Get Read: Find & Engage Your Audience

Get Read
You are a writer who wants to connect with readers — people who will truly love your books.

Right?

Do these challenges feel familiar to you?

  • I want to connect with more new readers.
  • I need to find a way to sell more books.
  • I know that word-of-mouth marketing is the best kind of marketing, but I don’t know how to get it started.
  • I want a book launch system that makes the most of my resources.
  • I have tried social media, blog tours and so much else to market my book, but none of it is working.

If you said yes to any of these, then you aren’t alone. These are questions that all bestselling authors asked themselves before they hit it big.

Spend 4 weeks with me and learn how to develop your roadmap to ensure your books find an audience.

Registration deadline is midnight PST Monday June 23, 2015
(The course begins Wednesday June 24.)

Special Price for The Creative Penn readers

Enroll Now

 

 

Let me guess...
Dan BlankYou are overwhelmed with too much to do to not just finish your writing, but to ensure it finds an audience. You have read hundreds of articles on marketing your book, tried dozens of things, and find that you are lost in the woods; stuck on a hamster wheel without any real progress. This is what so many writers tell me.

My name is Dan Blank and I have worked with hundreds of authors helping them to develop an audience for their work and successfully launch their books.

Perhaps these are some of the challenges standing in your way:

  • You are overwhelmed by an unending list of book marketing to-dos, and yet nothing feels like an organized plan.
  • You want to be defined by your writing and craft, not become a marketer who is constantly promoting their own work.
  • You have tried to connect with people online and off, but can’t seem to gain momentum.
  • You feel alone in this process.


Stop fighting for social media “followers” and wasting your time on the wrong things. Instead, start connecting with the ideal audience for your book – people who will truly appreciate and support your work.

Joanna Penn“Dan blends his years of experience in the publishing industry with a calm and engaging style, helping authors to develop their voice and reach readers more effectively.”

– Joanna Penn, TheCreativePenn.com. New York Times & USA Today bestselling thriller author

 

 

Joseph Finder“Dan Blank is a savvy strategist whose insights really helped me to stay much better connected to my readers and spread the word about my books.”

– Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of The Fixer, Paranoia, and Buried Secrets

 

 
Outline of Each Session
 
Get Read is a 4-week online course that takes you through four core parts of finding an audience for your writing. You will be given access to a private online classroom, that contains powerful coursework. Each of the four lessons includes a video lecture and PDF workbook:

Dotted Line

  • SESSION 1: DEVELOP YOUR VOICE
    Get Read Session 1: Develop Your VoiceWant to connect with your audience? You have to connect with their hearts, not just their minds. The best way to do this is to engage with them in meaningful – not promotional – ways. This is about sharing YOUR story, your reason for creating. This is the stuff you feel in your heart – in your gut – that feels more natural than anything.

    This also differentiates you from every other author or creative professional out there. We have all heard the statistics about how many new books are published each year, and been overwhelmed scrolling through millions of books on Amazon or browsing through Barnes & Noble. So we focus first on the one thing that no one can replicate: you and your work.

Dotted Line

  • SESSION 2: FIND YOUR IDEAL AUDIENCE
    Get Read Session 2: Find Your Ideal AudienceStop trying to reach anyone who will listen (but has no interest in your writing), and find that core group of people desperate to connect with someone like yourself. Here you are not promoting, but rather, aligning with the folks who care deeply about the same things you do.

    If you have something to say in your work, but feel as though you are shouting at the wind, then you need to connect with the RIGHT people. Every ounce of energy you focus on connecting with the RIGHT person is worth much more than anything you spend trying to connect with the wrong audience – those who will NEVER feel engaged with your work.

Dotted Line

  • SESSION 3: CREATE MOMENTS OF CONNECTION
    GET READ Session 3: Create Moments of ConnectionExperiences and moments are what make up the important parts of our lives. Here, we set up your connection points, which may include: websites, social media, newsletters, blogs, your presence at online retailers, as well as elsewhere online and off. I know there is a lot of overwhelm surrounding this, so we work through a simplified framework of doing less, not more, and focusing only on the actions that bring the most value.

    And we go a step further, and focus on how to create meaningful moments with your ideal audience across these channels. The world is not asking for yet another Tweet, but they are desperately waiting for a moment that makes them feel understood and ties into what they love most. Oh, and yes, these moments tend to lead to word of mouth marketing, awareness, and sales.

Dotted Line

  • SESSION 4: CONSTRUCT YOUR MARKETING PLAN
    GET READ Session 4: Construct Your Marketing PlanI provide a detailed marketing plan template filled with dozens of ideas to get your book out there, and organize them into a proper book launch strategy. This is the system I have used with many authors, and ensures you make the most of the resources you have. This is a clear plan — a system — for ensuring your book gets read. Also included is a book launch timeline that covers how to develop your audience from scratch, before your book is even published.

 

 

“Dan is the best kind of guide in that he helped me find one simple thing: how to be me. Whether I’m tweeting, speaking or posting, I now know why I’m doing it. More importantly, I also decided what I’m not doing. And that leaves more time for writing.”

