the book. Coaching is very time intensive, so authors often create a course. It’s like the advanced version of the book. You can get the book for $20 or the course for $150. They develop the material and sell it online or in person at conferences.

You don’t have to create a huge course. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend it, especially right away. It took me ten years to get here, and I took a lot of wrong turns along the way.

Linda: Do you have a course on making courses?

Thomas: I do not. The best course on course making is from Teachable (Affiliate Link), a platform for course creators. You have to pay for teachable, but as a perk, you get their robust course, too.

What are some common mistakes course creators make?

Mistake #1: Make the course first.

Thomas: The biggest mistake is that they make the course first. They start outlining the material they want to teach and start recording videos. That’s actually backward.

One thing I learned the hard way is that when you’re making a course, the first thing you need to make is the landing page or the sales page.

If you want somebody to spend several hundred dollars with you, you have to make a compelling promise of life transformation that your course will give. For example, one of my courses is Obscure No More. It’s all about how to build an author platform, and the promise is that you’re going to go from being obscure, where no one really knows who you are, to being notable. You’re going to have a platform. People are going to know who you are, and they will be anticipating your book’s release because they already know, like, and trust you.

Step #1: Create the Sales Page

Build your sales page first and figure out the right promise to make for your prospective students. Instead of trying to sell them what you think they need, sell them something they actually want. Nobody wants to take a course on eating more vegetables, but they might take a course on weight loss that teaches them to eat more vegetables. It’s important to frame it correctly.

Step #2: Gather Beta Students

After you create the landing page, you still don’t create the course. Everyone wants to jump into course creation at this point, but it’s still a mistake.

The next step is to gather beta students who get the course cheap and as it’s made. As you’re making the course for this initial group of students, you’re getting immediate feedback from students, and you can iterate. The nice thing about having beta students is that while they’re paying less, they’re still paying something. If you can’t get beta students, you don’t make the course.

Step #3: Launch it for Real

Once you’ve finished with creating the course for beta students, you can launch it for real.

Don’t spend 100 hours creating a course before you find an audience. You might be slightly off in your approach, and a small adjustment to the promise or your target audience could make all the difference. For example, you might think you’re creating content for women, only to realize your audience is actually teenage girls. While that might seem like a small shift, it can change everything. You’d suddenly find yourself needing to re-record hours of video because your references aren’t relevant to a younger audience. That’s why it’s crucial to figure these things out in advance. As tempting as it is to dive into course creation, building your audience first is key.

I learned a valuable lesson the hard way with my first business. After experiencing that failure, I came across a book called The Lean Startup, which introduced the concept of a “minimum viable product” (MVP). The idea is to create the simplest version of your product that people would be willing to buy. You release this MVP as an experiment to test whether there’s genuine demand for it. From there, you can gradually build on that base, adding more content and features. The key is to use the MVP to determine if people actually want the course and, more importantly, if they want it from you. Even if it’s a great course idea, without the credibility or audience to back it up, it might not succeed. In many ways, creating the course should be the final step in building your platform.

How do you choose good beta students?

Thomas: A beta student is still a paying student. I wouldn’t give away free versions of the course for beta students. In my experience, when you give somebody a course for free, they almost never finish it. They’re not invested.

Linda, you could probably name a dozen free courses you’ve signed up for but never actually started. You saw they were free, so you enrolled, and now you’re on their email list, which was their real goal all along. But you never ended up going through the course. If you spend $500 for a course, you’re going to watch those videos.

You won’t get good feedback from somebody who’s not a paying student. If they saw your landing page, read the description of the course, and decided they wanted to pay for it, then they’re probably a good beta student.

My course Obscure No More is still in beta. We’re doing an extended beta because it’s a big course, but it has been really informative. I’ve been asking students which module they want next, and I let them vote. They voted for search engine optimization (SEO) and learning how to make their websites rank better on Google. That is the most technical, esoteric topic I ever speak on, but they hadn’t received that training from anyone else. Suddenly, they’re the only author in their space that’s got an optimized website, and they’re ranking really well. I would have never guessed they wanted to learn SEO because most authors that I interact with don’t want to. Building the website is hard enough. But it was an interesting topic for students who are paying for the course. That process allowed me to make the course that they wanted, and I wouldn’t have known that without that feedback.

