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.
Buy Now

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.

FAQ

No, you can take this course whenever you want. You have access for one full year.

Yes, yes, yes, absolutely. Ideally, book marketing should start 6 months BEFORE you publish your book.

Both! And when marketing strategies differ, I spend time talking about how you would market for each of them.

I created the course with both in mind. And when marketing strategies differ, I talk about what each type of author should do.

Yes, I include lots of ways to promote your book after it’s published.

Bookfox has appeared in:

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.

Course curriculum

1. Getting Pumped for Book Promotion
1. Got the Basics Down?
1. Brief survey before we begin…
2. Find Your Audience
2. Audience Quiz
2. Book Questionnaire PDF
2. Ideal Reader PDF
3. Craft Your Elevator Pitch
3. Elevator Pitch Quiz
3. Elevator Pitch PDF
4. Your Master Checklist of Book Marketing Tasks
4. Checklists & Calendars Quiz
4. Checklist PDF
4. Calendar PDF
5. Generate Your Literary Comrades List
5. Literary Comrades Quiz
5. Literary Comrades PDF
6. Five Quick Tips to Start Promoting Your Book
6. Quick Promo Quiz
6. Twitter Headers PDF
7. Never Make These 5 Book Marketing Mistakes
7. Marketing Mistakes Quiz
8. How to Score Great Blurbs
8. Blurbs Quiz
8. Blurb Request PDF
9. Create Your Author Persona
9. Author Persona Quiz
10. Master Your Book Cover in Twelve Steps
10. Test your Book Cover Knowledge, My Apprentice
10. Book Cover Designers PDF
11. Create a Dynamite Website
11. Answer these Three Website Questions to Become a Website Master
12. Twelve Items on a Great Author Website
12. Can you pass this website quiz?
12. Author Website PDF
13. Getting Reviews
13. Review Quiz
13. Pre-Pub Review PDF
14. Earn Those Media Reviews
14. Media Reviews Quiz
14. Media Review PDF
15. Five Ways to Get Reader Reviews
15. Reader Reviews Quiz
16. Designing Author Swag and Merchandise
16. Swag Quiz
17. Elevate Your Twitter Game
17. Twitter Quiz
17. Twitter PDF
18. Getting Pumped about Emails
18. Email Quiz
19. Quora, the best kept secret in book marketing
19. Quora Quiz
20. Supercharge Your Goodreads Presence
20. Goodreads Quiz
21. Do You Even Facebook, Bro?
21.Facebook Quiz
21. Facebook Promo Timeline PDF
22. Three Steps to Dominate Instagram
22. Instagram Quiz
22. Instagram Hashtags PDF
23. Get Thyself an Intern, Pronto!
23. Intern Quiz
23. Intern Projects PDF
24. Becoming Book Club Friendly
24. Book Club Quiz
25. Getting Pre-Orders – 3 Case Studies
25. Do you know how to get Pre-Orders?
26. Make Amazon Work For You
26. Do you know how to make Amazon work for you?
27. Should you hire a publicist?
27. Publicist Quiz
27. Marketability Score PDF
27. Freelance Publicists PDF
28. Book Trailer
28. Get Your Book Trailer ON …
29. How to Successfully do 3 Types of Book Giveaways
29. Book Giveaway Quiz
29 Post Giveaway Message PDF
30. Marketing 30 Metrics- Are you selling books?
30. Metrics Quiz
31. How to Create a Book Event (with 8 examples)
31. Events, Events, Events!
32. Making Bookstores Beg for Your Book
32. Bookstore Event Quiz
32. Email to Bookstores PDF
33. Brilliant Readings – What to do Before, During and After
33. Bookstore Reading Quiz
34. How to do a Paid Party
34. Paid Party Quiz
35. Seven Steps for an Unforgettable Virtual Book Tour
35. Virtual book tour Quiz
35. Blog Tour Companies PDF
35. Email to Blogs & Podcasts PDF
36. Libraries: the most Overlooked Tool in Book Promo
36. Library Quiz
37. Fifteen Things to Do on Your Launch Day
37. Four Questions for Your Publication Day
38. Advertising- What works, what doesn’t
38. Advertising Quiz
38. Ebook promo companies PDF
39. Your Ultimate Guide to Landing Spots on Radio & Podcasts
39. Radio/Podcast Quiz
40. Win an Award, Sell More Books
40. Ready to win awards?
40. List of Book Awards PDF
41. Use Blogging to Sell Books
41. Blogging Quiz
42. Marketing to Bow Ties and Classrooms
42. Academia quiz
43. Troubleshooting Your Campaign
43. Troubleshooting Questions
44. Marketing Beyond the Book
45. Three Tips as We Say Goodbye
Survey: What did you think of the course?

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

$297.00

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3 x $99.00

3 Monthly Payments

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“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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Get access to ALL my courses for $297 a year.

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