Course Curriculum

Planning Stage

✒️ Assisting in the brainstorming process.

✒️ Getting a head start on marketing.

✒️ How to assess your client’s current content and organise it into categories according to topics or sub-headings suitable for a book.

✒️ Performing topic, keyword, market, and competitor research.

✒️ Setting up your client’s schedule and productivity tracker. (Includes swipe files)

Writing & Editing Stage

✒️ Providing support and encouragement to your client, keeping them on track to complete the book within the preferred time frame.

✒️ Interviewing and transcription options

✒️ Using style guides, spelling checkers, and editing software

✒️ Referencing for non-fiction books

Design Stage

✒️ Principles of cover design and essentials on creating a cover for your client.

✒️ Introduction to free and open source software for design.

✒️ Working with barcodes.

✒️ Legal use of fonts and images.

✒️ Formatting and typesetting a print book. (Includes MS Word swipe files)

✒️ Where to get feedback on your cover design.

✒️ Designing advertising materials and merchandise

Publishing Stage

✒️ Preparing meta-data

✒️ Compiling ISBN, BISAC, and CIP details

✒️ Preparing and validating ebook files.

✒️ Preparing print files.

✒️ Making a legal deposit.

✒️ What does it mean if your client wants to go “wide” or “direct”?

Marketing Stage

✒️ Marketing and advertising strategies.

✒️ Advance reviewers and influencers.

✒️ Introduction to video editing for book trailers, readings, and other content.

✒️ Introduction to audio editing for short readings, interviews, and podcasts.

✒️ Legal use of music in marketing and commercial content.

✒️ Preparing social media, email, and newsletter content.

✒️ Setting up universal book links.

✒️ Creating a simple author website.

✒️ Introduction to book launch event management.

Video Workshops

How to attract author clients and understand their mindset

BISAC Meta-data

A simple task you can do to save your client hours of work (or $$ if they outsource it later)

Master this tricky element on a book cover

Legal Deposit

Ebook file preparation and validation

Gearing up for a book launch

Legacy 2 Intake

This course is in its second legacy intake with parts of each module still in production, which means that you get to shape the course to your needs by asking the questions that will help you the most!

The price will increase once all content is finalised.

Please note: You should already have an established business as a Virtual Assistant, admin assistant, business manager, graphic designer, bookkeeper, social media manager, or the like, as this course will build on your current skills, and will not be able to advise you on the practicalities of setting up a VA business. You will need to organise your own client contracts/agreements, insurance, etc. It will take time and effort to learn the publishing industry and the skills you'll need to assist authors and pubishers. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to make money, this is not the course for you. Your success is entirely up to you and is not guaranteed. You will need to make your own enquiries for work. Attendance and/or completion of this course and/or inclusion on the Author's Assistants Business Directory does not constitute any sort of offer of work or guarantee of a job placement. By proceding, you understand and agree that this course is taken at your own risk.