Linda: If we’re in our own head thinking we’re giving someone what we think they need, we’re going to miss the mark. If we open it up and ask, “What do you want now?” we can feed students something they’re hungry for instead of trying to tell them what they should eat or be hungry for.

How do you attract students who want to register?

Thomas: I’ll tell you what most gurus advise, and then I’ll tell you what I do.

Most course creators allocate a significant portion of their budget to Facebook ads. For example, if they offer a course priced at $500, they might spend up to $250 per student on ads to attract them. That means half of the course revenue goes to advertising. It’s common for course creators to spend thousands, or even tens of thousands, of dollars on Facebook ads. And to be fair, that approach does work; there’s a reason so many people use it. While I’m not dismissing that strategy, it’s just not what I currently do, though I reserve the right to try it in the future.

Leveraging the Email List

What’s worked for me is leveraging my podcasts and their respective email lists. The Novel Marketing Podcast and the Christian Publishing Show have large, engaged audiences. In fact, we have more email subscribers than individual episode listeners because many people prefer to subscribe via email and only listen to episodes that interest them. Over the past 15 years, I’ve built those strong email lists, which I use to let subscribers know about new courses. My core group of students for my courses usually come from my email lists.

Another promotional tool I use is affiliate webinars. Instead of directly inviting people to the course, I invite my email list to a webinar where I present what I call “Session Zero.” It’s essentially an introductory session about why this topic is important. It’s the class I wish all my college professors had taught. You know that first day of class when you’re just going over the syllabus? Some professors would walk through the expectations and then dismiss class early, while others would take 15 minutes to explain why the topic was important and how it would benefit us long-term. I always did better in those classes where the professor emphasized the importance of the material, saying, “You’re going to need this for the rest of your life, and here’s why.”

Sometimes, I already understood the importance of the subject before I even walked into the classroom. For example, when I took business law, I knew from growing up in a family of businesspeople how crucial legal knowledge was and how costly legal mistakes could be. After just two classes, I realized that my professor wasn’t challenging us enough, so I dropped the class. I intentionally sought out the hardest, most rigorous business law professor because I knew that learning these lessons through experience or hiring a lawyer would be far more expensive. I attended every class, sat in the front row, and took detailed notes because I understood how valuable that knowledge was.

Well, that “why this is important” also happens to be a really good sales pitch for why you should spend the money.

I adapt “Session Zero” into a kind of sales pitch webinar where I’m both teaching and selling at the same time. The content is structured so that even if attendees don’t end up purchasing the course, they still feel they learned a lot from the webinar. This way, they’re more likely to join future webinars. Since I offer multiple courses, I recognize that the one I’m presenting might not be the right fit for everyone at that moment. For example, if the course is about launching a book and they’re not ready for that stage yet, they might need a course on writing the book instead, and I have that course, too. My goal is to maintain a positive relationship with my email subscribers, providing value so they’ll keep engaging with my content.

Conducting Affiliate Webinars

The second technique I use is affiliate webinars, where I present the same webinar to someone else’s audience. For example, Linda, if you have a large email list, you’d host the webinar and invite your subscribers to join. I’d deliver the webinar on Crowdcast, presenting it to your audience, and we’d include a link for them to register. You would earn a commission for each sale generated through that link. Many of our students come from these affiliate webinars because many influencers and experts have their own unique audiences. They can earn good money from these webinars without having to create a course themselves, and I gain students I might not have reached otherwise.

What if an author doesn’t have a robust email list?

Thomas: The email list is the first step. If someone won’t trust you with their email, they won’t trust you with their money. You have to learn how to gain enough trust for somebody to give you their email address first.

