The Wedding Cake Approach to Marketing Your Regency Novel
WITH Melissa AddeyRegistration ends June 13, 2026!
Class Description
Even the best books need marketing, as there’s so much competition out there. This course focuses on providing a clear visualisation of all the elements which need to come together if you want to sell your books. A great course for new authors so you can plan ahead and hit the ground running, but also for experienced authors to make sure you’re covering all your bases and getting re-inspired with new ideas for reaching your readers and clinching those sales. We’ll cover all the tried and tested approaches but also mix in some new and exciting ideas to take you out of your marketing comfort (or boredom!) zone.
Course Dates: Saturday June 6th, 13th, April 18th and 25th, 2026 (Format is 1hr session + 1hr Q&A time on each date). ALL Zoom sessions will begin at 2pm ET/7pm GMT and the Zoom links will be posted in the classroom forum.
In session one, we’ll get our foundations laid –these items and actions will be the bedrock of your marketing plans and crucial for successfully building further.You can get started on them even while you finish your first manuscript and experienced authors should always return here before trying more advanced marketing.
In session two, we’ll talk about the ways we can deeply connect with our readers, use our backlist, make good craft choices to support our marketing and how and when to invest in more expensive choices like paid advertising. take this route if it appeals.
The third session is about taking the road less traveled. From unusual marketing approaches to case studies of real outliers, this session encourages you to try something new and memorable for your readers –and fun for you as well!
Our fourth and final session will be Q&A only so that you can consider the material shared and come along with any and all questions you need resolving.
Melissa will share a wealth of resources, contacts and practical personal experience. She will cover DIY options as well as how to commission professionals to work with. We’ll talk about important commercial decisions authors need to take and where to find additional advice for every stage.
You will leave inspired and with a whole raft of ideas to implement, from cheap and simple to more complex or expensive options, broken down for you into manageable steps. Specific contacts will be provided (e.g. where to find book cover designers, useful software or design tools to make your marketing look like a pro).
Following each session,you will be able to download the slides and refer to checklists to make sure you haven’t missed any important tips. You’ll also be encouraged to use our fun ‘wedding cake’ approach to visualize your marketing plan.
About the Instructor
Melissa Addey was home educated on an Italian hill farm and initially worked in business, with a Masters in creativity in a business setting. She has been a fulltime self-published author for the past ten years, writing historical fiction set in Ancient Rome, medieval Morocco, 18th century China, and has now moved into Regency romance. She has a PhD in Creative Writing, focused on the balancing act of fact and fiction in historical fiction and was the Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library, where she still runs writing workshops for writers wanting to develop entrepreneurial skills. She lives in London, UK with her husband and two children.
Visit Melissa’s website at www.MelissaAddey.com. You can also find her on Facebook @MelissaAddeyAuthor and TikTok @MelissaAddeyAuthor
Class Delivery
This course will consist of four Zoom sessions with the instructor with recordings, slides and a checklist posted in the forums afterwards.
Class Format
4-WEEK COURSE w/Bonus Q&A
Zoom Sessions: All sessions will begin at 2pm ET/7pm GMT on Sat June 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th (Format is 1hr session + 1hr Q&A time on each date).
While the course will be run via live Zoom calls, students will have the option to revisit the sessions in recorded format or if they can’t make it live. Questions for the Q&A sessions may also be posted in advance in the classroom forums.
Written Lectures: no, but Slides and Checklist will be provided
Video Lectures: yes, via live Zoom
Pictures: as part of video lectures
Audio Files: no additional beyond the video lectures, captioning available via Zoom.
Writing Exercises: none
Class Fees
$40 for RFW members
$55 for non-members
Registration ends June 14, 2026!
Scholarships are available for members
