How to Set up and Run an Anthology Course
Anthologies are one of the fastest ways to build an audience, stack your catalog, and fund a project on Kickstarter all at once. But they come with a unique set of headaches: managing multiple creators, splitting royalties, hitting deadlines, and keeping the whole thing from falling apart before launch day.
I recorded this course in June 2018 and used my upcoming anthology, Cthulhu is Hard to Spell, as a live case study to test every strategy I teach here. I didn't know what would happen. I hoped it would do a little better than my first anthology. It blew Monsters and Other Scary Shit out of the water.
You'll learn how to build a team of creators, how to find and hire cover artists, how to structure your budget and royalty payments, how to create Kickstarter rewards that actually sell, and how to market the campaign so it funds. We also cover the stuff nobody talks about: managing personalities, making leadership decisions, handling fulfillment, and what to do at conventions with your anthology after the campaign ends.
27 lessons. 4 hours 9 minutes. Full course with lifetime access.
Course curriculum
Section 1: Choosing a Theme (5 lessons)
- Why Make an Anthology? -- 10:08
- Initial Questions -- 20:24
- How to Narrow Down Your Theme -- 15:10
- How to Title Your Anthology -- 5:40
- How to Use Google Keyword Planner to Find Your Theme and Title Your Anthology -- 4:04
Section 2: Running the Anthology (5 lessons)
- Creating a Budget -- 4:06
- Creating the Submission Form -- 10:47
- Creating and Monitoring Your Facebook Production Group -- 8:48
- Creating Templates -- 3:16
- Picking Creators -- 12:44
Section 3: Compiling the Anthology (4 lessons)
- Compiling the Anthology -- 9:24
- Landing Pages -- 7:09
- Making the Title, Credit, Special Thanks, and Foreword Pages -- 9:04
- Using Mailchimp -- 15:26
Section 4: Running the Kickstarter Campaign (6 lessons)
- Secret Kickstarter Anthology Strategy That Grossed Me $25,000 for Pixie Dust -- 5:46
- How to Create Video and Imagery for Your Campaign -- 23:01
- Creating Kickstarter Rewards -- 15:30
- Campaign Text and Buyer Intent -- 17:44
- Setting Your Campaign Timeframe -- 9:28
- Marketing with Creators -- 15:30
Section 5: After the Kickstarter (7 lessons)
- Delivering Your Rewards -- 8:51
- Maintaining Hype After Your Campaign -- 7:08
- Maintaining Your Fanbase -- 3:02
- Anthology Convention Strategies -- 3:48
- Royalty Payments -- 3:09
- Resources
- Leadership -- 2:09
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1CHOOSING A THEME
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2RUNNING THE ANTHOLOGY
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3COMPILING THE ANTHOLOGY
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4RUNNING THE KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN
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5AFTER THE KICKSTARTER