Classes and Workshops
Matty loves talking about any topic related to the writing craft and the publishing voyage! Some areas of specialty are below.
A Rising Tide Raises All Boats - Keynote
Indie Publishing in a Nutshell
Taking Control of Your Author Career with Indie Publishing
From Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker
Collaborate to Create: Best Practices for Successful Co-authoring
Building Your Platform through Podcasting
Podcasting as a Guest or Host for Content Marketing
Taking the Short Tack: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction
Be Your Own Gatekeeper: Indie Publishing Your Short Fiction
The Cover Story: Combining Creativity and Conversion
Publishing Tips for Frugal Authors
Pitching for Promotion: Getting the Gig with Podcasters, Bloggers, and Other Promoters
Engage Your Audience In Person and Online
Creating a Story Frame
Matty's Fiction Work
A Rising Tide Raises All Boats - Keynote
Indie Publishing in a Nutshell
Taking Control of Your Author Career with Indie Publishing
From Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker
Collaborate to Create: Best Practices for Successful Co-authoring
Building Your Platform through Podcasting
Podcasting as a Guest or Host for Content Marketing
Taking the Short Tack: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction
Be Your Own Gatekeeper: Indie Publishing Your Short Fiction
The Cover Story: Combining Creativity and Conversion
Publishing Tips for Frugal Authors
Pitching for Promotion: Getting the Gig with Podcasters, Bloggers, and Other Promoters
Engage Your Audience In Person and Online
Creating a Story Frame
Matty's Fiction Work
A Rising Tide Raises All Boats - Keynote
Matty Dalrymple shares her thoughts on the value writers gain--and the value they can share--when they approach the business of writing with a mindset of plenty, not as a zero-sum game. A fan of nautical metaphors for the writing craft and the publishing voyage, Matty discusses how a rising tide can truly raise all boats in an author community, including:
- How selfishly grabbing of a short-term opportunity (in a panel discussion, at a book fair) carries a long-term creative and business cost
- How we benefit by encouraging reading, even of others' books
- How creating opportunities for others creates opportunities for ourselves
- How building a network extends the potential benefits we and others in our community can gain
- How to take the concrete steps that will pave the way to benefiting from and propagating a mindset of plenty in our writer communities
Indie Publishing in a Nutshell
"Indie Publishing in a Nutshell' is designed specifically for first-time authors looking to explore various options for publishing their work. Matty demystifies the process of indie publishing ebooks, print, and audio, providing participants with valuable insights to make informed decisions about their publishing journeys.
Understanding Ebook Publishing: Learn the essentials of ebook publishing, from formatting your manuscript to creating visually appealing covers. Explore popular ebook platforms and distribution channels.
Print Publishing Unveiled: Explore the world of print publishing and discover the steps involved in turning your manuscript into a tangible book, including print-on-demand options.
Venturing into Audio Publishing: Delve into the growing market of audiobooks and understand the production process. Learn about narrators, recording options, and distribution platforms for audio.
By the end of this class, attendees will have a solid foundation in independent publishing, empowering them to make informed decisions about the publishing path that best suits their work.
Understanding Ebook Publishing: Learn the essentials of ebook publishing, from formatting your manuscript to creating visually appealing covers. Explore popular ebook platforms and distribution channels.
Print Publishing Unveiled: Explore the world of print publishing and discover the steps involved in turning your manuscript into a tangible book, including print-on-demand options.
Venturing into Audio Publishing: Delve into the growing market of audiobooks and understand the production process. Learn about narrators, recording options, and distribution platforms for audio.
By the end of this class, attendees will have a solid foundation in independent publishing, empowering them to make informed decisions about the publishing path that best suits their work.
Taking Control of Your Author Career with Indie Publishing
"Your master class was truly incredible. Organized, super educational, and fantastic presentation. This was exactly what I needed as I start my indie publishing business." --Roni Stinger, Author
Matty co-presents this workshop with Michael La Ronn of Author Level Up.
