Authors Beware

I literally have about 120 seconds to knock out this post, so I will make it quick.

As an Indie author, I am so very fed up with “marketers” and other authors (or whoever) trying to sell me courses that are going to improve my book launches, help me sell books, get the old money-making machine on auto-pilot, and all of the rest.

They hook you with something like a “free” webinar where they promise to teach you one of these things. Then they hit you with common sense stuff that is plastered all over the Interwebs already … no mistakes/you need an editor, you need a good cover, don’t rush your launch, plot a marketing path, etc. The “free” part of the webinar is usually mildly okay for a very novice author.

Then, of course, comes the pitch for the course that is really going to kick it all into overdrive for you. Spend just $500 and you’ll be set for life.

Sometimes it’s the neverending, scrolling web page with a lot of the same type of stuff. And what is scary is how damned awful hopeful it makes you. Is this going to be the one that helps my career take off?

Nope. Probably not. Best to not plug in your email address or buy the $1000 course that is on sale for three payments of $90.

And some of these even have a money-back guarantee, and maybe they mean it, which is cool. I can’t argue with someone putting their money where their mouth is.

But what stymie’s my ability to conceive of these things actually being worth a hoot is that there are SO MANY of them going around. And if they worked that well, then we’d all be gozillionaires.

Okay. I have to count sheep. Feel free to tell me how foolish I am or point out one of these writerly courses that actually works. There are a few that catch my eye, but man, I sure hesitate to drop the cash on them.