INDIE AUTHOR TRAINING PRESENTS
Direct Sales for Authors
Build the Website. Own the Customer Journey. Control the Business.
Limited Founder pricing — cohort fills fast
How This Program Works
01 — Build Your Storefront
Set up your direct sales store from scratch. Domain, payment processing, product pages, and email capture — everything configured and live by end of week one.
02 — Refine with Your Cohort
Live weekly sessions with your instructors and cohort. Get direct feedback on your store, your copy, and your strategy. Iterate fast with people who have already done it.
03 — Launch & Analyze
Drive real traffic, make real sales, read real data. Know what's working, what isn't, and exactly what to do next. Leave with a live store and a repeatable growth playbook.
Learn From Authors Who Actually Do This
David Viergutz
USA Today Bestselling Author · $1.84M+ in direct sales
Founder of Epistolary.com · MFA in Creative Writing · 20+ novels
Lee Savino
Romance Bestseller
Direct sales pioneer & community builder
Malorie Cooper
NYT Bestselling Author · 7-Figure Author · 125+ Books
Also Featuring:
Johnny B. Truant
Co-founder of Sterling & Stone, genre fiction powerhouse. Johnny brings the systems, the mindset, and the hard-won lessons from running a direct sales operation at scale.
Sound Familiar?
If you’ve been publishing for more than a year, you’ve probably run into at least one of these walls.
Your Website Is Underperforming
You have a site but it's not making sales. Readers visit, don't buy, and you have no idea what's stopping them. The store feels like a chore, not an asset.
Amazon Owns Your Readers
You publish on a marketplace that takes 30–70% and can change the rules overnight. You don't have your customers' email addresses. You're building on rented land.
Traffic Is a Mystery
You don't know how to drive readers to a direct store, what ads work, or how to build a funnel that actually converts. The whole thing feels overwhelming.
Platform Anxiety Is Real
Every year there's a new scare — algorithm change, KU rate cut, account suspension, new competitor. You want stability. You want to own the relationship with your reader.
"Direct sales isn't a side strategy. It's the foundation every sustainable author business is built on."
— David Viergutz, $1.84M in direct sales
What This Program Is — And Is Not
This IS
- ✅ A hands-on implementation program — you build while you learn
- ✅ Six weeks of live sessions with working instructors
- ✅ A cohort of authors doing the same work at the same time
- ✅ Real tech setup: Shopify, BookFunnel, email sequences, ads
- ✅ Proven playbooks from authors doing $1M+ direct
- ✅ A complete, launchable store by the end of the program
This Is NOT
- ❌ Another lecture-only course you’ll never finish
- ❌ Generic “start a Shopify store” advice from a non-author
- ❌ A replacement for writing — it’s designed around your publishing schedule
- ❌ Suitable for authors who aren’t yet publishing regularly
- ❌ A get-rich-quick scheme — results require real work
- ❌ Vague theory — every lesson has a specific deliverable
What You'll Be Able to Do After This Program
01. Own Your Sales Infrastructure
Run a fully functional Shopify store with products, payment processing, and fulfillment — built and verified by you during the program.
02. Capture Every Reader Email
Build the email capture and automation sequences that turn a first-time buyer into a loyal reader who buys your next book on launch day.
03. Drive Profitable Traffic
Understand and run paid traffic to a direct store — Facebook, BookBub, and newsletter ads — with real campaigns from the program for reference.
04. Write Copy That Converts
Craft product page copy, email sequences, and ad creative that sells — using the same frameworks these instructors use on their own bestselling titles.
05. Read Your Data
Know what your analytics are telling you — which products, which traffic sources, which emails are working — and make decisions from data instead of guesses.
HOW THE COHORT WORKS
Six weeks. Six live sessions. Mondays at 1:30 PM Central.
Each module’s lessons unlock the week before its live discussion, so you arrive ready to build — not just watch. The whole cohort meets live every Monday at 1:30 PM Central. Every session is recorded, and a dedicated private forum keeps the conversation going between calls.
Monday, June 15, 2026 — 1:30 PM Central
Monday, June 22, 2026 — 1:30 PM Central
Monday, June 29, 2026 — 1:30 PM Central
Monday, July 6, 2026 — 1:30 PM Central
Monday, July 13, 2026 — 1:30 PM Central
Monday, July 20, 2026 — 1:30 PM Central
- Lessons unlock the week prior — self-paced, so you come ready.
- Live cohort discussion every Monday at 1:30 PM Central.
- Can’t make it live? Every session is recorded.
- A dedicated private forum for questions and feedback between sessions.
The Curriculum
Six weeks. Six live sessions. One complete direct sales business — built by you.
Understanding direct sales logic and why it differs from marketplaces; shifting from creator to business-operator thinking.
Theme selection, product pages, checkout, and profit-maximizing apps.
Bundles, upsells, cross-sells, and raising average order value.
Welcome sequences, abandoned-cart, post-purchase, and win-back campaigns.
Sustainable traffic systems, your first ads, attribution, and repeatable acquisition.
Data analysis, funnel refinement, and the operational habits that scale.
