He got up and sat on the edge of the bedstead with his back to the window. “It’s better not to sleep at all,” he decided. There was a cold damp draught from the window, however; without getting up he drew the blanket over him and wrapped himself in it. He was not thinking of anything and did not want to think. But one image rose after another, incoherent scraps of thought without beginning or end passed through his mind. He sank into drowsiness. Perhaps the cold, or the dampness, or the dark, or the wind that howled under the window and tossed the trees roused a sort of persistent craving for the fantastic. He kept dwelling on images of flowers, he fancied a charming flower garden, a bright, warm, almost hot day, a holiday—Trinity day. A fine, sumptuous country cottage in the English taste overgrown with fragrant flowers, with flower beds going round the house; the porch, wreathed in climbers, was surrounded with beds of roses. A light, cool staircase, carpeted with rich rugs, was decorated with rare plants in china pots. He noticed particularly in the windows nosegays of tender, white, heavily fragrant narcissus bending over their bright, green, thick long stalks. He was reluctant to move away from them, but he went up the stairs and came into a large, high drawing-room and again everywhere—at the windows, the doors on to the balcony, and on the balcony itself—were flowers. The floors were strewn with freshly-cut fragrant hay, the windows were open, a fresh, cool, light air came into the room. The birds were chirruping under the window, and in the middle of the room, on a table covered with a white satin shroud, stood a coffin. The coffin was covered with white silk and edged with a thick white frill; wreaths of flowers surrounded it on all sides. Among the flowers lay a girl in a white muslin dress, with her arms crossed and pressed on her bosom, as though carved out of marble. But her loose fair hair was wet; there was a wreath of roses on her head. The stern and already rigid profile of her face looked as though chiselled of marble too, and the smile on her pale lips was full of an immense unchildish misery and sorrowful appeal. Svidrigaïlov knew that girl; there was no holy image, no burning candle beside the coffin; no sound of prayers: the girl had drowned herself. She was only fourteen, but her heart was broken. And she had destroyed herself, crushed by an insult that had appalled and amazed that childish soul, had smirched that angel purity with unmerited disgrace and torn from her a last scream of despair, unheeded and brutally disregarded, on a dark night in the cold and wet while the wind howled
First Bestseller
Your First Bestseller
Connect with your audience & sell more books.This Course Offers
45 VIDEO LESSONS
I’ll teach you how to do a marketing campaign for your book step by step, with everything you need to do before, during and after your launch.
QUIZZES AND PDFS
Test your knowledge with quizzes, and use the resources in the PDFs to accelerate your book’s sales.
COMMUNITY
Join the Bookfox community of other writers marketing their book, exclusively for writers who buy this course. Ask questions, get advice.
My Book Marketing Past
For the last ten years, authors have emailed me telling me they’re disappointed with their book sales. They published a book only to discover only their friends and family purchased it. So in addition to working as an editor at Bookfox, I started dishing out marketing advice over email.
Course Creation
This course was born because of all that advice (there’s only so much emailing one man can do). This course encapsulates in 45 videos the most essential and practical information on book marketing — everything I know from fifteen years of being in the book trenches: attending marketing conferences, hobnobbing with publicists, and launching marketing strategies with authors.
After This Course
After taking this course, you’re going to have a book marketing campaign which will get the word out about your book and sell more copies. You’ll also be equipped with the knowledge of how to sell future books. It’s advice I’ve given to authors before and it works. I’m excited for it to work for you.
Tackle the 10 Chapters at your own pace
The 45-video course is broken up into 10 chapters.
- Learn how to accomplish the 4 pillars of book marketing
- Check off accomplished book marketing tasks on your master calendar
- What to do before publication, during your launch week, and after your book is published
- Learn how to create a website, a book trailer, and a book cover that SELLS BOOKS.
- How to maximize the three types of reviews: pre-pub, media, and reader reviews
- How to troubleshoot your book if it’s not selling (yes, you can reverse the trend).
- Learn what NOT to do — I’ll help you avoid the common mistakes so many beginning authors make.
Reviews
“Even though I’ve taken other book marketing courses, there is plenty of information in this course I hadn’t learned anywhere else. In fact, this may be the only book marketing course you’ll need – it’s that comprehensive! John is an excellent teacher, incorporating humour and clear explanations to bring you book marketing strategies for all levels of authors from the beginner, launching their first book, to the seasoned author launching their fiftieth. I will definitely be revisiting this course!”
