Build a Powerful Author or Writer Website—Workshop!

A hands-on guide to help you design a powerful author or writer website, to share or sell your work and build your platform

Offered on a rolling basis. Buy anytime.

Every author (or author-to-be) needs a website. At least that’s the word on the street.

Agents, editors, publishers and peers encourage writers to have their own websites, because a website is a place where…

• readers can find and connect with you online
• social media networks can point to, to help you build an author or writer platform
• you can feature your best work
• you can (hopefully!) sell your books or your writing

But for many writers, the process of establishing their online presence with a website is daunting. There are countless platforms you could use—which is the best for you? There are courses and webinars that promise to get you up and running with your own website in no time at all, but you still don’t know how to log in, or customize your theme, or navigate website hosting choices. Hiring a designer can be costly, and still leave you not sure how to run and maintain your own site.

Our fun, super-informative 8-week workshop is here to help. We’ll walk you through the process of creating a WordPress website from start to finish—from choosing, installing and customizing your theme to focusing and fine-tuning your content, to integrating your email subscriptions and social media. In addition to learning how to create content on your website, you’ll learn how to update and maintain your site and even get an introduction for what you need to know about your hosting dashboard, all with weekly assignments, video tutorials, helpful planning worksheets, and real-time guidance from an experienced web designer who understands the unique needs of authors and writers.

Who Should Take This Course?

• Authors, writers and bloggers who wish to create their first website and would like to be able to use affiliate codes on their WordPress site as a $-producing option
• Authors, writers and bloggers who wish to update their existing website design or move to WordPress from another platform
• Authors, writers and bloggers who have a great website already but want to learn how things work so they can better maintain it and make their own updates without hiring a costly designer

8-Week Basic Course Includes

• 36 Interactive Videos Lessons & Tutorials
• Introduction to Author Websites
• Setting your Website Goals
• Turning Your Goals into Website Organization
• Identifying Your Look & Feel
• Choosing Your WordPress Child Theme
• WordPress 101: Creating Posts & Pages
• Making the Most of Your Website Content
• Adding Navigation & Widgets
• Customizing Your Look & Feel
• Adding Multimedia (Images, Video, Podcasts, etc.)
• What Are Plugins & Which Do You Need
• Creating Your Book Library with Genesis Author Pro Plugin
• Publicizing: Integrating Social Media & Email Signups
• The Care & Feeding of Your Website: Maintenance, Security, Backups & Hosting
• Includes 1 personal video consultation with the instructor to assist in organization, look and feel, and choosing a Child Theme plus weekly email check-ins for feedback and critique and to help keep you on track

By the end of the Basic course, you will launch (or relaunch) a fully-functioning, beautiful WordPress website!

8-Week Premium Course Also Includes

• 1 additional private consultation with the instructor
• select a theme from the FULL collection of themes
• Advanced Customization: Changing Fonts, Colors, Etc.
• Configuring Your Site for and Finding Your Way Around Google Analytics
• Migrate an Existing Blog to Your New Website
• Optimizing MailChimp for Email Integration
• Advanced SEO & Traffic Building with Yoast SEO Plugin

By the end of the Premium course, you will launch (or relaunch) a fully-functioning, beautiful WordPress website!

For You

Private online group settings and class materials including:

• Installation of WordPress in your own private workspace
• Genesis Framework and 1 Child Theme (Basic package: choose 1 of 5 select themes or Premium package: choose 1 from the FULL collection of themes– $99-$129 value)
• 6 Months Free Website Hosting ($75 value) *

Basic Package- Choose from 5 Select Theme Options

Premium Package-Choose from the FULL Collection of Themes

What You Need

Computer or mobile device with internet connection capable of accessing our interactive online class space and videos, uploading and downloading documents, and participating in Zoom chats.

If you do not already have a domain name registered, you will need to complete a registration before launching your site. This can typically be done for under $15 and information for how to do this will be available during the course.

While we’ll spend time during the course preparing some of your website content, you will need to gather artwork, photos and other content you wish to feature on the site.

Plan for an average of 4-6 hours per week to work through lesson materials and production of your site.

Add-On Item

Add a professionally designed logo or website header to your registration package for $250.

* A Note About Web Hosting

You will be creating a live, fully-functioning, “self-hosted” WordPress website as part of this course (which is not the same as a free website on WordPress.com). In order to launch your new website, you will need web hosting. This course includes six months of web hosting for those who don’t currently have a web host. If you’re not sure if that applies to you, click on this chart to see if you need web hosting.

 

Your Author Website Workshop Leader

LW Lindquist has been designing websites since the Internet was young. An experienced writer and editor, LW is the founder of The Willingham Enterprise, a design firm specializing in WordPress websites for authors, writers, bloggers and small businesses.

What Our Other Workshop Participants Have Said

Darrelyn Saloom: I signed up for the fiction class at a crazy/busy time. What was I thinking? With all the chaos in my life, I am so happy I did. I would NEVER have completed a 3-thousand word short story without Anthony. It was wonderful to have his guidance and feedback. And I am so pleased with the result.

Brad Grout: I am personally getting so much out of this memoir workshop…you people are AMAZING!

Lane Arnold: I struck gold. An afternoon session of writing poetry is good for the soul. Poetry Workshop is a catalyst to creativity.

Lexanne Leonard: The most important step I’ve taken is to join Tweetspeak’s Poetry Workshop 2013 with Anne Doe Overstreet. I cannot begin to thank Tweetspeak, Anne, and my fellow students for this journey.

Darlene S.: I don’t think I can put into words both the overall value of the lessons learned and the encouragement I got.

Michelle Ortega: Although I will most likely not pursue publishing a non-fiction title, I gained invaluable insight into platform development. It answered questions for me that I have been wrestling with for my business for the past few years, and coincides with my general philosophy of developing relationships with consumers as opposed to impersonal marketing strategies.

Sandra Heska King: This was absolutely the single best whim I’ve followed.

8-Week Basic Course • BUY NOW • $385

8-Week Premium Course • BUY NOW • $635

Add a professionally-designed header or logo to either course • BUY NOW • $250.00