Ebooks are hot, which means it didn't take long for people to come out of the woodwork to extract money from writers who want to self-publish but aren't sure how. Of course it's perfectly legitimate for someone to charge for a course on that and there are lgood ones around. What bothers me is the way some of them are being marketed.
Several marketers whose pitches I've heard or read are telling people it's easy to make a lot of money publishing your own ebook. As examples they mention John Locke and Amanda Hocking, both of whom have sold more than a million copies of their ebooks.
One marketer said that Hocking had this result "without lifting a finger." If you've read Hocking's account, you'll know that she worked exceedingly hard to get people to read her books. John Locke also admits that his true talent isn't writing, it's marketing.
To imply that these two are typical is equivalent to telling somebody he should take tennis lessons because, afte all, that Nadal and Federer make a fortune.
Can you make a profit from ebooks? Of course.
Will there be others who sell more than a million? Yes, naturally.
But is it easy? Can you just format your book and get it on the Amazon Kindle site and wait for the money to roll in without lifting a finger? No way.
I do think self-publishing is a great opportunity for writers and I would never dissuade anybody from doing it. Nor is it a bad idea to take a course or buy a program to learn how to do it. In fact, I'm working (slolwy) on a course that will help you establish your "author's platform," which is essential whether you are published traditionally or self-publish.
But if the people who are hoping to sell you a course or a book tell you it's simple and riches are practically guaranteed, hold on to your wallet or purse and run a mile in the other direction.