One technique you can use to build your list is to create a small course that offers one small but specific transformation and give that course away for free. When people take that free course, they get a taste of your teaching style and expertise, and you get their email address. They pay you with their email address. I get a lot of my email subscribers from my free course about how to build an author website.

At the end of each podcast episode, I might promote my free course on building an author website, where I guide you step-by-step through the entire process. I show you exactly what to sign up for, which buttons to click, and how to create your own WordPress website. By the end of the course, participants have a website they built themselves. I use the podcast to promote this course, which helps convert listeners into email subscribers while giving them a taste of what an Author Media course is like. Giving away a small course in exchange for a student’s email is an effective way to build your list, but it’s essential to have a strategy for spreading the word about the course. Otherwise, your list won’t grow.

Linda: We often invite people to be involved in their area of expertise, even if they are not the expert being featured, which is similar to what you’re doing with affiliate webinars.

Writers wanting to build their email lists need to network. They need to get out there and find out where their audience is spending their time before they invite their audience to spend time with themselves. That takes an investment of time, energy, and research. It is work. It’s not a matter of deciding to explode my email list in a day. It’s finding out what works and how to approach my audience. It’s discovering the best way to touch the heart of my audience and give them content that makes them willing to support me. I’m willing to invest in the knowledge this person has because I know it’s going to help me be a better coach.

When I meet someone for the first time, I try to determine if we’re a fit for coaching. It might not have to do with coaching at the time, but I want them to walk away with something that makes them say, “Wow, she gave me something, and I didn’t even pay her for this. If this is what I get without paying her, what am I going to get when I do pay her?”

It’s a similar approach to your “Session Zero.”

You don’t give away all your experience or expertise, but you give enough to make them change their posture and lean it to hear more. The next time you do a webinar, they’ll show up.

When we are willing to give someone something of value, regardless of whether they purchase anything, they will spread the word about your content.

They’ll say, “Have you heard of Thomas Umstattdd, Jr.? Have you attended any of his online events or seen him in person?” I’ve done both, and whether it’s in person or online, you always over-deliver. You provide more value than people even realize they need, which is why they keep coming back for more. That’s exactly what we should all aim to do. We should focus on giving generously without the fear of, “If I give too much, they won’t buy the book.” Just give them what they need, and they’ll keep showing up. So, yes, keep giving!

Thomas: That’s the principle of reciprocity in action. Jesus taught about the principle of reciprocity in his puzzling parable of the unjust steward. In the story, there’s a steward—essentially a CEO—who’s caught embezzling money from his employer. Instead of firing the steward immediately, which is what we’re taught to do in business when someone is caught stealing, the owner allows him to stay on. The steward then goes on to reduce the debts of everyone who owes his master money, essentially buying favor with them by saying things like, “You owe 500 bushels of wheat? Let’s make it 300.” Surprisingly, at the end of the parable, he’s praised for his shrewdness, and Jesus remarks that “the children of darkness are more shrewd than the children of light.”

What lesson is Jesus trying to teach here? We all have an innate sense of justice and a conscience built into us by God. When someone wrongs us, our natural instinct is to strike back, even in small children. Yet, as Christians, we’re taught to leave vengeance to God. The deeper lesson from this parable is that this sense of justice works both ways. If you do a favor for someone, like blessing them instead of cursing them, they will often feel a desire to balance the scales and bless you in return.

While some people keep score, doing favors to get something in return, I don’t believe that’s the right approach.

I believe that when you’re generous and seek to bless others, you will eventually reap what you sow. But it’s also essential to ask for support, and this is something I’m learning myself, especially with patrons who support the podcast. I have to be willing to let them know about the need and say, “Hey, this isn’t a volunteer operation. This is my job. If you’re enjoying the podcast and getting value from it, please consider supporting it.”

It’s important to recognize the value of your work and to be willing to charge for it. This is something many Christians struggle with, feeling that they shouldn’t charge for a book or course because it’s Christian content. But that kind of thinking is both unbiblical and unhelpful. The Bible clearly teaches that “the worker is worthy of his hire” and “do not muzzle the ox that treads the grain.” Paul explicitly states that Christian workers, including pastors, deserve to be paid for their labor.

