I'm looking at doing college level not for credit e classes, to get up to speed. I wish to publish several ideas that are rumbling around in my head, and the e publishing leaves me clueless. It might work well for me, can work from home, at my own speed, when my body allows, and no need for the travel, book signings, conventions etc you must do with traditional books. It would also help me become more productive, and if done right, help pad the old We Have No Savings Left Fund!
I absolutely though don't want to get in over my head. Has anyone else done e classes, and if so what was your experience with them? Would love any feedback you can give. Thanks!
I never though of taking classes, I am to old. I do however work from home. All my life I have done bridal alterations.Now I do a few per week at home. Enough to keep a litte busy and not enoug to cut into my nap time. I like working from home
Great idea! Go for it! There are even sites where you can get large discounts on the cost.
I was thinking of taking a card crafting course but have had other issues come up. I plan on reaching my goal after these issues are clear.
Good luck!
Donna, thanks for the support! The one I'm looking at is from the local tech college, and can even enroll online, so not too bad on costs. I wish you the best in getting into your card crafting course, and may whatever sidetracked you be resolved soon! .
Donna said:
Great idea! Go for it! There are even sites where you can get large discounts on the cost. I was thinking of taking a card crafting course but have had other issues come up. I plan on reaching my goal after these issues are clear. Good luck! :-)
Cindy, that you can do alterations on bridals? Wow! I'm so glad working from home is a good fit for you, and you have been able to continue. (BTW, never too old for classes, whether by a teacher or life. Just between you and me, and my hair color, I'm all snow on top!)
freightliner said:
Hi Louise
I never though of taking classes, I am to old. I do however work from home. All my life I have done bridal alterations.Now I do a few per week at home. Enough to keep a litte busy and not enoug to cut into my nap time. I like working from home
Thank you Ann A! How smart of you to do the flyer and clear any questions up beforehand. I really appreciate you sharing your viewpoint as student and teacher.
The course is 24 hours, including instructor availability online. It is offered 2 times each semester. I will dig back through and see if there is any contact information on the instructor, if not a phone call may yield results.
You are so thorough and knowledgeable, I know your seminar will be great. How wonderful you are able to do this!
Ann A. said:
I have participated in various types of online classes and educational programs from both sides of the control panel (as a student and as the professor or facilitator). During the spring semester of 2014, I will be facilitating a new graduate seminar completely online.
Because the course description in the bulletin is so brief, I prepared a one page front and back flyer describing the seminar to potential students. I started getting emails from interested students the same day that the spring course schedule went live. They are either second year MPA or MPH students who express the same concerns - Would they be getting in over their heads? Were there any prerequisites? I think that my response to their emails, which included the handout helped to answer their questions (and alleviate some anxiety because they are the exact audience that I had in mind when I started thinking about this seminar three years ago).
So Louise, my suggestion is that you contact the instructor. I do not think that a noncredit course in epublishing will be over your head. But if you want the specifics of a course the instructor will be the person who has them. If they have taught the course before they might even be able to send you the complete syllabus. And I am sure that they will be happy to talk with you during their office hours.
Ann, I'm sure my fledgling book attempts would be fluff compared to what you are planning on doing!
I'm a closet book hoarder, and prefer the comfort of holding one in my hands versus the e-book readers, but for many genres e-books are surpassing traditional books in sales by a long shot. I have ideas slightly fleshed out for an age 5+ children's book series, a couple of goofy feel good and have a laugh ones (think Erma Bombeck updated to now), one sharing my NDE and how it changed my life, and about umpteen others hidden somewhere in the recesses of my mind. The writing is what I have always wanted to do, from a very young age. Other priorities called me away from it, but everything happens for a reason. I'm a bit sad though that the files got corrupted for the 2 fully written fiction works, but I'll chalk that up to inexperience and use it as a lesson to hold on to. Always make 2 separate back up copies, kept off of your computer, and placed in safe places.
Another nice thing about the ebooks is if you use an aggregator like Smashwords, you can easily reach many markets and self publish. My biggest challenge is finding a good proof reader, to "red ink" all my typos and cognitive things like reversed words. From there, marketing. No one buys what they don't know exists, especially from an author whose name means diddly to them!
Thanks for the encouragement! Good luck with your manuscripts. I'm sure they will be amazing.
Ann A. said:
Not smarts Louise, just experience. I really prefer to teach hybrid classes where we meet on campus the first night (graduate courses tend to be offered in the late afternoon or evening because the students tend to be employed) and at the end so that participants can give their presentations face to face. But this seminar will be completely online. I also envisioned it as a syncronous experience in which all participants would meet in the virtual classroom at the same time. But I seem to have not made that clear to the administrator and so I must redesign it as an asynchronous course. Oh Well, I have a lot of experience with things not going my way.
What subject matter will be the focus of your ebooks?
I too am working on two manuscripts but I intend to go the conventional publishing route. Old academic habits die hard.
I am following the first instruction given to writers and therefore I am writing about something that I know: chronic illness and nutrition. If these books are successful enough to get me invited to book signings and conferences that would be great. The very thought of those activities help motivate me to continue rehabbing my right leg. None of my previous books have been that popular. They have appealed only to a small group of academics. So my challenge is to write for a wider audience. We shall see how it goes.
I wish you the very best as a writer and as an entrpreneur. It is so wonderful to see you so positive, You go "girl."
