Working with Indie Authors

Working with Indie Authors

Now available as a self-paced, self-study course with two-year access!

There are more and more opportunities for editors to work directly with independent authors—those who are self-publishing and those who are looking to work with a publisher. Different authors will have different ranges of experience and understanding of the industry. Understanding where they are coming from and what they need can help you make a good initial impression and create lasting relationships.

You'll come out of this workshop-style course with an understanding of what indie authors need from you, some new ideas for business practices and marketing, and a bunch of templates you can use to make your work even more efficient.

We'll work together so you can create positive ongoing working relationships, use your time efficiently, and be an asset to the authors who hire you.

(Oh, and there will be dinosaurs, of course 🦖🦕)

The self-paced, self-study version of this course is available now and whenever works best for you. You get access to the course for two years.

The four-week, interactive, asynchronous course runs periodically and is limited to 20 students.

Keep scrolling to see the full curriculum!

This course has moved to a new platform. The register link will magically transport you there.

Tanya Gold

Hi, I’m Tanya 👋


I’ve been in publishing for about 20 years and have loved seeing how it’s evolved. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work in-house for publishers of all sizes, and have worked on all sorts of cool books.

These days, I run my own editing business, working mostly with authors directly. Some of these are self-publishers and some are looking to partner with publishers.

Over the years, I've learned a lot. I've developed business systems that help my business run smoothly, and effective strategies to make my author clients feel understood and valued.

Sign up for this course to learn my tips and tricks!

Rhiannon Root
"I'm definitely feeling more confident about doing more freelance work because of this class."
Alicia Chantal
"Taking this course was one of the best things I’ve done for my editing career."

— Alicia Chantal, Nonfiction Copyeditor and Proofreader, Fresh Look Edit

Michelle Lowery
"The class materials help you focus on your ideal customer base with actionable steps to making your services of value to such customers."

— Miranda Darrow, Fiction Editor

Scholarship Available:

Diverse Editors for Diverse Books

Are you an editor from a background, culture, or community that has been historically underrepresented in publishing? Do you need some help paying for continuing education? Then I hope you'll apply for the Diverse Editors for Diverse Books Scholarship.

All you need to do is email me up to 400 words describing how this course will help you achieve your professional goals. I'll be awarding a scholarship to one person per live, interactive course, and one person per year for the self-paced, self-study version making each recipient's total cost only $5.

I'll be taking scholarship applications for the self-paced, self-study course until October 20, 2022. Scholarships will open again in October 2023.

Apply for the Diverse Editors for Diverse Books Scholarship.

FAQ

When will the sessions be held?

You can take the self-paced, self-study version of this course whenever suits you best! You'll get access to the course for two years.

For the live course, the course sections will release weekly over four weeks. You can go through the material each week whenever it’s convenient for you. The two video chats are the only parts of the course that happen at a set time. And I leave the course open for an additional month so you've got some flexibility.


How long should I expect to spend on the course?

You can expect to spend one to two hours in each module to go through the materials and complete the assignments.

If you're taking the live course, the discussions might add a little to that time. (The third module tends to take most people a little more time than the others.) 


What kind of indie authors will you be focusing on?

Most of the examples we’ll be using will be from trade publishing (books for a general audience), rather than academic. Even if your focus is not trade books, a lot of the concepts and assignments will still be relevant.


Just how interactive is the live course?

There are course assignments and discussion prompts in the course itself. There tends to be a lot of discussion in the forums. You can participate in that as much (or as little) as you like.


Do you need a certain number of participants for the live course to run?

Because the live course has a component of participant interaction, it needs at least five participants to run.


What if I want some one-on-one time during the course? Can I get that?

Absolutely! You'll get some feedback in the discussion as part of the live course, and that version also has live group video chats. And if you want more dedicated one-on-one time, you can schedule a session with me at a special discounted rate.

If you want some one-on-one time with me during the self-paced, self-study course, you can get that too. That's also at a special discounted rate.


I noticed that you also offer this course through the Editorial Freelancers Association. Is there any difference between these courses?

You get a few bonus things here: an extra module on website content, the option to get one-on-one time with me, and an invite to my courses discussion group.


Will I get to meet the dinosaurs?

Absolutely! 🦖🦕 They look forward to seeing you in the course!

Deborah Shaw
"Working with Indie Authors has helped me improve my conversations with authors."

— Deborah Shaw, Editor and Proofreader

Genevieve Clovis
"Working with Indie Authors is a great course!"


— Genevieve Clovis, Fiction Editor, Clovis Editorial

Kristen Tate
"Tanya is a natural teacher. Her content is excellent, but even more important is that she spends a lot of time thinking about how her audience will receive it."


— Kristen Tate, Editor and Owner of The Blue Garret

Two toy dinosaurs. One is holding a sign that says SEE YOU THERE!