Creating Courses For Self-Publishing: A How To Guide

Creating and navigating self-publishing courses can feel overwhelming. There’s so much information out there, and knowing where to begin can make your head spin. I totally get it—trying to piece together reliable guidance by yourself is hard.

But don’t stress! By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear idea of how to find or even create a helpful self-publishing course and turn what you’ve learned into real-world results.

Ready to simplify this whole self-publishing learning journey? Let’s dive right in.

Create a Self-Publishing Course to Help Authors

If you’ve successfully self-published a book and now feel ready to help other authors through this journey, creating a self-publishing course can be both rewarding and profitable. Self-publishing is booming right now—just in 2023 alone, there were 2.6 million books self-published, marking a 7.2% growth from 2022, according to Publishers Weekly. So clearly, there’s solid demand and plenty of fresh authors looking for guidance on how to navigate this crowded market.

When you first start putting the course together, be really clear about who exactly you’re helping—are they new to self-publishing entirely, intermediates who’ve already tried once or twice, or seasoned authors looking to improve their sales strategy? Each group needs something different, so zeroing in clearly on your target audience will guide your content, tone, and depth.

Structure your course into logical segments such as planning and writing a manuscript, professional editing and formatting, finding cover design resources, pricing your book strategically, navigating Amazon KDP or alternatives like Draft2Digital, marketing and promotion tactics, and creating a long-term author platform. Remember, self-published authors take home around 100% of their profit compared to a traditional royalty rate averaging around 8%, so help students understand the business angle clearly to motivate them.

Consider enhancing your courses using AI-powered course creation tools—about 43% of six-figure creators already use AI weekly. Utilizing easy-to-follow technologies and quality storytelling can let you concentrate more on delivering personalized guidance rather than handling repetitive admin tasks. Also, you might want to dig deeper into what steps are involved in effective teaching strategies, to further improve your lessons and help your students maximize their results.

Identify Trusted Self-Publishing Course Providers

Let’s be real—there are a ton of self-publishing courses online, but not all trainers are created equal. If you’re going to dish out good money, you need to be confident you’re learning from someone who knows their stuff firsthand and truly cares about your writing journey. Here’s how you figure out who’s legit and who isn’t wasting your time.

Start by checking their credibility and experience in the self-publishing industry. Take a look at their author page, books they’ve published, and how these books are ranking and reviewed online. People who’ve successfully climbed to the best-seller lists multiple times have proven they know the tricks and tactics that work.

But also pay attention to testimonials and reviews from other aspiring authors who’ve done the course already. Real student success stories can say volumes about a course’s value. Additionally, look at how actively your potential teacher interacts within the broader writing community—Facebook groups, Reddit author communities, or on Twitter’s #WritingCommunity hashtag. Highly engaged course instructors who freely share helpful insights publicly often bring the same generosity inside their paid courses.

If pricing is a concern (and it usually is), compare online course platforms to get an idea of the market range. It helps you make sure you pick courses reasonably priced and matching the substantial value you’re expecting to get.

Outline Key Elements in a Self-Publishing Course

A good self-publishing course shouldn’t just dump information and leave you hanging—it needs to lead you step-by-step through actionable stages, breaking things down into manageable pieces. So what exactly needs to go into it? Here’s a straightforward outline of essential categories:

First, walk learners through writing and manuscript preparation, emphasizing professional editing and proofreading. No author wants a reader telling them about typos or formatting disasters they missed—this could crush author credibility right away.

Next, provide precise guidelines about book design, including affordable cover-design solutions such as Fiverr or 99designs. Focus on both design aesthetics that match genre expectations and practical elements necessary for ebook and print-on-demand editions.

Then carefully walk through the nuts and bolts of publishing platforms like Kindle Direct Publishing, Draft2Digital, Smashwords and others, providing clear best practices, guidelines, and pitfalls to avoid. Many first-time self-publishers feel overwhelmed by all these platforms and their confusing backend language, so make things straightforward and show your screen recordings going through the whole publishing procedure step by step.

Pricing and marketing come next—coaching authors how to price their books competitively, smartly handle promotions to achieve short-term and long-term sales, and utilize author websites, mailing lists, book launch strategies, and services like BookBub or Goodreads effectively.

Finally, include lessons covering author mindset and ongoing business strategies because self-publishing success isn’t a one-and-done weekend project. It’s all about continuing improvements in craft and marketing. Also, throw in engaging student activities—maybe an online quiz or interactive assignment about setting prices—to boost student engagement and make online course content more interactive and fun.

Choose the Right Self-Publishing Course for Your Needs

Picking the right self-publishing course depends entirely on what you’re trying to achieve—you totally don’t want to waste your time or money.
If you’re brand new to the game, look for courses that walk you through the basics step-by-step, without overwhelming you with industry jargon or advanced strategies you’re not ready for.
Experienced authors, on the other hand, might need more specific modules, like scaling sales, building deeper reader engagement, or leveraging advanced marketing channels.
Make sure to compare online course platforms and see exactly what’s offered in each course, checking the syllabus and structure carefully.
If you’re looking to make serious money from publishing, find a course with modules and case studies around profitability, pricing strategies, and long-term sales funnels.
Also, see if there’s personal mentoring from the instructor, like live Q&A sessions, feedback on your publishing plans, or community groups—personalized support makes a difference when you’re learning.
Lastly, make sure the instructor has a refund or satisfaction guarantee, especially if you’re hesitating over a higher-priced option.

Follow Practical Steps After Completing Your Course

Finished your self-publishing course—now what?
First, don’t let the momentum fizzle: immediately write down an action plan (no excuses!) of what you’ll do next, week by week.
Start by revisiting your manuscript armed with fresh insights you’ve gathered from the course about professional editing and formatting.
Next, if you haven’t done so yet, invest in an eye-catching cover design—it’s a massive selling point that readers are judging right away on platforms like Amazon.
Then, follow through step-by-step on what you learned about platforms such as Kindle Direct Publishing or Draft2Digital, uploading your polished ebook, print-on-demand edition, or both.
Use the marketing skills picked up in your class: set up or refresh your mailing list, plan promos, giveaways, or freebie launches through BookBub or Goodreads, and consistently engage on social media in author Facebook groups.
Also, consider creating practical quizzes for your readers to boost engagement and strengthen community around your books—here’s exactly how to make a quiz for students (your readers) that actually works.

Recognize the Value of Structured Learning in Self-Publishing

Structured courses might feel like obvious advice, but hear me out—they really make the difference between floundering randomly online and making steady, organized progress.
Instead of watching scattered YouTube tutorials or reading random blog posts, structured courses break down the huge process of publishing a book into simple, organized steps.
They’ll include precise lesson planning—so you don’t waste hours figuring out what to do next—and practical assignments that actually help you implement what you’re learning.
Courses save time, too, since structured learning drastically reduces the guesswork involved in self-teaching.
You build off clear course syllabuses and organized content mapping, so you’re not jumping chaotically between unrelated lessons and tips from different people.
Basically, structured learning gets you results faster, reduces stress, and boosts confidence—because nobody ever finished a random blog-reading marathon feeling super-confident about publishing a book.
Here’s more on course syllabus formats and how to make them so the structure of your learning stays logical and effective.

FAQs