Have you finished your first book and are feeling overwhelmed by what it will take to get it into the hands of readers?
If you don’t know where to start, you might waste time spinning your wheels or make critical mistakes that make your author journey harder than it needs to be. But if you follow the right steps, you can take control of your publishing journey—and make more money—by taking the indie route.
In this comprehensive hands-on workshop, indie authors Michael La Ronn and Matty Dalrymple share the knowledge they’ve gained from more than a decade of independently publishing their fiction and nonfiction books.
You’ll learn the ins and outs of the indie publishing process in a structured format and understand why “independent publishing” is a more accurate term than “self-publishing.” You’ll also have plenty of time to get answers to your most burning questions.
This workshop will cover:
The publishing process doesn’t have to be painful. Join us for a hands-on experience and leave with the confidence and knowledge to publish your own work professionally and successfully.
Who Should Attend:
Have you finished your first book and are feeling overwhelmed by what it will take to get it into the hands of readers?
If you don’t know where to start, you might waste time spinning your wheels or make critical mistakes that make your author journey harder than it needs to be. But if you follow the right steps, you can take control of your publishing journey—and make more money—by taking the indie route.
In this comprehensive hands-on workshop, indie authors Michael La Ronn and Matty Dalrymple share the knowledge they’ve gained from more than a decade of independently publishing their fiction and nonfiction books.
You’ll learn the ins and outs of the indie publishing process in a structured format and understand why “independent publishing” is a more accurate term than “self-publishing.” You’ll also have plenty of time to get answers to your most burning questions.
This workshop will cover:
- Editorial—Self-editing tips and how to work with an editor
- Formatting—How to create industry-standard e-books and paperbacks (without pulling your hair out)
- Design—How to create a book cover that sells to the readers you want to reach
- Production and Distribution—The power of print-on-demand, and considerations about whether to sell only on Amazon or through a variety of platforms (including your own)
- Marketing—How to market your book like a pro without breaking the bank, and the resources every indie author needs, such as an email list and an online home base
- Promotion—Effective strategies used by today’s bestselling indie authors, including how best to deploy tactics such as price discounts
- Copyright and licensing—How to optimize the value of your work to make more money and leave a legacy
- Resources—The tools and services that will improve your productivity and smooth your publishing journey
The publishing process doesn’t have to be painful. Join us for a hands-on experience and leave with the confidence and knowledge to publish your own work professionally and successfully.
Who Should Attend:
- Writers who want to know if indie publishing is right for them
- Authors who want to indie publish, but don’t know where to start
- Indie authors who want to improve their business strategies
From Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker
"It was such an awesome talk! Especially since I don't think a lot of authors are aware of the options open to them regarding speaking. I was aware of some of it, but this still opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities."
Stepping into the realm of professional speaking can significantly enhance an author's career. It's not just about sharing your knowledge; it's a multifaceted opportunity that opens up new avenues for direct and indirect income, allows you to forge deeper connections with your audience, and provides the opportunity to expand your professional community.
To excel as an author speaker, it's crucial to have a clear understanding of your objectives, the expectations of the event organizers you'll be working with, and the value you can offer your audience. Whether you're delivering presentations, participating in panels, leading workshops, or doing readings, each format requires a specific approach and an understanding of best practices.
In this workshop, we'll dive deep into the essential elements of a speaking career. Matty Dalrymple will help you assess your goals, understand the different types of speaking engagements, and recognize what makes each one effective. By the end of the session, you'll have a solid foundation and a practical action plan to confidently embark on your journey as an author speaker, equipped to inspire, engage, and connect with your audience in meaningful ways.
Top 3 Takeaways for Participants:
1. Clarity on Personal Goals and Event Objectives: You'll gain a clear understanding of your own speaking goals and the specific expectations of different types of speaking engagements, enabling you to align your efforts for maximum impact.
2. Effective Engagement Strategies: Learn the best practices for various speaking formats, including presentations, panels, workshops, and readings, to effectively engage and connect with your audience.