– Claire Cameron, author of the The Bear: A Novel

 

 

Even though this course is packed with practical information to begin finding your audience, I am throwing in a boatload of bonuses:

Bonus: Q&A Calls

Bonus: Q&A CallsI am conducting four live Q&A calls throughout the course where you can ask me anything as you work through the material! The scheduled call dates/times are:

  • June 24, 2pm ET
  • July 1, 4pm ET
  • July 8, 4pm ET
  • July 15, 4pm ET

but don’t worry if those dates don’t work for you. You do not need to attend these live. Each session will be recorded and made available to you via email. For each call, you will be able to submit questions ahead of time for me to answer during the call. The first call on June 24th is more of a kick-off call, but you can ask questions there as well.

 

 
blue_line

Bonus: Access to Private Facebook Group

Bonus: Access to Private Facebook GroupThe toughest part of joining any course is staying motivated. What if you could be a part of a virtual group of other motivated writers who you can connect with as you work through the material? That is exactly what I provide with the course, giving you access to a private Facebook group, just for writers who sign up. You can learn from others in the course and forge real relationships with them. What’s more: the group is filled with alumni who have been working through this work for months.
 

 
blue_line

Bonus: Behind the Scenes With Joanna Penn

Bonus: Behind the Scenes With Joanna PennIn this exclusive interview, Joanna Penn takes us behind the scenes into how she developed her audience and how she launches books. She makes distinctions between tactics that work for fiction as opposed to nonfiction, and provides details about what got her to where she is, and where she is going from here.
 

 
blue_line

Bonus: Daily Email Prompts to Keep You Motivated

Bonus: Daily Email Prompts to Keep You MotivatedWhen you sign up for this course, I want to ensure you take action in working through the material. I understand that learning new tools and trying new things can be difficult, which is why I will be emailing you daily motivational prompts every day throughout the 4-week course. These small messages are meant to keep you on track in your journey to grow your audience, engage more readers, and sell more books.
 

 
 

 

New Bonus: The Top 10 Tools for Audience Outreach & Engagement

This PDF takes you through 10 powerful tools that you should consider leveraging to not only help you identify who your audience is, but what engages them, and how you can more effectively sell more books. These are foundational tools that every author needs to consider using.

 

 

You receive all of this when you sign up for the course:
Get Read

If any of this resonates with you, then join me for 4 weeks to develop your roadmap to truly identify who your ideal audience is, begin connecting with them in ways that are meaningful, and help ensure your work matters to them. An overview of what you get in the course:

  • Access to a private online classroom
  • Four weekly PDF lessons, with video lectures that take you through the material
  • Bonus: Four group Q&A calls where you can ask me anything
  • Bonus: 24/7 community access to a private Facebook group where you can collaborate with other writers in the course, as well as alumni
  • Bonus: Behind the Scenes video interview with Joanna Penn
  • Bonus: Daily email prompts to ensure you stay motivated

 

Registration deadline is midnight PST Monday June 23, 2015
(The course begins Wednesday June 24.)

Special Price for The Creative Penn readers

Enroll Now

 

I have taught dozens of online courses, and what I LOVE about them is that they work best for busy folks. Everything happens online, meaning that if you have a job, a family, a hectic schedule, that this is likely the best way for you to truly work with a group of other writers (and myself) to get yourself on track.

 

 

“This course helped me find focus my goals, determine my target audience (and how to reach them), and try new social media approaches that paid off right away.”

“After Dan’s course, I feel like I’ve regained control of my schedule: I now know what marketing I want to accomplish each day, and have clear goals for the months ahead.”

“And the best part: I have more time to write.”

– F.T. Bradley, author of the Double Vision series

 

 

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU REGISTER

When you register this is exactly what you can expect:

  • You will be taken to a shopping cart where you will securely check out using your credit card via Paypal.
  • You will receive an email confirming your registration.
  • On Wednesday June 24th, you will receive access to the private online classroom, where you can begin reading through the course material. You will be given the option to join the private Facebook group.
  • Daily email prompts will begin arrive, and continue throughout the entire 4-week course.
  • The rest of the lessons will be posted to the online classroom on the following schedule: Session 2 on July 1; Session 3 on July 8; Session 4 on July 15.
  • Our first group Q&A call is on June 24th at 2pm ET. This session will be a bit of an introduction to the course, and you will be able to ask questions for me to answer on the call. If you cannot make the live calls, don’t worry, a recording of them will be posted to the private online classroom for you to listen to at your convenience.
  • The second Q&A call is July 1 at 4pm ET. Prior to the call, you will receive access to a form where you can submit questions. The calls themselves will allow for text chat with me if you attend them live via your computer; you can also listen live via phone.
  • The 3rd Q&A call will take place on Wednesday July 8 at 4pm ET
  • The 4th group call will take place on Wednesday July 15 at 4pm ET

 

 

“Dan isn’t about shortcuts, but connecting with readers in a deeper way. This is what I wanted as a writer. I wanted to find my true, authentic audience. I wanted to continue to make a difference in the lives of my readers. He helped me stay on the right path. Dan is the real deal, he cares.”