Michelle Cornish “This course has been a joy to complete. John’s clear and encouraging teaching style (he’s a natural, with a lot of professional experience) has helped me see the big picture of what I have to do – starting right now! – to launch my book in the spring of 2020. John has packed the content with practical tips (I have over 200 actionable points on my list!) and reinforced it with attractive, informative handouts. The modules are arranged in a logical sequence and broken down into short consecutive videos reinforced by amusing but pertinent Q&As, so that even for people who work full time, you can pick the course up for short periods to fit around your own schedule. I have learnt a ton and had my mind expanded to new possibilities in every direction. Inspiring, John – thanks!”
Ruth Pedley “One of the best courses I’ve ever taken, on any topic. Specific, concrete information and examples you can act on. No fluff or vague generalities. This course will save you hours of researching various aspects of book marketing, such as book cover design, obtaining reviews, timing of steps, etc. If you’re serious about getting out there and selling your book, then the return on investment of taking this course is huge.”
Jim Roberts “John is so down to earth and unassuming; it’s like an experienced friend came to lend a book marketing hand. My book has been out for almost a year. I wish I’d had listened to this last year. I will certainly take his advice as I begin to market my next book which I just completed. I’ve taken other courses including during my MFA at Columbia University and this is far superior to all of them. Using the course’s advice, I put my book, “Reinventing Jenna Rose,” up for a Goodreads giveaway. I was really nervous doing so. There is one week left and 1709 people have it on their-“to-read shelf.” And 1728 people have signed up. It’s more of a response than I’ve gotten from any other form of marketing — Kirkus, book club talks, bookstore talks or New York Review Ads, and private events. Kudos on this course.”
Joni Marie Iraci “I like that there are different options on how you want to market books. The PDF’s are priceless so I have been saving them on my desktop for quick reference. ”
Cathy Beitelman “I am learning so much from this course. I was so afraid I would just be overwhelmed with all that needs to be done, but John breaks it down into doable steps that I’m eager to tackle. I’m really enjoying the course. ”
Kimberly Catanzarite “I really appreciate the amount of precious information and personal opinion shared by John. This course is a valuable resource for aspiring and new authors. Best of all, you can watch the classes again before your next book!”
Andrea Barros “Excellent presentation and information!”
Jonnathan Strawthorne “In a detailed, well-organized, and fully-thought-out presentation, John Fox, creator of BookFox, gives an invaluable course on book marketing in Your First Bestseller. From A to Z, soup to nuts, he covers it all with ease and humor. It is a “must read” for anyone looking to publish. I might not feel totally confident in tackling the marketing of my indie novel, but I certainly feel equipped to give it my best shot! Thank you John Fox!”
Evelyn Lee “This marketing course is a bestseller to make bestsellers! I loved it and can’t wait to begin putting what John taught us into practice. Thank you!”
Mary Payne “I’m a new author and this course was perfect for what I needed at this time. It provided an overview of literally every way possible to market and promote a book, which made me think outside the box with many new ideas evolving. Whether a novice or experienced author, it also provided specific and practical suggestions for what to do with each of the ideas.”
Marc Alderdice “WHEW… WOW… OMG… AMAZING!!!!! I LOVED THE ENTIRE COURSE! I took this course to become more familiar with book marketing because I am co-writing a book with someone who has already had several books published. This will help me lay out a great marketing plan/strategy. I loved the depth of information, the challenge, and the humor. Although I went through the videos with minimal breaks, the plan is for me to take this course over (a few times) before I publish my first solo book. So much to take in. Thank you for providing such a great course. Your heart to help authors beats throughout each lesson!!! ”
Keisha Jackson The course makes marketing attainable. I started knowing nothing, but with step-by-step guidance from the course, I have gained confidence to pursue marketing. This course has empowered me. I am very grateful for it.
Jeanne Haraldson Learn About Me
Hi, I’m John Matthew Fox, and I help authors write better fiction. Over the last ten years, through courses and editing, I’ve helped hundreds of authors publish their books, win awards, and sell more books.
My website Bookfox has nearly 1,000 posts to help writers, and my books include “The Linchpin Writer: Crafting Your Novel’s Key Moments” and the short story collection “I Will Shout Your Name.”
I’ve been published by the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and won fiction contests at Third Coast and Shenandoah.
Ask me a question?
john@bookfox.co
Pricing options
3 x $99.003 Monthly Payments
Buy Now“Your First Bestseller” will earn your satisfaction
I’m confident that this course will help you sell books and connect with your audience. I’m so confident that I offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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