Product Name

Self-Publishing School

About the Founder of Self-Publishing School

Chandler Bolt is an entrepreneur who has dabbled in running his own businesses since he was young. Since he released his first book, The Productive Person, his self-publishing success kicked off, culminating in the release of Published and the creation of his company, Self-Publishing School and selfpublishing.com.

Cost for Self-Publishing School’s Programs

Most products, which include 1:1 coaching, group coaching, done-for-you services, and online curriculum, retail for $8,000. Bundling products reduces the price. You can learn more about their products here.

Who It’s For

Self-Publishing School is for anyone who wants to write and publish their own books and learn how to launch a book to be an Amazon Kindle bestseller. The entry-level program has three writing streams, one for non-fiction writers, one for fiction writers, and one for children’s book writers. This works for business builders or career authors.

What It Will Help You Accomplish

This comprehensive program will take you through each step of self-publishing your book.

First, it will teach you a replicable process for writing and publishing books.

The program is broken up into three main phases so you can follow the entire process from start to finish: writing, book production, and launching. Rinse and repeat for as many books as you want to write.

The team and curriculum will show you how to turn an idea into outline and then into a written book, right through to working with an editor, having your cover designed and converting your book to a Kindle-ready (and paperback) format. You’ll also learn how to build authority in your niche or connect with your readers.

Second, it will help you build a network of fellow authors and supporters.

The Self-Publishing School Mastermind Community is active and full of good vibes and encouragement. Many authors have claimed this is the best author community on the internet, and when you join, you have access to 2,500+ members with multiple opportunities to connect, network, and collaborate via Author Connects, Group Coaching Calls, and community events like Author Advantage Live. 

Third, the team will help you navigate the toughest parts of book production by taking care of certain author services for you.

This including cover design, formatting, and more. (You can see the full list of services here.) This will make the process easier on you and take a lot of the stress off your shoulders. 

What’s Included in Self-Publishing School

• Community: Inside Self-Publishing School, you’ll be connected with like-minded writers and develop your new built-in network of people who will support you every step of the way. While you might be alone in your writing, you won’t be alone in the self-publishing process
• Coaching: One of the first things you’ll do when joining Self-Publishing School is get a personal coach. You also have access to group coaching calls multiple days each week for your specific program
• Online Curriculum: You’ll have access to the online training which includes videos, transcripts, PDF checklists, templates, and more
• Done-For-You Services: Their team will handle book production services for you, like cover design, formatting, and more
• Weekly Community Calls: Chandler Bolt and other Self-Publishing School team members host a community call one day each week

The Best Part about Self-Publishing School

When you enroll at the top level, which I did, you’ll be assigned a coach, someone to chat with throughout the process and get direct feedback from about your book project. This includes a one-hour clarity call, multiple 30-minute coaching calls, and unlimited email support with the team.

I was lucky enough to work with Chandler Bolt directly. He suggested ways to improve my book, helped refine my title and connect me with the right outsourcers for my project. While he doesn’t do 1:1 coaching any more, all of his coaches are highly trained and bestselling authors themselves, so you’ll be working with someone you can trust that knows what they’re doing.

Within two months of joining Self-Publishing School, I was able to publish my book and I credit a lot of this to the fact I had direct access to someone who could answer my questions when needed.

The other great part about Self-Publishing School is the community. But I’ve already told you enough about that.

What Would Make It Even Better

There are a lot of technical aspects involved in self-publishing a book and some of that is glossed over inside the curriculum, leaving each student to figure out those aspects. If you’re not technically minded, it can be quite overwhelming, particularly once you get to the publishing and marketing side of things. But they do have tech support calls for their customers and if you know how to Google to find your answers, then this challenge can easily be overcome.

How Self-Publishing School Changed My Life

When I joined Self-Publishing School in July 2014, I was a full-time freelance writer with a solid base of clients. I had only recently just started looking to diversify and felt that writing and publishing a book would be a nice segue to earning passive income.

Fast forward two months into the program: I had written and launched my first book, No Gym Needed: Quick and Simple Workouts for Gals on the Go. It became a number-one bestseller on Amazon within three days of launching.

After this success, I knew that I could scale and decided to release the next book two weeks later, which was the men’s version of the first title. That first book earned $800+ in royalties in the first month and now earns me over $1000+ per month (just one book!). Since July 2014, I have written and published 26 books and am now a full-time author and author coach.

I “fired” my last full-time freelance client in early 2015 and haven’t looked back. I earn between $3,000 and $4,000 per month just from my books and have more than 30 books mapped out for the next few years.

Our Recommendation

Self-Publishing School is one of the most comprehensive programs available on how to write, publish, and launch a book to bestseller status on Amazon. I would recommend it to anyone looking to write a book.

