DIY Book Marketing
Though I offer a Book Marketing package and consulting, if you choose to undertake this part of the work yourself, I'm happy to refer you to a variety of programs and tools. Each one of these courses is one I've learned from myself. Each tool is one I currently use. I recommend them all.
Courses
Rob Eagar's "Sell Books on a Shoestring Budget"
Rob has helped authors whose names you might recognize in the Christian book world, such as John Townsend, Lisa TerKuerst, and Gary Chapman.
This $299 course covers the most important basics for those who are just getting started.
Thomas Umstattd Jr's "Obscure No More"
I found Thomas Umstattd through Mary DeMuth, a strong advocate for the abused and, as it turns out, a friend of Thomas's.
Thomas's course is intended to cover everything you'll need to develop a strong author platform from which to sell your books.
Though the price is high at $1500, the course is very comprehensive. In addition, there's an option of paying $49 per month and canceling any time.
Nick Stephenson's "Your First 10,000 Readers"
Though all the courses teach about selling your books on Amazon, Nick Stephenson focuses most of his teaching on understanding that platform and knowing how to make your book stand out there. These are basic principles that will carry over to every other platform.
For a one-time payment of $597 or 12 payments of $59, Nick covers every Amazon marketing strategy you can think of and a few things you most likely wouldn't.
Tools
Divi Theme for WordPress
WordPress is most often recommend for author websites, and the Divi theme is the most recommended for building your author website at WordPress.
My website, Here's the Joy, uses WordPress with the Divi theme. You can get it and all the other themes at Elegant Themes for $89 per year or $249 for lifetime access.
Groove Platform
You can think of Groove as a massive alternative to WordPress + a lot of other tools.
Besides offering basic website pages like WordPress, Groove also offers a video platform, an email service provider, an affiliate program, a membership program, an ecommerce platform, a webinar platform, and more, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars a month.
The website you're on now is a Groove website. You can join Groove at the basic level for free.
Dave Chesson's Publisher Rocket
Publisher Rocket is designed specifically to help you with positioning your book on Amazon, the behemoth of book publishing. With Publisher Rocket, you can learn more about the key words and categories you should choose for your book on Amazon, how to analyze your competition, how to improve your rankings, and more. Free lessons take you step by step through using this essential tool. The vast majority of book marketing courses recommend this tool.
Unlimited lifetime access to Publisher Rocket is $199.
If you invest in any of these courses or tools through my links, I may receive an affiliate commission, but it is at no additional cost to you.
© 2025 Rebecca Davis WordWorking