FAQ for Andrea Campbell’s E-Course Publish That Book: How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal That Sells (revised 8/15/08 for RW site)
What is the e-course schedule? You will get a complete Student Syllabus to work off of, then just match the dates to your calendar. How much does the e-course cost? My e-course on creating a book proposal costs $399 for the Premium version with 8 weeks of e-mail support, chat, plus a 25-minute telephone call for brainstorming or troubleshooting; or, $379 for the Basic version with e-mail support, chat, but no phone call. You can pay via PayPal or with a check drawn on a U.S. bank to the Renegade Writer address on the Web site. How do I access the lessons? Do I need special software? The lessons are on password-protected web pages on the Renegade Writers twowriters.net site. Every Monday, I'll e-mail you the web address, user name, and password to the next lesson. Just click on the link to the lesson, fill in the user name and password (which are case sensitive) in the pop-up box, and you'll be taken to the next lesson. If you have problems, contact me and we’ll work something out. Do I have to be in a certain place at a certain time? No. I send the lessons out late Sunday night. You can read them and do the assignments at your leisure but they are due the following Sunday at Noon. I would suggest that the assignments be kept up-to-date for your own convenience and sanity. Each lesson builds on the last. Can I access the lessons after the session is over? Shh, don't tell anyone . . . but I never change the passwords and user names, so you can access the lessons forever and use the information to write as many queries as you like. Please do not share the passwords and user names with anyone. Where do I send my questions and assignments? You can contact me at: campbell@arkansas.net What's your teaching style? I am a good teacher and provide cogent comments always. But I am tough and honest. I figure you paid me good money for my expertise and I expect you to
work and think hard (and thinking is hard). This is a tough industry and you will learn more about the publishing business than you ever thought you could learn in eight weeks. But I expect you to clear the decks and apply yourself. Look at it this way, at the end you will have a viable product to put out on the market. How many e-courses can claim that? Now, writing a book proposal is frustrating and there is a psychological element to it in that: your idea may not hold up or may need to be revised. If you go with the flow and are able to adapt with my help, you won’t believe what you’ll gain. Plus, once you know the thought process and format, you will apply this course to other book products over and over again. One of my students got a $100K advance—but she will tell you herself, I worked her hard. You only have me for a limited time, I think you should get your money’s worth and I always deliver. You will get a book’s worth of information, plus. What kinds of questions can I ask in the Premium version of the course? I prefer that students ask questions that relate to the coursework, but I can also answer questions about freelancing in general and provide a motivational boot to the pants if you need it. I'm going on vacation for a week during the course. Is that okay? No. If you cannot devote the time to this e-course, you need to take it at a later date. I'll be away/busy/washing my hair when the course starts and would like to start a few days late. Can I do that? No. You will need to stay with the program and follow the syllabus in order to stay on the same page as me. My time is valuable and I have other students, projects, and commitments so you have me for this period of time only. Will there be any interaction with the other students in the course? Yes. I will reserve space for a Yahoo group and you may post your lesson assignment to share with the other students if you choose. I really suggest this and hope that you take advantage of it because so much is learned from seeing others work. When will you answer my questions/critique my assignments? The assignments are due by Noon on Sunday, I will provide my assessment and comments hopefully before Tuesday. And then we will “chat” (a very fun thing so don’t be intimidated), on Thursday evenings for an hour, so bring your questions then for all to share. This interactivity is another great way to learn because someone may ask a question you hadn’t thought of.
I can't decide whether to take your course or the one offered by MediaBistro/WritingClasses.com/etc. How does yours differ? I taught for Mediabistro for almost three years and also was with Absolute Write for a time. My e-courses always get the best testimonials. I left employment with these companies for business reasons. Do you offer a money-back guarantee? Yes. According to the site rules for all the instructors, you have two weeks from the start date of the course to drop the course and get a full refund. After two weeks, refunds are on a case-by-case basis.