3. Practical Action Plan: Leave the workshop with a concrete action plan tailored to your speaking career, ensuring you are prepared to inspire and engage your audience while contributing to the broader author community.
To excel as an author speaker, it's crucial to have a clear understanding of your objectives, the expectations of the event organizers you'll be working with, and the value you can offer your audience. Whether you're delivering presentations, participating in panels, leading workshops, or doing readings, each format requires a specific approach and an understanding of best practices.
In this workshop, we'll dive deep into the essential elements of a speaking career. Matty Dalrymple will help you assess your goals, understand the different types of speaking engagements, and recognize what makes each one effective. By the end of the session, you'll have a solid foundation and a practical action plan to confidently embark on your journey as an author speaker, equipped to inspire, engage, and connect with your audience in meaningful ways.
Top 3 Takeaways for Participants:
1. Clarity on Personal Goals and Event Objectives: You'll gain a clear understanding of your own speaking goals and the specific expectations of different types of speaking engagements, enabling you to align your efforts for maximum impact.
2. Effective Engagement Strategies: Learn the best practices for various speaking formats, including presentations, panels, workshops, and readings, to effectively engage and connect with your audience.
3. Practical Action Plan: Leave the workshop with a concrete action plan tailored to your speaking career, ensuring you are prepared to inspire and engage your audience while contributing to the broader author community.
Matty Dalrymple taps into her own speaking experience, having been a keynote speaker at the 2024 Between the Pages Writers Conference and having spoken and presented at dozens of other in-person and virtual events, including the Writer’s Digest annual conference, the Alliance of Independent Authors’ SelfPubCon, Authors Guild webinars, the Women in Publishing Summit, the Willamette Writers Conference, International Thriller Writers, Author Nation (November 2024), the Authorpreneur Summit Down Under, and many more (full list at https://www.mattydalrymple.com/events.html). She is also the co-author with Michael La Ronn of From Page to Platform: How to Excel as an Author Speaker (Summer 2024).
Collaborate to Create: Best Practices for Successful Co-authoring
Discover the benefits of collaborating with a fellow author on both fiction and non-fiction works! Co-authoring taps into shared expertise, doubles the oversight for higher quality work, reduces workload, and expands audience reach, which can lead to increased financial and platform-building opportunities.
However, co-authoring comes with its challenges, such as the need to navigate creative disagreements, tricky logistical issues, and the possibility of personal conflicts. This workshop will provide you with a clear plan to effectively evaluate co-authoring opportunities, set up a strong partnership agreement, and manage the writing and editing process smoothly.
Matty Dalrymple has co-authored non-fiction (Taking the Short Tack: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction with Mark Leslie Lefebvre and an upcoming book on being a successful author speaker with Michael La Ronn) and fiction (the short story Blood of the Wicked with Jane Gorman). She'll share practical tips and strategies to maximize the benefits of co-authoring while avoiding common pitfalls. This workshop is about making co-authoring work for you, ensuring a productive and enjoyable collaboration.
However, co-authoring comes with its challenges, such as the need to navigate creative disagreements, tricky logistical issues, and the possibility of personal conflicts. This workshop will provide you with a clear plan to effectively evaluate co-authoring opportunities, set up a strong partnership agreement, and manage the writing and editing process smoothly.
Matty Dalrymple has co-authored non-fiction (Taking the Short Tack: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction with Mark Leslie Lefebvre and an upcoming book on being a successful author speaker with Michael La Ronn) and fiction (the short story Blood of the Wicked with Jane Gorman). She'll share practical tips and strategies to maximize the benefits of co-authoring while avoiding common pitfalls. This workshop is about making co-authoring work for you, ensuring a productive and enjoyable collaboration.