If you insist on not getting paid because you think it’s more noble or holy, you might actually be setting yourself up as more righteous than your pastor, who does receive compensation for his work. The reality is that everyone needs to pay bills and put food on the table. Don’t let pride hold you back from charging for your work. If your work provides value, it’s worth being compensated for.

In fact, charging for your courses often leads to a greater transformation for the students. I’ve seen this firsthand when I give away free copies of an expensive course. Those who receive it for free rarely experience any real change. They don’t watch the videos, skip the live events, and aren’t engaged. They don’t value the course because they didn’t invest in it. As the saying goes, “Where your money is, there your heart will be also.” When people pay for something, they’re more committed and more likely to experience the transformation they’re seeking.

How do we ensure that our students complete and benefit from the course?

Thomas: I’ve spent the last several years really trying to study what makes students complete a course and implement the change. In fact, I even bought a book by educators for educators in public school settings trying to figure out this whole online learning.

One of the things I realized is that there’s a difference between selling knowledge and selling education. Knowledge wants to be free. You can share knowledge easily, and it’s really hard to charge a lot of money for knowledge because somebody else can share that secret or tip for free to the next person, and you start competing with your own students. You can make knowledge valuable by keeping it secret, but that’s not really compatible with the whole course-teaching ethos. The people who do well with courses are teachers, and teachers don’t like keeping secrets. It’s not the way we think. So you don’t want to sell knowledge.

You want to sell education because education always wants to be expensive. Did you know you can watch any MIT lecture from any of the MIT professors for free right now? And yet, for some reason, MIT is still able to charge tens of thousands of dollars per semester for school.

TED conferences used to be relatively unknown. Then, they started offering their sessions for free on TED.com, allowing anyone to watch TED Talks online. As a result, the demand for attending the live event skyrocketed, and the ticket prices jumped from around $300 to $3,000. The increased visibility created a higher demand for the live experience. It drove up the value of attending in person.

If you want to achieve good student outcomes with your courses, you can’t just record a bunch of videos, post them online, and then walk away. People need more interaction to get the most out of the experience. There’s nothing wrong with a self-paced course, and I do offer that type of course. However, you have to charge less for it because the level of transformation is lower due to the lack of direct interaction. The benefit is that it requires less of your time and effort once the course is created, and it can still generate revenue since people are willing to pay for knowledge.

I’m not criticizing anyone who offers self-paced courses because there’s value in them, and they’re often exactly what people need. For example, my free course on building websites is entirely self-paced; I’m not providing personalized coaching or homepage reviews. However, if I wanted to charge for that course, I would consider adding interactive elements. And if I wanted to charge a higher price, I would definitely include opportunities for direct feedback and engagement.

A Mix of Live and Recorded Sessions

When it comes to achieving great student outcomes, I’ve found that two key elements make a big difference. First, it’s essential to have well-produced, concise presentations of the material. This means pre-recorded, edited videos that are clear, focused, and typically five to ten minutes long. That short format allows students to easily reference the topic later. This is much more effective than simply uploading a long Zoom call.

The second element is to combine these pre-recorded videos with live, interactive sessions. For example, in my course Obscure No More, I released a module on search engine optimization (SEO). After students had gone through the material and made changes to their websites, I held a live office hours session. During that session, students could join me on screen, share their websites, and get direct feedback. Not only did that student benefit from personalized advice, but all the other students watching learned from the examples as well, even if they hadn’t completed the homework yet.

This combination of live interaction and on-demand content is crucial. Students don’t have an easy way to review specific information if everything is live. Hunting through an hour-long Zoom or Crowdcast recording for one piece of advice can be overwhelming and discouraging. By blending both approaches, you create a more effective learning experience that supports students at every stage of their journey.

The Cohort Model

The second approach that works incredibly well, though it requires much more effort, is the cohort model. We currently use this model for our course called the Book Launch Blueprint. The course starts on a specific date, and all students progress through each day together. Every day, the instructors remain actively involved with the students.

