Monthly Zoom Discussion

With Debbie Rasmussen

Thursday, February 12, 7 pm Mountain Standard Time

In this class we will cover the steps of writing and publishing a book. This discussion will include not only different ways to accomplish the writing process, but also what do once the manuscript is completed and authors find themselves in the what now? place. Debbie will touch on marketing but that is not her main focus; that crucial step comes once the book is published.
We will discuss IngramSpark, KDP, and other platforms just for their information. Our presenter’s preference is Ingram, however, recently, in order to get Amazon reports you need to upload print books to KDP – this has not been an issue in the past.

Bio: Debbie started writing in the seventh grade when she was twelve years old. She continued to write while raising her six kids, running a forty-four-year dance career, and various callings as a member of The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints. She wrote whenever she could grab snippets of time, and when she published her first book in 2014, had fifteen nearly completed novels in her filing cabinet. (Old school, I know.)

To date she has self-published eight books, and two as Ghostwriter she did not publish herself. She has a busy life which includes her grown children and spouses, her favorite seventeen grandkids ranging in age from eleven to thirty-two, and many wonderful friends. Writing, Content Editing, Ghostwriting, and teaching Self-Publishing is her full-time career.

In 2019, at the suggestion of Richard Paul Evans, Debbie updated her covers and the interior design of her Mystic Trilogy books; she did exactly as he outlined and launched them at Salt Lake City’s FanX that same year, kicking her sales into high gear. Richard later invited her to run the Facebook group for Author Ready, a new company he was launching. Within a year she was brought on to do Content Editing as an independent contractor. She started a Tuesday night Online Authors Group zoom call that has been running consistently for nearly five years.

In the process of doing Content Editing for dozens of authors, Debbie found that most needed help in the self-publishing area as well. So, she spent hours studying the ins and outs of self-publishing and outlined a seamless step by step process. She didn’t create anything – the steps were there. She simply streamlined them so it doesn’t seem so intimidating or convoluted.

Debbie is constantly researching self-publishing to find best practices that will benefit not only herself, but also the authors she works with.

Links:

Website: www.authordebbieihlerrasmussen.com

With Jeremy Madsen

Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 12:00 pm MT

No theoretics or fear mongering. We’ll look at 10 ways AI has been employed in real life, and assess how helpful it actually was in each instance and how a different tool, prompt, or approach could have worked better. Case studies will include creating book blurbs (pretty good), generating fantasy artwork (amazing), researching retreat locations (epic fail), brainstorming headline ideas (great), assisting with writing scenes (flop), generating definitions (superb), and giving advice (outright dangerous).

Bio: Jeremy P. Madsen has used Chat GPT, MidJourney, DALL-E, Copilot, and Claude, and has seen lots of other people use them (for better or for worse). Jeremy is an administrative consultant for Berrett-Koehler Publishers and the operations manager for BK Authors, Inc., as well as a self-published author of epic fantasy novels. From 2020 to 2024, Jeremy was the operations and conference manager for LDSPMA. He loves capes.

Links:

Substack: jeremypmadsen.substack.com

Social media:www.instagram.com/jeremypmadsen 
www.facebook.com/jeremypmadsen 
www.youtube.com/@jeremypmadsen

With Jason Majoue

Tuesday, June 10th, 2025, 7:00-8:30 pm Mountain Time

Tired of chasing leads, or potential buyers, or clients, posting endlessly on social media, or feeling stuck trying to grow your business? In this powerful training, business coach and marketing expert Jason Majoue will reveal how to build a simple, scalable sales and marketing system that consistently attracts and converts buyers, whether you sell coaching, services, books, courses, or products. You’ll learn why most entrepreneurs get stuck in overwhelm, the 3-part system to grow your income without burning out, and how to create more leverage so your business works for you, even while you sleep. If you’re ready to simplify and grow, this is a can’t miss session!

• Why most entrepreneurs are stuck on the “content treadmill” and what to do instead
• The 3-part Sales and Marketing System to consistently attract and convert buyers (clients or customers)
• How to scale income without burning out or hiring a huge team

Bio: Jason is a Business Coach and Digital Marketing Agency owner who helps entrepreneurs, coaches, authors, and creators grow and scale their businesses with proven, repeatable strategies. With 10+ years of experience in business growth, offer creation, paid ads, SEO, sales funnels, email and social media, Jason has helped hundreds of clients increase revenue while simplifying their marketing. He provides strategic guidance through Private 1:1 Coaching, Group Coaching, and Guided Online Business Courses, empowering purpose-driven entrepreneurs to build profitable, scalable businesses.

Links:

https://www.jasonmajoue.com
@jasonmajoue (Handle for all socials and more tips)

With Jeremy Madsen

Substack started in 2017 and has grown steadily since then, reaching 35 million monthly active users in January 2025. But what is Substack, exactly? Is it a newsletter software? A blogging site? A paid-subscriptions manager? A podcast hosting software? A social media platform? (Spoiler: It’s all five). What is its revenue model? (Spoiler: It doesn’t involve ads. Hurray!) And most importantly: Should YOU be using it? (Not-a-spoiler: It depends.)

Bio: Jeremy P. Madsen has been active on Substack since August 2024, using it to serially launch his novel and audiobook podcast, The Pyromancer’s Scroll, as well as his author newsletter. Jeremy is also an administrative consultant for Berrett-Koehler Publishers and the operations manager for BK Authors, Inc., where he helps produce BookPlan, a 3-day online book marketing conference. From 2020 to 2024, Jeremy was the operations and conference manager for LDSPMA. He loves capes.

Links:

Substack: jeremypmadsen.substack.com

Social media:www.instagram.com/jeremypmadsen 
www.facebook.com/jeremypmadsen 
www.youtube.com/@jeremypmadsen

With Scott Brandley & Alisha Coakley

Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 7:00-8:30 pm Mountain Time

Scott Bio: Scott grew up in Southern Alberta, Canada, and made his way to Utah after serving a mission in Cape Town, South Africa. Not long after, he teamed up with his dad to launch an online business selling LDS products before shifting gears to co-found a successful software company. His wife, Darla, isn’t entirely convinced he actually works—but the paychecks seem real enough.

In 2014, Scott was called to serve as a Bishop in Ogden, a role he dedicated himself to for over five years. During that time, he felt inspired to write a book to help others strengthen their faith. These days, he teaches Gospel Doctrine, perfects his golf swing, and soaks up as much family time as possible with his wife and four kids.

Alisha Bio:

Alisha was born in Michigan, raised in Florida, and after some time in Utah and Nevada, finally planted roots in Texas! She’s a proud momma to three cute kiddos, three lazy cats, and one chicken of a dog—all of whom she adores “smothering with her mothering.”

Passionate about serving others, staying busy, and bringing joy and beauty to the world, Alisha pours her energy into every role she takes on. She is the Owner and Operator of a historic event venue, Co-Host of the Latter-Day Lights Podcast, an aspiring author, a Temple Ordinance Worker, Self-Reliance Facilitator, and Compassionate Services Leader.

While her self-proclaimed “Shiny Syndrome” keeps things interesting, she’s determined to stay the course—striving every day to become the person Heavenly Father needs her to be.

Links:

www.latterdaylights.com

https://www.facebook.com/latterdaylights