Building Your Platform through Podcasting
"I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of Matty's recent presentation on Podcasting for Authors at the Authorpreneur Summit Down Under, which made me think about starting a podcast. The benefits of a podcast that she has found were also a learning point. Her tips to research first, pros and cons of each format, the broad or niche question, and what kind of podcast topics to share are all sensible points for our author audience. I would not hesitate to include Matty in any future author summit." --Jennifer Lancaster, Authorpreneur Summit Down Under
Among the many options available to writers to build their platforms, podcasting--as a host or as a guest--is one of the fastest growing, and for good reason. “Getting in someone’s head” through audio is one of the most intimate connections you can establish, and a well-planned and well-executed episode or guest appearance can help you build not only a community of listeners but also of fellow writers (not to mention the possibility, as a host, of earning some money).
Matty Dalrymple, host of "The Indy Author Podcast" and author of The Indy Author's Guide to Podcasting for Authors, shares her learnings on how to use podcasting to grow your author platform. Based on her 8+ years and 200+ episodes of the podcast and capitalizing on her love of the nautical metaphor for the writing craft and the publishing voyage, she offers a step-by-step guide for navigating the podcasting voyage, from the most strategic considerations to the most tactical.
Matty walks participants through a “Captain’s Log” of considerations for optimizing your podcast experience, including:
You can see some of the venues where Matty has discussed this topic, including the 2022 Writer's Digest Annual Conference in NYC, here: https://www.theindyauthor.com/podcasting-for-authors.html
Matty Dalrymple, host of "The Indy Author Podcast" and author of The Indy Author's Guide to Podcasting for Authors, shares her learnings on how to use podcasting to grow your author platform. Based on her 8+ years and 200+ episodes of the podcast and capitalizing on her love of the nautical metaphor for the writing craft and the publishing voyage, she offers a step-by-step guide for navigating the podcasting voyage, from the most strategic considerations to the most tactical.
Matty walks participants through a “Captain’s Log” of considerations for optimizing your podcast experience, including:
- Why podcasting ... and why for authors?
- Determining your destination/goals (e.g., networking, paying it forward to the author community, learning, earning, etc.)
- Choosing your topic, format (e.g., solo, interview, panel, live or recorded), medium (audio only, audio and video), venue (virtual or in-person)
- Choosing your persona and brand
- Choosing the tech
- Preparing your space
- Finding great guests
- Being a great guest
You can see some of the venues where Matty has discussed this topic, including the 2022 Writer's Digest Annual Conference in NYC, here: https://www.theindyauthor.com/podcasting-for-authors.html
Podcasting as a Guest or Host for Content Marketing
The power of podcasting to form connections with people in your target audience makes it a great opportunity for content marketing! Content marketing is defined as a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing content that is relevant, consistent, high-quality, and free in order to attract and retain a clearly defined audience, ultimately to drive profitable customer action. Participating in a podcast--either as a host or a guest--is an excellent way of acquainting listeners with your books, products, or services, while also providing value (whether or not they become a customer).
Matty explores each of the aspects of content marketing, and how you can use podcasting to achieve them:
Matty explores each of the aspects of content marketing, and how you can use podcasting to achieve them:
- Relevant content - How do you match the content you have to share with your target audience?
- Consistent content - How to you establish a brand and persona that will signal your target audience that this will be valuable content for them?
- High-quality content - What are the best practices for delivering the highest quality content specific to the podcasting platform?
- Free content - How do you deliver your content in a way that alerts listeners to your offerings while still providing value whether or not they become customers?
Taking the Short Tack: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction
Based on information shared in her book Taking the Short Tack: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction, which she co-authored with Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Matty discusses the opportunities that short fiction offers writers through the traditional short fiction market; via the ever-expanding pool of non-traditional options, such as audio; and how writers who are willing to act as their own gatekeepers can use the tools of independent publishing to get their work into readers' hands. You can see some of the venues where she has discussed this topic, including Joanna Penn's The Creative Penn Podcast, here: https://www.theindyauthor.com/short-fiction.html
Be Your Own Gatekeeper: Indie Publishing Your Short Fiction
Excellent short fiction craft skills are necessary but not sufficient to find placement in the traditional short fiction market—there are many more deserving short stories than there are slots in the trad market to accommodate. But you don’t have to wait and hope that those gatekeepers will find your stories in their enormous slush piles. With an indie mindset, you can not only reach the readers who will love your stories and entice readers to become fans, but also generate income from your short fiction!