The Book Launch Blueprint focuses on launching your book and is probably our most popular course in terms of student satisfaction. Many students enjoy it so much that they return to take the course again the following year since it comes with lifetime access. Returning students benefit from the refresher and become a valuable part of the community by interacting with and encouraging new students each year.

The cohort model is not a new concept. It’s something that armies have understood for centuries. Think about why they put the drummer at the front of the line to keep a steady beat while everyone marches in unison. For some reason, when soldiers march in step with each other, they can go faster, cover more distance, and experience less fatigue than if they were marching alone. I can’t explain the science behind it, but it’s a proven fact. If you want your troops to march all day and still have energy left when they reach the battle, put a drummer at the front because it makes a difference.

Most traditional education models use the cohort model. From elementary school to college, students go through their studies together, at the same pace, alongside their classmates. For some reason, this approach consistently leads to better outcomes and helps students stay motivated.

The downside of the cohort model is that students can’t sign up whenever they want. For example, with the Book Launch Blueprint, we only open registration for about a month each year, with a specific start date for the course.

While this limits when students can join, the cohort model is highly effective at helping them stay motivated and make progress. Knowing that they’re moving through the course alongside their peers encourages them to keep up and go further. In the Book Launch Blueprint, much of the homework is open book, meaning students can see each other’s book launch plans and get inspired by their ideas. This environment fosters encouragement and collaboration among our students.

The cohort model also helps ensure that students actually go through the material. For example, if you haven’t watched the video on how to use Goodreads, you won’t be able to fully understand or evaluate your classmates’ Goodreads plans. This structure pushes students to stay on track with the course content, maximizing their learning and outcomes.

The cohort model also boosts sales by creating a sense of genuine urgency. This isn’t the typical “buy now, or the discount disappears” kind of urgency. It’s a real, authentic urgency that says, “Sign up now, or you’ll have to wait until next year to join.” This isn’t a marketing gimmick. There’s a valid reason behind it. We only offer one session of the course each year, so if students don’t join now, they’ll miss out until next year.

A Good Feedback Loop

The third key to improving student outcomes is having a strong feedback loop. It’s crucial to make it easy for students to ask questions, whether during live sessions or through a community board because those questions help you refine and enhance the course material. A good course should never be static.

For example, we’re constantly updating and improving the content with the Book Launch Blueprint. We re-record several sessions from scratch every year so that the material stays up-to-date. The changes we make aren’t just about better production quality or new video equipment; they’re also based on student feedback. After years of listening to students’ questions and identifying the areas where they get stuck, we know which concepts need to be clarified or explained differently.

This iterative process allows us to address misunderstandings and points of confusion and create a higher-quality course than we could have delivered the first time around. Over time, these improvements lead to a course that meets the needs of the students and delivers a better learning experience.

Linda: The cohort model has a biblical foundation as well. We’re called to come together in community, united in mind and heart, to support and strengthen one another on our journey. This approach helps us move forward more effectively as a cohesive group. I can see how the cohort model fits this principle, and I appreciate the sense of urgency it naturally creates.

Can you tell us more about your free course?

Thomas: When you first met me, back in the early days of my career, I was juggling a lot of roles, including running a web design agency for authors. I had a team of people working with me, building websites for authors, and it was a big part of what I did. Though I eventually gave up that business and stopped building websites, I still get referrals to this day because the authors we worked with loved the sites we created for them.

In the beginning, I needed a solution for handling those referrals, especially as they kept coming in even after I left that side of the business. I partnered with some other agencies to pass along those referrals, but I realized that, for many authors, the best approach was to build their own websites. That led me to create a course on how to build your own author website, guiding authors step-by-step through the process.

The course is divided into two parts: the first half covers the basics, like setting up WordPress, installing a theme, and getting the right tools in place. The second half assumes that you already have a website and focuses on how to make it more effective—how to turn it into a website that readers love to visit and share. The goal is to shift the focus from a site that’s all about the author to one that’s all about the reader because, ultimately, readers care more about content that benefits them than they do about the author.

