Course Materials
Every good professor sets up their syllabus and provides a clear outline for how their semester will proceed. I’ve prepared resources for y’all whether you’re my student or not…
FREE
Need help with your query letter for literary agents? I’ve got you covered with this resource. Please submit the form and you’ll receive an order confirmation email containing the download link for the PDF. This is completely free.
Download An Asynchronous Course
Tricky schedule making it tough for you to join a live course with me? I’ve got a few online courses you can take anytime, anywhere—no live class attendance.
Coming soon:
This course will be made available for purchase in September 2026.
Enroll in Live Online Courses
Buy the full live course series for Publishing Industry Fundamentals: How Books Reach Readers ( $50 off if you are taking all courses)
or
Purchase single courses
Whether you want to work in publishing, publish your own book, or better understand the business behind books, this seven-week course (split into 6 units) provides an insider's guide to how books are acquired, marketed, sold, and discovered in today's publishing marketplace.
Authors hesitate to hire public relations firms because PR efforts do not directly translate into sales. But building your brand is a step before the publicity and marketing work! And we can get started with a strong brand to support your PR and digital marketing strategy later.
This course includes:
Introductory seminar sharing theory and best practices for beginning a cohesive author brand. We’ll answer the questions posed above, and help you:
Choose which sites or apps you want to employ to communicate your brand
Learn time management strategy for working on book branding
Decide what services you need to hire out and which you can do yourself
One follow up one-on-one consulting session with me (after you’ve done a little prep work) so we can set you up for brand success!
Option to contract for more consulting hours or other work, or get references to colleagues who work in book branding, PR or marketing
This is for Author Branding 101 only, which includes the 1 hour group seminar, and then a separate one-on-one consulting session you privately schedule with Sara Wigal by email after you complete the online seminar.
September 9, 6-8:15 pm CT LIVE ONLINE
September 16 & 23, 6-8:15 pm CT LIVE ONLINE
Whether you want to work in publishing, publish your own book, or better understand the business behind books, this introductory class provides an insider's guide to how books are acquired, marketed, sold, and discovered in today's publishing marketplace.
This is for PUBLISHING 1010 only, a single live online stand alone course, and not for the entire 7-week series.
This is for INSIDE LITERARY AGENTING and LITERARY AGENTS: GETTING THE DEAL only. Two live online meetings are in this course, and this is not for the entire 7-week series.
September 30, 6-8:15 pm CT LIVE ONLINE
October 14, 6-8:15 pm CT LIVE ONLINE
This is for Library Roles in Trade Book Publishing only, a single live online stand alone course, and not for the entire 7-week series.
This is for HYBRID, INDIE AND SELF PUBLISHING only, a single live online stand alone course, and not for the entire 7-week series.
Buy your loved one a book publishing education!
$75 pays for a single course for an active public educator or librarian
$100 buys an online asynchronous course (select topics offered)
$150 buys a single course or a consulting session
This is for Bookstore & Retail Relationships only, a single live online stand alone course, and not for the entire 7-week series.
October 28, 6-8:15 pm CT LIVE ONLINE
October 21, 6-8:15 pm CT LIVE ONLINE
This is for THE AMAZON EFFECT only, a single live online stand alone course, and not for the entire 7-week series.
Hero Discount
Course Enrollment
In honor of my heroes—the librarians and public school teachers that make the world go round—I am pleased to offer a 50% discount off course registration fees to active public librarians and teachers. Please be sure to purchase from this section all clearly marked as for you! Same dates apply as the regularly priced section.
*This order option is for public educators and librarians ONLY. Evidence of current employment required for this discount. Thank you for allowing me to honor my heroes in this way!*
Whether you want to work in publishing, publish your own book, or better understand the business behind books, introductory class provides an insider's guide to how books are acquired, marketed, sold, and discovered in today's publishing marketplace.
This is for PUBLISHING 101 only, a single live online stand alone course, and not for the entire 7-week series.
*This order option is for public educators and librarians ONLY. Evidence of current employment required for this discount. Thank you for allowing me to honor my heroes in this way!*
This is for INSIDE LITERARY AGENTING and LITERARY AGENTS: GETTING THE DEAL only. Two live online meetings are in this course, and this is not for the entire 7-week series.
*This order option is for public educators and librarians ONLY. Evidence of current employment required for this discount. Thank you for allowing me to honor my heroes in this way!*
This is for HYBRID, INDIE AND SELF PUBLISHING only, a single live online stand alone course, and not for the entire 7-week series.
*This order option is for public educators and librarians ONLY. Evidence of current employment required for this discount. Thank you for allowing me to honor my heroes in this way!*
This is for Library Roles in Trade Book Publishing only, a single live online stand alone course, and not for the entire 7-week series.
*This order option is for public educators and librarians ONLY. Evidence of current employment required for this discount. Thank you for allowing me to honor my heroes in this way!*
This is for Bookstore & Retail Relationships only, a single live online stand alone course, and not for the entire 7-week series.
*This order option is for public educators and librarians ONLY. Evidence of current employment required for this discount. Thank you for allowing me to honor my heroes in this way!*
This is for THE AMAZON EFFECT only, a single live online stand alone course, and not for the entire 7-week series.
FAQ
I’ve got answers to frequently asked questions—no stupid questions here. I’ll add more here in the future.
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I speak at in person events in and around Nashville, TN but I love helping all authors and early career publishing professionals. I hope that by offering these courses online-only that will mean students from anywhere can come and learn.
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Please see the “Advising” page on this website to see a list of my services, such as consulting and literary agenting. Obviously, since you made it to this page, you’ve seen I also teach online courses!
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You can reach me via my contact page, called “raise your hand” as a fun reference to collegiate life.
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I have looked at various pricing models for literary consulting and webinars, continued education for teachers and librarians, conference fees, and other professional development courses and feel this price is a great offering for my students.
I am pleased to offer 50% off tuition to currently employed public educators and public and school librarians too so that their institutions can provide regular funding for their learning environment. If you see a teacher or a librarian THANK THEM!