Be prepared to put in extra time to learn about the technical aspects of self-publishing and you’ll find the process goes a lot smoother.

You can grab a free copy of Chandler’s book below.

This mistaken belief can prove to be costly — especially when it leads to new freelance writers throwing in the towel. Outsourcing sites, if not approached correctly, can leave you feeling like it’s the morning after a one night stand: confused, embarrassed and looking for a quick escape!

There is nothing wrong with using outsourcing sites to get jobs — it’s how I got started as a freelance writer myself, and it’s still where 90 percent of my clients first find my services. However, my first experiences on oDesk included some costly mistakes; one in particular cost me $1,000!

As a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed new freelance writer, you need to know and understand the lay of the outsourcing land. Here’s how to avoid six common mistakes when working on outsourcing sites.

Mistake 1: Charging too little for your work

It’s easy to make this mistake, particularly when you’re just starting out and not sure what to charge.

If you’re just breaking into the freelance writing scene, it’s a good strategy to start with a low rate — but only for the first month. After that, you’ll want to increase your rate, because you’ve developed your skills during that month, right?

Figure out what you feel is a good hourly rate to start, and go from there. I aimed to make the same amount I was earning in my full-time day job, which was $35/hour. Don’t sell yourself short, or you could find yourself stuck with clients who are underpaying you for what you’re providing. I found it extremely challenging to increase my rates on existing clients, but when a client knows your rate from the start, they’ll value your work.

Mistake 2: Picking the wrong clients

Not all clients are created equal, and you want to keep an eye out for red flags, particularly on outsourcing sites. Check for these signs of a solid prospect:

1. Is the client payment verified? On oDesk, look in the right sidebar under “About the Client.” You’ll see “Payment Method Verified” in green text. On Elance, you’ll see four small circles next to the client’s name. If they’re verified, you’ll see $ in the first circle, and the more green circles you see, the more projects a client has filled on the site.

2. Does the client have positive feedback? On Elance, clicking on “Client Info” takes you to a profile page with the client’s projects, including feedback from previous contractors. On oDesk, you’ll see a star rating under “About the Client” on each job page.

   

3. Does the client include company information? Have they shared a description of their company, location and work? Can you find them in a Google search?

Ensuring these three criteria are met makes it more likely that you’re choosing a legitimate client and protects you from falling for a scam. Learning this lesson the hard way cost me $1,000 in unpaid work.

Mistake 3: Not asking enough questions

Communication is key in any relationship — and even more so in a business relationship where you may never meet your clients.

Make sure you understand each project fully before commencing. It’s crucial to ask as many questions as you can up front so that you understand exactly what the client is looking for.

If you don’t ask these questions initially, you run the risk of delivering something completely different from the client’s needs. You might also find that the client doesn’t know exactly what they want — which can be a red flag — and you need to know that before you start working.

Mistake 4: Not providing follow-up ideas

As a new freelancer, it’s important to build your client base. This is where outsourcing sites are great: you can use them as a place to find leads and convert one-time projects into an ongoing relationship with a client.

Overdeliver on your work for each client: finish before the agreed-upon deadline, introduce them to a new tool that makes their life easier, or wow them with a perfectly-finished project. Then suggest ways you could help them further, or simply let them know you’re available for ongoing work. (Click to tweet this idea.)

This one strategy has helped me build my client base by 80%, because once clients know that I do great work, they’re willing to hire me for additional projects. Many of my current clients originally found me on oDesk and now work with me outside of the site.

Mistake 5: Keeping all your eggs in one basket

Especially when you’re just starting out, you don’t want to rely on one or two clients for all your income. You need to diversify to protect yourself in case that work dries up.

Early in my freelance career, I fell into a false sense of security with one client who was providing me with 90% of my earnings. When that work suddenly fell through, I was left trying to figure out how I was going to make ends meet!

You may even want to take it one step further and also diversify your skill set so you have multiple income streams. Could you focus on an additional niche or writing style? If you need inspiration, browse the list of jobs offered on your favorite outsourcing site to find opportunities that may be a good fit.

Mistake 6: Doing work you don’t like

When you’re new to the freelance writing game, you tend to say yes to everything. Even if it’s work that you don’t particularly like, you accept the project just because you can do it and it’s available.

Don’t do this. No matter how much you’re being paid, you will quickly lose motivation and run the risk of damaging your ratings and client feedback.

Only take on work that makes sense to your business and that you actually enjoy doing. There are so many projects available on outsourcing sites; you’re sure to find more than enough that engage, interest and challenge you. Find a balance: sometimes you may have to do projects that aren’t your favorite, but make sure most of your work fits with your interests and business.

What mistakes have you made on outsourcing sites?
no
1
links