Your Lead Instructor
David’s Shopify dashboard — $1.84M in direct revenue
David Viergutz
USA Today Bestselling Author | Founder of Epistolary.com | MFA in Creative Writing | 20+ Novels | Multi-Seven-Figure Ecommerce
David Viergutz is a USA Today Bestselling author who built a direct sales business that has generated over $1.84 million in revenue — entirely through his own Shopify storefront.
He didn’t stumble into it. He reverse-engineered what the best direct-selling authors were doing, applied it systematically, and documented everything. That documentation became the foundation of this program.
David writes fast-paced action fiction and genre thrillers. His real superpower is systems thinking — he knows how to build a sales engine that works while you’re writing the next book.
He’s taught direct sales to hundreds of authors, and his students consistently report their first direct sales within weeks of implementation. He will be in the live sessions, in the community, and in the hot seats — not just on the pre-recorded videos.
Bonus Module
Sell Your Backlist
Lee Savino
Romance Bestseller & Direct Sales Pioneer
Lee Savino is a romance bestseller who made the move to direct sales early and built a loyal reader base that follows her from platform to platform. Her bonus module covers the specific strategies that work for romance — reader expectations, bundle offers, preorders, and the community-building tactics that drive repeat buyers in genre fiction.
She’ll also cover how to position your direct store inside a reader community — because romance readers are exceptionally loyal when you give them a reason to come back.
Bonus Module
Reader Magnet Strategy for Direct Sales + Kickstarter
Malorie Cooper
NYT Bestselling Author · 7-Figure Author · 125+ Books | The Writing Wives
The Writing Wives — Malorie & Jill Cooper — bring their experience building a 7-figure direct sales operation to cover reader-magnet strategy for direct sales and Kickstarter. This bonus module covers pixel setup, conversion events, BookFunnel integration, and ad setup — the full technical and strategic stack for turning readers into buyers through direct channels.
The Cohort Experience
Johnny B. Truant
Co-founder, Sterling & Stone
Author, systems thinker, direct sales veteran
Johnny B. Truant co-founded Sterling & Stone, one of indie publishing’s most prolific multi-author operations. He brings a unique lens to this program: what direct sales looks like when you’re running multiple pen names, multiple genres, and a back catalog that spans hundreds of titles.
His contribution isn’t just content — it’s perspective. You’ll understand not just how to set up a direct store, but how to think about it as a business decision with long-term implications for your author career.
The Cohort Advantage
- Weekly live sessions with all four instructors (or rotating leads)
- Hot seat reviews — bring your store, your copy, your ads
- A private community of authors doing the work alongside you
- Session recordings for every live call, forever
- Direct access to instructors between sessions via community
- Accountability that lecture-only courses simply cannot provide
WHAT AUTHORS ARE SAYING
Trusted by leaders in indie publishing
David Viergutz is a powerhouse in the independent publishing industry. He has pioneered direct-to-reader sales, building a formidable empire.
James Blatch
CEO, Learn Self Publishing
A horror author who understands readers better than they understand themselves. He's turned that into a business that's second to none.
Craig Martelle
Bestselling Sci-Fi Author
Working with David feels like hooking your business to a power plant.
Chris Hopper
Bestselling Author, Voice Actor, Publisher
David Viergutz has completely revolutionised what it means to be an indie creator.
Lee Mountford
Bestselling Author
I never know what idea he’ll absolutely floor me with next.
Kevin Tumlinson
Bestselling & Award-Winning Author
I knew my voice would be heard and my creative vision respected.
Ines Johnson
Bestselling Author
Founder-Only Bonuses
Enroll now and receive these extras — only for the founding cohort.
Private Video Library
Every session recorded, edited, and organized in a private video library. Watch live or catch up — access for 1 year.
Setup Checklists & Templates
Shopify setup checklist, email sequence templates, ad copy frameworks, product page audit worksheet — the full toolbox.
Live Event Invitation
Founders are invited to a live (virtual) wrap party and Q&A with all four instructors. Exclusive to the founding cohort.
Is This Program Right for You?
You’re a great fit if:
- ✅ You have at least 3 published books (ideally more)
- ✅ You’re actively publishing or have a back catalog to sell
- ✅ You’re willing to invest 5–8 hours per week during the program
- ✅ You want to own your reader relationships directly
- ✅ You’re tired of platform dependence and ready to build something durable
- ✅ You can invest $495 in your business without financial stress
This might not be for you if:
- ❌ You’re still writing your first book
- ❌ You’re not ready to invest time doing the actual setup work
- ❌ You’re looking for a fully done-for-you service
- ❌ You want results without the implementation work
- ❌ You’re not in a position to invest in the program right now
- ❌ You publish in categories where direct sales don’t yet have traction
QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Frequently asked questions
Ready to Build Your Direct Sales Business?
Founding Cohort Pricing
$697
$495
One-time payment — 1 year of access to materials
- ✅ 6 weeks of live group sessions
- ✅ All session recordings — 1 year of access
- ✅ Bonus modules: Lee Savino + Writing Wives
- ✅ Setup checklists, templates, ad frameworks
- ✅ Private cohort community access
- ✅ Hot seat review sessions
- ✅ Live wrap event — Founders only
Cohort sessions begin when the group fills. Secure your spot now.
Build the Foundation. Own the Future.
Every book you’ve already written is an asset sitting on someone else’s platform.
Every reader you’ve earned belongs to a company that could change its terms tomorrow.
This is how you fix that.