FAKE IT ‘TIL YOU MAKE IT: BEGINNING TECH TIPS FOR AUTHORS!

Google got you down? Email Signatures a mystery? Just want to know what’s eye-catching vs. distracting on Instagram or Twitter? This course if for you! Award-winning author Kerry Blaisdell will teach you how to use technology effectively, to advance your writing career to the next level.

From the basics of email and how to create effective social media posts, including the right balance between images and text, to effectively structuring your website, Facebook page, etc., this course is perfect for techno-phobes or fledgling authors, who want to know the best way to promote themselves.

Even if you plan to hire a web designer or promotion service, your online presence is still all you, and should be consistent and professional across all platforms. Learn what works and what you can ignore, to save time and money, while making your author brand the best it can possibly be, right from the start!

Course Format

This course will be delivered online, three lessons per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, for a total of four weeks (12 lessons). Homework will (sometimes!) be assigned, to be done on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and/or the weekend, to practice the lessons learned. Homework is optional, but I encourage all students to participate, and share your efforts with me so I can give you feedback. The more you engage, the more I can help you!

Syllabus

Note: The outline below is a general guide to the course. Depending on the interests of each class group, some topics may be condensed, expanded, or removed entirely. However, this is intended to be a beginner course specifically, so if a student feels they already understand the below information, they may want to consider enrolling in my advanced class instead.

Topics covered in the beginner course include:

• Email Basics and Netiquette (1 lesson)
• Online Communities (1 lesson)
• Graphic Design for Beginning Beginners (2 lessons)
• Web Design for Beginners – Even if You’re Hiring a Designer (2 lessons)
• Facebook Basics (1 lesson)
• Twitter Basics (1 lesson)
• Instagram Basics (1 lesson)
• Pinterest Basics (1 lesson)
• Gaining Followers (1 lesson)
• Ask Me Anything (1 lesson)

Kerry Blaisdell is the bestselling and award-winning author of The Dead Series, including DEBRIEFING THE DEAD– 2019 Royal Palm Literary Award for Best Published Fantasy, RONE Award for Best Long Paranormal, HOLT Medallion Literary Award for Best Paranormal & Best First Book, and Romance Writers of America RITA Award Finalist – and its sequel, WAKING THE DEAD, 2020 Royal Palm Literary Award for Best Published Fantasy and RONE Award 1st Runner Up for Best Long Paranormal, which InD’Tale Magazine recommends for “fans of television shows like ‘Constantine’ or ‘Supernatural'”.  She also writes award-winning Romantic Suspense (PUBLISH OR PERISH, A Publisher’s Weekly Book Life Prize Quarterfinalist and N.N. Light Book Award Winner) and Historical Mystery.

Kerry has a Bachelor of Arts from UC Berkeley in Comparative Literature (French/Medieval English), and a Master’s in Teaching English and Advanced Mathematics from the University of Portland. Before becoming a teacher, she worked for over 20 years in Corporate Communications and Marketing Technology, as a graphic designer, web developer, database programmer, and content writer, as well as developing and teaching technology courses for adults. Kerry lives in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest with her family, assorted cats and dogs, and more hot pepper plants than anyone could possibly consume.

For more information, or to sign up for her mailing list or follow her on social media, visit her online at http://kerryblaisdell.com.