Matty Dalrymple, the author of the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels and Suspense Shorts and the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, as well as Taking the Short Tack: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction, will discuss:
Matty Dalrymple, the author of the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels and Suspense Shorts and the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, as well as Taking the Short Tack: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction, will discuss:
- The opportunities available to authors to independently publish their short fiction as standalones, as collections, and in anthologies (and why she chose this path for her own stories)
- The logistics of publishing short fiction (editing, proofreading, cover design) and how to make it affordable
- How to maximize the value of your content (as long as you’ve retained the needed rights) by publishing it multiple times, on multiple platforms (especially with the rise of serialization), and in multiple formats (including audio and video)
- Other income opportunities such as patronage
- Opportunities to connect with readers by using short fiction as reader magnets or reader funnels, or for social media promotion (especially with flash fiction)
- Use of short fiction for market research
- How being an active member of the writing and publishing communities paves the way to short fiction success
The Cover Story: Combining Creativity and Conversion
The successful indie author knows when to engage fellow professionals to support their work, and cover design is one of those areas where we authors, as wordsmiths, should engage specialist professionals. However, becoming an educated student of cover design will not only help you work effectively with your cover designer but is fun as well!
In this webinar, we will explore ...
In this webinar, we will explore ...
- The value a cover design professional brings to the process
- How your cover is a “visual keyword” for your book
- Why bucking genre conventions undermines your goal of reaching your ideal readers
- How to collect the materials you’ll need to create a spec for your designer
- How to find and work effectively with your designer, making the process pain-free for you both
- How to control the costs of this potentially pricey part of the publishing process
- How AI factors in, even when you’re working with a human design professional
Publishing Tips for Frugal Authors
Authors owe our readers professional-grade work, and we owe it to ourselves to deliver it as cost-effectively as possible. The two most important hallmarks of professional work—a cleanly edited manuscript and a brand-right, attention-getting cover—are also two of the most expensive components of book creation. In this session, author and publisher Matty Dalrymple shares her frugal tips for achieving a high standard of publishing excellence while also holding down costs.
Matty illustrates the concepts with examples from her own works, including the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels and Suspense Shorts and her nonfiction books for authors.
The Editing portion of the session will bring value to any author seeking to work more productively with their editor.
The Design portion will bring value to independent authors who are managing their cover design, as well as to any author, indie or traditionally published, who wishes to create brand-right images to support their marketing and promotion work.
- Editing – How authors can find and correct “housekeeping issues” like spelling, grammar, continuity, and consistency so that professional editors can focus on more substantive issues.
- Cover design – How authors, as professional wordsmiths, can partner with visual design pros to achieve greatest cost-efficiency, the flexibility to pivot as cover and genre conventions evolve, and options for creating brand-right marketing and promotional materials.
Matty illustrates the concepts with examples from her own works, including the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels and Suspense Shorts and her nonfiction books for authors.
The Editing portion of the session will bring value to any author seeking to work more productively with their editor.
The Design portion will bring value to independent authors who are managing their cover design, as well as to any author, indie or traditionally published, who wishes to create brand-right images to support their marketing and promotion work.
Pitching for Promotion: Getting the Gig with Podcasters, Bloggers, and Other Promoters
Much is made of the need for writers to know how to pitch to agents and editors, but the need to pitch yourself and your work doesn’t stop there. Getting the gig with podcasters, bloggers, and others who can promote your work is vital to connecting with the audience who will love your work. And if you take the right approach, the relationships you build with these promoters can pay dividends for both parties long after the podcaster airs your episode or the blogger posts the review of your book.
Attendees will come away from this session armed with the tools they need to ...
Attendees will come away from this session armed with the tools they need to ...