– Barbara Techel, author of Through Frankie’s Eyes

 

 

ABOUT DAN BLANK

 

Dan BlankWell, there are my professional credentials:

  • I have worked with hundreds of authors, from bestsellers to those writing their first book, to everyone in between. My days are spent in the trenches with writers — none of this is just theory to me — it is always framed in the everyday reality of what truly works for connecting writers to readers.
  • I have worked with some of the biggest names in publishing; folks such as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Abrams Books, Workman Publishing, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, and many others.
  • Oh, and there’s the technical stuff: that I have helped launch hundreds of blogs and email newsletters; I’ve built lots of websites; developed podcasts, videos, and even a Kickstarter campaign; and I’ve consulted on social media strategy with huge publishers & organizations that serve writers. Plus, I have run my own company for years, meaning that I have had to become the master of hundreds of tiny technical details for “getting out there.”
  • I have spoken at some of the biggest publishing conferences out there, including BookExpo, Digital Book World, AWP, Romance Writers of America, Thrillerfest, and many others.
  • The core of what I do is help writers and creative professionals develop their skills — to help instruct and truly be there to help you work through challenges. My goal is not to “bestow information” to you – there’s plenty of that out there. My methodology is to work with you to really figure out the hard stuff.

But I think what is equally important is that my days are spent with writers and creative professionals, and my entire life has been spent surrounded by creators hoping to make their mark. As for myself, I have been an artist, a poet, a musician, a paper sculptor, a writer, a publisher, a photographer, a teacher, a radio DJ, a cartoonist, and an entrepreneur.

 

 

Thomas Greanias“Dan not only helps you find out who you are as an author, but who your readers are and how to make that special, magic connection.”

– Thomas Greanias, New York Times Bestselling author

 

 

Cali Williams Yost“Dan is an invaluable partner to guide you along your journey from creation to execution.”

– Cali Williams Yost author of Tweak It: Make What Matters to You Happen Every Day

 
 


 
 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

I have never taken an online course before, do I have to be at my computer on certain days/times?
There are four live Q&A calls throughout the course (dates: June 24 at 2pm ET, July 1 at 4pm ET, July 8 at 4pm ET, and 15 at 4pm ET) You do not need to attend these live, as each will be recorded and made available to you via email. For the live calls, all you need is your phone to access. For the recordings, you will be sent a link via email, so all you need is your web browser to listen to them.

For the lessons themselves, you will receive a PDF lesson each Wednesday (July 1, 8, 15). This course can be done completely at your own pace, on the days and times that work best for your schedule.

How long will I have access to the course material once it ends?
Each lesson is delivered to you via email in PDF format, they are yours to keep.

Do you offer an installment plan for the course registration fee?
Normal registration for the course requires full payment at that time.

How much time should I plan to spend on the course each week?
The honest answer is that you can take this course at your own pace, meaning that you can spend as much or as little time as needed on each lesson. I would encourage you to block out a minimum of two hours each week to read the course material and consider specific actions you can take. The Q&A calls (whether you access them live or via recording), would be an additional hour.

What do I need to access the course, from a technical standpoint?
You will need an email account, an internet connection, and a phone. Feasibly, you could take this entire course on your mobile phone!

What is your refund policy?
I offer a full 30 day money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the course for any reason, please contact me for a refund.

 
 


 
 

 

 

Beth McMullen“Dan provided a framework and roadmap to help me move beyond my inaction and panic, to develop my platform and grow my readership. By breaking the work down into chunks, it became manageable instead of insurmountable. What I gained was a sense of control, and I no longer felt overwhelmed.”

– Beth McMullen, author of Spy Mom

 

 

Susan Chritton“Dan guided me to take the steps that I needed to find my authentic voice as a writer, speaker, and to help me develop an online presence. I appreciated the depth of his knowledge, the kindness of his guidance, and the solid process in which to follow. I now recommend Dan to every writer that I meet.”

– Susan Chritton, author of Personal Branding For Dummies

 

 

Shirley Showalter“I’ve taken two courses and one workshop with Dan. He knows and cares about the inner needs of the writer, and has a broad and up-to-date understanding of the rapidly changing publishing industry. I rely on him to help me navigate the whitewater of authorship.”

– Shirley H. Showalter, author of Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World

 

 

Some of these authors have sold millions of books using the exact methods I teach in this course.

I have also worked with many other organizations that support great writing and writers:

Brands I Have Worked With

What I find again and again with these organizations is that they embrace the process of identifying an authors audience, honing their voice, creating moments of connection, and crafting a specific marketing plan to pull it all together.

 

Registration deadline is midnight PST Monday June 23, 2015
(The course begins Wednesday June 24.)

Special Price for The Creative Penn readers

Enroll Now