Even though the course is free, it generates some income through affiliate links. I recommend a theme and hosting provider that I use for my websites, and when students choose to use these affiliate links, I earn a commission. Not all students use the links, but enough do, and that income helps cover some of the costs of running the course. There’s nothing wrong with earning money this way, as it allows me to keep the course free while still supporting my business.

If you’re thinking about creating your own courses, look for opportunities to include affiliate links. It’s a great way to monetize a free course without charging students directly.

Linda: And it doesn’t cost the individual who clicks on the link more. You’re simply advertising for someone else, and they pay you a little commission.

Thomas: That’s right. It doesn’t cost them more. Sometimes it costs them less because there’s a coupon code attached. For example, when you click an affiliate link for a podcast host, often you get the first month for free, and you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. The most common affiliate is Amazon. If you recommend a book in your course, add an affiliate link to Amazon. It’s the same price for your student, but Amazon makes a little bit less money. Amazon making a little bit less isn’t going to hurt them at all.

Tell us about The Book Launch Blueprint.

Thomas: I teach the Book Launch Blueprint course alongside James L. Rubart, a Christy Hall of Fame inductee and bestselling author. The course is all about launching your book, focusing on those crucial first few days after its release. This period is especially important for traditionally published authors, but it’s also critical for indie authors.

For traditionally published authors, a good publisher will help get your book on bookstore shelves, but the book will only stay there for 30 to 60 days unless it sells well. If the books don’t sell during that time, the bookstore will return the copies, and you’ll lose your spot on the shelf. A strong launch is essential to ensure your book sells quickly enough to trigger reorders so that the bookstore keeps your book in stock.

Indie authors selling on Amazon also benefit from a strong launch because of the initial grace period for new releases. During this time, having only a few reviews isn’t a big deal, but once that window closes, a low review count can hurt your book’s credibility. Readers tend to look at the number of reviews more than the star rating, so getting as many early reviews as possible is crucial.

A successful launch can create a virtuous cycle. If your book sells well, bookstores that initially ordered just a couple of copies may start ordering more. When your book is displayed “face out” instead of “spine out,” it catches the attention of shoppers, which leads to even more sales.

The Book Launch Blueprint covers everything you need to create this virtuous cycle, including securing media appearances, building your email list, developing a strong email strategy, and putting together a comprehensive book launch plan. Each day of the course focuses on a different aspect of launching a book, such as branding, email campaigns, or organizing launch parties. We guide you through the process, showing you what to do, what to avoid, and how to learn from the experiences of others to save time and money.

For traditionally published authors, a successful first book launch is especially crucial. Publishers often base future contracts on the sales performance of your debut book. As a literary agent, I saw many talented authors struggle to get a second contract because their first book’s sales were poor. That made publishers hesitant to take a chance on their next project. This course aims to help you avoid that scenario by setting you up for a strong, successful launch.

In this episode of The David Lee Martin Show, David and I talk about how to use podcasts to bless listeners.

In this episode of God in the Ordinary, Sharon Tedford interviews me about my mental breakdown and recovery. I talk about how I had to change how I spent my time both in work and at home.

God In The Ordinary is a twice-monthly interview podcast filled with encouraging and engaging stories, be inspired to learn how you can make an eternal difference in your community and beyond! Let’s band together on both sides of the Atlantic as we reveal ‘God in the Ordinary’.

In episode 084 of the Wish I’d Known Then . . . For Writers Podcast I talk with Sara Rosett and Jami Albright about mistakes authors make with social media and how to avoid them. We delve into the world of ubiquity and scarcity and discuss how to use scarcity to sell your books. He’s also got some great ideas on how to find and get to know your readers. We wrap up by talking about trends in publishing in general and in the Inspirational market in particular.

I had a lot of fun on this podcast and wanted to thank Sara and Jami for inviting me to come on their podcast for authors.