- Consider your approach--whether to pitch yourself or hire a pro
- Do your prep to understand your target audience
- Lay the groundwork for a successful pitch
- Make it personal to connect what you offer to the promoter and their audience
- Make it easy by providing the information the promoter needs upfront
- Be professional by delivering excellent value to the promoter and their audience
- Promote and repurpose to make the most of your appearance
- Deepen the connection and build a long-lasting relationship that will benefit you and the promoter
Engage Your Audience In Person and Online
You have information to share, and you have the knowledge to back up your message. But excellent content alone is not enough to deliver an excellent presentation. The techniques you apply to share your material will determine whether your audience’s attention is riveted to you or drifts to their social media feeds. And presenters need two important sets of presentation skills: the ability to engage an audience in person as well as in a virtual environment. Finally regardless of the format, they must be prepared to handle the Q&A portion of their presentation effectively and gracefully.
Matty Dalrymple, The Indy Author, has delivered dozens of talks, including presentations at Writer’s Digest annual conferences, the Alliance of Independent Authors SelfPubCons, International Thriller Writers CraftFest, Book Brush’s BookMARCon, the Fiction Marketing Academy, the Fictionary Community webinars, the Authorpreneur Summit Down Under, the Carolina Writing Workshop, the Women in Publishing Summit, the Pennwriters annual conference, and many more. (Go to https://www.mattydalrymple.com/events.html for a full list.)
In this 60-minute presentation, Matty Dalrymple shares her tips for:
Creating Compelling Material – Explore different approaches for sharing your material, and the pros and cons of each.
Engaging Your Audience In Person – Master the techniques for engaging your audience at in-person events, including how best to use your voice, your body language, and your position in relation to the audience to draw them into your presentation.
Engaging Your Audience Virtually – Learn how to overcome the challenges of engaging an audience on a virtual platform and to make the experience as compelling for them as if they were in the room with you.
Handling the Q&A – Learn how to engage in an interactive Q&A session that will ensure your audience gets their questions answered in a structured, productive manner.
Who Should Attend?
Matty Dalrymple, The Indy Author, has delivered dozens of talks, including presentations at Writer’s Digest annual conferences, the Alliance of Independent Authors SelfPubCons, International Thriller Writers CraftFest, Book Brush’s BookMARCon, the Fiction Marketing Academy, the Fictionary Community webinars, the Authorpreneur Summit Down Under, the Carolina Writing Workshop, the Women in Publishing Summit, the Pennwriters annual conference, and many more. (Go to https://www.mattydalrymple.com/events.html for a full list.)
In this 60-minute presentation, Matty Dalrymple shares her tips for:
Creating Compelling Material – Explore different approaches for sharing your material, and the pros and cons of each.
Engaging Your Audience In Person – Master the techniques for engaging your audience at in-person events, including how best to use your voice, your body language, and your position in relation to the audience to draw them into your presentation.
Engaging Your Audience Virtually – Learn how to overcome the challenges of engaging an audience on a virtual platform and to make the experience as compelling for them as if they were in the room with you.
Handling the Q&A – Learn how to engage in an interactive Q&A session that will ensure your audience gets their questions answered in a structured, productive manner.
Who Should Attend?
- Authors early in their speaking careers who want to arm themselves with the best practices for engaging an audience
- Experienced author-speakers who want to brush up on their skills and learn a few new tips and tricks
Creating a Story Frame
Expanding on her Writer's Digest article, available for download here, and using the metaphor of a boat frame, Matty discusses how writers can build their story more efficiently and provide their reader "passengers" with a water-tight story, using a frame. She also discusses how a frame differs from an outline, and how it can morph seamlessly into manuscript. You can see some of the venues where she has discussed this topic here: https://www.theindyauthor.com/creating-a-story-frame.html
Matty's Fiction Work
Of course, Matty is always happy to discuss her own fiction work, The Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels and Suspense Shorts and the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, with reader groups or book clubs. Find out more at https://www.mattydalrymple.com/
